#colleen hoover will not see heaven

[cxinis]

for every newly published romance book i read i have to read 5 pschotic female rage books

[mermaidsirennikita]

what would you say are the biggest trends when it comes to romance novels getting published nowadays and how do you feel about them?

Oh gosh, that's hard to say. In part because I am both deeply NOT on trend in what I seek out, and on trend in that I read a lot of ARCs from trad publishers? Who aren't the only trendsetters by any means, but are the ones with the most $$$.

(This got long so some of it goes under the cut.)

—Romantasy. Obviously. I hate the term romantasy, I think it's literally just made by marketers

(digression: I don't care if a random TikToker came up with the name, the nebulous thing that it IS... pure marketing, there is no definition, and I truly think that genre has to have DEFINITION to be a genre or even a subgenre, it can't just be what one random person thinks it is; you can genre-bend, play with it, but the people you are directing your product to needs to know SOMETHING about what they're buying; I'd compare it to selling a necklace and calling it jewelry without telling the buyer what the stones or metals ARE)

but undoubtedly this is a huge trend. There seems to be a biiiit of paranormal romance making a return with this—see: Kresley Cole's IAD rerelease books being marketed as "romantasy" when there's very little romantasy about that series.... But overall you see the connection to shows like Game of Thrones, etc, within them. Tons of dragons.

—Romcoms continue on. Lots of low stakes romcoms. I do not like these. A lot of the time they blur into women's fiction. The women's fiction blur I think has something to do with Colleen Hoover (though most of her books aren't intentionally funny) but also just publishing trying to capitalize on romance without committing to romance. Emily Henry is a good example of this. Sally Rooney is a more ~literary example. Jasmine Guillory. Etc etc.

They're impossible to really figure out, imo. Are they gonna be hot? Are they gonna be funny? Are they gonna be emotional? Yulin Kuang's How to End a Love Story is a great example of a book that is, to me, near-perfect. It's ABSOLUTELY a romance novel. But is it a romcom? Not really. It has funny moments and a beautiful HEA, but it's a VERY angsty book. Yet I saw it marketed as such.

—Kickstarter campaign books on the indie side, plus other ways to sort of circumvent the tradpub issue while also not... losing as much money. Several big time authors (in and out of romance) have seen huge success with Kickstarter; obviously, it's harder for small-timers, but still possible! I also know of authors who've written chapter by chapter on Patreon and given their patrons special goodies before publishing the book.

—Genre diversity for authors. A lot of authors in the past wrote under one genre or subgenre, then had to use a pen name for anything else. Amanda Quick was Jayne Anne Krentz's historical romance pen name, for example. Now... I don't think people are as strict. Sierra Simone has written erotic historicals, contemporary, dark romance, monogamous, poly, m/m, m/f, f/f, m/m/f, f/f/m, romcoms, etc. Sarah MacLean is dropping a contemporary (not romance) novel soonish. I see this as a good thing all-around. Pen names are cool, but I don't think they should be a MUST.

—Less angst, more fluff. THANKS I HATE IT LOL. I'm gonna say something controversial (apparently) but this is my honest opinion: It is not a story if there is no conflict. What you wrote was a scene. Perhaps a very good scene! A very long scene, maybe! But there is not a STORY unless there is CONFLICT.

Now, I don't know if I've read a book with ZERO conflict. But I've read many lately wherein the conflict was so thin... I felt the story had little substance. Not every conflict has to be ANGST ANGST TRAUMARAMA. A book I recently didn't LOOOOOVE but whatever, I'll accept it as an example, is Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. The heroine and the hero are not in danger of losing their lives. Their conflicts are internal. She loves him but doesn't feel like he'll ever genuinely love her, he's a dipshit who essentially doesn't want to accept that she's the one because he a) has a hard time trusting women in general b) has a specific idea of what his life is going to be that was disrupted when his career ended unexpectedly, and he's still working through some shit on that.

Nobody is at gunpoint, nobody is cheating, nobody is doing one last job. They're just... struggling with their feelings and their senses of self. (If the hero hadn't crossed ONE LAST LINE, I think I would've rated that book higher, but it's a testament to SEP understanding conflict that I can dislike the book and still say "solid conflict".)

I just see a lot of authors shying away from serious conflict, and I wonder how much of it is because readers keep complaining about it. And yeah, bad conflict... sucks. But conflict does not inherently suck. I don't want to read 800 pages of PWP or pointless slow burn. I need PLOT. I need ACTION. And I think we can have low-conflict books and high-conflict books in the same market! But it feels like publishers (and perhaps some authors) don't feel confident in that.

Which is why your girl has realized that a lot of the books she loves are like... 10+ years old.

—Historical specific... the unproblematic 1800s white people. I want to make it clear: You can absolutely write politically progressive people of bygone eras well. The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe has a heroine who's outspoken about women's rights and reproductive freedom. Joanna places this against political occurrences of the time to make it flow easily, AND I think is actually pretty real about the heroine having to give some things up to be with the hero (a duke) even though he supports her and doesn't expect her to be a conventional duchess. Some sacrifices are inevitable. Adriana Herrera's An Island Princess Starts a Scandal has a great portrayal of semi-openly queer women in 19th century Paris... and that's something that totally existed and again, flows well.

It's not that I'm a stickler for accuracy at all. See: my love of Alexis Hall's Something Fabulous series. But I think that you either have to lean the fuck in to not being super accurate like they do, OOOOR you have to make it flow. When we suddenly have a duke being like "AND BTW I'M A FEMINIST" I don't fucking buy it lol. I need to see growth, and I need to understand why he has these views. I think there's a lot of low-effort shit being done to make historicals appear more progressive. And while I do think HR has a lot to reckon with, if that's the only way it can continue to exist... It feels as if that subgenre has to exist within a structure that we don't necessarily expect from other subgenres. Not a lot of billionaire romances (and that's still popular, despite what some may tell you) have the hero going "LET ME STOP AND EXPLAIN HOW I'M AN ETHICAL BILLIONAIRE".

I think that romance needs to be aware of its environment and progressive; I also think that romance requires some suspension of disbelief, and I think we're seeing a lot of white guilt driving some newer historical romances.

Because to go back to Adriana Herrera... That's a woman of color writing very politically aware historicals, while at the same time FULLY diving into the escapism and wish fulfillment and all the things people should be able to get out of a romance novel.

(And btw: All the things marginalized groups should be able to get out of romance novels! A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell is an amazing romance novel with a trans hero, and I've gotta say, the book confronts transphobia, sure, but there is such fucking delicacy and it BY ZERO MEANS drives the fucking book, and I find that really important. That the hero is existing. That Adriana's heroes and heroines exist. And so on.)

[iiamthehybrid]

I'll Remember It All (Modern!Aemond x Dead!Oc)

People say you fall in love, but fall is such a sad word when you think about it.

Falls are never good.

You fall on the ground.

You fall behind.

You fall to your death.

Whoever was the first person to say they fell in love must have already fallen out of it, otherwise they would have called it something much better.

Aemond read the passage for the 5th time.

It was his wife's favourite book.

"Reminders Of Him" by Colleen Hoover.

And that was exactly what was left.

Reminders of her.

A gentle soul who was capable of taming the dragon blood that ran hot inside Aemond's body. A gently soul who got taken away from him.

A soul full of compassion, empathy and love.

His beautiful wife Y/N.

Y/N was like the sun, she touched everything and everyone with her kindness and generosity. Her sunshine is what drew Aemond closer to her. She burned, in the sweetest way.

And whatever made Y/N burn, made Aemond burn.

The light to his darkness.

Aemond's tears fell down on the plush carpet as he looked up at the ginormous picture of his wife.

Y/N enjoyed making memories, and she achieved that by taking pictures of each and every moment. And this picture strung up in their bedroom was his favourite.

But still, He could not bear to look at it without crying. The pain of losing her was greater than anything he ever endured. Even the pain of his eye getting slashed out from his skull was nothing compared to losing the only woman he ever loved.

What hurt even worse, was looking back at the roundness in her stomach. Her swollen stomach where their little baby grew.

He could still hear her laugh if he closed his eye.

"Aemondd!!!!!"

"Baby come on, the lighting is perfectt", Y/N said with a smile on her face.

It was a smile Aemond could kill for. A smile he loved for.

"Hmmmm." Aemond hummed as he wrapped his callused hand round her belly that was swollen with their first child.

"You are energetic, Ñuha jorrāelagon!".

"Why is that ?"

"Is it my seed that is growing in your belly, or is it because I just fucked you missionary?" Aemond asked with a sly smirk on his face.

Y/N cheeks reddened as she looked up to him.

"Both".

Aemond smiled as he placed a kiss on Y/N's slender neck.

"Hmmmmm"

"I want more Ābrazȳrys, let's go back to bed."

Y/N looked at him as if he made a bookmark using the pages of her favourite book.

"No, I want you to take a picture of me."

"Here." Y/N said as she pointed at the closed curtain she had in front of the balcony door.

"We need more pictures, husband."

"Now?" Aemond asked as Y/N removed his arm from her belly as she toddled over to stand in front of the balcony door.

"Yes, now." Y/N said shyly.

"How do I look?" Y/N asked as she stood in front of the curtains. Her hand placed on the back of her belly, that was covered in see through lingerie.

Aemond smiled "Gevie hae se hūra se qēlossās".

Y/N smiled. "Ok, I'm ready."

Aemond's wished he could capture this moment forever. He wished they were frozen in time.

The light reflection made her look eternal. Like an angel that was send from heaven, just too sooth his soul.

"Done." Aemond handed the camera to his wife.

Y/N smile grew wide as soon as she saw the picture. "You husband, should definitely try photography."

"Mafia business does not hold a candle to this." Y/N said as she twiddled the camera in her hand.

Aemond chuckled as he lifted his wife up in his arms. "Ēdan iā gevie model".

Y/N smiled. "I am."

"Gaoman gūrogon iā reward syt ñuha qopsa mirre, dōna ābrazȳrys", Aemond said with a pout on his lips.

Y/N smirked as the placed a kiss on his sapphire eye " I might reward you...after fucking me missionary."

Aemond eyes darkened with lust,

"I'll remember your promise Ñuha jorrāelagon."

"I'll remember it all.."

Aemond opened his eye, as he came back into the present.

A world full of darkness, because you were taken from him.

You and your unborn baby.

He'll extract his revenge on the one that took you away from him. It was only a matter of time and careful planning.

And then he would join you, Because this isn't goodbye, this is simply see you later.

I hope you enjoy my first story.

It's not the best but practice makes perfect.

[formerlibrarian]

Back when I was a Librarian, we lived and breathed by the Publisher's Weekly Bestseller List. It was my responsibility to print or photocopy the list every week and update our bestseller's display. (Also to purchase extra copies of particularly popular bestsellers.)

I haven't looked at the list in YEARS. Some of these surprise me:

A new translation of The Iliad made the list?!

Ken Follett is still alive?? (I looked him up, he's only 74.)

Danielle Steel is still alive?? ( I just looked her up, she's only 76 and has been married five(!) times. To be fair, I also looked up Ken Follett, he's only been married twice.)

I see some Christmas-themed books on the list!

I see a Disney manga! (“The Battle for Pumpkin King”)

PUBLISHER WEEKLY’S BESTSELLERS LIST: October 5, 2023

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros (Red Tower)

2. “The Running Grave” by Robert Galbraith (Muholland)

3. “The Armor of Light” by Ken Follett (Viking)

4. “Holly” by Stephen King (Scribner)

5. “12 Months to Live” by Patterson/Lupica (Little, Brown)

6. “Tom Lake” by Ann Patchett (Harper)

7. “The Fragile Threads of Power” by V.E. Schwab (Tor)

8. “Bright Lights, Big Christmas” by Mary Kay Andrews (St Martin’s Press)

9. “The Iliad” by Homer/Wilson (Norton)

10. “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper)

11. “Vince Flynn: Code Red” by Kyle Mills (Atria)

12. “The Covenant of Water” by Abraham Verghese (Grove)

13. “The Last Devil to Die” by Richard Osman (Viking/Dorman)

14. “Tom Clancy: Weapons Grade” by Don Bentley (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

15. “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride (Riverhead)

_____

HARDCOVER NON-FICTION

1. “Enough” by Cassidy Hutchinson (Simon &Schuster)

2. “Killing the Witches” by O’Reilly/Dugard (St. Martin’s Press)

3. “The Democrat Party Hates America” by Mark R. Levin (Threshold)

4. “Elon Musk” by Walter Isaacson (Simon & Schuster)

5. “Democracy Awakening” by Heather Cox Richardson (Viking)

6. “Government Gangsters” by Kash Pramod Patel (Post Hill)

7. “Failure Is Not as Option” by Patrick Hinds (BenBella Books)

8. “Thicker Than Water” by Kerry Washington (Little, Brown Spark)

9. “Astor” by Cooper/Howe (Harper)

10. “Build the Life You Want” by Brooks/Winfrey (Portfolio)

11. “Skinnytaste Simple” by Homolka/Jones (Clarkson Potter)

12. “Counting the Cost” by Jill Duggar (Gallery)

13. “The Creative Act” by Rick Rubin (Penguin Press)

14. “Outlive” by Peter Attia (Harmony)

15. “Fast Like a Girl” by Mindy Pelz (Hay House)

_____

MASS MARKET BESTSELLERS

1. “Undercover Operation” by Maggie K. Black (Love Inspired Suspense)

2. “Bad Luck Vampire” by Lynsay Sands (Avon)

3. “Seeking Justice” by Sharee Stover (Love Inspired Suspense)

4. “The Teacher’s Christmas Secret” by Emma Miller (Love Inspired)

5. “Rescuing the Stolen Child” by Connie Queen (Love Inspired Suspense)

6. “Tracked Through the Woods” by Laura Scott (Love Inspired Suspense)

7. “The Boys from Biloxi” by John Grisham (Vintage)

8. “Christmas Murder Cover-Up” by Shannon Redmon (Love Inspired Suspense)

9. “Pursuit at Panther Point” by Cindi Myers (Harlequin Intrigue)

10. “The Whittiers” by Danielle Steel (Dell)

11. “Trusting Her Amish Rival” by Jackie Stef (Love Inspired)

12. “Texas Scandal” by Barb Han (Harlequin Intrigue)

13. “Marked for Revenge” by Delores Fossen (Harlequin Intrigue)

14. “Hunted at Christmas” by Dana R. Lynn (Love Inspired Suspense)

15. “A Companion for Christmas” by Lee Tobin McClain (Love Inspired)

_____

TRADE PAPERBACK BESTSELLERS

1. “House of Sky and Breath” by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury)

2. “Things We Left Behind” by Lucy Score (Bloom)

3. “The Shadow Work Journal” by Keila Shaheen (Keila Shaheen)

4. “The Battle for Pumpkin King” by Dan Conner et al. (Disney Manga)

5. “Icebreaker” by Hannah Grace (Atria)

6. “Too Late” by Colleen Hoover (Grand Central Publishing)

7. “23 1/2 Lies” by James Patterson (Grand Central Publishing)

8. “It Starts with Us” by Colleen Hoover (Atria)

9. “Mad Honey” by Picoult/Boylan (Ballantine)

10. “Twisted Love” by Ana Huang (Bloom)

11. “Assistant to the Villain” by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (Red Tower)

12. “The Housemaid’s Secret” by Freida McFadden (Mobius)

13. “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig (Penguin Books)

14. “The Husky and His White Cat Shizun, Vol. 3” by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou (Seven Seas)

15. “Dreamland” by Nicholas Sparks (Bantam Dell)

[dondon05]

Life of Chelsea

cloudy dream Chelsea Ezra R. San Juan was born. at 4 am at the DMC lying in the clinic her parents are Ma. Candy R. San Juan and Christopher R. San Juan. She started going to school at the age of 3 years her mama always made sure that they had delicious meals and brought them to Chelsea’s school because her mother was good at cooking food. old growing up her parents always took her to the park where there were big statues of dinosaurs, shoes, and a house where kids go inside and play or slide on that statue, and somehow as a kid chelsea enjoys it. Chelsea’s first job was as a helper in her mother's business because her mother's business is a printing business it needs manpower and chelsea saw how to do it while she was young therefore chelsea knew her mother’s business. Having a career was a pressure for other people but of course as well as to chelsea, Chelsea takes her career as being an honor student. From being a normal student she decided to work hard to be one of the academic achievers which chelsea successfully got as she became an honor student in grade 10 and finished grade 11 as a high honor student. Chelsea had her first date is when there this guy named Michael they casually talked via messenger but they were not a total stranger they met online chelsea and Michael are in the same school but chelsea only recalls his name but for michael? Michael had a crust on chelsea when he was in grade 7 but it faded due to he’s not seeing chelsea anymore it continued when Michael was in grade 9 but chelsea was already in grade 10 as chelsea was not available at that time Michael decided to wait as the valentines day Michael was supposed to move and talk t chelsea but then inconvenience happen but when chelsea already in grade 10 that’s when both of them talked and their first date was a coffee chelsea said that it's just magical when they first had their first coffee date because she was so comfortable on him as she laugh her heart out having butterflies in her stomach as she made michael laugh thats just memorable and that coffee shop will always be memorable for the both of them. They had their real date meal at the Lucky Chinatown Mall where Michael takes her to eat pepper and lunch. One of the sad times in her life of chelsea is when her parents got separated and the one who took care of her was Lola while chelsea had her joyful when her baby brother was born he named Zeus Jake she was never been happy when Zeus was born because Zeus is always waiting for her to come home for chelsea Zeus and Michael makes her happy. One of her hobbies is reading books specially written by Colleen Hoover and books about self-care. “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.” That was Chelsea’s belief and her words of wisdom.

[black-is-beautiful18]

What is wrong with Colleen Hoover and how does anyone enjoy her books??? Like honestly. The excerpts I’ve seen aren’t good and she puts the weirdest stuff in her books. Why did step siblings have a child together and why are they talking about his genitalia??? That woman is not seeing heaven?

[bookaestheticsbybern]

Reminders of Him

[Colleen Hoover]

------------------‐---------

Book Description:

A troubled young mother yearns for a shot at redemption in this heartbreaking yet hopeful story from #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover.

After serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake, Kenna Rowan returns to the town where it all went wrong, hoping to reunite with her four-year-old daughter. But the bridges Kenna burned are proving impossible to rebuild. Everyone in her daughter’s life is determined to shut Kenna out, no matter how hard she works to prove herself. The only person who hasn’t closed the door on her completely is Ledger Ward, a local bar owner and one of the few remaining links to Kenna’s daughter. But if anyone were to discover how Ledger is slowly becoming an important part of Kenna’s life, both would risk losing the trust of everyone important to them. The two form a connection despite the pressure surrounding them, but as their romance grows, so does the risk. Kenna must find a way to absolve the mistakes of her past in order to build a future out of hope and healing.

Kenna, Scotty, Diem, & Ledger

“I’m not here because I think I deserve her. I just wanted to see her. That’s all. That’s it.” She uses her shirt to dry her eyes, and then she says, “Sometimes I wonder what Scotty would think if he could see us. It makes me hope that an afterlife doesn’t exist, because if it does, Scotty is probably the only sad person in heaven.”

------------------‐---------

“I’m going to be so good to your girls, Scotty. I promise.”

[thejusticewarrior]

The Book Club - Fiction

The Fiction Book Club TBR list:

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Anna And The French Kill by Stephanie Perkins

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Crime And Punishment by Fyodor Dosteovsky

Deacon King Kong by James McBride

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Everything Inside by Edwidge Danticat

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Flowers In The Attic by VC Andrews

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evanisto

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Last Night At The Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Luster by Raven Leilani

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Nightwood by Djuna Barnes

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Queenie by Cnadice Carty-Williams

Red, White And Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark

The First Phone Call From Heaven by Mitch Albom

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

The Iliad by Homer

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tann

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Next Person You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom

The Odyssey by Homer

The Overstory by Richard Powers

The Picture Of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Three Musketeers by Alexandra Dumas

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera

Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

Where Are You Coming, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates

Must I Go by Yiyun Li

Everyone Dies Famous In A Small Town by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

[hookedonapirate]

Set My Soul On Fire

Summary: What happens when the high school principal's son falls in love with the pastor's daughter?

Hiding a relationship is hard, especially since Killian's girlfriend is seventeen and not allowed to date until she's thirty, it's even harder to hide her pregnant belly. Can Killian save his relationship with Emma when her parents find out? Some miracles are worth fighting for no matter what. Especially when there's a little hope involved and a whole lot of love.

Teen Pregnancy AU

Notes: This story was sort of inspired by a storyline in one of Colleen Hoover's books, Ugly Love, but with a much happier ending. You could say it's a canon divergence of Ugly Love. I wanted to write a highschool AU where Emma and Killian are each other's firsts, so there's no past Milah or past Neal in this one. Only Captain Swan, or rather Lieutenant Duckling.

Thank you @onceuponaprincessworld as always for letting me share my ideas with you!!! You help me more than you know!

Rated: Mature

Also available: AO3 l FF.N

Chapter 1

Being the principal's son is not all it's cracked up to be.

His classmates tell him all the time, it must be nice to be the principal's son. They think it's all unicorns and rainbows, they think it's why he's never been in detention when the real reason is that he's forced to be a role model to his fellow classmates. Since Brennan Jones is not only the principal but a strict father who runs a very tight ship, both at school and at home, he sets high standards and has even higher expectations of his two sons. Killian's actually surprised he's made it three years in high school without being in detention because it feels like everything he does at home is wrong. He's constantly reminded his older brother was captain of the football team and had straight A's when he was in high school, while Killian is only a straight-A student. That’s right, just a straight-A student. He’s often lectured rather than praised. Being the principal's son has its perks, but it feels more like a prison sentence than a privilege. Today feels like a good example of this.

He's currently sitting in the administration office waiting for the new student he's supposed to show around the school and around town. His father is already chummy with her parents and boasted to his sons about how her mother is an elementary school teacher and her father is the new Pastor at Living Hope Community Church, where Brennan attends every Sunday without fail. While discussing the new girl’s enrollment at the high school, her parents asked the principal if he knew anyone who would be interested in showing their daughter around. Since Killian is in the same grade as she is and has the same classes, Brennan volunteered him.

So now he’s endowed with the task, and his father wants him to make her feel at home, show her the ropes, show her where the good places to eat are and the good crowds to hang out with. He wants her experience at Storybrooke Highschool to be an enjoyable one, and apparently Killian's experience to be an insufferable one. Sound like a privilege to you?

He should feel flattered his father saw fit to have him show the pastor’s daughter around, but it only reminds Killian that he’s tried so hard to impress his father, he may be missing out on some of the finer aspects of high school. But this is senior year—his most important year of high school.

He’s easily made straight A's in the past three years, but that didn’t matter to him. He wants to be a pilot and needs flying hours to earn his commercial pilot’s license, not a flashy college degree. Getting into a prestigious university is what his father wants for him, it’s not what Killian wants or even needs. So he’s not worried about getting into a good college, he knows he can do that no problem anyway. But he’s always been the golden boy, the teacher's pet, the principal’s son who never gets in trouble. He’s seventeen and still a virgin; perhaps it’s time he changed that. It’s his senior year, but it’s only the beginning, so perhaps it’s not too late to get into some sort of trouble.

Killian is towed from his thoughts as his phone buzzes in his pocket. He pulls out the device and sees a text from his best friend.

Robin: Good luck with the new girl.

Killian: More like bad luck. This feels like punishment.

Robin: Why? Is she ugly?

Killian: Haven’t met her yet. Just hate being the one always picked for these things.

Robin: Send me a pic if she’s hot.

Robin: That was Will. He already got his phone confiscated for blowing a spitball at the chalkboard, and the class hasn't even begun yet lol.

Killian chuckles and is kind of jealous he wasn’t there to see it.

Killian: Why am I not surprised?

Robin: Oi, I read that, mate. This is Will btw

Robin: Seriously though, send a pic.

Killian: Will do.

Robin: If she’s hot, Will will definitely do her.

Robin: That was Will again.

Killian: I figured.

He hears the principal's door open and slips his phone into his pocket before his father catches him texting.

Killian looks up and never wants to look away again.

One look is all it takes. His jaw is on the floor and he finds himself gasping for air because the vision before him literally takes his breath away.

“I’ve got this, thanks, Kelly,” Brennan says to the secretary when she starts to get up, but he motions for her to stay seated, flashing her the signature Jones grin.

Killian can only imagine his father is grinning at the secretary though, to which he'd roll his eyes in return, but he can't seem to take his eyes off the new girl long enough to find out.

Adorable, beautiful, breathtaking, gorgeous, ravishing, stunning.

His mind is reeling as he searches for the correct adjective, but no words are good enough. No words can adequately describe her.

Her skin is the color of smooth porcelain with a tint of pink on her delicate cheekbones and her hair falls to her waist in long, golden waves and reminds him of yellow daisies that bloom in the springtime. And her eyes… her eyes are perfectly framed by long black lashes and remind him of the forest after a fresh rainfall. Rich, green, sparkling and full of life. His eyes are drawn to her like a magnet is drawn to the right kind of metal. She's the most beautiful metal he's ever seen.

“Emma, this is my son. He’s in your first class with you and is going to show you around.”

Even though Killian's mouth is hanging open, he somehow forgets how to form words. He forgets how to stand on his two feet, he forgets how to move. It’s probably best he can't walk though, because he’d probably slip on his own drool.

“Well, aren't you going to introduce yourself to the lass or are you just going to just sit there?” his father asks, pulling Killian from his trance. There’s a bit of mirth dancing in Brennan's eyes when Killian finally pulls his gaze away from her.

He clears his throat and shakes himself from his revery, finally able to stand. He somehow manages to stride over to her without slipping on his own drool and moves his arm enough to extend his hand so she can shake it. “Killian,” is all he can utter, though rather incoherently, his voice cracked beyond repair.

The way her sweet, pliant lips curve slightly when her eyes meet his knocks the wind entirely from his lungs as she slides her delicate palm into his. As her fingertips lightly grip his hand, tiny sparks dance along his skin; he gets goosebumps all over and a warm, tingling sensation all at once. His heart is beating fast and he never wants to let go of her hand ever again. “Hi, I’m Emma.” She sounds like an angel, her voice is like soft silk and the cordial smile she graces him with reminds him of the sun, it’s bright, powerful rays radiating against a cloudless, blue sky.

Emma. Her name is Emma. “Hi, Emma,” he breathes, just to hear her name roll off his tongue. It sounds like music to his ears and he wants to write poetry about her name. He wants to write poetry about her beauty and how his heart flutters when she looks at him. (He’s never wanted to write poetry before.)

“Remember what I told you, my boy, about being a gentleman?” his father warns him.

“I'm always a gentleman,” Killian replies, never taking his eyes off Emma's. He even forgot anyone else was in the room until his father had spoken. Hell, he’d forgotten he’s still holding Emma’s hand. Well, he hadn’t forgotten, he’s still feeling the effects of her touch, the way the electric currents from her touch surge through his body, but he hadn’t realized he’s held her hand much longer than he probably should. She hasn't seemed to notice either. Nor has she taken her eyes off him.

When he pulls his palm from hers, his entire body suffers from the loss. His knees feel weak and he fears they may buckle at any moment.

Brennan furrows his brows and stares at Killian with a vigilant eye. “Alright, well I’ll leave you to it then.” He puts a hand on his son’s shoulder and whispers in his ear, “Remember, she’s the pastor’s daughter. No funny business, you hear me?”

Killian gives a complacent nod so his father will disappear into his office, which he does, leaving the most beautiful girl Killian’s ever laid eyes on in his entire life with him to take under his wing. Sure he's only seventeen and there are only so many pretty girls he's seen in his short existence, but how can anything in this world be more beautiful than her? It's not possible. He wants to kiss her beautiful lips and touch her lovely skin and do all the things he knows he's not supposed to.

No funny business. Right.

Killian’s lips tip into a smirk and it’s laced with a hint of mischief as he moves to the office door and pulls it open for her.

All that stuff he’d moaned and groaned about—something to the effect of being the principal's kid is similar to being in prison—is all rubbish. This is definitely not a punishment. More like heaven.

“Thank you,” she says appreciatively and steps over the threshold.

He takes a moment to appreciate her cute backside as the skirt of her white dress sways when she moves. Mmmm. Even her legs are gorgeous.

“Very old-fashioned of you,” she snickers playfully and turns her head, catching him staring at her as he licks at his lips.

He quickly lifts his eyes, hoping she's not offended. If she is, she gives no indication. He can't help but stare at her though. He wants to spend his whole life staring at her.

He cocks a brow as he follows behind her and escorts her to first period, which is English with Mrs. Squires. “Since when did being a gentleman go out of style?”

Emma shrugs. “I often wonder the same thing. Boys at my old school didn't open doors for girls, that’s for sure. They’d rush past them to be the first to pass through. Even the boys at church are too busy staring at me to hold doors open. My father is the only gentleman I know.”

Killian’s heart saddens a little. Emma has never experienced a gentleman except for her father? “Well, then you’re in luck, love. I’m nothing if not old-fashioned, milady, ” he says with a bow. God, he sounds like an idiot.Pull it together Jones! She’s just a girl. A very hot girl. Speaking of hot, he has to remember to take a picture of her, but now is not the right time. It would be too obvious, and what’s he supposed to say? Excuse me while I snap a photo of you so my friends can see how hot you are. Somehow he doesn’t think that will go over very well. “It shall be my goal in life—I mean in our senior year to show you a true gentleman.” Okay, life may have been the more accurate noun, but he’s trying to be subtle here. He’s doing a terrible job at being subtle though. If subtlety was a snake, it would’ve bitten him by now.

A light blush colors her cheeks as a coy smile touches her lips and it’s the most adorable thing he’s ever witnessed. “Careful with your promises, I might just hold you to them,” she teases, and he decides right then and there he loves being teased by her. He loves the hell out of it. She can call him names and be mean and bitchy to him and he would still love it.

“Oh, believe me, love, there are plenty more promises where that came from,” He flashes her a cheeky grin and points at his chest, “And I never break a promise.” He even adds a flirty wink to the signature Jones grin.

Emma's cheeks are flushed as she purses her lips, amusement dancing in her eyes. “I’ll have to remember that.”

Killian scratches nervously behind his ear as he tries to think of something to ask her. He needs a topic that will temporarily distract himself from thinking about how drawn he is to her or how fast his heart is racing right now. “So, where is this barbaric school where manners seem to have gone out of style?”

“Phoenix, Arizona.”

“Ah, I see, well I’ve never been there, but it sounds like I’m not missing out on much.”

She shakes her head. “No, you're not. The people here in Storybrooke seem much nicer,” she says. She talks about Phoenix and why her parents moved. Meanwhile, he can't stop thinking about how much he wants to spend time with her and get to know her. She tells him she’s seventeen, like him, but Emma is certainly no girl. She’s a woman. A goddess.

He’s in love with a freaking goddess.

Bloody hell. He’s only known her for roughly ten minutes and he’s already in love with her. Or so he thinks. He’s never actually been in love before, but he’s sure the feelings blooming in his heart right now can only be described as love. And yes he's had crushes on girls before, but he’s experienced nothing he could even remotely describe as love.  

She tells him she wants to go to the police academy when she graduates and he tells her he wants to be a pilot. But he can't stop picturing her in a police uniform. He shudders at the thought and shakes his head to rid the thoughts from his mind. But he can't help but fixate on everything about her. Her smile, her laugh, her eyes. He wants to do nothing except stare at her all day. He’s so bewitched by her, he doesn’t realize they’ve passed the classroom until they’re at the end of the hall and she’s asking where Mrs. Squire's class is.

He blushes and points the direction they came from.

“Doesn't a pilot need to know where he's going to fly a plane?”

He nods and chuckles. “Aye, but to be fair, there are no gorgeous blondes there to distract a pilot and make him forget where he is. There are only the clouds and the sky.”

He can see her cheeks tinting with a brilliant shade of pink again as they turn around and head toward the classroom. They don't speak the rest of the way there, but they don't need to. He’s too busy watching her as she tucks some hair behind her ear and flashes him little smiles that tell him she might feel even a smidgen of what he feels for her. Which is certainly saying something.

He makes sure they don’t pass the classroom this time. When they enter the room, he looks around for two empty seats side by side and takes one. The teacher introduces her to the class before Emma makes her way to one of the empty seats. Thankfully, she’s eyeing the seat next to his and claims it as her own. He sighs silently in relief and they make eye contact briefly as Mrs. Squires continues with her lesson plan.

He pulls out his phone to discreetly snap a photo of Emma as she's paying attention to the teacher. There’s no way he’s paying attention in this class though. Not with Emma in the same room. Just before he takes the photo, she turns her head and smiles at him. His cheeks are on fire as he lowers his phone and looks away. When he's sure she's not looking at him anymore, he catches a glimpse of her, but sure enough, she's still smiling at him. His heart actually skips a beat. He can't tell if she knows he'd taken her picture or not, but based on the aim of the camera lens when he'd snapped it, she probably figured it out.

As soon as she looks away again, he looks down at his phone and unlocks it, pulling up her photo to send it to Robin, who will subsequently show it to Will. Killian is in complete awe of her perfection, even on his screen. She looks like an angel, with the picture window in the background as the sunlight seeps in, illuminating her skin, and her hair seems to glow in the soft light. His fingers fly over the keyboard as he types out a text to accompany the photo.

Killian: Gentlemen, meet Emma. Aka my future wife. Aka mother of all my future babies 😍❤😍❤😍❤😍

He sends the text and the photo with a big smirk on his face. He’s thought of the perfect way to get into trouble before he graduates. Because, it's only his first class of the year and, God help him, he’s already in BIG trouble.

[min2hoesk]

wednesday; may 18, 2022

look at me. i’m writing two days in a row. it’s probably because i’ve had the past two days off so i’ve actually had the time to write anything down. but i thought about it just now that there were some things i wanted to get down for the day so here i am. 

i decided to not write that paper. i’m failing the class by my own choice. i emailed my professor again asking about the paper but he still didn’t reach out. so i’m not going to give him the satisfaction of looking at what i worked on hard and then fail me. i’m going to fail by my own choice. i do want to email him once our time together is over. it seems unprofessional since i’ll still be working at the school and going there for my masters. i just want to tell him that while i understand his decision, it is still unprofessional to not even reach out to a student. i want to tell him that thanks to him, i know exactly what teach i do not want to be when i earn my degree. no help from him on that front. that he lacks compassion to even reach back out to a student that was begging and give them a solid answer, even if it was a no. that’s what a coward does. whatever. he had bad ratings on rate my professor and the make up class i’m taking has a good professor that cares about his students and his job. i’ll manage.

the past two days off have felt so good. i’m officially (not really) done with my undergrad and i can finally BREATHE again. with working full time on top of these past couple months, i felt like i’ve just been holding my breath. but the past two days i’ve been able to read and not feel guilty about it. i’ve FINALLY been able to enjoy a book without thinking there’s something more important i should be doing. this was exactly the break i needed before these next few months when i go back to school and start working a full 40 hours a week. 

that is all for BTS. i need to save up money for them. i need to see them. even if i can never speak to them i want to be there to support them at their concert as a thank you for basically saving me. that sounds so stupid and i probably sound like a fanatic but whatever. nobody reads these. those 7 men taught me how to have courage to do the things i want to do with my life. to wake up everyday to be better. to want better and do better for myself. they taught me what good, caring men look like and raised my standards to the heavens. they gave me passion for life i didn’t know i had. so even though i will never be able to verbally express my gratitude to them, i want to be there in support of everything they’ve built for themselves. i’ll say it now: thank you BTS for giving me a new found hope in my life and the drive to do better and be better for myself. i hope it will reach you. 

it’s not the end of the day yet, but i can’t imagine anything else happening today. so i’m going to end this one before going to bed. but i’ll still do what i know i should.

5 things i’m grateful for today:

BTS

really good books (i’m reading Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover right now)

my bestfriends for supporting me, even when i’m making a weird decision to CHOOSE to fail 

the way the beginning of summer sounds

waking up and being alive today

i hope you find your five things today.

love you xx 

~R

[phgq]

Christmas tree fit for bookworms

#PHnews: Christmas tree fit for bookworms

MANILA – Filipino bookworms are getting into the holiday season by incorporating their love of reading into their Christmas decor. Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites have inspired them to create their own versions of “book trees” or books piled on top of each other to form the shape of a tree.

Since environmentalists are discouraging the use of both real and artificial (plastic) trees, putting up a book tree is a great way to display your favorite literary works while welcoming the yuletide season.

Solejoy Cariaso, 29, first started building her book tree when her book collection reached 100 in 2019. Now she has around 200 books, she decorated this year’s book tree with Christmas balls and poinsettias.

“As a book collector and lover, I decided to make a bookworm-themed Christmas tree because this is the only time I get to showcase my collection,” she said in an interview with Philippine News Agency.

Most of the books she used to build the book tree were novels and encyclopedias. She topped this year’s tree with a Bible.

Solejoy, an elementary and senior high school teacher, has a child of her own now, but her love for young adult books will never grow old. She said it was the Harry Potter series that got her into reading.

BOOK TREE. Solejoy Cariaso decorates her book tree with Christmas balls and poinsettias. She topped it off with a Bible (Photo courtesy of Soleyjoy Cariaso) 

“Parang nakikita ko kasi ung sarili ko kay Harry. Minsan nabu-bully pero push pa rin (I sort of see myself in Harry. He gets bullied but keeps going on). Honestly speaking, sobrang ganda lang din kasi ng plot niya (it just really has a good plot),” she said.

This Christmas, she’s hoping to receive the complete Harry Potter set since she only read the e-book version of the series. If not Harry Potter, she said “any (Colleen) Hoover book” will also do the trick.

Jay Teck, 30, decided to skip putting up a book tree this year since their house is currently under renovation. Prior to having a home makeover, Jay said he has been stacking books on top of each other since 2014.

His 2014 book tree was small -- it consisted of roughly 50 books. He decorated his tree using lights, bulbs, and candy canes.

Jay also shared a photo of his book tree on Instagram with the caption quoting American author and radio personality Garrison Keillor, "a book is a gift you can open again and again." Unlike most bookworms who start young, Jay considers himself a late to the party when it came to loving books. Video games were enough to keep him happy back then.

Photo courtesy of Jay Teck

“Before, I never imagined myself willingly reading a book. Then isang araw (one day), I went home from school at kaka-start lang ng pinsan ko gamitin yung (and my cousin started using the) computer. I was so bored sa paghihintay matapos siya. May book siya na baon. Nasa kama lang sa room (waiting for him to finish. He brought a book with him. It was on the bed). It was Lighting Thief by Rick Riordan. I opened it and read it to kill time and next thing I knew, time flew by so quickly,” he said.

Jay, a sales representative, finds comfort in reading books in the fantasy or dystopian genre as a way to escape reality and take a breather from stress.

“I always imagine alternate realities, kaya siguro ako hooked sa mga (that’s why I’m hooked in the) dystopian genre. Also books that inspire. The next book I want to have is The Next Person You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom,” he said.

Once renovations are finished, Jay looks forward to building a bigger book tree. As a frequent book fair attendee, he’s also hoping to add more books to his growing collection.

To make your own book tree, you must first get your hands on books with different sizes, dimensions, and colors. You can save your favorite books for the top of the tree.

Larger, heavier books like hardbound books can make the base of the tree, while smaller books can be used for the body. Make sure they're sturdy enough so they don't end up crashing down. Keep piling up books in a pyramid-like fashion and stop once you've reached your desired height.

The top of your tree could be your favorite book or ornament of choice. Once done, you can decorate the book tree by draping lights, wrapping it with tinsel, and other ornaments.

Of course, there are other ways to "deck the halls" using books. They can also be stacked to form the shape of Santa, a snowman, or reindeer.

Creating a book tree isn't as difficult as it looks. However, when decorating with lights, bookworms should also remember not to keep them on for too long or overnight. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Christmas tree fit for bookworms." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1125293 (accessed December 21, 2020 at 12:07AM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Christmas tree fit for bookworms." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1125293 (archived).

[mermaidsirennikita]

Re Booktok and Booktube, yes people definitely underestimate how influential they are. How underrepresented HR are among then has to to with the perception of HR in general? It's obvious most of them enjoy reading romance because you apsolutley see a focus on ships and the romance aespects of books and "smutty books" (let's be real their bar for steamy scenes is...very low...) when people, especially women talk about them. And if they do talk about romance it's the respectable kind, your Sally Rooney or Taylor Jenkins Reid, with the occasion Colleen Hoover thrown in there.

I will say that HR is definitely more discussed on Youtube--there are a lot of Booktubers who currently discuss HR pretty frequently, though idk if they're more niche within the community. Unfortunately (for HR) Booktok doesn't seem to have followed suit and I think that in a lot of ways that is more key to instant success than Booktube. Not that Booktube isn't important--but it's significant that books are literally being sold in Barnes and Noble with "as seen on Tiktok" stickers and stands. I know Booktok was definitely involved in the success of The Love Hypothesis.... though there were definitely other elements at play there.

And lol, as an aside, thank you for calling out the low bar for sex scenes in Booktok. Or, as they call it, "spice". I'm fine with using terms like spice, spicy, whatever, but it's especially clear on Booktok that it's used because it's impossible to say sex on that platform without taking a hit. :(. But honestly, the fact that Booktok will take a book like The Love Hypothesis and be like "THIS IS THE SPICIEST BOOK EVER YOU GUYS OMG" when it has one (good!) sex scene. Like. I really, really enjoyed that book; I gave it four stars. But.... it is so far from the ~spiciest book~ on the scene.

The ironic thing too is that I think there's a perception that HR is... less steamy...? And while there are certainly closed door/low heat HRs, maybe more veiled, less graphic language in some of the HR sex scenes... Though certainly not always, uuuuuh Elizabeth Hoyt what up.... Most of the popular HR authors I've read include, minimally, three sex scenes per book. I'd point to Lisa Kleypas as the most dominant HR author of the past twenty years or so, and while I would not call her sex scenes the most graphic out there by any means, they're always pretty frequent, and they're always pretty explicit, though some books are more so than others. Like--Kleypas has ass play in one of her books, the leads 69 in her most recent novel; I didn't see that in The Love Hypothesis. HR authors are not sitting there saying good heavens I can't possibly~. In fact, I would argue that graphic sex is more expected of HR than it is of current mainstream contemporary novels (indie contemporaries are another thing entirely). They didn't call them bodice rippers for nothing.

The sad thing is that I wouldn't even call Sally Rooney and Taylor Jenkins Reid (though I love TJR) romance novelists, right? And I do think a lot of what gets a trend on Booktok started, excepting the times that they organically stumble upon older books and hype them up (Ice Planet Barbarians!!!) is a prominent Booktokker getting sent an upcoming release from a publisher. And from there we get hype. I think these are often books coming with big publisher media pushes, like Sally Rooney's releases do, like The Love Hypothesis did, and it's... I'm not saying these books are bad, or that these Booktokkers aren't excited. But they aren't stumbling across these books as part of the romance community, if that makes sense. If they were, we'd be seeing a fuckton more indie contemporaries v. mainstream contemporaries, the way we do on Booktube. And shit, I think we'd be seeing more HR, also the way we do on Booktube.

For example, as a contrast, a cool trend I've seen among HR reviewers on Booktube is the embrace of the old school historicals and the comparison of them to today's dark romances. Which I think is super insightful, and allows people to rediscover these decades-old novels that deserve to be enjoyed again, and examined critically. I just don't see that on TikTok. I don't even think the format can POSSIBLY allow for it, you know? A lot of what I see on BookTok works so well in a teeny, short video..... and with new releases I wonder if some of that is because they were given a media package that guided them on how to compress that information.

[bryanllamado]

ATM with Bryan | 20

Hi y’all! School has been keeping me really (and not to mention, exhaustingly) busy for the past month and so, I failed to write a volume of ATM with Bryan for the months of January and February respectively. Here I am, not with a fizzle but with a brand new entry. This is also my first time to draft an entry in a month– told you, I really am very busy. We’re only at the 2nd week of the midterm. Damn! The prelim exam week is definitely one of the most stressful exam weeks in a while. I had a total of 7 written exams + 4 online quizzes which I have to patiently go through.

Right after the prelim week came the prestigious Lasallian Festival, with the theme of #TatlongDekada, as the university is celebrating 30 years of Lasallian education. I’m actually thinking of writing an entry about how that week went for me, but I fear that I won’t be able to finish it BECAUSE school requirements are on the verge of dominating my schedule again. Intramurals Week is coming right up so it WILL be another busy week ahead but thanks to the excuse letter. Before I lose track of the reason why I write this entry, I’ll be giving you a list of my ‘at the moments.’

C U R R E N T L Y

Reading

Confess by Colleen Hoover– still stuck with this book. Not that I’m getting bored of reading it but school is literally taking most of my time. During the weekends (which is the only time that I get to catch up on sleep and read), I spend most of my time watching UAAP Volleyball or finishing online quizzes. So there, I kinda explained why I haven’t finished Confess yet. I’m halfway through the book tho.

Writing

an ESP syllabus. ESP stands for English for Specific Purposes. It is an approach to teach a specific aspect of English depending on what a person needs (instead of teaching general English). On the other hand, a syllabus is a guide containing lessons that a course or subject will discuss throughout a semester. So there, damang dama ko na ang pagiging guro. And even though it’s exhausting, I love this profession. #BuhayGuro

Thinking

about a new video concept. I’m rebooting my YouTube channel and planning to be more active (slash upload new videos). It’s been a year since I uploaded something on my channel and after watching JaDine’s travel video, I was inspired to create and edit a video again. My inner vlogger was awakened! Been wanting to create a video but I always make excuses. This time, I hope it’s for real.

Listening

to Fall Out Boy’s recent albums– American Beauty / American Psycho (2015) and M A N I A (2018). I’ve been a fan of Fall Out Boy since their 2013 album (Save Rock & Roll) but I didn’t bother listening to their next albums. Praise the heavens because a friend of mine reintroduced me to their recent songs and all of a sudden I’m digging their catalog on Spotify. Loving Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down tho!

Smelling

*sniffs* nothing.

Wishing

for clarity and for things to fall into place. It’s been a month since things went blurry and something important to me is on the rocks. I opened up to some of my friends but still, I feel confused on what to do or say. I can’t confront the situation because I’m not sure of what I want to happen. I remember the quote, “Let’s not prolong the agony.” How do we make this work?

Hoping

to be excused on some of my classes this Intramurals. I’m hoping that my professors will consider the THE excuse letter. *crosses fingers* After all, it is a university wide event and it requires active participation. Kidding aside, I hope that our college gets the street dance crown back and for our players to win their respective matches and games. May the best athletes/team win!

Wearing

a yellow shirt from Justees and a pair of dirty white shorts from a local bazaar– still in last night’s sleepwear. My shirt says “Reality TV Star”– oh how I wish.

Loving

the fact that my creative juices are overflowing. Oh how I missed this state of mind– the one which is so into creating and creating and creating! I love the fact that I get to update my blog, edit and create vlogs, update my planner, curate my feed and write poems. I just hope that I can sustain this mood for a looong time because I have a lot of ideas to work on. The only thing that’s missing is time management. #PAANO

Wanting

to have a good conversation with (a) friend/s over coffee. It’s been a while since I last had a catch up conversation with a friend (the most recent one was before the semester began). I need to get some things off my chest and the best way to do so is C.O.C. (Conversation Over Coffee). It could be over bottles of beer tho, whichever the chance permits. *i’m serious* I just want to unburden myself…

Needing

a new laptop charger. Naghihingalo na ang charger ko. Lahat na lang ba susukuan ako? Oh, hugot! *cringe* There is something wrong with the way I roll and pack my charger causing a part of the cord to break from the inside. It’s still working but I need to bend the cord. Ugh! Lesson learned: Kung gusto niyong magtagal ang isang bagay, alagaan at protekytahan niyo. Just kidding (but you can take it seriously).

Feeling

determined. I feel like right now is the most important time for me to be determined and focused– not just on academics but in everything that I do. Time to get back on track! In a recent Instagram post (which is now deleted, see screenshot of post below), I wrote about how I miss the mindset of a warrior. I should push myself to be better and challenge my limits. #motivated #UnleashTheBeast

Clicking

through a Spotify playlist that I made. I’m currently looking for background music for my vlogs! I’m trying to veer away from the usual and looking forward to incorporate actual songs (with minimal lyrics and vocals) instead of just sounds and beats. If you have some suggestions, feel free to tweet me! @bryanllamado Check out my YouTube channel and Spotify playlists too!

https://open.spotify.com/user/bryanllamado?si=fc-KcF34SxOM9UTcbaPKAg

That’s all for now. The midterm period begins in 3, 2, 1.

Bry. x 031018

[marcusssanderson]

70 Soulmate Quotes and Sayings to put Love into Words

Our latest collection of soulmate quotes that will inspire love and affection.

Your soulmate is someone who’s on board with who you are, your purpose on this earth and what you want to accomplish in life. It is the one person who inspires you to be a better person and whom you’ll always love no matter what.

Love is a significant part of life. It makes us better human beings and improves our lives. Love gives you the energy to face life along with the many challenges it brings.

Besides, when you have love inside of you, other people will benefit just as much as you do. You’ll be able to share it with others and positively impact their lives.

When you have had a bad day at work, your soulmate offers a safe cushion to land. They will also be a mirror for you and help you grow into a better person.

Connecting with your soulmate is another way to tap into your everyday power and greatly enhance your life. However, we sometimes run out of words to express how much love we have for our soulmates.

Here are some inspirational, wise, and beautiful soulmate quotes, soulmate sayings, and soulmate proverbs to help put your feelings into words and make your relationship more satisfying.

Soulmate quotes and sayings to put love into words

1.) “We recognize a soulmate by the supreme level of comfort and security we feel with that person. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t issues that remain to be ironed out. Rather, it means we know intuitively that we can resolve issues with our soul mate without losing his or her love and respect.” — Linda Brady

2.) “True love is finding your soulmate in your best friend” ― Faye Hall

3.) “A soulmate is the one person whose love is powerful enough to motivate you to meet your soul, to do the emotional work of self-discovery, of awakening.”— Kenny Loggins

4.) “You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”— Dr. Seuss

5.) “The soulmate is what we aspire to and like to understand about ourself, is what we deem to be perfection, purity, and endless love.” – Sorin Cerin

6.) Our universe grants every soul a twin—a reflection of themselves—the kindred spirit – And no matter where they are or how far away they are from each other—even if they are in different dimensions, they will always find one another. This is destiny; this is love. – Julie Dillon

7.) A bond between souls is ancient – older than the planet. – Dianna Hardy

8.) You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly. – Sam Keen

9.) Have you ever felt really close to someone? So close that you can’t understand why you and the other person have two separate bodies, two separate skins? – Nancy Garden

10.) If I know what love is, it is because of you. – Herman Hesse

Soulmate quotes and sayings to help express your love

11.) “I feel like a part of my soul has loved you since the beginning of everything. Maybe we’re from the same star.” – Emery Allen

12.) “I want to be your soulmate, even if I don’t believe in them.” – Colleen Hoover

13.) “The minute I heard my first love story I started looking for you, not knowing how blind I was. Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along.”— Rumi

14.) “The best love is the kind that awakens the soul; that makes us reach for more, that plants the fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. That’s what I hope to give you forever.” — The Notebook

15.) “All, everything that I understand, I only understand because I love.” — Leo Tolstoy

16.) “The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.” — Helen Keller

17.) “I swear I couldn’t love you more than I do right now, and yet I know I will tomorrow.” — Leo Christopher

18.) “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” — Lao Tzu

19.) I know I am in love with you because my reality is finally better than my dreams.

20.) If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you. – Joan Powers

Soulmate quotes for him or her

21.) “In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. In all the world, there is no love for you like mine.”— Maya Angelou

22.) “You’re the fire burning inside of me.” �� Kelvin O’Ralph

23.) “I look at you and see the rest of my life in front of my eyes.” — Unknown

24.) There is only happiness in life, to love and to be loved. –  George Sand

25.) Loving you never was an option. It was a necessity.  – Truth Devour

26.) When I look into your eyes, I know I have found the mirror of my soul.

27.) “I love you the way a drowning man loves air. And it would destroy me to have you just a little.” – Rae Carson

28.) “I never loved you any more than I do, right this second. And I’ll never love you any less than I do, right this second.” – Kami Garcia

29.) “I want everyone to meet you. You’re my favorite person of all time.” – Rainbow Rowell

30.) I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times… In life after life, in age after age, forever. –Tagore

Soulmate quotes and sayings to spice up your relationship

31.) “And in her smile I see something more beautiful than the stars.”

32.) “Before I met you, my life ran on sheer amusement. After I met you, my life ran on sheer compassion.” ― Heenashree Khandelwal

33.) “Love is but the discovery of ourselves in another, and the delight in the recognition.” – Alexander Smith

34.) “For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.” – Judy Garland

35.) The best things in life can never be kept; they must be given away. A Smile, a Kiss, and Love. – Robert Browning

36.) “Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” ― Robert A. Heinlein

37.) “Some souls just understand each other upon meeting.” – N. R. Hart

38.) “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.” ― William Shakespeare

39.) I saw that you were perfect, and so I loved you. Then I saw that you were not perfect and I loved you even more. – Angelita Lim

40.) I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach. – Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Beautiful soulmate quotes and sayings

41.) “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”— Emily Brontë

42.) “A soul mate is not found. A soul mate is recognized.” – Vironika Tugaleva

43.) “What if you find your soul mate… at the wrong time?”― Lauren Kate

44.) “Soul mates are muses. The people in your life you despise, disrespect and desire the most.” – Coco J. Ginger

45.) “Soul mates may be linked, but fight to separate, causing wounds and confusion. They teach what no one else can.” – Donna Lynn Hope

46.) Giving someone a piece of your soul is better than giving a piece of your heart. Because souls are eternal. – Helen Boswell

47.) “Before you find your soul mate, you must first discover your soul.”― Charles F. Glassman

48.) Did you ever stop to think that even if I am a monster, I might be your soulmate anyway? – Julie Johnson

49.) Close your eyes for a while. The image that conjures is your soulmate. Don’t pause, rush and say what you feel. After all time and tide for none wait. – Neelam Saxena Chandra

50.) “And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make.” — Paul McCartney

Soulmate quotes to help you put your thoughts and feelings into words

51.) “Your soulmate doesn’t just mean your husband or your boyfriend. I have friends in my life who I believe I was meant to meet and be a part of.” – Louise Nurding

52.) “A soul mate is…someone whose way of viewing life is not necessarily the same as yours but complements yours…there is not a compromise, there is a complement.” – Paul Robear

53.) “What’s the difference?” I asked him. “Between the love of your life, and your soulmate?” “One is a choice, and one is not. – Tarryn Fisher

54.) “People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that’s what everyone wants. But a true soulmate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life.”— Elizabeth Gilbert

55.) “A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks.” ― Richard Bach

56.) “Carry me in your heart wherever you go I’m always here. You just have to look within.” – Jeremy Limn

57.) “As you awaken, you will come to understand that the journey to love isn’t about finding “The one” the journey is about becoming “The one”. –Creig Crippen

58.) “The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” – Carl Jung

59.) “Friends yesterday, lovers today, soulmates forever.” — Unknown

60.) “I love us for the way our eyes make love to each other’s souls.” – Christopher Poindexter

Other cute soulmate quotes and sayings

61.) “A soulmate is someone whom, when you meet, without thinking, without letting your neocortex play into the decision; you feel an instant familiarity, a sense of connection, a longing.” – Karen Salmansohn

62.) “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.” – Heather Cortez

63.) “Yes, it was love at first sight. I feel that after all these years, I have finally found my soulmate.” – Barbara Hershey

64.) “A soulmate is someone to whom we feel profoundly connected, as though the communicating and communing that take place between us were not the product of intentional efforts, but rather a divine grace.” — Thomas Moore

65.) “When love runs soul deep, a kiss is no longer just a kiss. It is the place where heaven and earth meet.” – Daniel Nielsen

66.) “You don’t find love, it finds you. It’s got a little bit to do with destiny, fate, and what’s written in the stars.” ― Anaïs Nin

67.) “Today and always, beyond tomorrow, I need you beside me, always as my friend, lover and forever soul mate..” – Ritu Ghatourey

68.) “We meet our soulmates when we’re on our soul path.” – Karen M. Black

69.) “Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life.” – Richard Bach

70.) “Sometimes you get lucky and find a soul that grooves with yours.” — Unknown

Which are your favorite soulmate quotes?

Love improves our lives in so many ways. When you find your soulmate, you’ll find someone who’s on board with everything about you and your purpose.

Connecting with your soulmate will shape other things that will happen in your life and the world around you. Hopefully, these soulmate quotes have helped you find the right words to share with your significant other.

Did you enjoy these soulmate quotes? Which of the quotes was your favorite? We would love to hear all about it in the comment section below.

The post 70 Soulmate Quotes and Sayings to put Love into Words appeared first on Everyday Power.

[pink-earmuffs]

MULTI BOOK POST RIKKI - ARC via Netgalley READ: 10/1/17; RELEASE: now available 2.7/5 “Ever since junior high and an ill-fated game of seven minutes in heaven, Rikki Eisendrath and Sam Payne have hated each others’ guts. But when they end up at the same college—and the same dorm—they figure it’s time to declare a truce. They even become friends . . . sort of. But when Sam asks Rikki to model for his sculpting project, they start spending more time together—and her feelings for him get more complicated. She tries to focus on the guy she’s been crushing on instead. But Sam’s the one she can’t stop thinking about, even though their arguments are starting to heat up as much as the chemistry between them.With antagonism and attraction this intense, there’s bound to be an explosion. But when the dust settles, will Sam and Rikki be enemies, friends . . . or something more?” Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this review copy in exchange for an honest review. I gotta say, as cute and quirky as this is (and I did enjoy it) there wasn’t anything especially stand out about this one. I liked that it “does what it says on the tin” and is essentially what it makes itself out to be. I did like that the novel had a lot of open mindedness for it but I don’t know if I’d read the next few. ———————————————————— BEGIN AGAIN - ARC via Netgalley READ: 10/2-3/17; RELEASE: 11/14/17 2.5/5 “He makes the rules. She breaks them all. A new start. It's the only thing keeping Allie Harper going, when she packs up her life and moves across the country to Woodshill, Oregon. She's about to start college, desperate to leave the ghosts of her past behind her. Even if that means never talking to her parents again.Now the hard part - finding an apartment before classes start. Just when it seems she'll have to live out of her car, Allie visits one more place. It's beautiful. With one exception: can she stand being roommates with campus bad boy Kaden White? Sure, Kaden is sexy with his tattoos and careless attitude, but he's also an arrogant jerk. With nowhere else to go, Allie moves in.The first thing Kaden does is make a set of rules. Either Allie obeys, or she's out: 1. Don't talk about your girl problems.
2. Keep your mouth shut if I bring someone home.
3. We will NEVER hook up. Easy enough, thinks Allie. Who would want to get involved with a brute like Kaden? But the more she gets to know him, the more she sees beyond his gruff facade. He, too, is harboring some painful secrets. For Kaden and Allie, it gets harder and harder to ignore the sparks between them. And the lines between the rules start to blur.” Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this review copy in exchange for an honest review. I was surprised to learn this book is originally a German novel but I had fun reading a translation and unfortunately have to rate it low because the second to last half of the book seemed to be too repetitive for the main characters (who reminded me of characters from a Colleen Hoover novel) and it seemed to be intent on repeating itself for a while. The first half of the book was great and I did enjoy the characters but the dragging of the plot and novel didn’t help. ———————————————————— I LIKE YOU LIKE THIS - ARC via Netgalley READ: 10/4-5/17; RELEASE: 11/7/17 2.9/5 “In 1984 Connecticut, sixteen-year-old Hannah Zandana feels cursed: She has wild, uncontrollable hair and a horrid complexion that she compulsively picks, and as if that weren’t bad enough, her emotionally unavailable parents mercilessly ridicule her appearance and verbally shame her. Wanting to change her pathetic life, Hannah attempts to impress a group of popular girls―an ill-fated effort, except that she captures the attention of Deacon, a handsome and mysterious boy who also happens to be her school’s resident drug dealer. Suddenly, Hannah’s life takes an unexpected detour into Deacon’s dangerous and seductive world―but when her relationship and family unravel around her, she is forced to reexamine what she believes about herself and the people she trusts the most.” Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this review copy in exchange for an honest review. I wanted to like this one and I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy read and while the authors writing style was easy and very worth the time I just found this to be too heavy. Maybe it had to do with events going on in my life but at points I couldn’t understand the focus on Hannah and Deacon’s relationship when most of the novel seemed to want to be about how Hannah has to go on her own journey and grow as a character. While a good debut I had issues with some of the content and probably won’t read the sequel even if there is one. ———————————————————— THIS MORTAL COIL - ARC via Netgalley READ: 10/5/17; RELEASE: 11/7/17 2.9/5 “In this gripping debut novel, seventeen-year-old Cat must use her gene-hacking skills to decode her late father’s message concealing a vaccine to a horrifying plague. Catarina Agatta is a hacker. She can cripple mainframes and crash through firewalls, but that’s not what makes her special. In Cat’s world, people are implanted with technology to recode their DNA, allowing them to change their bodies in any way they want. And Cat happens to be a gene-hacking genius. That’s no surprise, since Cat’s father is Dr. Lachlan Agatta, a legendary geneticist who may be the last hope for defeating a plague that has brought humanity to the brink of extinction. But during the outbreak, Lachlan was kidnapped by a shadowy organization called Cartaxus, leaving Cat to survive the last two years on her own.. When a Cartaxus soldier, Cole, arrives with news that her father has been killed, Cat’s instincts tell her it’s just another Cartaxus lie. But Cole also brings a message: before Lachlan died, he managed to create a vaccine, and Cole needs Cat’s help to release it and save the human race. Now Cat must decide who she can trust: The soldier with secrets of his own? The father who made her promise to hide from Cartaxus at all costs? In a world where nature itself can be rewritten, how much can she even trust herself?” Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this review copy in exchange for an honest review. Urgh. I must have been going through too much last month because I even disliked this one. I read the description and it sounded a bit like X-Men so I thought I’d like it but alas, no. I did like the originality in this and what the “fix” and resolution was but everything else fell flat for me. Including Cat and Cole’s romance that involves a little bit of emotional manipulation and also the foreshadowing for what was going on was a little too obvious. I didn’t mind the science references but I just didn’t enjoy this one like I thought I would. ———————————————————— THE EMPRESS - ARC Via Netgalley READ: 10/6-8/17; RELEASE: 10/31/17 “It’s a new day in the Empire. Tyrus has ascended to the throne with Nemesis by his side and now they can find a new way forward—one where they don’t have to hide or scheme or kill. One where creatures like Nemesis will be given worth and recognition, where science and information can be shared with everyone and not just the elite. But having power isn’t the same thing as keeping it, and change isn’t always welcome. The ruling class, the Grandiloquy, has held control over planets and systems for centuries—and they are plotting to stop this teenage Emperor and Nemesis, who is considered nothing more than a creature and certainly not worthy of being Empress. Nemesis will protect Tyrus at any cost. He is the love of her life, and they are partners in this new beginning. But she cannot protect him by being the killing machine she once was. She will have to prove the humanity that she’s found inside herself to the whole Empire—or she and Tyrus may lose more than just the throne. But if proving her humanity means that she and Tyrus must do inhuman things, is the fight worth the cost of winning it?” Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this review copy in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the first Diabolic but would have been fine had it been a stand-alone novel. I felt slightly underwhelmed. I really did enjoy the first novel so I knew what I was getting into reading this but the majority of the book kind of lulled but I was surprised by the ending. ———————————————————— THE NEW DARK - ARC via Netgalley READ: 10/13/17; RELEASE: 11/1/17 3/5 “She thought she knew who she was and where she came from. Then her home was destroyed. Her little brother gone. Her boyfriend taken. She owed her own survival to a mutant - the very forces behind the destruction that has ripped her life apart. Now Sorrel will never be the same again. There is no "Before", there is only "Now". Because now there's no internet, no TV, no power grid. Food is scarce, and the world's a hostile place. But Sorrel lives a quiet life in the tiny settlement of Amat. It's all she's ever known ... Until a gang of marauding mutants destroys the village, snatching her brother Eli, and David, the boy she loves. Sorrel sets out after them, embarking on a journey fraught with danger, spurred on by the thought of Eli and David out there somewhere, desperate for her help.” Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this review copy in exchange for an honest review. I genuinely liked the concept and thought some of this novel was new in the sort of way that I hadn’t seen the subjects tackled that way before however the downfall is so many of the questions remain unanswered for the next installment. The pacing and characters are fast and well done and I was pleasantly surprised by a new twist on a slightly tired genre but I was also taken aback by how drawn out some aspects seemed to be.

[allbestnet]

Best Books of 2016

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J. K. Rowling

Five on Brexit Island by Bruno Vincent

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts I & II by J. K. Rowling

His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet

Tools of Titans by Timothy Ferriss

The Sellout by Paul Beatty

The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien

Nutshell by Ian McEwan

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama

The Sellout by Paul Beatty

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

Swing Time by Zadie Smith

The Muse by Jessie Burton

Autumn by Ali Smith

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

The Girls by Emma Cline

All That Man is by David Szalay

The Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood

Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler

Barkskins by Annie Proulx

The Hopefuls by Jennifer Close

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

The Fortunes by Peter Ho Davies

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047 by Lionel Shriver

The Mare by Mary Gaitskill

Hot Milk by Deborah Levy

Golden Hill by Francis Spufford

Here I am by Jonathan Safran Foer

Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain by Barney Norris

The Story of a Brief Marriage by Anuk Arudpragasam

The North Water by Ian McGuire

War and Turpentine by Stefan Hertmans

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts I & II by J. K. Rowling

The Midnight Gang by David Walliams

Double Down by Jeff Kinney

The Official Minecraft Annual 2017 by Mojang AB

The Tale of Kitty in Boots by Beatrix Potter

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling

Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

The 65-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths

Girl Online: Going Solo: 3 by Zoe Sugg

Guinness World Records 2017 by 

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty

A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers

Magnus Chase and the Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan

We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen

The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher

Stampy Cat: Stampy's Lovely Book by Joseph Garrett

The World's Worst Children by David Walliams

The Last Star by Rick Yancey

Oi Dog! by Kes Gray

Dork Diaries: Frenemies Forever by Rachel Renee Russell

Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

East West Street by Philippe Sands

The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking

The GCHQ Puzzle Book by GCHQ

The Pigeon Tunnel by John Le Carré

Reality is Not What it Seems by Carlo Rovelli

Inside Vogue by Alexandra Shulman

I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong

Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham

Writing to Save a Life by John Edgar Wideman

Pumpkinflowers by Matti Friedman

Not Dead Yet: The Autobiography by Phil Collins

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer

Real Food / Fake Food by Larry Olmsted

Critics, Monsters, Fanatics, and Other Literary Essays by Cynthia Ozick

Just Kids by Patti Smith

A Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston

A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women by Siri Hustvedt

Shakespeare's First Folio by Emma Smith

Makers and Takers by Rana Foroohar

Global Inequality by Branko Milanovic

Seinfeldia by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

The Confidence Game by Maria Konnikova

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

Kill 'Em and Leave by James McBride

Timekeepers by Simon Garfield

Turner by Franny Moyle

Persiana by Sabrina Ghayour

Super Food Family Classics by Jamie Oliver

The 24-Hour Wine Expert by Jancis Robinson

Scandinavian Comfort Food by Trine Hahnemann

Thug Kitchen 101 by Thug Kitchen

Deliciously Ella Every Day by Ella Mills Woodward

Cravings by Chrissy Teigen

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Salt is Essential by Shaun Hill

Good + Simple by Jasmine Hemsley

Taste of Persia by Naomi Duguid

All Under Heaven by Carolyn Phillips

Food52 a New Way to Dinner by Amanda Hesser

Home Cooked by Anya Fernald

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Dim Sum Field Guide by Carolyn Phillips

Yashim Cooks Istanbul: Culinary Adventures in the Ottoman Kitchen 2016 by Jason Goodwin

Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking by Masaharu Morimoto

Smashed, Mashed, Boiled, and Baked and Fried, Too! by Raghavan Iyer

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La Mere Brazier by Eugenie Brazier

His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

Night School by Lee Child

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

Rather be the Devil by Ian Rankin

Conclave by Robert Harris

The Widow by Fiona Barton

Out of Bounds by Val McDermid

Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama

The Trespasser by Tana French

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

Cold Earth by Ann Cleeves

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Bone by Bone by Sanjida Kay

Missing, Presumed (DS Manon, Book 1) by Susie Steiner

Die of Shame by Mark Billingham

When the Music's Over by Peter Robinson

Love You Dead by Peter James

Black Widow by Christopher Brookmyre

The Black Widow by Daniel Silva

The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson

Death's End by Cixin Liu

Central Station by Lavie Tidhar

Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho

Azanian Bridges by Nick Wood

Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

The Gradual by Christopher Priest

The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch

Virgins by Diana Gabaldon

The Race by Nina Allan

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

Borderline by Mishell Baker

Morning Star by Pierce Brown

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

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The Devourers by Indra Das

Four Roads Cross by Max Gladstone

Roses and Rot by Kat Howard

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor Lavalle

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare

The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

The Crown (the Selection, Book 5) by Kiera Cass

The Boy at the Top of the Mountain by John Boyne

The Fever Code by James Dashner

Mount! by Jilly Cooper

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

One with You by Sylvia Day

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Under a Pole Star by Stef Penney

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The Wind Off the Small Isles by Mary Stewart

See Me by Nicholas Sparks

Falling by Jane Green

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Miss You by Kate Eberlen

You and Me, Always by Jill Mansell

First Comes Love by Emily Giffin

The Arab of the Future by Riad Sattouf

Such A Lovely Little War by David Homel

5,000 km per second by Manuele Fior

Rosalie Lightning by Tom Hart

Geis by Alexis Deacon

Gorgeous by Cathy G. Johnson

Hilda and the Stone Forest by 

Megg & Mogg in Amsterdam (and Other Stories) by Simon Hanselmann

Patience by Daniel Clowes

Plutona by Jeff Lemire

Rolling Blackouts by Sarah Glidden

Wonder Woman the True Amazon by Jill Thompson

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier

Hot Dog Taste Test by Lisa Hanawalt

Last Look by Charles Burns

Mooncop by Tom Gauld

Patsy Walker, A.K.A. Hellcat! Vol. 1: Hooked on A Feline by Kate Leth