Reminder of how terrible these men have always been.

The book is good, though! An engaging history of Guantanamo in graphic anthology format. Recommended.

Random #whychooseromance, and that leaves me with only four prompts to fill in the No Shame Reading Challenge! #NSR24 #NoShameReadathon24 @Nessavamusic

And I'm done for May!

#WickedWords @AsYouWish

This slightly-magical graphic-novel love story set in a softball league is silly, smutty, and super gay. I love it.

#Prom #WickedWords @AsYouWish

🤣

Currently reading: Land Glorious, third in the Sparks & Philtres gaslamp/fae fantasy series. How beautiful is this cover??

Currently celebrating: Halfway through my Goodreads challenge, but not halfway through the year.

Currently missing: my son, who is on his way to his first set of out-of-town band gigs. He'll be back Sunday though!

How about you?

I figured I might find the word “poem“ in a poetry book, and here we are! One to go (“Prom“).

#WickedWords @AsYouWish

I'm enjoying this novel-in-verse written from the PoV of a camp counsellor.

Third #WickedWords for the month. @AsYouWish

This is a MG novel about 2 of ne'er-do-well friends who get involved in period equity activism. Both girls start out as chaos goblins - the bad behaviour (“pranks“) they engage in and the way they're coddled for it is grating on me. It feels like there's a huge helping of white privilege going on, and while I appreciate the baby-feminism aspect, I'm just not sure about some other aspects. The worst threatened consequence is fancy private school.

Random post on YA short fiction out of Australia that I have enjoyed. Have you read any of these?

Kaleidoscope (broadly diverse YA), Defying Doomsday & Rebuilding Tomorrow (disabled people surviving/thriving in the apocalypse), An Unexpected Party & Kindred (LGBTQIA+ fiction), and Meet Me At The Intersection (intersectional).

Number one for the month. #WickedWords @AsYouWish

This Olympus-meets-DWP feminist romance series by Karen Healey's alter ego is not fading with time, but going from strength to strength!

In Hera Takes Charge, Hera is shaking off the debris of her catastrophic marriage with Zeus, dealing with a new, too-charming co-CEO of Olympus Publishing, taking in a street kid, and dealing with far too much attraction to her housemate and ex-brother-in-law, Don. Do yourself a favour, etc.

Hoopla borrow. How gorgeous is this cover? It positively glows. Cover artist Andrew Leung.

I'm only halfway through, but so far this graphic adaptation of a memoir by Jiménez, who was an undocumented child labourer, is superb.

#graphicnovel #memoir

This is a worthy topic, but unfortunately a poor execution. The stories are piecemeal and disjointed. There is far too much telling and not enough showing - the graphic format was badly underutilised. The excessively small print in portions provided further friction to the reading process.

Read They Called Us Enemy (Takei) instead.

I missed my 125 000 litfluence! *waves*

I got distracted from this book but am happy to be back reading it! This feminist, contemporary Olympus-gods-retelling #romance series is CRIMINALLY under-rated. I love it all.

#romantsy #WickedWords @AsYouWish

In which Chast recounts her dreams. That's it. There's no through line or point to any of it. Tedious and self indulgent.

This Doctor Who comic artist is mostly great, but this is the third time they've drawn eyes too extremely turned to the side. It's disconcerting!

Well this looks adorable. Libby borrow.

This was a quite enjoyable book of poetry by a poet local to me (Perth, Western Australia).

#fourfoursin24 #retailgrayscale
up to no 58 in #BookChain #BookChain2024 @TheAromaofBooks

NSFW

Forgot to post this before. The heroine's new boss. 🤣🤣🤣

Snippet of poetry by Dan Hogan

Grace Needs Space is a cute graphic novel about a space station girl taking a trip to Titan with one of her mothers.

@AsYouWish #WickedWords #passenger

Safe prediction 2024: this is going to sell very, VERY well. #litsycrafters

(pic is from author's instagram)

I do enjoy an Olivia Dade romance! And this one's got a #Voyage thrown in.

@AsYouWish #WickedWords

This nearish-future feminist graphic novel about a scientific society is a lot of fun.

Found a ship!

@AsYouWish #WickedWords

Bookchain progress - I read almost all graphic novels and illustrated works for this set. With an emphasis on books with LGBTQIA+ and POC main characters. They were all good but I think my favourites were Saving Sunshine, Fence: Redemption and The Sea in You (a Little Mermaid adaptation).

#BookChain #BookChain2024 @TheAromaofBooks

Ahhhhhh I love Fence.

A spicy little novella with a surprise #iceberg.

@AsYouWish #WickedWords

I feel like I'm the last person to know about this graphic novel, but just in case you are: it's FANTASTIC. It is set in an alternate Cairo where 'wishes' are real, come in bottles, and are subject to heavy government regulation (with all that that entails). The book tells the story of three particular vintage wishes at a man's kiosk, and the three people's stories those wishes become entangled in. I don't want to say too much more. Read it.

I'm part way through this excellent graphic novel in which "wishes" are sold on the market and regulated by governments. Here's an info box between chapters.

"My sister's grandson is a graphic designer" ???

Lovely #graphicnovel set in modern alternate Cairo, in which wishes are real and are sold in a regulated market.

The sixth Fence volume has hit the library! I love this series.

#graphicnovels

This Australian graphic novel is FANTASTIC. A girl is dropped off for a holiday programme in an abandoned shopping centre near the site of a mysterious explosion. But there is something more going on. A bit Kaiju Preservation Society, a touch Aliens, even a wee bit E.T. And a lovely friendship story. Great art too.

I'm pleased with my Bookchain progress!

#BookChain #BookChain2024 @TheAromaofBooks

@AsYouWish #WickedWords
A good mix of books for Wicked Words this month! A graphic novel, a LGBTQIA+ SF YA anthology, a historical romance, a contemporary romance, and a prequel.

Pick of the crop: I think An Unexpected Party, though if you're not in Australia it might be hard to get your hands on. It's a homegrown Western Australian book.

I was curious to read Yardley's earlier work. This was a contemporary vanilla steamy romance between two restaurant chefs. The conflict/obstacle was mild and not particularly self-inflicted, which I always appreciate. Lots of cooking, and sex in cupboards.

And I'm done with #WickedWords for March! @AsYouWish
Also #38 for #BookChain #BookChain2024 @TheAromaofBooks
#MeatyTreaty #fourfoursin24
#noodlelovin #HBReadingEmbrace2024

Library haul today : a graphic novel about menacing mermaids, some crafting stuff, and local poetry.

I've decided to run #ISpyBingo as a whole-year challenge, and am having fun! I don't know if anyone else thought you wouldn't be able to find a 5 W's book cover for the Buzzword Bingo square, but if you were, I got you - I combed through my TBR and found a whole lot to share. Enjoy.

 @Clwojick @TheAromaofBooks

"What do you mean, the restaurant is closing?"

#firstlinefridays @ShyBookOwl

And a surprise “princess“ in this rather good local anthology of YA LGBTQIA+ short fiction.

@AsYouWish #WickedWords

Some #WickedWords progress! #criminal @AsYouWish

Great library haul today! #graphicnovel #australianwomenwriters #manga

This young adult graphic novel romance is absolutely gorgeous. Top graphic novel read of the year so far.

It weaves together young love, insecurity, Valentine's Day, Catholic history, family abandonment, cross-cultural and immigrant issues, with a touch of ghostiness and/or magical realism. The main characters are teenage lion dancers and the art is delightful.

Random Hoopla borrow.

This is a very absorbing graphic (novel? memoir?) about the first year of college. It lays bare the crushing insecurity and loneliness as well as the experiences of making new friends and learning new things.