We're getting to the end of the Trans Rights Readathon, which started March 21st and goes through Trans Day of Visibility, March 31st, but I thought those participating might still be looking for some books and really, we all should read trans books all year long anyway. So I'm sharing a list of trans books I've enjoyed. These are all books with trans main characters but are not necessarily by trans authors, and they are all really good—I've probably recommended at least some of them before. I'm also going to share my books with trans characters in case anyone is interested in my fantasy romances, though I am not a trans author.
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Last Wednesday was National Tell a Fairy Tale Day, and I meant to have this post written then...but I was in the middle of a last push to finish NJ Romance Writer's JeRoWriMo writing challenge (which I did at almost the last moment). I love a good fairy tale retelling/reimagining, and I've made a list of some of my favorites. They range from pretty close to the original to modern reimaginings. I hope you find something you enjoy!
Back in November, I recommended some cozy reads (find them here) and I thought this week, if you're like me, you might need some more. If you're in the US, at least, the last few days have been tough—just one horrible thing after another, and though they aren't unexpected to anyone who has been paying attention (...and potentially screaming about these things), they are still rage-inducing and despair-causing. And all we can do is fight as best we can and take care of each other. And take care of ourselves. Part of that for me is sometimes reading something cozy and warm. Sometimes it means reading something entirely else to channel that rage—comfort reads are different for every person and sometimes for every mood.
Today, I'm going to focus on more cozy books, which also exist on a spectrum of coziness or fluffiness, I suppose, and these recs do too. They are also a mix of genres and subgenres, pairings, etc. I hope you find something to escape into and recharge. Happy Appreciate a Dragon Day to all who celebrate! And if you love dragon books, you really should be celebrating. If you're familiar with my books, you probably know that I love dragons and dragon books, both writing and reading them. I've always loved fantasy and romance and dragons—I still have the copy of Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C Wrede I bought at the Scholastic Book Fair in elementary school, so you know this goes back a while—and I'm always watching for more dragon books and adding them to by massive TBR. I think To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose is up next for me, but we'll see (I'm such a mood reader!). I thought I would share some book recs today. These are generally all romances, some with dragon shifters as the love interest and some just with dragons in the story.
I'm sneaking in time between baking batches of cookies to write a quick holiday romance rec post, as has become my tradition. Last year, I did several posts broken up by sub-genre, this year, I just did not have the time. So, just one list time, filled with some favorites that I'm sure I've recommended before and others I might not have. I hope you find something to curl up with.
 Happy Thanksgiving (a little early) to everyone celebrating! I've done recommendations of Thanksgiving romances in the past and I don't think I've read any new ones since my last rec post, but I still thought I would share some in case you're looking for a seasonally appropriate book to escape into for the long weekend and you didn't catch my posts in past years. And if you need something on the cozier side (which some of these are but not all) because of the holidays or *waves hands around at the world* all this, check out the cozy books recs I shared a couple of weeks ago. Today's list includes a variety of lengths and sub-genres and pairings, so I hope you can find something you enjoy. When I started thinking about this post, I wanted to write something about comfort reads, maybe list a few of my own. Post-election here in the US, I (and so many people I know) are scared and horrified about what's happening and about to happen, and I think a lot of us are turning to books for comfort, as readers so often do. But comfort reading is an extremely subjective thing. It can be old favorites or angst-free fluff or horror or escapes into other worlds or anything that gives comfort to that particular person. I'll probably still write about my comfort reads at some point, but for now, I thought I would recommend some cozy books. Stories that wrap you up in a soft blanket and hand you a mug of your favorite beverage. That immerse you in warmth and hope and found family vibes. Or just cozy vibes, like a soft warm sweater! As always, I had a difficult time narrowing it down to a few books to list here—and while doing it, I found a bunch on my mountainous TBR that I think it's time I move up to the top of the list.  Happy Halloween, my darlings! If you don't know me well yet, I'm going to be completely upfront and tell you that I don't like super scary stuff. I don't spend this time of year (or any time of year) watching horror movies (I'm much more likely to watch Hocus Pocus or Practical Magic). But, I do love books that immerse me in autumn atmosphere and the paranormal and sometimes are a bit spooky too. Here are a few favorites:  A Little Familiar by R Cooper (M/M cozy witch romance) A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (M/F paranormal romance) Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (YA Trans M/cis M paranormal romance) Hainted by Jordan L Hawk (M/M paranormal romance) Darke Passion by Rosanna Leo (M/F paranormal romance) Vespers by Irene Preston and Liv Rancourt (M/M vampire romance) Payback's a Witch by Lana Harper (F/F witch romance) Once Upon a Haunted Moor by Harper Fox (M/M paranormal romance) The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (M/F witch romance) What are some of your favorite books for spooky season?
Happy Ace Week! I'm sharing some ace spec book recs to mark the occasion, and as usual, it was really difficult to narrow down the list. I've tried to recommend books I haven't before, but I might have repeated a favorite anyway. If you'd like to know about my books with ace spec characters, you can find more about them in this post.  Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms by Sarah Wallace and SO Callahan (M/M historical fantasy romance) Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson (Fantasy) A Gentleman's Position by KJ Charles (M/M historical romance) Not Dead Yet series by Jenn Burke (M/M paranormal romance) Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger (YA fantasy/paranormal) Protector of the Small series by Tamora Pierce (YA fantasy) Do you have any favorite ace spec books? I've chosen a few books to rec (though narrowing down the list is always difficult!), and as a bonus, I'm sharing a few books from by ridiculously long TBR...  Spellbound by Allie Therin (MM historical fantasy romance) What the Hex by Alexis Daria (MF paranormal romance) The Sunbearer Duology by Aiden Thomas (YA fantasy) Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova (YA fantasy) Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by Anna-Marie McLemore (Trans MM YA historical romance) Mangos & Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera (FF contemporary romance) Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Historical fantasy) Give a Witch a Chance by Colette Rivera (Bisexual MF paranormal romance) Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland (MF fantasy romance) What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez (MF historical fantasy romance) Bindle Punk Bruja by Desideria Mesa (Historical fantasy) |
AuthorAntonia is a writer and a reader and a copy editor/proofreader. She loves books, travel, art, photography, baking, pasta, and shoes. Archives
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