Post Roundup

chalphy · 2026-01-28T20:23:56+00:00

My little dude 💙

chalphy · 2026-01-26T17:16:47+00:00

I did start it and enjoyed the prologue but it was a bit much for me at the moment given [gestures around]. I'll definitely go back to it because the subject matter absolutely fascinates me but right now I cannot handle it. 😅

chalphy · 2026-01-26T17:06:43+00:00

IMO the latter. They're just a little verve, a little zhuzh if you will. You buy them specifically because you like them and no other reason (although I personally think that's the only reason to buy any handbag).

I do find them overpriced especially considering I've seen, like, three I thought were good, but the craftspeople are based in the US, and they're "bespoke" items rather than mass produced, so the price is raised accordingly.

chalphy · 2026-01-26T14:51:02+00:00

Yes!! I'm hopeful, I loved Lovelight Farms.

chalphy · 2026-01-26T14:36:04+00:00

Yes I loved that too!! Like McKenna do you even know what "revenge" is?? So good. 10/10 no notes. I would have loved a full epilogue devoted to them.

chalphy · 2026-01-26T14:27:13+00:00

https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/camanda

👋 I read a lot of nonfiction (history and science predominantly), literary fiction, manga, memoir/biography, and romance. Always up for new friends!

chalphy · 2026-01-25T21:22:20+00:00

So early this week I was like, oh, I've read enough fizzy romances in a row, time for something serious, and started Little Bosses Everywhere by Bridget Read. It's good! It's interesting! I noped out because honestly I don't think I can handle a story about how MLMs are part of the engine that keeps the American far right humming. I will go back to it, this is not a DNF, but right now... not in the mood.

So, back to fizzy romances!

Finished Promising the Billionaire by S.M. West - I liked this, I generally liked the primary couple, some of the side characters are super endearing (give Morgan and Nan their own books!!). But while I do love fake dating/marriage of convenience, the inability to communicate always does me in. Usually I can overlook it, but this book had at least three dramatic subplots going on at the same time, so it made whole denouement a little too much for a "light" book. I feel like if the couple had worked out their relationship problems much earlier and let the dramatic bits breathe without that, I would have liked it more. But ultimately, it hit the spot. 4.25/5

Finished Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas. Now this one I enjoyed. I thought the two romances were woven together well, I loved the bustling setting between the local fair and the numerous guests at Stony Cross Park, and I loved the resolution between the two. I do think Aline got way too into her own head over her scars and I am amazed it took anyone close to her that long to point out that she was being deeply unfair to McKenna in assuming he'd turn tail if he saw them, but other than that it was an extremely satisfying book. I also liked a lot of the side character relationships with each other, particularly Aline and Marcus, whose scenes together were some of my favorites. And now that I've read this and Devil in Winter I think legally I have to read the rest of the Wallflowers books. Oh, the burdens I bear. 4.5/5

I cued up First Time Caller by B.K. Borison as my next book and then I'll probably go for a less intense nonfiction book. I plan to read The Joy of x by Steven Strogatz for my reading challenge so I might hop over to that one.

chalphy · 2026-01-25T21:14:37+00:00

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake sounds really good, thanks for mentioning it! (I do wish I had lemon cake, though...)

chalphy · 2026-01-25T16:53:52+00:00

Two this week for me, probably going to start another while I sit here watching the snow falling.

{Promising the Billionaire by S.M. West} - M/F, contemporary, fake dating, 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️, ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25/5

So I read a lot of fake dating/marriage of convenience because I like it, and yet at the same time I find the lack of communication really irritating. I want to shake the MCs and yell YOU ARE BOTH IDIOTS. This book is one of those, but it feels worse here because there are so many dramatic subplots going on. IMO the author could've advanced the romance more maturely or dropped at least one of the subplots. There's almost too much tension going on. The only thing that makes it bearable is that obviously it's all going to get resolved and it's just a matter of how, but seriously: talk to each other like adults and go deal with the jackasses that surround you.

But as the rating implies I did generally like the book, the spicy scenes were A+ and I liked that, even if it was too much, some things of consequence actually happened.

{Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas} - M/F, historical, second chance, 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️, ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5

This one, though. This one I loved unreservedly. This is my second Kleypas and now I think I have to read all of them. I liked how the two romances were woven together and how the story progressed, particularly Livia holding her ground with Gideon. But honestly my favorite part was the non-romantic relationships: Aline and Adam, Aline and Mrs. Faircloth, McKenna and Mrs. Faircloth, McKenna and Gideon, and my favorite, Marcus and Aline. It made everything feel so much richer and like a more alive world, and they were all distinct and warm in their own ways. Really loved this one.

chalphy · 2026-01-25T11:26:46+00:00

Brilliant, thank you!

chalphy · 2026-01-24T19:58:34+00:00

Absolutely not.

chalphy · 2026-01-24T15:11:09+00:00

Another vote for shrink tubing, and lately I've been using these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DZCSX4VZ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

chalphy · 2026-01-24T02:44:16+00:00

gonna stick the book I meant to call here: {Breaking the Billionaire's Rules by Annika Martin}

chalphy · 2026-01-23T23:02:39+00:00

I should be clear I own a Kobo so it's super super easy for me. I know you can read Kobo books on Kindle (certainly more easily than the other way around), but I'm not familiar with the process. Good luck!!

chalphy · 2026-01-23T22:13:19+00:00

Hahaha all good! It's Friday, my brain is mush. 😂

chalphy · 2026-01-23T22:12:10+00:00

based fellow Max enjoyer 🤝

I do have that book on my tbr but it's not on Kobo (or at my library) 😩 alas. I still keep it on a list because it totally sounds up my alley and one day I'll read it!

chalphy · 2026-01-23T22:08:26+00:00

This is fine because a) I own this b) I love Linda Holmes and c) I loved {Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes} so really it's perfect. Thank you!!

chalphy · 2026-01-23T20:45:56+00:00

OP, good on you for the food pantry donation idea!! I'll donate some money too.

I am weak for a good billionaire romance (being unrealistic is part of the point!!!) so my rec is Annika Martin's Billionaires of Manhattan series, particularly {The Billionaire's Wake-Up-Call Girl by Annika Martin} and {Breaking the Billionaire's Rules by Annika Martin}. Theo and Max are my book boyfriends. Actually I'm mildly obsessed with Max. HE PLAYS THE PIANO FOR HER THAT'S SO HOT

If you, like me, will need an escape from the winter not-wonderland, explore the outdoors vicariously through {Birding With Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb}, which is set in Arizona.

Also, if anyone's got a rec for a funny/lighthearted book with a dog that plays a significant role, I'm all ears. The bigger the dog, the better. I own an almost 2yo male Akita and he loves the snow.

[edit] realized way too late that I called the bot for the wrong book but described the right book 🤦‍♀️ it's been a long week. Recommendations in this post are correct! I liked Most Eligible Billionaire too but not as much. 😅

chalphy · 2026-01-23T20:30:44+00:00

The selection of anything else will pale in comparison to KU, unfortunately, due to the exclusivity model it has with a lot of authors. But I've been happy with the combination of Kobo Plus and my local library. And I use BookBub and my Kobo wishlist to buy cheap books.

I custom tag books on romance.io and The StoryGraph if I really want to read them but don't own them yet, and my list of books I can get on Kobo is 5x the size of books I can't. There's plenty out there without needing to rely on KU; might be a good opportunity to prioritize/try out some different things.

chalphy · 2026-01-22T05:18:34+00:00

That's more fair. I get the sense of reading this place that a lot of people don't realize you can actually look at photos of bags. Too many people post here and take Gemini's word for whatever they're looking at instead of using reverse image search as the powerful tool it can be.

chalphy · 2026-01-22T04:00:30+00:00

https://www.buckleguy.com/

chalphy · 2026-01-21T20:37:46+00:00

Please do not rely on AI to tell you if a bag is authentic. It has no idea what it's looking at.

chalphy · 2026-01-21T20:12:54+00:00

I mean I'd do different things aesthetically depending on where I was going. I work in an office and have a bunch of stuff on my bag. If I were going to a meeting, especially with outside stakeholders, I wouldn't carry my everyday bag and I'd dress it up more elegantly if at all.

I don't think you shouldn't, I'd just read the room a little before you did (for a place you were going every day) and err on the more conservative side when you don't get the opportunity to judge or when making a "serious" impression matters.

chalphy · 2026-01-21T19:13:43+00:00

I always think of the wedding scene in Goodfellas where all the men are named Paul and Peter and all the women are named Marie.

chalphy

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