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ABC BOOK CHALLENGE – G
This seems like a fun challenge to participate it. Let’s see how many letters I can get.
G is gentlemen, gangsters and golden girls.
MOST MEMORABLE READS WITH THE LETTER G:
review here Lord Richard Vane over there needs a shirt and his valet David Cyprian is always happy to provide. Lord Richard Vane is in love with his valet and David is only too happy to reciprocate. Old Foxy here has been in love with his lord since forever. However, his lord is a stuck in the mud stubborn ass who thinks it’s not right for his lordship fall in love outside his station. Thus ensued major class conflict, angst and a whole lot of USTs. One of the best MM historical novels.
review hereThis Le Miz-inspired novel featured hot-blooded revolutionaries in so love with each other and so fucked up it was a wonder they weren’t guillotined already. Although suspension of disbelief was needed at some points, it was still a crazy good ride
I rarely go gaga over het couples but Shin’s devotion to Yankumi, on top of the addicting storylines, had me devouring the whole manga in one sitting.
I don’t think anybody really cared about Titus here. Steerpike definitely stole the show.
review here The continuation of the ongoing saga of the Roman Empire in which golden boy Sulla rises into power. Can somebody write more books about him, please?
I am an unabash fan of Gossip Girl. I don’t know what it says about me but I am a fan of chick lit where the main characters are super rich.
review here The cover model is perfect and that title just grabbed me. TGGVV wasn’t that brilliant as I expected, it was meandering a bit too much for my liking, but Monty and Percy slow burn romance was squee-tastic and Felicity is a girl after my own heart.
BOOKS ON MY TBR
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ASTROLOGICAL BOOK TAG
Books as zodiac signs is a brilliant idea. Let’s do this!
Borrowed from Chelle’s Book Ramblings
ARIES: Name a book you’ve read that was full of fire, desire, and passion…
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15 LGBTQ READS I WANT TO SEE ON SCREEN
So far I’m happy that we get to see some LGBTQ books turned into movies like Love, Simon and Call Me By Your Name. I am still hoping that someday Netflix would pick up more of these books until such time LGBTQ movies and tv series would be a common everyday show for everybody.
Here are some of the titles I think should be adapted to the screen.
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ABC BOOK CHALLENGE – F
This seems like a fun challenge to participate it. Let’s see how many letters I can get.
F is flight, fortune and fucking geniuses.
MOST MEMORABLE READS WITH THE LETTER F:
review here Elijah Crowe. Brilliant, beautiful, brave. Definitely unforgettable!
review here The last book in the awesome A Charm of Magpie series in which Lucien tried to make Stephen quit his job and enticed him to go on a tour of China. Damn you, Crane!
Am I the only one who doesn’t want Stephen Day to quit?
review here I am super meh on Julius Caesar no matter how much Colleen McCullough hyped him up. Sulla is what I’m all about. I also love how gay the Romans were.
review here Still not caring about Julius Caesar but this book was riveting. CM made Rome come alive.
I had no idea what Ayn Rand’s philosophy was all about, nor do I care. Normally this is the kind of book I wouldn’t be able to finish but apparently I enjoyed this and even gave it 4 stars in GR even though half the time, I don’t understand what the characters were going on about.
BOOKS ON MY TBR
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ABC BOOK CHALLENGE – E
This seems like a fun challenge to participate it. Let’s see how many letters I can get.
E is eldritch creatures, enchantments and exquisite tastes.
MOST MEMORABLE READS WITH THE LETTER E:
review here One of the best written book in the series. That cliffhanger!
review here Exquisite Corpse was my introduction to gay serial killers. That it was also an intense love story between the two killers made it an all-time favorite book.
review here One of Aleksandr Voinov’s best work. Witches of London – Eagle’s Shadow was also among the earliest MM books I read that completely blew me away.
review here A cover like this will always make me remember this book. It also deserves a good story. While not perfect, An Enchantment of Ravens still delivered a captivating fae-human story.
I tried. Twice. I still couldn’t past how dreary it is. I’m sorry Jane Austen, I don’t get you yet.
BOOKS ON MY TBR
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ABC BOOK CHALLENGE – D
This seems like a fun challenge to participate it. Let’s see how many letters I can get.
D is devils, dream thieves and dark ones.
MOST MEMORABLE READS WITH THE LETTER D:
review here I like how those Desert Eagles look like they’re cuddling. We get Ethan’s POV here! I nearly died.
review here I am so tired of metaphorical uses of devil on book titles, I gave a big hurrah when Devil Take Me was released. With stories ranging from rom-com to full on gore, this anthology puts the Devil on the spotlight. It was a blast!
Sebastian St. Vincent. The quintessential rake with whom all historical romance male love interests pale in comparison.
review here Grey finally comes out to play.
review here Ronan. Love him.
One of my Japanese acquaintance recommended this book because the detective was a physics major and the suspect was a math professor, both of which were related to my undergraduate degree. The twists were very interesting. One of the most enjoyable mysteries I have read.
If someone went around interviewing people what they think about me, my neighbors will say I am an ill-mannered weirdo who throw horrendous tantrums. Partly true especially when I wasn’t yet on meds but I don’t feel the need to explain that to them. The Daughter of Time was memorable because Jennifer Tey took one notorious villain and peeled off layers exposing the misunderstood human beneath.
Watch series is an all-time favorite of mine. Daywatch is the second book and sheds some light on the dark ones which of course totally drew me to their side.
BOOKS ON MY TBR
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ABC BOOK CHALLENGE – C
This seems like a fun challenge to participate it. Let’s see how many letters I can get.
C is cruel, captivating creatures.
MOST MEMORABLE READS WITH THE LETTER C:
review here Of course.
They’re not the most high brow of the genre but I collect this cozy little Cat Who books because CATS+MYSTERY = ADDICTION.
review here. This is a precious, precious little snippet because it gave us a glimpse inside David Cyprian’s closely guarded heart. Also, his friendship with Silas is one of the best things about A Society of Gentlemen.
review here An all-time favorite. I don’t like the zombie genre but Creature has a special place in my heart for being one of the most emotionally satisfying book I’ve read.
review here Cronin’s Key is memorable not only because it is a well-written story about fated ones, vampires, alt-history and Egyptology but also because it’s sequel was such a huge disappointment
review here Jude and Cardan’s hate-sex vibes are so strong they should combust any minute now. The best fae book I’ve read for a long time.
review here Memorable for the fact that everybody loved this but it significantly failed to impress me.
BOOKS ON MY TBR
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ABC BOOK CHALLENGE – B
This seems like a fun challenge to participate it. Let’s see how many letters I can get.
B is boys, beauty, brothers, blood.
MOST MEMORABLE READS WITH THE LETTER B:
review here Still my top fave all these years.
Boy Meets Boy is memorable as the first western book I read about gay school boys that was happy and fluffy. Happy and gay is the way to go, my dear authors.
review here I came for the squees and stayed for the lush beauty of it all.
Harper Fox’s poetic prose should win awards, IMO, and not just in the MM romance category. I think her writing is better than than most overblown books tagged as ‘literature’. Brothers of the Wild North Sea is a sweeping epic love story of a Viking and a monk, a search for hidden treasure and a spiritual journey rolled into one.
In the Hills, the Cities, is still one of the most original horror stories I have come across with. Clive was at the top of his game at that time.
review here Bloodline was MAJOR. It’s where Whyborne showed how truly bad-ass he can be and he and Griffin took a big step forward in their relationship. One of the best books in the W&G series.
I read Beauty Pop at the time when I was studying how to cut hair. I was going through a phase where I wanted to be a hairstylist. Like most of my endeavors, it didn’t pan out unfortunately but at least I know precisely what to tell my hairstylist when he cuts my hair. Never complained about a haircut ever since.
review here I adore Theo Wishart. So much so that whenever I meet a character named Theo, I always remember him. Also, Luca still owes him that dream wedding.
review here Because Jack and Ethan.
review here Blood and gore, no holds barred violence, deadly child assassin. FUN.
BOOKS ON MY TBR
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ABC BOOK CHALLENGE – A
This seems like a fun challenge to participate it. Let’s see how many letters I can get.
A is A.I., aliens and adventures.
MOST MEMORABLE READS WITH THE LETTER A:
review here Murderbot is one of the most relatable characters I have come across with. Anyone who would just rather Netflix and chill than mingle with the hoi poloi will see themselves nodding at Murderbot’s life-choices.
This is best experienced as an audiobook since it’s narrated by Kevin R. Free who always does a spot on job at bringing introverted curmudgeons and misanthropes to life. He is also the voice of Christopher ‘Kit’ Holmes, the over-thinking and self-absorbed amateur sleuth of the Holmes & Moriarity series by Josh Lanyon.This H.P. Lovecraft creation stood out not because I liked it but because it was such a mind-numbing litany of architectural details, I actually felt my brain going dry.
For a much more entertaining and readable version, I recommend Hoarfrost, Whyborne and Griffin‘s adventure in Alaska.review here Who could forget Charl, the pure and kind-hearted merchant who helped Damen and Laurent out of an awkward and very dangerous situation?
This has some of the funniest and fluffiest Captive Prince moments.
When horror master Clive Barker creates a children’s book, it comes out magical and extraordinary. I have always loved how over the top his imagination is and Abarat is a classic example of this.
Also I was shipping Candy and Christopher Carrion. Yeah, creepy. I know.
Always a favorite. I love how you can mine the Wonderland world with a lot of story ideas.
For the gay version, witness the Hatter fall in love in Mad About The Hatter by Dakota Chase.
BOOKS ON MY TBR
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Book Addiction Tag
Found this tag here.
1) What is the longest amount of time you can comfortably go without picking up a book?
A couple of days to a week when I am on a slump. The worst one was a 3 year-book slump in the early 2010s when every YA book seemed to feature special snowflake white girls, broody asshole love interests and the dreaded love triangles. Hooray for diversity!
2) How many books do you carry on your person (or kindle) at any one time?
I used to carry at least one small paperback but now I have my tablet so it packs A LOT. Funnily enough, I hardly read when I am out. Just the thought of all those books with me is a comfort though.
3) Do you keep every book you buy/receive or are you happy to pass them on to make space for more?
I hoard so no matter how bad the book is, it still has a place on my shelf. I even used to keep termite eaten books because I was so attached. I have reformed, somewhat.
4) How long would you spend in a bookshop on a standard visit?
We have only two sources of books in my town both of which are located inside major malls. One is a used book chain where I could browse as long as I want which can take 30 mins to a couple of hours. The other is a giant book store chain where the security guards seem to think I am a weirdo they need to constantly monitor which is not really conducive to leisurely browsing.
5) How much time per day do you actually spend reading?
An hour or two now that I have been warned by doctors after having dry eyes. Who knew dry eyes could cause serious migraines, vomiting and a stay in the hospital.
6) Where does the task ‘picking up a book’ appear on your daily to-do list?
Every time I step inside a mall, I have the urge to drop by the aforementioned bookstores so I really make a conscious effort to avoid them or else my budget is whacked!
7) How many books do you reckon you own in total (including e-books)?
More than a thousand is my guesstimate
8) Approximately how often do you bring up books in conversation?
I almost never do. Because hardly anybody reads around here. Also, I tend to keep my hobbies and interests to myself mostly because I know people are not interested in them.
9) What is the biggest book (page count) you have finished reading?
1110 pages of Caesar and Cleopatra by Colleen McCullugh. Gone were the days when I consider this light reading. Now, I’m all give me something short and gay
10) Is there a book you had to get your hands on against all odds (i.e searching bookshops, online digging, etc.)?
Still pining for that out of print edition of Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko. Also, I’m dying to get my hands on the Abarat books by Clive Barker and first editions of the Sandman comics by Neil Gaiman
11) A book you struggled to finish but refused to DNF?
There’s a bookmark stuck in the middle of The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch. It has been there for more than a year. I refuse to give up on Locke and Jean.
12) What are 3 of your main book goals for 2019?
- Take better care of my eyes so I can still read books when I’m old.
- Finish ARCs on time.
- Read more books from my TBR list rather than always starting randomly on any shiny new tome that catches my fancy. This is probably the most difficult goal of the three.
13) Have you ever had the privilege of converting someone into a reader (maybe via inspiration or incessant nagging)?
I am happy that my father and sister read some of my collection but like I said, hardly anybody around here is interested in reading. I have even offered to lend my Harry Potter books to younger relatives (something I never do under normal circumstances) but nobody budged.
14) Describe what books mean to you in five words.
It’s my cup of tea.
