I want to talk about the education privilege meme that's been doing the rounds. On the one hand I love old-school memes that encourage lots of cool people on my d-roll to talk about their experiences growing up. But at the same time, I'm kind of frowning at this particular iteration.

( thinky thoughts )

Anyway, hopefully this is an adequate substitute for the meme and you don't need me to tell you in detail how absurdly precocious I was in reading and maths.

Current Mood: cynical

beanside

It's Sunday! I have a game at noon, and then I'll settle down for Snowpocalypse 2, Electric Boogaloo.

Saturday was good. I slept late, had a good game where my players rollplayed a lot, which is always awesome. I'm currently torturing the paladin, played by Jess with a ton of backstory. This group is very much a "just fuck me up," set of players when it comes to trauma, which is a lot of fun for me. I've got many more reveals to come that I'm looking forward to in this arc. One was twisty enough that I actually asked

poisontaster if it was okay to do to her character, though. (She also was like "Do it!"

Yoda did not do well with the pet sitter. He barked non stop, though he would take treats from her. We're going to try twice more to see if he'll get used to her, and if not, he's going to the doggy boarding, where he'll be off his turf. I don't like that idea, but if we have to, we'll give it a go.

We also discovered that the Crab was bad. It smelled horrible, and we did not eat it. I put in a claim with Instacart/Costco, but now they're asking for a picture. Jess already put them in the dumpster so that's not happening, so we'll see how they reply. In the meantime, I'm going to put in another order for some from Sitka Seafood, since we've gotten twice from them, and they were awesome. So maybe some next weekend.

With crab off the table for dinner, we ordered from Wonder by Jose Andres. It was a mixed bag. The entree's were good, but the sides were not to our liking.

I've been craving sushi, but I saw Jose Andres, and got excited. I was unsatisfied, and still want sushi. I may order some for game, since I don't think we're getting out afterwards. Last I looked the snow is supposed to start around 2, and game won't be done til 3.

Weather.com says 2-4", but they just issued a winter storm warning that says 4-10" with totals locally up to 14". As usual, I'll believe it when the snow is on the ground. It's been a while since we had big snows, so I can't even bitch...much.

With the snow, I'm definitely cooking tonight. I'm going to look at the freezer and see what I want to make. I'm leaning towards the ribs with a dry rub.

My mouth continues to be slightly puffy. It's usually worse in the morning, I guess because when I lay down the bloodflow can pool in the head? I don't know. I just know it's better than it was yesterday, so I'm happy.

Now that we've started dealing with the practicalities, with Yoda, I'm getting more excited about Alaska. It's really happening and that is super cool. We're down to 74 days. In another two weeks, it'll be two months away! I'm both excited and nervous, but mostly excited.

But first, that's 53 work days to get through. Work will probably continue to be busy, and at some point, presumably, they'll move me into the new position. This week, we have our quarterly staff meeting. It's two hours long and it's on camera, so fun fun. That's on Tuesday so that's a bit of OT. Then I work next Saturday, so the check will look good in two weeks. Actually, I'll have two Saturdays, so that'll be a doubly nice check.

Okay, time for me to go forth and consider what I want to do today before game. Everyone have a stupendous Sunday!

smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2026/02/sbtb-bestsellers-february-7-february-20/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=166785

The latest bestseller list is brought to you by nostalgia, Girl Scout Cookies, and our affiliate sales data.

Give Me a Reason by Jayci Lee Amazon | B&N | Kobo
New Zealand Ever After by Rosalind James Amazon
The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford Amazon | B&N | Kobo
Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston Amazon | B&N | Kobo
The Second Death of Locke by V.L. Bovalino Amazon | B&N | Kobo
How Not to Hex a Gentleman by Valia Lind Amazon
How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks Amazon | B&N | Kobo
Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite Amazon | B&N | Kobo
Someone to Honor by Mary Balogh Amazon | B&N | Kobo | GooglePlay
How to Sell a Romance by Alexa Martin Amazon | B&N | Kobo

I hope your weekend reading was fabulous!

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2026/02/sbtb-bestsellers-february-7-february-20/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=166785

smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2026/02/sunday-sale-digest-70/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=166755

This piece of literary mayhem is exclusive to Smart Bitches After Dark, but fret not. If you'd like to join, we'd love to have you!

Have a look at our membership options, and come join the fun!

If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section with exclusive content and events.

Everything you’re used to seeing at the Hot Pink Palace that is Smart Bitches Trashy Books will remain free as always, because we remain committed to fostering community among brilliant readers who love romance.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2026/02/sunday-sale-digest-70/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=166755

heron61

I just got back from my second concert in several months, this one by Suzanne Vega. I first heard her music in 1986, a few months after her first album came out. I was in college, had MTV on, and saw the video for her utterly brilliant song "Marlene on the Wall' (video link). The next day I went out and bought the album, and loved pretty much all of it, and then several months later I saw she was coming to St. Louis, in a (thankfully inexpensive, since I was a poor college student) small venue on the waterfront, and I went to the show, and loved it.

She has a new album out, and my partner and I went to this show, and she started off with “Marlene on the Wall”. It was a very good, if slightly odd show, in that by far the majority of the songs were from either her firs two albums or her most recent album, with no more than one song per album (if that) from her other seven albums.

james

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

torachan

1. So nice to get back to my routine at home. I tried my best to stick to the things I could while away but it's not the same and it's definitely a source of stress.

2. Carla got some frozen char siu fried rice from Trader Joe's and it's really good. Making fried rice from scratch is an easy meal, but I wouldn't mind keeping a bag of this in the freezer for times we feel like something even easier.

3. A moth got in the house the other day and Carla was able to get some really great pics of Ollie when he was laser focused on the moth.

ysabetwordsmith

Sunday Word: Bricolage

bricolage [bree-kuh-lahzh, brik-uh-]

noun:
1 a construction made of whatever materials are at hand; something created from a variety of available things.
2 (in literature) a piece created from diverse resources.
3 (in art) a piece of makeshift handiwork.
4 the use of multiple, diverse research methods.

Definitely useful if you like upcycling.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today we went to the Crimson Market and made a few other stops.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

hannah

Trying to clear my calendar and hunker down for the next few days in light of the storm had me allowing myself a little bit of panic buying in the form of another bottle of olive oil. It's not on the same level as rescheduling an appointment because I know there's no point trying to get anywhere farther than two blocks, maximum, come Monday, but it helped a bit.

I'm also charging up my devices as something of an insurance policy and made sure to return all my outstanding library checkouts. Again, something that only helped a bit, and still helped. Mostly I'm now waiting for it to arrive so I can finally enjoy the snow. The build-up to it isn't nearly as enjoyable.

Current Mood: grateful
Current Music: nothing now

ysabetwordsmith

Scientists just mapped mysterious earthquakes deep inside Earth

Scientists at Stanford have unveiled the first-ever global map of rare earthquakes that rumble deep within Earth’s mantle rather than its crust. Long debated and notoriously difficult to confirm, these elusive quakes turn out to cluster in regions like the Himalayas and near the Bering Strait. By developing a breakthrough method that distinguishes mantle quakes using subtle differences in seismic waves, researchers identified hundreds of these hidden tremors worldwide.

Current Mood: busy

dewline

The Canadian federal government should do for the Heritage Foundation what they did for the Proud Boys: designate them as a terrorist organization.

Current Mood: hopeful

tcpip

Last night I was a guest at the Chinese New Year concert at Hamer Hall, an event organised by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra with the Chinese consulate. The concert was a good mix of modern and classical, East and West. Mindy Meng Wang's performance on the guzheng for The Butterfly Lovers was especially notable, and Li Biao's enthusiasm as conductor could not go unnoticed. The main part of the programme, Beethoven's 7th Symphony, is far from my favourite, but I do really like the dreamlike dirge of the second movement. There were also meet-and-greet functions before and after the concert, where one had the opportunity to meet various guests, organisers, and performers, along with vox-pop interviews from CCTV. It is certainly the season for such things, with, of course, the ACFS hosting our own concert next week.

As a sort of musical juxtaposition, earlier this week I wrote a review on Rocknerd for the most recent album, "Crocodile Promises" by The March Violets. Once a post-punk band from the early 80s, their company could also include groups like The Chameleons, The Comsat Angels, The Sisters of Mercy, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, etc. However, more recently, they have moved to a more alt-rock sound, which isn't wrong (bands should develop their sound), but it is different. The album positively thunders along and is a deeply emotional collection of songs, of which "Bite the Hand" really stood out to me. On a related note (pun not intended), I have been delving quite deeply in recent days into the older albums by The Comsat Angels with their often spartan instrumentation and bitter and bleak lyrical content.

It is has all rather suited my current mood. Music is a universal language of mood, both in the uplifting and sombre sense. The latter affects me every day; I seriously don't understand how people remain indifferent to the immediate conflicts (e.g., Gaza) or to longer-term downward trends (e.g., the climate). February 18, for what it's worth, was Bramble Cay Melomys Day, a on-going memorial and campaign for the first mammal species driven to extinction by climate change. Yes, I can enjoy music, culture, artistry, and beauty, whilst simultaneously being driven by such events. As a certain J. Cash once wrote, "I'd love to wear a rainbow every day, And tell the world that everything's okay. But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back. 'Til things are brighter, I'm the man in black".

Current Mood: discontent
Current Music: The Comsat Angels, The BBC Sessions

torachan

Recently Finished
The Reyes Incident
I think I got this on some sort of ebook sale. It feels like the sort of thing where I'd be like "well, it's free or just a dollar, so I'll take a chance". It wasn't great, though. Interesting premise about a woman who comes to the police station with a story of killer mermaids who ate her friends. The writing just wasn't great, though.

Another Appalachia
Memoir about a queer Indian woman who grew up in West Virginia, where her dad had taken a job as a company doctor for one of the chemical companies there in the 70s. I liked this.

A Skinful of Shadows
Set in the 1600s during the English civil war, the MC is the bastard of a powerful family who all have the ability to see ghosts and host them inside themselves. When her mother dies, she is taken in by the family, who it turns out, like to keep bastards close in the event that they need a ghost host, becaue the currently living members of the family are all host to multiple ghosts each, of dead family members. In some cases the host is too weak and becomes completely taken over by the ghosts. This was a neat premise and an enjoyable read. I have never not liked anything by Francis Hardine that I've read, and this was no exception.

Paying the Land
Non-fiction graphic novel about First Nations people in the Northwest Territories. The author is white, but he spent a lot of time interviewing people and it's basically like an illustrated interview. Very interesting.

Hen na E vol. 4

Ojisama to Neko vol. 16

siderea

If you live in the BosWash Corridor, especially in NYC-to-Boston, you need to be paying attention to the weather. We have an honest to gosh Nor'easter blizzard predicted for the next 3 days, with heavy wet snow and extremely high winds – the model predicts the damn thing will have an eye – which of course is highly predictive of power outages due to downed lines.

Plug things what need it into electricity while ya got it.

Whiteout conditions expected. The NWS's recommendation for travel is: don't. Followed by recommendations for how to try not to die if you do: "If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle."

I would add to that: if you get stranded in your car by snow and need to run the engine for heat, you must also periodically clear the build-up of snow blocking the tailpipe, or the exhaust will back up into the passenger compartment of the car and gas you to death.

As always, for similar reasons do not try to use any form of fire to heat your house if the regular heat goes out, unless you have installed the necessary hardware into the structure of your house, i.e. chimneys, fireplaces, and wood stoves, and they have been sufficiently recently serviced and you know how to operate them safely. The number one killer in blizzards is not the cold, it's the carbon monoxide from people doing dumb shit with hibachis.

NWS says DC to get 2 to 4 inches, NYC/BOS to get 1 to 2 feet. Ryan Hall Y'all reports some models saying up to 5 inches in DC and up to three feet in NYC and BOS.

2026 Feb 21 (5 hrs ago): Ryan Hall Y'all on YT: "The Next 48 Hours Will Be Absolutely WILD...". See particularly from 3:30 re winds.

If somehow you don't already have a preferred regular source of NWS weather alerts – my phone threw up one compliments of Google, and I didn't even know it was authorized to do that – you can see your personal NWS alerts at https://forecast.weather.gov/zipcity.php , just enter your zipcode. Also you should get yourself an app or something.

ysabetwordsmith

Today is partly sunny and chilly.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 2/21/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I put out more birdseed in the hopper feeder.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Tomorrow is the last day of the half-price sale in Not Quite Kansas.

fuzzyred is running a pool that will close later today, so if you want in on the quarter-price sale, now's the time to make your selections. If you're still shopping solo, the sale as a whole will close Sunday night.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Time and Date has a [Bad username or unknown identity: https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/list.html]meteor shower calendar. Next up:

Apr 22–23, 2026
Lyrids
Both Hemispheres

Current Mood: busy

petra

This post is about Erotica 4 Barbarians, a challenge to write smut in words of one syllable.

I neglected to include all the Marvel characters I could write, in part because I did not think it through, so -- Wade, I already mentioned, but also Steve, Nat, Bruce, Thor, Clint. (I just heard

minoanmiss cheer and punch the air.)

Anybody who wants a flashback to 2012 Avengers fandom, The Avengers Kink List Team Bonding Sessions: the files is a collaborative project that happened in my comments back in the day, in which we played with all kinds of Avengers pairings.

If anyone wants more in that vein, I will see what I can do to scrape off the rest of the MCU and chill in that headspace. In words of one syllable.

\o/

Current Mood: out there
Current Music: The last time I heard the Avengers theme was at a work training

james_davis_nicoll

Seven books new to me. four fantasy, one horror, one ostensibly non-fiction, and one romance. Three are series. Yeah, there does seem to be a shortage of science fiction.

I had a bunch of stuff come in just after the cut-off time for these. Next week will look very different.

Books Received, February 14 — February 20

Poll #34247 Books Received, February 14 — February 20

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 39

View Respondents

Which of these look interesting?

View Answers

I Want You to Be Happy by Jem Calder (May 2026)
3 (7.7%)

In the Realm of the Last Man: A Memoir by Francis Fukuyama (September 2026)
5 (12.8%)

A Divided Duty: An October Daye Novel by Seanan McGuire (September 2026)
14 (35.9%)

Wickhills by Premee Mohamed (September 2026)
15 (38.5%)

Hallowed Bones: A Sons of Salem Novel by Lucy Smoke (October 2026)
2 (5.1%)

Falling for a Villainous Vampire by Charlotte Stein (October 2026)
6 (15.4%)

I Am the Monster Under the Bed: A Novel by Emily Zinnikas (September 2026)
13 (33.3%)

Some other option (see comments)
0 (0.0%)

Cats!
33 (84.6%)

beanside

Yet another subject line from Hazbin Hotel. This is the grand villain's origin story in song form. It's Saturday, and I got to sleep in for a change! Til nearly 7am! Now I'm sitting here feeling a little naughty and daring for getting up so late. The downside is that someone will surely be stirring soon, so my peace will be short lived. It's good if it's Jess, they're soothing. My sister is not.

Oh, Jess is up! I summoned them with my thoughts. I'm a goddamned Jedi.

My mouth is still a little swollen, but has gone down quite a bit. There's barely any swelling in my lip, and just a bit of a swollen area in my gum. I think in another day or so, it'll be gone.

Went to my company holiday outing last night. It was fun, but so goddamn loud. We went to Miss Toya's Creole House which was pretty good? Not like OMG awesome, but not bad. I started out with fried deviled eggs with crabmeat which were very tasty. I ate three, and probably could have called that my meal. But no, I had two crabcakes with cheesy grits and spinach coming. Most of that is currently residing in my refrigerator. The grits were excellent, the spinach was good, the crabcakes were a little overspiced. I love me some Old Bay, but damn. But overall, it was just a smallish room and nearly 30 people, and no sound deadening material. My boss, A, and I were both going "I am way too old for this." Still, it was nice to see people. I, being fat and a lefty claimed my seat immediately, and just as fas the two top bosses claimed seats on either side of me. I talked to them off an on all night, which was nice, since I get along well with both of them. But definitely had a "My milkshake brings all the managers to the yard" vibe.

Today, I will finish prepping for our 12pm game and then we shall see. Our local farm store has a jam tasting today at 11, so I'm wondering if I could sneak over there, buy some jam and then come back. I may try it.

Then, at 4, the dogsitter comes over to meet Yoda. Fingers crossed for a smooth introduction. If all goes well, I'm going to have her start coming a couple of times a week to walk him, so he'll continue to consider her a friend.

On Thursday, I discovered an exciting thing. Sometimes, Costco has Dungeness crabs! I got two big packs and we're going to have a crab feast this evening. I'm looking forward to it! They might not be as good as the stuff we had overnighted from Alaska, but I'm sure they'll be tasty. I can't wait.

Tomorrow, we're supposed to have a game, dependent on how the DM and players are feeling. That's not til 12, so I have plans to sleep in again and take it easy. The game will finish around 3, so maybe I'll actually cook something. I'll have to look and see what we have (so many things).

The tricky part is that I'm still sore, so it can't be something I have to bite. I'm thinking about the baby back ribs, since they should cook down to fall off the bone if I do it right. Otherwise, I'll just be cutting microscopic pieces to make it easy for myself. Or maybe by tomorrow, it'll be even better and I can make steak. We'll see.

But for today, it is prep time and then we shall have game! I have many traumatizing things planned for them. Fingers crossed that everyone is up to playing. Everyone have an amazing Saturday!

smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2026/02/book-beat-alien-cowboys-marriage-of-convenience-more/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=166736

Book Beat aims to highlight other books that we may hear about through friends, social media, or other sources. We could see a gorgeous ad! Or find a new-to-us author on a list of underrated romances! Think of Book Beat as Teen Beat or Tiger Beat, but for books. And no staples to open to get the fold-out poster.

House of Monstrous Women

Author: Daphne Fama
Released: August 12, 2025 by Berkley
Genre: Gothic, Horror, Mystery/Thriller

A young woman is drawn into a dangerous game after being invited to the mazelike home of her childhood friend, a rumored witch, in this gothic horror set in 1986 Philippines.

In this game, there’s one rule: survive.

Orphaned after her father’s political campaign ended in tragedy, Josephine is alone taking care of the family home while her older brother is off in Manila, where revolution brews. But an unexpected invitation from her childhood friend Hiraya to her house offers an escape….

Why don’t you come visit, and we can play games like we used to?

If Josephine wins, she’ll get whatever her heart desires. Her brother is invited, too, and it’s time they had a talk. Josephine’s heard the dark whispers: Hiraya is a witch and her family spits curses. But still, she’s just desperate enough to seize this chance to change her destiny.

Except Ranoco house is strange—labyrinthine and dangerously close to a treacherous sea. A sickly-sweet smell clings to the dimly lit walls, and veiled eyes follow Josephine through endless connecting rooms. The air is tense with secrets and as the game continues it’s clear Josephine doesn’t have the whole truth.

To save herself, she will have to play to win. But in this house, victory is earned with blood.

A lush new voice in horror arises in this riveting gothic set against the upheaval of 1986 Philippines and the People Power Revolution.

Gothic horror with Filipino folklore!

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Want to order this one? We’ve got the links you need!.

Married to the Alien Cowboy

Author: Ursa Dax
Released: July 9, 2024 by Peace Weaver Press Inc.
Genre: Western, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Cowboy Colony Mail-Order Brides #1

A quiet alien cowboy, a human woman on the run, and one very messy marriage of convenience. What could possibly go wrong?

In debt and on the run from a crime lord whose nose I may or may not have broken, I take the first ticket off-world that comes my way. It’s an all-expenses-paid, one-way trip to an isolated ranching outpost.

The only catch?
I have to marry an alien cowboy.

My plan is simple enough. Shack up with my groom Silar and convince him to keep me during the first month of our marriage. As long as he doesn’t decide to send me packing after the thirty-day trial period, I’ll be safe.

But maybe my plan isn’t so great after all. Silar talks more to his animals than he does to me, seems perplexed by every wifely duty I try to perform for him, and goes to offensively great lengths to avoid touching me.

Other than his eyes glowing bright white every time he looks at me, I have no idea what’s going on in my new husband’s head. Meanwhile, he shows me in subtle, wordless ways just how good a man he can be when he thinks that no one’s watching.

Yup. My plan officially sucks. Because now, it’s not just my life at risk if Silar sends me away after thirty days…

It’s my stupid human heart.

Welcome to the cowboy colony planet, where men outnumber women ten to one and cattle outnumber them all…

I’m getting Ice Planet Barbarians but make it Western.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Want this book? Here are helpful buy links..

The Mars House

Author: Natasha Pulley
Released: March 19, 2024 by Bloomsbury Publishing
Genre: LGBTQIA, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy

A compulsively readable queer sci-fi novel about a marriage of convenience between a Mars politician and an Earth refugee.

Named a Best Book of 2024 by The Washington Post * Amazon * Book Riot * LitHub * Paste Magazine * HuffPost

In the wake of an environmental catastrophe, January, once a principal in London’s Royal Ballet, has become a refugee in Tharsis, the terraformed colony on Mars. There, January’s life is dictated by his status as an Earthstronger-a person whose body is not adjusted to lower gravity and so poses a danger to those born on, or naturalized to, Mars. January’s job choices, housing, and even transportation are dictated by this second-class status, and now a xenophobic politician named Aubrey Gale is running on a platform that would make it all worse: Gale wants all Earthstrongers to naturalize, a process that is always disabling and sometimes deadly.

When Gale chooses January for an on-the-spot press junket interview that goes horribly awry, January’s life is thrown into chaos, but Gale’s political fortunes are damaged, too. Gale proposes a solution to both their problems: a five year made-for-the-press marriage that would secure January’s future without naturalization and ensure Gale’s political success. But when January accepts the offer, he discovers that Gale is not at all like they appear in the press. They’re kind, compassionate, and much more difficult to hate than January would prefer. As their romantic relationship develops, the political situation worsens, and January discovers Gale has an enemy, someone willing to destroy all of Tharsis to make them pay-and January may be the only person standing in the way.

Un-put-downably immersive and utterly timely, Natasha Pulley’s new novel is a gripping story about privilege, strength, and life across class divisions, perfect for readers of Sarah Gailey and Tamsyn Muir.

Elyse posted about this one in our slack with just the words “Queer fake marriage ballet sci fi.” What a lovely combo of words.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Find buy links for this book here..

Silvercloak

Author: L.K. Steven
Released: July 29, 2025 by Del Rey
Genre: Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Silvercloak Saga #1

In this addictive new fantasy series set in a world where magic is fueled by pleasure and pain, an obsessive detective infiltrates a brutal gang of dark mages—knowing that one wrong move will get her killed. . . .

“A dazzling (and frequently sizzling) new fantasy.” —Kiersten White, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lucy Undying

Two decades ago, the Bloodmoons ruthlessly murdered Saffron Killoran’s parents, destroying her idyllic childhood. Hell-bent on revenge, she lies her way into Silvercloak Academy—the training ground for her city’s elite order of detectives—with a single goal: to bring the Bloodmoons to justice.

But when Saff’s deception is exposed, rather than being cast out, she’s given a rare opportunity: to go undercover and tear the Bloodmoons down from the inside.

Descending into a world where pleasure and pain are the most powerful currencies, Saff must commit some truly heinous deeds to keep her cover—and her life. Not only are there rival gangs and sinister smuggling rings to contend with, but there’s also her growing feelings for the kingpin’s tortured son, with his vicious pet fallowwolf, his dark past, and the curious prophecy foretelling his death at Saffron’s hand.

With each day testing her loyalties further, Saff finds her web of lies becoming harder to spin. And when one false step could destroy everything and everyone she’s ever loved . . . the detective who’s dedicated her life to vengeance just might die for it.

Book One of the Silvercloak Saga

“Magic is fueled by pleasure and pain” gives me slight Kushiel’s Dart vibes, and I see that as a good thing.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Find buy links for this book here..

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2026/02/book-beat-alien-cowboys-marriage-of-convenience-more/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=166736

rydra_wong

can, to some small degree, be simulated by a blindfolded person trying to push buttons while someone else shouts confused and panicked instructions at them:

Watch on YouTube

(Except that these guys mastered jumping WAY faster than I did.)

It's hilarious and delightful to me to watch people having an experience of Dark Souls which is not wholly unlike mine. In a weird way I feel kind of #represented.

In later vids, they have (like me) discovered the joys of the halberd as adaptive technology for people who are bad at spacing and aiming.

torachan

1. I am back home! The flight was delayed by about an hour (I first got a notification just after I'd left the store and was waiting for my uber that it would be delayed by about half an hour, but at that point I was not about to change my plans so I figured that would just give me extra time at the airport to eat dinner, but then after I got to the airport it was delayed again), so from the time of leaving the store to arriving at home, I actually could have driven in about the same time. :p Oh well. I like that the flight itself is so short, but the associated airport rigamarole, not to mention having to get an uber each way, is kind of a pain.

2. It looks like there's no more rain forecast for down here. I saw they're supposed to get a few days of rain next week up north, and originally it was saying down here, too, but now we're not going to be getting it, I guess. I am tired of rain, so glad to hear it.

3. Tuxie is probably glad there's no more rain coming, too.

ysabetwordsmith

People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.

Is it right or wrong that everyone seems to be accustomed to the fact that all of humanity and most of the life on Earth could be wiped out at the whim of a handful of people?

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

I picked out what to get from Edible Landscaping. There's not much left this season. I should try them in fall to see if they have a better selection then.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

alias_sqbr

Watch on YouTube

ysabetwordsmith

Because it's nice to let people know that we appreciate them.

In the spirit of love memes, this meme is a place to thank someone who's created something you love, or done something kind that you still remember after all this time, or who has made your fandom life (or your life in general!) better in some way.

🩵Appreciation Meme🩵
my thread is here!

Current Mood: busy

alias_sqbr

I didn't watch Dunc and Egg but Cam did, and he found himself thinking about how fun it could be to have a story where a somewhat loner knight (disgraced/unproven/just antisocial, whatever) takes on a determined and surprisingly knowledgable page, who he eventually realises is a girl in disguise, and they have Adventures (but no romance, preferably)

He asked if I knew of any stories like that, since it feels like a really obvious premise, and I felt like I must have seen something along those lines by Tamora Pierce/ Mercedes Lackey etc but nothing came to mind. eg the Alanna series has the crossdressing page part but not the loner knight, Kel doesn't have the cross-dressing, etc.

So I come to you! At this point we're mostly just curious if it exists at all, but actual recs are definitely not unwelcome. Books/tv/movies, whatever.

hannah

Friday night dinner this week was still with family: out in Brooklyn. My parents weren't in town but my brothers were, so I went out to them since that was easiest for everyone. There and back was easy, thanks to not waiting long for a train to arrive and for finding one of the trains was running express that afternoon. The dinner itself went okay, and when my brother J., his wife E., and their daughter A. were around, I spent most of the time in the kitchen with my brother R. so his wife G. could spend time with J.'s family - I peeked out into the living room a couple times and they were all chatting and looking at something on someone's phone, and I thought it better not to intrude.

An amusing moment came partway through dinner. Weather came up, and I was the only one who expressed any pleasure at the idea of snow. I pointed out that this was the kind of weather we used to have, getting snow at the end of February. B., one of G.'s friends who'd come as well, said she'd grown up in the Midwest and was aware of that. At the time, I didn't think to point out I was talking pre-Industrial Revolution. It's probably just as well; later in the meal, she said she didn't want to feel like life was full of construction zones, that she'd had times of at least a couple things going smoothly, and I struggled to relate. A good person to talk to, and someone with a life fairly removed from mine.

Current Mood: ditzy
Current Music: nothing now

ysabetwordsmith

Today's project was creating an enclosure behind the log garden. I dragged some more logs back there so I can dump dead leaves inside. That way, they'll stay put, create habitat, hold moisture, and remain available in case I want some leaf litter during the warm season. This is a good use for old logs if you have any lying around.

( Walk with me ... )

Current Mood: accomplished

petra

I was backreading one of my tumblr tags looking for a joke, and I refound https://www.spidersge.org/ which is, I promise, not a rickroll.

This DW post has the Spiders Georg reference I was looking for. Since that posting, my friend's partner has gone into remission! Yay!

Current Mood: migraines georg lucas
Current Music: John Williams is not my friend until the painkiller and triptan kick in

redbird

While I was dealing with trying to figure out whether I could see my psychiatrist, and what it would cost if so, I got an email from medicare.gov about the Medicare Advantage "open enrollment" period: anyone who enrolled in a Medicare Advantage (part C) plan at the end of the previous year can change to a different Medicare Advantage plan between January 1 and March 31st. I decided that it would be worth it to get into a PPO instead of the HMO I had somehow signed up for, even though it means I'll be starting over on the annual out-of-pocket maximums for prescription drugs and for medical care generally. I put the application in this afternoon, and was told the process might take 10 days, but I also think it's supposed to be effective the first day of the month after I requested the change. My confirmation email from Medicare says the plan will notify me after they verify my information and confirm my enrollment, so I will wait and see.

Fortunately, I can afford to do this, rather than having to find new specialists who are in that stupid HMO's network, or spend large amounts to see my current doctors. (Switching now is expensive because I take one very expensive drug, the Kesimpta.)

ysabetwordsmith

UN declares Earth has entered a period of 'water bankruptcy' that is likely impossible to reverse

A new report from the United Nations warns humanity has entered an era that researchers call “water bankruptcy.” In many regions, yearly rainfall and river flows are no longer enough to meet demand.

In response, countries are increasingly drawing down groundwater reserves that can take centuries, or even millennia, to refill.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

watersword

Uh, so, I have a weird Jew-y dilemna.

I volunteer with my neighborhood "snow brigade", which shovels for folks who need help. We're due to get some gross "wintry mix" and "icy sleet" overnight, although maybe not much accumulation.

The couple I got assigned to emailed to say — well, here: "Hopefully there will be NO snow on Friday night and Saturday since for religious reasons we are not able to shovel. If it's not much we can deal with it Saturday night."

I emailed back to say that I don't consider helping a neighbor in need to violate shomer Shabbat and I would be happy to come by and make sure their sidewalks and steps are clear.

They said, "It would be our sin to have another Jew do any work for us on Shabbos. We very much appreciate your kind thoughts to help us. But if we can't do it, you can't do it for us either."

Uhhhhhhhhhh. I am not sure how to respond to this. I don't think this is a sin! I try to observe Shabbat in the sense of resting and renewing myself, but very much not in a traditional way — like, spending a couple of hours mending and embroidering might be part of Shabbat for me because it fills my cup and I don't always get the chance to during the week! Going to the farmer's market and spending half my paycheck and cooking something elaborate on Saturday is a profoundly Shabbosdik thing for me! I don't want to tell them "your theology is wrong" and I don't want to upset them by doing something they have told me not to do (and would apparently feel guilty about????), but ... I can't just leave an elderly couple trapped in their house with icy sidewalks for a day!

*pinches bridge of nose*

I gotta get in touch with the snow brigade coordinator and tell her what's going on so she can try to find a substitute, I guess. I wish I hadn't made it so obvious I am also Jewish, just said something cheerful about being happy to shovel in the morning, but it truly did not occur to me that their observance would mean this. My bad. Ugh.

This is gonna be a real fun conversation with the snow brigade coordinator.

ETA: Snow brigade coordinator is going to check if there's someone I can swap with for future Saturdays, but since the blizzard has been delayed until Monday, when labor is allowed, we will deal with it if and when it becomes a problem next. What a ridiculous shenanigan.

redbird

Wikipedia has blacklisted the site archive.today a.k.a. archive.is, .li, .ph, .fo, .md, and .vn), because Wikipedia editors discovered that the pseudonymous owners of the site were altering some archived pages. The alterations inserted the name of a blogger that the pseudonymous person who runs archive.today has a grudge against, because the blogger speculated about their identity.

Wikipedia editors were already debating whether to blacklist the site, after discovering it was being used in a distributed denial-of-service attack against that same blogger. The argument for blacklisting the site was straightforward: archive.today captchas were running malicious code on people's computers. The argument against was that it would be difficult to replace hundreds of thousands of links, an argument that made sense only as long as the saved websites were considered trustworthy.

My decidedly non-expert hunch is that using the site to look at static content behind a paywall is probably safe unless the site asks you to complete a captcha.

lyr posting in

thisfinecrew

If you have a bit of time to spare, you can help Ultraviolet with the whack-a-mole fun of reporting GoFundMe pages trying to raise money for the killers of Pretti and Good in MN. I have been doing the reporting side of things, and there's just something soothing about watching the pages come down.

Here is a link to a round-up of the pages spotters have collected which handily also includes a link to instructions on how to report: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PqG-bKig3Z8BbHMN7HTrYwWrIoPkQbrM6QboRP_z4mg/edit?gid=86617038#gid=86617038

xkcd_feed

https://xkcd.com/3210/

'If you've eliminated a few possibilities and you can't think of any others, your weird theory is proven right' isn't quite as rhetorically compelling.

https://xkcd.com/3210/

petra

( Suicide and book banning )

Current Mood: argh
Current Music: You'll sledge the hammer if there's no one else to take the flak

ysabetwordsmith

Today is partly cloudy, chilly, and windy.

I haven't fed the birds yet. Already I've seen one male and two female house finches, plus a male cardinal. :D

EDIT 2/20/26 -- I fed the birds. I've seen a fox squirrel at the hopper feeder.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 2/20/26 -- Under the big mulberry tree in the house yard, I hauled several logs toward the log garden. I am working on creating a sort of enclosure there where I can pile dead leaves. That will contain raked-off leaves, create habitat, store moisture, and keep the leaf litter available into the growing season.

EDIT 2/20/26 -- I hauled more logs to complete the enclosure. \o/

I flushed the great horned owl from the ritual meadow when I went back there.

EDIT 2/20/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I took a few pictures of the log garden enclosure.

I've seen a large flock of sparrows and a mourning dove.

EDIT 2/20/26 -- I raked leaves away from the base of the barrel garden. So many tulips are sprouting there! :D

EDIT 2/20/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

8 Queer (mostly M/M) Hockey Books We Love!

A week and a half ago, we posted about our favorite sports books with queer characters. When we were collecting the recommendations for that post, we got so many recommendations for hockey books that we decided to break them out into their own post! Today, we bring that post to you, in celebration of the Olympic men’s hockey semi-finals taking place today (game one started just a few minutes before I started this post, in fact). Most of these are m/m, which wasn’t intentional, but here we are I suppose.

Current Mood: busy

smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2026/02/5-99-hardcovers-at-book-outlet/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=166718

I’ve posted about my love of Book Outlet before. They’re a great option if you don’t mind waiting to get a physical book when it’s on sale; you’re kind of at the mercy of their stock.

Right now, they’re running a big fiction sale with paperbacks and hardcovers available for $5.99. There are some new releases and special hardcover editions!

I also have a referral coupon, which is $5 off a $25 order. I think I’ve posted it before, so some of you may have already snagged it.

If you see any great books as part of the sale, please drop your recommendations in the comments!

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2026/02/5-99-hardcovers-at-book-outlet/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=166718

smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2026/02/dukes-contemporary-romance-more-3/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=166710

Six Wild Crowns

Six Wild Crowns by Holly Race is $2.99! This is book one in a series. Elyse reviewed this and gave it a B:

This book is a wonderful reading experience. The setting, clothes and manners are all from a familiar enough place in time that it didn’t require a ton of world building, but Elben was still unique as a fantasy world. The action and the conflict were paced very well so the book grows in momentum. There’s also the “Earl has to die” plotline that I always appreciate.

NO KING CAN RULE THEM ALL.

In a Tudor England infused with deadly magic, a very different history will unfold for the wives of Henry VIII. Perfect for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree, Six Wild Crowns is an epic fantasy filled with legendary dragons, vicious courtly intrigue, and sapphic yearning.

As tradition has it, the king of Elben must marry six queens and magically bind each of them to one of the island’s palaces or the kingdom will fall.

Clever, ambitious Boleyn is determined to be her beloved Henry’s favorite queen. She relishes the games at court and the political rivalries with his other wives. Seymour is the opposite – originally sent to Boleyn’s court as a reluctant spy and assassin, she ends up catching Henry’s eye and is forced into a loveless marriage with the king.

But when the two queens become the unlikeliest of things – friends and allies – the balance of power begins to shift. Together, they uncover a dark and deadly truth at the heart of the island’s magic. Boleyn and Seymour’s only hope of survival rests on uniting all six of the rival queens – but Henry will never let that happen.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Jasad Heir

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem is $2.99 and a KDD! This is book one in The Scorched Throne series. I heard about this one through a reading newsletter one of my friends sends out. She isn’t a big romance reader, but had great things to say about this fantasy romance.

Ten years ago, the kingdom of Jasad burned. Its magic outlawed; its royal family murdered down to the last child. At least, that’s what Sylvia wants people to believe.

The lost Heir of Jasad, Sylvia never wants to be found. She can’t think about how Nizahl’s armies laid waste to her kingdom and continue to hunt its people—not if she wants to stay alive. But when Arin, the Nizahl Heir, tracks a group of Jasadi rebels to her village, staying one step ahead of death gets trickier.

In a moment of anger Sylvia’s magic is exposed, capturing Arin’s attention. Now, to save her life, Sylvia will have to make a deal with her greatest enemy. If she helps him lure the rebels, she’ll escape persecution.

A deadly game begins. Sylvia can’t let Arin discover her identity even as hatred shifts into something more. Soon, Sylvia will have to choose between the life she wants and the one she left behind. The scorched kingdom is rising, and it needs a queen.

In this Egyptian-inspired debut fantasy, a fugitive queen strikes a deadly bargain with her greatest enemy and finds herself embroiled in a complex game that could resurrect her scorched kingdom or leave it in ashes forever.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Truth About Dukes

The Truth About Dukes by Grace Burrowes is $1.99! This is a historical romance and the fifth book in the Rogues to Riches series. The hero and heroine have previously known each other during some hard times and now need each other once more. Lots of catnip!

A new duke and a woman with a secret in her past get a second chance at love in this delightful and charming Regency romance from the New York Times bestselling author of the Windham series.

Robert Rothmere is hiding a past no duke should have endured, but he’s not hiding it well enough. Sooner or later, his enemies will learn that he spent years locked away at a private asylum. To get their hands on his wealth, they’ll try to send him right back to his worst nightmares. If Robert is to foil their schemes, he needs to marry a perfectly proper, blessedly boring, deadly dull duchess, immediately—and he knows exactly which quietly delightful lady he’d love to entrust with that role.

Lady Constance Wentworth has cultivated a reputation for utter forgettability. She never speaks out of turn (in public), never has a daring thought (that she admits aloud), and never comes close to courting scandal… as far as anybody knows. Her path crossed Robert’s years ago, though, and she’s never forgotten the extraordinary lengths he traveled to keep her safe when she hadn’t a friend in the world. She longs to be his demure duchess…but little does he know that to marry her would be utter madness.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Love in Focus

Love in Focus by Lyla Lee is $2.99! This came out in May and was mentioned on Dahlia’s monthly queer romance roundup. I also believe this is Lee’s adult romance debut.

When her seven-year long relationship suddenly falls apart, relationship advice columnist Gemma Cho is convinced that real love doesn’t exist. As a bisexual woman who’s had zero luck with both men and women, she’s ready to give up on her own romantic prospects when she gets paired up with Celeste Min, a world-renowned photographer, on a highly visual, potentially career-saving piece on modern love.

Celeste is extremely talented, sexy, and gay, and would be the perfect collaborator and rebound for Gemma if it weren’t for one major fact: she’s Gemma’s ex, the one that broke her heart in college and moved to a whole another country before Gemma could even make sense of what went wrong between them. Despite working on a project together about what constitutes love and romance in the modern age, when it comes to their own affairs, both Gemma and Celeste are tripping over each other’s feet…and into each other’s arms.

Heightened by their shared love for love and the unmistakable sparks that still fly between them, Gemma and Celeste struggle to keep their relationship strictly professional. For the sake of her career, Gemma needs this piece to do well. And for the sake of what’s left of her beaten up hopeless romantic heart, she wants to fall head over heels for Celeste again. But can she trust Celeste to feel the same this time around?

LOVE IN FOCUS is a second chance sapphic rom com that will appeal to fans of THE BOLD TYPE and DELILAH GREEN DOESN’T CARE.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2026/02/dukes-contemporary-romance-more-3/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=166710

prettygoodword

mythomaniac (mith-uh-MAY-nee-ak) - n., someone with an excessive or pathological propensity for lying and exaggerating.

The compulsion itself being mythomania. Created from mythomania, which was coined in 1905 in French in by psychiatrist Ernest Dupré as mythomanie, from Ancient Greek mythos, which meant saying/speech as well as myth but that last is the relevant one here + Latin mania, craze/madness (itself also from Ancient Greek manía, madness/compulsion).

And that's it for a week of fun long words -- and although the first one up for next week is also a fun long one, it really just happened to be next on the list, really. Uh huh. Totally.

---L.

james_davis_nicoll

A successful businesswoman has the opportunity of a lifetime offered to her, only to have an old friend greatly complicate matters.

The Friend Zone Experiment by Zen Cho

kore

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has marked as possibly inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

beanside

Day one on Clindamycin. Not that different from Augmentin. My lip is swollen and my mouth is sore, and I desperately want these medications to work. I'm tired AF of this. I know it's only been a couple of doses of the new med, and I'm not despairing yet, but good lord, this is stubborn.

I had my Mid year review yesterday, which went fine. I had to tell my manager all the shit the higher bosses have me doing so that it would be accurate, and we bitched about the various shit that Hopkins is doing (new phone system, which may or may not do what we want. New HR platform that isn't working at all the way it's supposed to. And an upcoming total system overhaul next year.)

I could stand to bring my call quality up some, but I'm not good at hitting lines. I tend to be more focused on the patient and what they're telling me than saying their name 3 times, or saying exactly what I see on the screen as far as insurance. It's Blue Cross Blue Sheild FEP Standard PPO, but I'm probably going to say "Blue Cross Federal Standard," and that's a ding. I get caught on little things like that, because I'm talking to the patient like a human and not a robot.

One of my old bosses called my phone style "folksy," which let me tell you, I hated. Still do. I like to think of it more as warm and conversational and maybe a bit of stand up in there. I try to put the patient at ease and offer comfort or maybe a chuckle. "And are you claustrophobic?" "No." "Oooh, you're better than me!" If I can make the patient laugh, that's my goal. They're calling for what can be some seriously scary shit. It's my job to make them feel like I care about that, and by extension, so does Johns Hopkins. That we're there for their body, but also to care for them as people. I've done a lot of research to know what each test entails, so I can soothe fears and give them hope that they can get through an MRI, even though they're claustrophobic. But I probably am not going to chant their name like I'm calling for Beetlejuice.

Tonight, we have our big work party. I haven't decided what I want to eat yet. I'm kind of torn between Jambalaya and Shrimp and grits, both of which are pretty easy to eat. I just have to get through the day and I can go out with work friends and have quality time. I'll probably still be a little puffy, but I'm going to do it anyway, barring severe pain.

We're down to 76 days til Alaska. But I'm also excited about so many other things. The most recent is the news that the West End production of Much Ado About Nothing is coming over to Broadway this fall. It's got Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell as Benedict and Beatrice, and I cannot wait for tickets to go on sale. We've already got a party of four, we'll see how many end up going as I may ask a few more people if they're interested. We won't be able to rent the party bus, but it'll be good anyway. I'm on the list to be notified when we have updated information, since right now the word is "Fall," and I'm going to need them to firm that up a bit. We've got CONfab this fall, so we'll have to push it a little out from that. It's listed for a 10 week run, so I'm assuming like Sept-early November. That way they're maximizing the people who will want to stay over night and can't afford NYC in Christmas prices.

I'll probably aim for early-mid September if that's the case. CONFab is at the end of October, so that gives us a little time between. Of course, early in October will be New York Comic Con, which one of our people goes to, so I'll be watching for that as well.

This makes four plays in less than a year. Who am I turning into? We saw Phantom in Baltimore, now we're doing three in NYC: Lost Boys the Musical, The Rocky Horror Show, and now Much Ado About Nothing.

I guess I'm evolving? I don't even like NYC! It's too crowded. Though I'm excited to spend money in Mamdani's city. I want him to be able to afford to enact all the good socialist plans he has.

Okay, time to go forth and consider the day. Everyone have a most excellent Friday!

smartbitches_feed

Posted by SB Sarah

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/podcast/706-the-astral-library-with-kate-quinn/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?post_type=podcast&p=166618

A | BN | K | AB

Kate Quinn’s new book, The Astral Library, is out this week and I was so excited to not only get an advanced copy but an opportunity to interview Kate Quinn.

We talk about the inspiration for this very magical book, and about books that are sanctuaries. We also talk about library advocacy, book banning, and the deadly threat of bureaucracy.

My favorite thing that Kate says: “When you love a book, it also loves you.”

Listen to the podcast →

Read the transcript →

Here are the books we discuss in this podcast:

You can find Kate Quinn at her website, KateQuinnAuthor.com. She’s on Instagram @KateQuinn5975.

We also mentioned:

If you like the podcast, you can subscribe to our feed, or find us at iTunes. You can also find us on Stitcher, and Spotify, too. We also have a cool page for the podcast on iTunes.

More ways to sponsor:

Sponsor us through Patreon! (What is Patreon?)

What did you think of today's episode? Got ideas? Suggestions? You can talk to us on the blog entries for the podcast or talk to us on Facebook if that's where you hang out online. You can email us at sbjpodcast@gmail.com or you can call and leave us a message at our Google voice number: 201-371-3272. Please don't forget to give us a name and where you're calling from so we can work your message into an upcoming podcast.

Thanks for listening!

Remember to subscribe to our podcast feed, find us on iTunes or on Stitcher.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/podcast/706-the-astral-library-with-kate-quinn/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?post_type=podcast&p=166618

ysabetwordsmith posting in

followfriday

Got any Follow Friday-related posts to share this week? Comment here with the link(s).

Here's the plan: every Friday, let's recommend some people and/or communities to follow on Dreamwidth. That's it. No complicated rules, no "pass this on to 7.328 friends or your cat will die".

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

These are active communities in Dreamwidth from Winter 2025-2026. They include things I've posted, but only the active ones; the thematic posts also list dormant communities of interest. This list includes some communities that I've found and saved but haven't made it into thematic posts yet. This post covers A-I.

See my Follow Friday Master Post for more topics.

Highly active with multiple posts per day, daily posts, or too many to count easily
Active with (one, multiple, many) posts in (current or recent month)
Somewhat active (latest post within current year, not in last month or few)
Low traffic (latest post in previous year)
Dormant (latest post before previous year, but could be revived because membership is open and posting is open to all members or anyone)
Dead (not listed because there are no recent posts, plus membership and/or posting are moderated)
Note that some communities are only active during a limited time, or only have gather posts on a certain schedule.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

The Lovers, the Dreamers, and Me

House of Monstrous Women

Want to order this one? We’ve got the links you need!.

Married to the Alien Cowboy

Want this book? Here are helpful buy links..

The Mars House

Find buy links for this book here..

Silvercloak

Find buy links for this book here..

Six Wild Crowns

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Jasad Heir

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Truth About Dukes

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Love in Focus

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Here are the books we discuss in this podcast:

More ways to sponsor:

Remember to subscribe to our podcast feed, find us on iTunes or on Stitcher.

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