#pub reviews

[bibleofficial]

bath is such a tourist trap 😭😭 the roman baths were neat but that’s literally all there is

[putting-gourmand-in-restaurants]

Gourm should go to The Old Pub in Denham

“Mmm, this chicken parm is totally to die for.”

- Gourmand

[eyeballsoup7310]

Oh fuck off okay I bought (bought, fuck me) disco elysium a while ago on steam and avoided looking at anything other than the occasional bit of fanart or something because I wanted to go in mostly unspoiled. Checked the store page today and noticed a lot of negative reviews. turns out the publisher just?? Blatantly stole the game from the creators. Goodish news is I bought it when it was significantly on sale, so the publishers didn’t get THAT much money from me. Bad news it’s been like four months so I can’t even refund those like 10 bucks and just finally learn how to pirate. Kill me kill meeeeeeee

[bookishfreedom]

"I don't want to be considered beautiful without being seen as capable, too."

YA romcom Shakespeare retelling? grumpy x sunshine? mistaken identity? endless nerd content? I was so excited to read this book and I was NOT disappointed.

It did take me a little bit to get into the story. On the surface, both of our main characters can come off straight-up... unlikeable. Viola is abrasive and Jack is a little too 'Mr. Popular! But that only made their growth and getting to know them that much more impactful. This book is full of characters who leap off the page with distinct voices and depth, side characters included. (Bash and Olivia, my beloveds<333) This is one of those YA books that I think will appeal to readers of all ages. The characters authentically feel like teenagers - they are flawed and messy and just trying to figure things out - but also deal with issues that are universal and relatable.

I also loved just how much was packed into this book. Twelfth Knight is so much more than just a romcom, it's also a coming-of-age, with social commentary and a love of nerd culture smoothly weaved in. This novel explores everything, from video game and fandom culture, social and parental pressures, misogyny, sexuality, family dynamics, and so much more, all without losing its humor and heart. The romance isn't the sole focus, which may not be for everyone, but l thought worked well for this story.

As for the romance itself, the slow burn was, in my humble opinion, perfection. It felt so real and unrushed and believable, which isn't always easy in a contemporary 'enemies to lovers' setting. I loved every second of Vi & Jack's interactions.

I fully expect this book to take the internet by storm because it's just so darn QUOTABLE! There were so many lines that just hit perfectly that I wrote a LOT of them down, and the banter was laugh-out-loud-worthy. I hadn't read any Olivia Blake/Alexene Farol Follmuth before, but the writing was so excellent that I will absolutely be picking up everything else she's written.

My actual rating is 4.5 stars, but rounding up because I had so much fun reading this. Literally read this book in one sitting and could not put it down.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and tor teen for the arc in exchange for an honest review. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy for myself!

[utterly-thrilling]

.

[thehorrormaven]

Announcing Pride with a Bite - An Upcoming Indie Publisher of LGBTQIA+ Horror

Happy Saturday, Everyone! I am excited to officially announce a project that I have been developing – Pride with a Bite, an indie publisher of LGBTQIA+ based horror by LGBTQIA+ creators for the LGBTQIA+ community! My new indie publishing house will officially launch in June 2024. This indie pub will feature a quarterly eZine, anthology opportunities, and solo projects. I am still developing…

[steelycunt]

finished in memoriam. it was good! quite engaging i read like 220 pages of it yesterday. felt a bit underdeveloped in places and the ending was a bit rushed so it didnt shatter me like i know it did other people but it was a debut to be fair..and it was exactly the sort of thing i was after hence why i got through it so quickly...would recommend! yay!

[lilibetbombshell]

[viir-tanadhal]

am i simply cursed to not find a hotspot review that i like

[sororygilmore]

just realized i can’t have my first kiss first friday in june bc i already have had my first kiss…tragic

[bookishlyvintage]

2/28 pub day: The Crane Husband, Kelly Barnhill [thoughts | book sleeve]

[geryone]

hi hannah hope you are well DID U KNOW traci brimhalls new poetry collection love prodigal is available on edelweiss if you wanna ask for a digital copy !! just started reading it and its so good already so thought I’d share <3

Hello Pauline!!! I’m doing well & I hope you are too!!! Yes!! I’ve been scoping out edelweiss to see if they’d put up all the new poetry pubs I’m anticipating for the end of the year!! It’s so good & I can’t wait until I can hold a physical copy in my hands!!! ❤️

[les-annees-vingt]

The great Chang presents Fak-Hong's, japanesse review, 1920.

[blinkbones]

Rivages lointains -- Anaïs Flogny

I've been putting off writing about my recent reads for life reasons but perhaps this one in particular because -- ah, man, the author is on here. Makes me feel awkward lol!! Anyway, hello @lescarnetsdehaku , this is her work!

Cutting to the chase; this is just very good work, and an enjoyable read. It was both startling and refreshing to be given a story that only takes a few hours to read (i been reading chonkers). Although as a comic it's... it's big isn't it. (<- not usually a graphic novel reader) wait. was that actually my first? oh no i read maus as well

It felt like a movie in many ways. Firstly because it is visually very nice to look at -- the artist's style is all precise and delicate lines and beautiful color palettes. I'm not sure of how to say it... but there's a strong sense of what the light is like in each scene. Some felt like distinct times of the year & day. Secondly due to the narrative style being somewhat light in text + the condensing of so much story and evolution in so little time... yeah man it's movielike yknow! Needless to say I loved it.

It's kind of hard to comment on the story itself, because I don't want to spoil a thing, and also because, like... it doesn't miss a single beat, man. I ain't got nothing to say that isn't a variation of "it's good!" "it's fun!" so um... i'm gonna leave it there.

[konstantya]

Me: Maybe you should wait to hit "publish" until this other personal thing gets resolved? Yanno, so you aren't worrying about two things at once?

Also me: NO. NO WAITING. ALL THE TERROR AND ANXIETY AT THE SAME TIME. PLEASE LET'S JUST GET THIS SHIT OVER WITH ASAP.

[thebowerypresents]

Tyler Childers Makes a Statement Over Two Nights at Madison Square Garden

Tyler Childers – Madison Square Garden – May 28-29, 2024

Tyler Childers has one of the great voices, not only in modern country and Americana, but in music, period: pained, howling, lived-in, oaky, scuffed-smooth when it needs to be, utterly recognizable. Over a series of sturdy albums that shows increasingly deep songwriting, his sound has become a through line from ancient twang to countrypolitan modern and many other points easily adjacent or distantly related, from gosxpel to folk, blues to Appalachian string. Especially in a live setting, they’re all usefully blended.

Childers and a massive version of his Food Stamps band — eight players in all — hit Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, the first of two statement-maker shows at the arena. Name-checking Joe’s Pub and some other much smaller NYC venues that dot a steady rise to bigger and bigger crowds over less than a decade, Childers seemed genuinely moved by the grand expanse of the room and the lordly reception from fans. Naturally, he responded in kind: a big show, a big sound, gorgeously emotional whether it was the whole band hitting at full throttle, or Childers alone onstage in guitar-storyteller mode. 

The band all together revealed many layers as they fleshed out the tunes, from the country stomp of “Percheron Mules” to the gorgeous blends of pedal steel and fiddle that ramped into “I Swear (To God).” “All Your’n” was an example of a tender, piano-dappled love song — more than a few couples were asway at all levels of the arena — and snatches of accordion, mandolin and organ shot through at various points, too. “Purgatory” was a stuttering, busy boogie, and then came a see-and-raise to an even busier boogie, an instrumental reading of the traditional mountain picker “Cluck Ol’ Hen,” with Childers on a fiddle and the whole group moving into psychedelic hoedown territory. It was that kind of wild.

As deservedly much as he’s lauded for songwriting, Childers is a gifted interpreter of others’ songs too — never more than a few during a show and positioned just right. Tuesday’s show included a Kenny Rogers (“Tulsa Turnaround”), a Hank Williams (“Old Country Church”), an S.G. Goodman (!) (“Space and Time” — stunning) and … yep, a Kermit the Frog (“Movin’ Right Along”), complete with the green puppet himself, singing on both that song and, as a bittersweet duo with Childers just before it, on “Lady May.”

I mean, sure, why not, right? Kermit was just one more part of the full serving — a continuous, two-hour set with a solo-acoustic segment in the middle that unfolded panoramically and went for broke near the end with a run that included usual Childers bangers like “Whitehouse Road,” “Way of the Triune God” and the triumphant “Universal Sound.” The finale was “Heart You’ve Been Tendin’,” which built gradually on the back of the chant-like refrain “All that you’ll take” and stacked the tension, yielding to a bone-saw-sharp solo from guitarist CJ Cain that pushed the band to Crazy Horse–like levels of vicious choogle. But heavy and sonic as it all was, Childers himself remained the center of the action regardless of the mode, letting his humility be even bigger than his voice and then pushing that howl even harder, paying off the tender hearts and the rage-ready alike. A great night. —Chad Berndtson | @Cberndtson

Photos courtesy of Marc Millman | www.marcmillmanphotos.com