#they live in the actual real world where Amazon is legitimately nearly the only game in town for that
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Maggie Stiefvater talking about how piracy genuinely affected her sales and print runs and the money she would earn, as well as the chances of future books written by her being published.
Idk if this is common knowledge, but since Iâve been seeing a lot of celebration at the return of zlibrary, I want to make sure that everyone knows that pirated books can destroy an authorâs career. If you are pirating works by indie authors who are in Kindle Unlimited, Amazon considers that a breech of exclusivity agreement and can shut down your account. Forever. You canât get a second account. And they wonât pay out the three months of earnings they owe you.
Traditionally published authors have also been struggling to get contracts, advances, and publisher support, and this shit can ruin it for them too. For the love of god use a real library. Get a KU subscription. Ask an author if theyâll send you an arc! Wait for a sale! Keep pirating your D*sney movies or whatever but there are so many ethical, cheap/free options for books. You are not hurting The Man, youâre hurting someone who is just trying to pay their bills.
#when a big studio movie or TV series is made everyons has generally been paid by the time it comes out#pirating them does not actually take money away from the people making them usually#and on productions of that scale piracy is unlikely to really make a difference in whether it gets renewed/a sequel made etc.#the same goes for big studio games#for academic papers usually the authors aren't making money from them so it's just the journal itself charging stupid prices to access them#so pirate away!#but fiction books that are still in copyright?#99.9% of authors are not Stephen King or JK Rowling who are extremely wealthy#the average earnings for a mid-list author in the UK is ÂŁ11K a year#while they do get advances (and those are getting smaller) once that is paid they only get money from royalties from each book sold#and usually that comes only after the books have made enough to pay the publisher back the advance#and if a publisher sees that a book is being pirated a lot they may just decide to not buy any more books from that author#or not buy the sequel to a book if its part of a series#Maggie Stiefvater had the print run of the Raven King massively cut because a previous book of hers was pirated so much#and the same goes for indie authors publishing in various places#the people saying that 'well they're publishing on Kindle so its their fault' need to stfu#they live in the actual real world where Amazon is legitimately nearly the only game in town for that#it sucks! It does! But blaming those authors and saying they're propping up Amazon is misguided and shitty#it's like saying that people who shop at Tesco or Walmart are responsible for their massive reach#the same for indie games#indie studios rely on their actual game sales to continue making games#and for smaller studios piracy can genuinely affect whether they can keep making games and employing people#I am so sick of people talking about 'support artists' and 'art is so valuable' but being utterly unwilling to pay money for it
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Demigod MC Series: Hermes
Hey guys, still doing what I can to stay healthy (and entertained) in quarantine. Staying still, keeping calm, and trying not to exert myself too much because of the shortness of breath thing going on. My lungs just can't get enough air it seems⌠đ
Anyway, I've gotten a lot of suggestions on this series and I'm excited to keep it going. Just going to be a tad slow until I'm feeling better. Thank you for the support, y'all!
Demigod MC Series: Intro, Aphrodite, Hermes
Lucifer
Oh no⌠itâs everyoneâs worst nightmare⌠Another Mammon, but competent. Devil help us allâŚ
Had he known who their father was, he'd have never assigned Mammon to watch over them. Hell, he would have made sure those two never even met. They became a new handful for him to manage from the day they first arrivedâŚ
When even more things started going missing around the House than normal, he knew he had made a grave mistake⌠They were clever, quick, and skilled. About the best WORST combination for a burglar to beâŚ
Worse still, they were fast on their feet. He would pretty much have no way to nab them on foot and always had to resort to his wings or magic to have any hope of catching up to them⌠At least Mammon usually gets himself cornered!
But, paradoxically, he also came to notice that the mortal had an odd honesty streak to them... Like, theyâd steal but theyâd always admit to it, unlike Mammon who would try to deflect till he was blue in the face.
Were they proud of their work, maybe? Or just didnât see the point in trying to get away with it...?
There would be several occasions where theyâd take something, sell it with Mammon, and then steal the thing back later just to put it back where it belonged, seemingly never with Mammonâs permission to do so eitherâŚÂ
Is it better that they returned the stolen item or worse because their actions went from just robbery to a full-on scam? Either way, it gives him headaches trying to deal with itâŚ
He pretty much gives up getting the mortal to stop after 6 months, they are legitimately that good, but makes them swear to always put back whatever they take at some point. It seems to work out and he lets more things slide, but please someone get them out of here soonâŚÂ
Mammon
Soulmatesoulmatesoulmatesoulmate, or maybe more accurately âPartner-in-Crimeâ but that means pretty much the same thing to him anyway. đ¤ˇââď¸
Heâs never met a person better at thievery than they were. The day they met, they managed to pick his pockets without breaking a sweat (or a finger) and that was it. He was in love.
They could teleport! Actually teleport!! Suddenly, NOTHING was off limits to him any more! Luciferâs rare records? Easy. Leviâs secret safe? Cakewalk. The Castle vault?? Childâs play!! It was like they could steal anything they put their mind to!!
He didn't even have to worry about them when they made getaways because they were fast too, the two actually have parkour races through the streets for the hell of it!
On top of all that, they were wicked creative. Heâd come up with a money-making scheme then theyâd offer him all sorts of little tricks to help get away with it...
HEâD have never realized that they could turn themselves into rats in order to frighten and sneak past Barbatos, but they thought of it the instant they heard of his fear of things. They're a mad genius!!
The only real downside was they seemed to like stealing for the sport of it instead of for the money⌠so they always steal back whatever they took.
That kind of defeats the purpose of all that work in the first place, right? Ah well, at least that's more money for him.
These two pretty much became a walking menace to Devildom society- Sorry, not sorry.
Leviathan
Not another Mammon!!! WHY?! What did he do to deserve this?!?
When he started noticing that EVEN MORE of his stuff was going missing than usual, he straight-up flipped! Like, had the mortal not been pretty tough in their own right they would have been Lotan-chow. End of discussion.
⌠And then they started using their powers for good? Kind of?
Like, first off they would always give back what they stole, which was a nice change from Mammon. Annoying, but at least he didn't have to go buy replacement games or anythingâŚ
And then they started stealing him limited edition merch or tickets and stuff because they⌠liked him?? He guessed???
Why else would they go to all the trouble of swiping one of the five ultra-rare Kitsune Ruri-chan figurines from its original collector? He would have had to pay Mammon half his tail for something like that but the MC just brought it to him one morning because they could!
Is⌠is this love? Has he grown to love that which he hates?! What is even happening anymore!?! Who is he?!? đŤ
Eventually he has to reconcile his conflicted feelings by dubbing them the real life Peony Phantom Thief, Jane and even making them a cosplay. Yes, they have to wear it when they bring him things. No, it's not weird, shut up.
Satan
He wants to be irritated, no - furious, that they keep taking his stuff⌠But heâll be damned if they arenât making Luciferâs life a living hell right now. đ
He's honestly not even sure how they managed to swipe half of the priceless portraits in the Castle (a considerable feat since there's one for Every. Room.) but they pulled it off in under a week. Barbs didn't even notice the replicasâŚ
If that's not mildly terrifying, he doesn't know what is. Who knows what things he could be missing at any given moment...?
At least the mortal had the good sense to return his things, unlike Mammon, which gets them off his shit list for the most part. đ¤ˇââď¸
It helps that theyâre also impressively well-traveled. They claim to have been across every human continent and sailed every ocean. Though he was skeptical at first, just hearing their stories eventually convinced him.
What sort of person has sailed the Amazon River, hiked through Arctic tundra, seen every major capital city, and still had time to explore the sights of the French Riviera?
One that has magical teleportation powers apparently.
Frankly, he could listen to their stories of the human world all day and still ask for another. He's told them that they may as well just write a book of their own for him at some point, it'd be beneficial to their poor vocal chords.
Asmodeus
Ugh! Really? Another thief in the House?? Wasnât one hard enough to deal with?!
Honestly, stolen beauty products aren't exactly something you can just sell or give back, so unfortunately a lot of Asmo's clothes/accessories get targeted and he is NOT happy about it...
Around the time his favorite scarf was stolen for the third time, he was about to gut the mortal himself, but they struck a deal with him. They could nab his clothes SO LONG as they returned them with an extra little "gift."
Jewelry, perfume, creams, nail polish, etc. Asmo kept a running list and pretty much treated his thieving friend like a less moral version of Akuzon. Whatever he asked for, no matter how rare or expensive, they always got their hands on so who was he to complain?
He once decided to test them by asking for the Hope Diamond - which they got for him - but he made them return it after a week after the curse on it made him ruin a particularly intricate manicure soâŚ
Like Satan, he's also pretty impressed with all the places they've seen. He's pretty traveled in the human world himself so they exchange travel stories all the time!
He may bother them to him out traveling from time to time. There are so many gorgeous and romantic places to visit in the human world after all, it's not like anybody could stop them from just⌠popping in to have a look. Right? đ
Beelzebub
They learned very quickly that his food is absolutely off limits and after that, they were good.
Seriously. Beel caught them once trying to swipe a piece of pizza from his dinner and he nearly ripped their arm off for itâŚ
But on the flipside, he also knows that he can go to them if he REALLY needs a snack and is short on cash.Â
It's pretty comical watching the fleet-foot mortal running from angry demon vendors with a basket of stolen apples for their buddy⌠But he appreciates their enthusiasm! đ
Beel actually likes to hear about their travels too, but mostly what they've eaten. They can keep him enraptured for hours by describing all the food they've come across in the human worldâŚ
Watch out for the drool, though.
Since they can teleport, they'll sometimes pop up with a human world treat for him and the man internally swears his undying love for them every time...
Outwardly, though, he just smiles. 'Cause he's a sweetie.
Belphegor
They⌠they opened the attic door on, like, the first day they met⌠They didnât even make it look that hard, they had some kind of knack for breaking and enteringâŚ
Seriously, imagine the look on his face when they just walk into the attic to say hello⌠He had this whole, âLure and Trick the Humanâ plan all thought out then they pulled out a magic lockpick or something and BOOM! Freedom!
He laughed, perhaps a little closer to the edge of sanity than he was intending, and he tried to attack them but they were so damn fast he couldn't land a single hit!
Damn was it embarrassing when the others came inâŚ
MC: "LUCIFER! LUCIFER!! There's a monster in your attic!!!"
Lucifer: "That's not a monster that's my brother!!"
MC: *stops midway through kneeing Belphie in the stomach* âŚ. Ooooooooh!
MC: Whoops.Â
It was a⌠rocky start.
After they settled their differences quelled Belphie's bloodlust he found that they kind of grew on him rather quickly⌠Something about that mischievous energy and how much they gave his brothers (minus Beel) grief with it.
He absolutely helps them with their plans if it will annoy Lucifer in any way. Occasionally, they'll even take Belphie out on raids instead of Mammon.
Turns out he's surprisingly good at distractions because all he has to do is pretend to fall then take a nap. People around him will legitimately believe that he needs medical attention so the MC can sneak through crowds undetected...
Of course, Mammon gets PISSED when they do this, though. How dare his baby brother try to steal away his perfect partner!! Get your own damn mortal, Belphie!!! đ¤Ź
#obey me#obey me shall we date#shall-we-date-obey-me#obey me lucifer#obey me mammon#obey me leviathan#obey me satan#obey me asmodeus#obey me beelzebub#obey me belphegor#obey me headcanons#obey me scenarios#obey me demigods
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Welllp These Are Books: the March 2021 Edition
There arenât even any pictures! Except in that one book where there were pictures! It was weird! This was a weird book month! Back at it again with thoughts and opinions about a whole mess of books that no one explicitly asked for, but Iâve got lots of thoughts and opinions and they only count if I share them on the internet. Seriously, someone let me go to a baseball game soon. Obligatory warning for spoilers and vaguely unhinged rants under the cut. As always, feel free to come tell me what else I should be reading at literally any time ever.
Best Book of the Month Honors Goes to This Book, Even Though They Called It Halftime at a Hockey Game. A Hockey Game!
The Dating Plan by Sara Desai
Daisy Patel is a software engineer who understands lists and logic better than bosses and boyfriends. With her life all planned out, and no interest in love, the one thing she can't give her family is the marriage they expect. Left with few options, she asks her childhood crush to be her decoy fiancĂŠ. Liam Murphy is a venture capitalist with something to prove. When he learns that his inheritance is contingent on being married, he realizes his best friend's little sister has the perfect solution to his problem. A marriage of convenience will get Daisy's matchmaking relatives off her back and fulfill the terms of his late grandfather's will. If only he hadnât broken her tender teenage heart nine years ago⌠Sparks fly when Daisy and Liam go on a series of dates to legitimize their fake relationship. Too late, they realize that very little is convenient about their arrangement. History and chemistry aren't about to follow the rules of this engagement.
â Ok, itâs important to know that I really did love this book. It hit all my trope-wants. Childhood friends, incredibly stupid misunderstandings, pining, seriously God the pining, fake engagement, BANTER. It was all going great. I was occasionally swooning. They kept making out! And then! THEN. They went to a hockey game. On a date. A fake date. Cool, cool, cool. All tropes, all the time right? Not so fast, internet! Because these self-proclaimed Sharks SUPER FANS referred to intermission as âhalftime was coming up.â Halftime! At a hockey game! Thatâsâthatâs not how hockey works! If this hadnât been âtraditionallyâ published, I probably could have let it slide. But that was not the case. This was a ârealâ book with, I can only assume, real editors. All of whom saw the words halftime and hockey near each other and weâre like YEAH, PRINT THAT SHIT. I read that at nearly one in the morning and seriously considered waking Justin up to be like CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS IS IN A REAL BOOK? Anyway, it was still real cute. Everyone lived happily ever after. It made want to eat samosas.
This Book Had Pictures, It Was Weird
Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews
On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, owns a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor, whose biggest problem should be what to serve her guests for breakfast. But Dina is...different: Â Her broom is a deadly weapon; her Inn is magic and thinks for itself. Meant to be a lodging for otherworldly visitors, the only permanent guest is a retired Galactic aristocrat who canât leave the grounds because sheâs responsible for the deaths of millions and someone might shoot her on sight. Under the circumstances, "normal" is a bit of a stretch for Dina.
And now, something with wicked claws and deepwater teeth has begun to hunt at night...Feeling responsible for her neighbors, Dina decides to get involved. Before long, she has to juggle dealing with the annoyingly attractive, ex-military, new neighbor, Sean Evansâan alpha-strain werewolfâand the equally arresting cosmic vampire soldier, Arland, while trying to keep her inn and its guests safe. But the enemy sheâs facing is unlike anything sheâs ever encountered before. Itâs smart, vicious, and lethal, and putting herself between this creature and her neighbors might just cost her everything.
â So, Ilona Andrews is a name that keeps coming up because when I borrow a book from the library I have to go through Kindle and Amazon is like...here are some other absurd fantasy romances youâd enjoy. Also, one of her other series had been reccâed to me. Only problem? The first book in that series is the only book in that series not available at my library. So, I was like, ok, Iâll start this one instead. It was...weird. Honestly, it felt like Iâd been dropped in the middle of the story and the narrator was like, well why donât you already know whatâs going on? In theory the world building was cool. (I was not expecting alien werewolves, lemme tell you that!) But also it all felt very rushed and the end just sorta happened.
In Which I Continue to Love âSame Verseâ Books & No One Else Had Sex in the Port Jeff High School Dugout. For Which I Was Grateful
Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey
Rosie and Dominic Vega are the perfect couple: high school sweethearts, best friends, madly in love. Well, they used to be anyway. Now Rosieâs lucky to get a caveman grunt from the ex-soldier every time she walks in the door. Dom is faithful and a great provider, but the man she fell in love with ten years ago is nowhere to be found. When her girlfriends encourage Rosie to demand more out of life and pursue her dream of opening a restaurant, she decides to demand more out of love, too. Three words: marriage boot camp.
Never in a million years did Rosie believe her stoic, too-manly-to-emote husband would actually agree to relationship rehab with a weed-smoking hippie. Dom talking about feelings? Sitting on pillows? Communing with nature? Learning love languages? Nope. But to her surprise, heâs all in, and it forces her to admit her own role in their cracked foundation. As they complete one ridiculousâyet surprisingly helpfulâassignment after another, their remodeled relationship gets stronger than ever. Except just as theyâre getting back on track, Rosie discovers Dom has a secret... and it could demolish everything.
â Listen, one of my absolutely favorite tropes that I do not think gets enough love in the world is COMMITTED LONG-LASTING RELATIONSHIPS. And, like, ok, sure the premise of this was that they were separating in that long-lasting relationship. But no one really believed that, did they? Rosie and Dominic were real cute and their banter was good and I wasnât totally skeeved out when they literally fucked on the kitchen floor. So, I think thatâs saying something. Also, also! I seriously appreciated the realism of this book because no one on Long Island would ever call Manhattan Manhattan. Itâs the city. Every other borough gets a name, but Manhattan is just the city and I nearly cheered when they said that. But also, no oneâs taking a cab from Port Jeff to the Meatpacking District. You know what that would cost? God.
Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey
Hair, makeup, clothing, decor... everything in Bethany Castle's world is organized, planned, and styled to perfection. Which is why the homes she designs for her family's real estate business are the most coveted in town. The only thing not perfect? Her track record with men. She's on a dating hiatus and after helping her friends achieve their dreams, Bethany finally has time to focus on her own: flip a house, from framework to furnishings, all by herself. Except her older brother runs the company and refuses to take her seriously.
When a television producer gets wind of the Castle sibling rivalry, theyâre invited on Flip Off, a competition to see who can do the best renovation. Bethany wants bragging rights, but she needs a crew and the only member of her brother's construction team willing to jump ship is Wes Daniels, the new guy in town. His Texas drawl and handsome face got under Bethany's skin on day one, and the last thing she needs is some cocky young cowboy in her way.
As the race to renovate heats up, Wes and Bethany are forced into close quarters, trading barbs and biting banter as they remodel the ugliest house on the block. It's a labor of love, hate, and everything in between, and soon sparks are flying. But Bethany's perfectly structured life is one kiss away from going up in smoke and she knows falling for a guy like Wes would be a flipping disaster.
â It should first be noted that in the three books of this series, I could not and cannot understand why Bethanyâs brother was such a monumental dick. He was just...he was a dick. His marriage was awful. How long was his wife pregnant without him knowing???? I digress. This continued to be cute, Bethany was a legit heroine as far as those rom-com things go, Wes was very Texas and that got a little over the top, but they had sex in a bed like normal people so that helped. Oh, except that one time on the construction site. Whatever, this book was cute. This whole series was cute, really, and I was a big fan of the happy little wrap-everything-up with a bow ending.
Romance That Happens In Point Two Seconds Is...Unbelievable
Too Hot to Handle by Tessa Bailey
The road trip was definitely a bad idea. Having already flambĂŠed her culinary career beyond recognition, Rita Clarkson is now stranded in God-Knows-Where, New Mexico, with a busted-ass car and her three temperamental siblings, who she hasn't seen in years. When rescue shows up---six-feet-plus of hot, charming sex on a motorcycle---Rita's pretty certain she's gone from the frying pan right into the fire . . . Jasper Ellis has a bad boy reputation in this town, and he loathes it. The moment he sees Rita, though, Jasper knows he's about to be sorely tempted. There's something real between them. Something raw. And Jasper has only a few days to show Rita that he isn't just for tonight---he's forever.
â For as much as I loved the Port Jeff series by my new pal Tessa, this one was...oof. Too much, guys. Too much. Fucking in trucks. Fucking in back offices. The whole book lasted, like, three days. And keep in mind this is coming from someone who has written like two million words about Killian Jones, self-loathing champ 250 years running, but Jasperâs self-loathing was a little over the top. Like, letâs not objectify dudes, but also...I donât know guys. Maybe the other books in the series are better? I was mostly just annoyed by Rita.
What the Hell Happened at the End of This Book?? Seriously, I Have No Idea
The Queenâs Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz
Caledon Holt is the kingdom's deadliest weapon. No one alive can best him in speed, strength, or brains, which is why he's the Hearthstone Guild's most dangerous member. Cal is also the Queen's Assassin, bound to her by magic and unable to leave her service until the task she's set for him is fulfilled. Shadow of the Honey Glade has been training all her life to join the Guild, hoping that one day she'll become an assassin as feared and revered as Cal. But Shadow's mother and aunts expect her to serve the crown as a lady of the Renovian Court. When a surprise attack brings Shadow and Cal together, they're forced to team up as assassin and apprentice. Even though Shadow's life belongs to the court and Cal's belongs to the queen, they cannot deny their attraction to each other. But now, with war on the horizon and true love at risk, Shadow and Cal will uncover a shocking web of lies that will change their paths forever.
âWHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED AT THE END OF THIS BOOK??? I figured out the so-called twist like...two chapters in. Fine, ok, whatever. Itâs YA, this is not rocket science and I was interested enough in Cale and Shadow to see how it all played out. Only it didnât really play out! Because the whole end was just this like four chapter retcon of basically EVERYTHING ELSE THAT HAPPENED and I genuinely could not believe it was happening. It didnât make sense?!? Like with the plot? Also, spoiler, good thing Shadow and the other king havenât consummated their marriage yet since she and Cale totally fucked after her wedding? What is YA? Why is Amazon telling me this is a Teacherâs Pick? Why hasnât my hold come through on the sequel yet so I know what happens next?
Low-Stakes Romance Was Real Boring and All The People Were Boring In It
The Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan
As birthdays go, this yearâs for radio producer Everly Dean hit rock-bottom. Worse than the âtonsillectomy birthday.â Worse than the birthday her parents decided to split (the first time). But catching your boyfriend cheating on you with his assistant? Even clichĂŠs sting. But this is Everlyâs year! She wonât let her anxiety hold her back. Sheâll pitch her podcast idea to her boss. Thereâs just one problem. Her boss, Chris, is very cute. (Of course). Also, he's extremely distant (which means he hates her, right? Or is that the anxiety talking)? And, Stacey the DJ didnât mute the mic during Everlyâs rant about Simon the Snake (syn: Cheating Ex). Thatâs three problems. Suddenly, people are lining up to date her, Bachelorette-style, fans are voting (Reminder: never leave house again), and her interest in Chris might be a two-way street. Itâs a lot for a woman who could gold medal in people-avoidance. Sheâs going to have to fake it âtill she makes it to get through all of this. Perhaps sheâll make a list: The Ten Rules for Faking It.Â
â I am a broken record. Shouting. From the highest hilltop. Just because you think someone is cute when youâre technically not supposed to be dating them does not mean you get to be anything less than nice around them! Itâs not cute! And part two, which often goes with part one: rom com dudes have GOT to stop lying or hiding or otherwise avoiding telling people who they really are. Itâs a convoluted, passably lazy way of writing and dropping a third-act bomb on the story. Donât do it. Stop doing it. Weâve moved past the need for hidden identities. Unless heâs, like, a spy or something. Um...this was a weird book. I know Everly had anxiety and that became a PLOT POINT, patent pending, but she was also not super relatable? Which is crazy considering my very real, rather undiagnosed anxiety. Chris was boring. The whole plot, as this title suggests, was very low stakes and no one actually seemed to remember that their jobs were ever on the line? Did Everly and Chris have a conversation before they decided they liked each other? Who can say, really.
Shipped by Angie Hockman
Between taking night classes for her MBA and her demanding day job at a cruise line, marketing manager Henley Evans barely has time for herself, let alone family, friends, or dating. But when sheâs shortlisted for the promotion of her dreams, all her sacrifices finally seem worth it. The only problem? Graeme Crawford-Collins, the remote social media manager and the bane of her existence, is also up for the position. Although theyâve never met in person, their epic email battles are the stuff of office legend. Their boss tasks each of them with drafting a proposal on how to boost bookings in the GalĂĄpagosâbest proposal wins the promotion. Thereâs just one catch: they have to go on a company cruise to the GalĂĄpagos Islands...together. But when the two meet on the ship, Henley is shocked to discover that the real Graeme is nothing like she imagined. As they explore the Islands together, she soon finds the line between loathing and liking thinner than a postcard. With her career dreams in her sights and a growing attraction to the competition, Henley begins questioning her life choices. Because whatâs the point of working all the time if you never actually live?
â YOU NEED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH SOMEONE TO DECIDE YOU LIKE THEM. AUTHORS REALLY REALLY NEED TO LEARN HOW TO BUILD ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS. IF THEY ONLY LIKE EACH OTHER BECAUSE THEY KISS WELL ITâS NOT A GOOD RELATIONSHIP. AND THIS IS COMING FROM ME. Back at it again with the annoying so-called heroine who was just...occasionally real mean to Graem for no reason at all? Also her name was Henley. Which is not a great reason to dislike her, but here we are.
Apparently I Read These Books Out Of Order. Who Knew?
Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev
It is a truth universally acknowledged that only in an overachieving Indian American family can a genius daughter be considered a black sheep.
Dr. Trisha Raje is San Franciscoâs most acclaimed neurosurgeon. But thatâs not enough for the Rajes, her influential immigrant family whoâs achieved power by making its own non-negotiable rules:
¡    Never trust an outsider
¡    Never do anything to jeopardize your brotherâs political aspirations
¡    And never, ever, defy your family
Trisha is guilty of breaking all three rules. But now she has a chance to redeem herself. So long as she doesnât repeat old mistakes.
Up-and-coming chef DJ Caine has known people like Trisha before, people who judge him by his rough beginnings and place pedigree above character. He needs the lucrative job the Rajes offer, but he values his pride too much to indulge Trishaâs arrogance. And then he discovers that sheâs the only surgeon who can save his sisterâs life.
As the two clash, their assumptions crumble like the spun sugar on one of DJâs stunning desserts. But before a future can be savored thereâs a past to be reckoned with...
A family trying to build home in a new land.
A man who has never felt at home anywhere.
And a choice to be made between the two.
â Surprise, apparently this was the first book in the series. I did not know. It didnât affect my enjoyment of the Persuasion version in this same âverse, which is also strange because I liked the Persuasion one way better. There was a lot of medical in this. And not super uplifting medical, either. This was like...oh the Jane character (I guess???) has cancer and either sheâs going to go blind after having a surgery (also she was an artist, so you see how this was a problem) or sheâs just going to decide to die. Wait, what? That came out of left field, really. Also DJ and Trisha were not nice to each other. Like, I know this is Pride and Prejudice so there has to be some of that at the start, but it wasnât like Trisha ever really went through the Darcy-required time at Pemberly. She just decided she liked DJ and told him and it was as awkward as Jane Austen intended it, but then we got more medical and everything was cool. It felt very rushed and shoehorned into a modern setting and the Persuasion one was better. You canât have Darcyâs growth without the Pemberly stuff. You just canât.
In Which I Didnât Like a Nickname??? Is the World Ending??
Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
Alexis Carlisle and her cat cafĂŠ, ToeBeans, have shot to fame after she came forward as a victim of a celebrity chefâs sexual harassment. When a new customer approaches to confide in her, the last thing Alexis expects is for the woman to claim theyâre sisters. Unsure what to do, Alexis turns to the only man she trustsâher best friend, Noah Logan. Â Computer genius Noah left his rebellious teenage hacker past behind to become a computer security expert. Now he only uses his old skills for the right cause. But Noahâs got a secret: Heâs madly in love with Alexis. When she asks for his help, he wonders if the timing will ever be right to confess his crush. Â Noahâs pals in The Bromance Book Club are more than willing to share their beloved âmanualsâ to help him go from bud to boyfriend. But he must decide if telling the truth is worth risking the best friendship heâs ever had.
â If Noah was going to call her Lexa, then her name should have been Alexa and not Alexis. Thatâs it and thatâs all. Also, the story was n u t s. Estranged dads and kidney failure and they got together so fast in this book. Which usually is cool by me, but I really could not get over the nickname and the estranged family was mean to Alexis. Lexa. HER NAME SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALEXA, IT DOESNâT MAKE SENSE. Also Noah was a former hacker? The estranged family accused him corporate espionage or something? A lot happened in this book, guys. Her name should have been Alexa.
Dumb Brother Was Dumb⢠Everyone Else Was Real Cute
The Off Limits Rule by Sarah Adams
I have found rock bottom. It's here, moving in with my older brother because I'm too broke to afford to live on my own. It's okay though, because we've always been close and I think I'm going to have fun living with him again.â¨â¨ That is until I meet Cooper...â¨â¨ Turns out, my brother has very strong opinions on the idea of me dating his best friend and is dead set against it. According to him, Cooper is everything I should stay away from: flirtatious, adventurous, non-committal, and freaking hot. (I added that last part because I feel like you need the whole picture.) My brother is right--I should stay away from Cooper James and his pretty blue eyes. He's the opposite of what I need right now.â¨â¨ Nah--who am I kidding? I'm going for it.
â This was cute, mostly mindless fluff. Hit some trope high points, including, obviously, best friends sister. Only the brother in question was a Neanderthal and I really thought people were going to make out more while said brother was on his business trip. I got it for free off Amazon. Which I think should explain a lot. Like, story-wise. Sorry, free Amazon books. Donât be insulted.
Prose, Prose, Prose, Please Someone Have a Conversation
Trick by Natalia Jaster
In the Kingdom of Spring, Poet is renowned. He's young and pretty, a lover of men and women. He performs for the court, kisses like a scoundrel, and mocks with a silver tongue. Yet allow him this: It's only the most cunning and manipulative soul who can play the fool. For beyond the castle walls, Poet guards a secret. One the Crown would shackle him for. One that he'll risk everything to protect. Alas, it will take more than clever words to deceive Princess Briar. Convinced that he's juggling lies as well as verse, this righteous nuisance of a girl is determined to expose him. But not all falsehoods are fiendish. Poet's secret is delicate, binding the jester and princess in an unlikely allianceâand kindling a breathless attraction, as alluring as it is forbidden.
â The purplest of prose. Mauve prose. Royal purple prose. Lavender prose. There was so much writing here. So much. Too much, some might say. I say. Actually. If we want to get specific. And that was a shame, really, because when Briar and Poet actually had a conversation, they were interesting to read about. Also, the world building here? Yeeeesh. The so-called, wait for it, FOOL TRADE played a prominent role and that was...super cringe. Super Cringe. That being said, I asked Justin what I should read next and he thought it was funny that a book was just called...
Dare by Natalia Jaster
In the Kingdom of Summer, they say she's wild. Locked in a cage by the sea, Flare dreams of escape. She dreams of a lost world, known only in legends. The island is calling to her. And she won't let anyone keep her from it. Especially not him. They say he's cruel. Jeryn has crossed the ocean for the Trade, to bargain for those fierce, imprisoned creatures that make his skin crawl. By law, they're subjects meant for experimentation. And easy to despise. One girl in particular. But on the cusp of transport, the tide rages. That hidden island awaits. Stranded, the prince and prisoner must fight to survive. In a mysterious rainforest, they must band together...if they don't slay one another first. Or become something more to each other. Â Something just as dangerous.
â This was Justinâs fault. He could not believe this book was just called Dare. It should have been called âWeâre going to weirdly force what is basically slavery into this story and then a prince is going to fall in love with an escaped slave and weâre also going to call that ROMANCE.â y i k e s. Remember that one story that took place over three days? This was the complete opposite. Years! They were shipwrecked for years! They got saved, spoilers, the DAY they started having sex. What are the odds, right?? And then MORE YEARS passed. Multiple years! Five years! They couldnât actually be together because of that aforementioned slave trade. What the shit, man? Natalia, ya gotta be kidding me with this. The internet claimed Trick was good and a solid follow to reading ACOTAR and that there was this whole verse and it was also good. The internet was wrong.
Nothing Happened, Everything Happened, I...Hated It
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Kristin Cashoreâs bestselling, award-winning fantasy Graceling tells the story of the vulnerable-yet-strong Katsa, a smart, beautiful teenager who lives in a world where selected people are given a Grace, a special talent that can be anything from dancing to swimming. Katsaâs is killing. As the kingâs niece, she is forced to use her extreme skills as his thug. Along the way, Katsa must learn to decipher the true nature of her Grace⌠and how to put it to good use. A thrilling, action-packed fantasy adventure (and steamy romance!) that will resonate deeply with adolescents trying to find their way in the world.
â I canât believe this was a book. Katsa was so annoying! Like, listen, I know her life was sad. And she was a pawn being used against her will. Blah, blah, blah. Whatever. The tone of the whole book was so strangely formal and Poe was strangely in love with Katsa? Who obviously didnât want to get married because she was WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR. Or kill people, as the case may be. Only she wanted to make out with Poe? Only ONLY they didnât even really get together at the end? I could not believe the end of this book. I nearly threw my Kindle across the room. Once again, no apologies for spoilers because do not read this book, but HE WAS BLIND? Katsa had to leave him behind to save his cousin and he just ENDED UP BEING BLIND? AND THEY NEVER GOT TOGETHER REALLY?? What the fuck? Seriously. Steamy romance, my ass. Nothing happened. The villain got defeated in point two seconds. There are other books in this universe? No, thanks.
#book recommendations#book rec#fantasy recommendations#book recs#laura reads books#this was longer than i realized it was going to be#documentation of a very weird book month#but we're almost back on track now because i am LOVING a darker shade of magic#welllp these are books
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this is a really good example! also these tags from @zalia:
#when a big studio movie or TV series is made everyons has generally been paid by the time it comes out#pirating them does not actually take money away from the people making them usually#and on productions of that scale piracy is unlikely to really make a difference in whether it gets renewed/a sequel made etc.#the same goes for big studio games#for academic papers usually the authors aren't making money from them so it's just the journal itself charging stupid prices to access them#so pirate away!#but fiction books that are still in copyright?#99.9% of authors are not Stephen King or JK Rowling who are extremely wealthy#the average earnings for a mid-list author in the UK is ÂŁ11K a year#while they do get advances (and those are getting smaller) once that is paid they only get money from royalties from each book sold#and usually that comes only after the books have made enough to pay the publisher back the advance#and if a publisher sees that a book is being pirated a lot they may just decide to not buy any more books from that author#or not buy the sequel to a book if its part of a series#Maggie Stiefvater had the print run of the Raven King massively cut because a previous book of hers was pirated so much#and the same goes for indie authors publishing in various places#the people saying that 'well they're publishing on Kindle so its their fault' need to stfu#they live in the actual real world where Amazon is legitimately nearly the only game in town for that#it sucks! It does! But blaming those authors and saying they're propping up Amazon is misguided and shitty#it's like saying that people who shop at Tesco or Walmart are responsible for their massive reach#the same for indie games#indie studios rely on their actual game sales to continue making games#and for smaller studios piracy can genuinely affect whether they can keep making games and employing people#I am so sick of people talking about 'support artists' and 'art is so valuable' but being utterly unwilling to pay money for it
Idk if this is common knowledge, but since Iâve been seeing a lot of celebration at the return of zlibrary, I want to make sure that everyone knows that pirated books can destroy an authorâs career. If you are pirating works by indie authors who are in Kindle Unlimited, Amazon considers that a breech of exclusivity agreement and can shut down your account. Forever. You canât get a second account. And they wonât pay out the three months of earnings they owe you.
Traditionally published authors have also been struggling to get contracts, advances, and publisher support, and this shit can ruin it for them too. For the love of god use a real library. Get a KU subscription. Ask an author if theyâll send you an arc! Wait for a sale! Keep pirating your D*sney movies or whatever but there are so many ethical, cheap/free options for books. You are not hurting The Man, youâre hurting someone who is just trying to pay their bills.
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