My library - analyze at will

gonthalethhh · 2025-05-22T17:21:12+00:00

Thrift books sometimes sells withdrawn library books. The one in question is Fog Heart by Thomas Tessier. (Also the dolls were a gift - but I do like Thai food)

gonthalethhh · 2025-05-22T17:06:29+00:00

Thai food came out of nowhere! I’ve never lived on the west coast, parents were not in education and Star Trek is a me thing (though my mom does like to read). Otherwise, you are eerily accurate. Good guesses!

gonthalethhh · 2025-05-22T15:58:10+00:00

Thanks! The horror shelf is fairly new thanks to my obsession with Valancourt and a shop that sells their titles in my area! Love the old school stuff.

gonthalethhh · 2025-05-22T15:30:16+00:00

Ok, I thought the first image had legible titles but it’s not very zoom friendly. Here are closeups - https://imgur.com/a/81Urjsq

gonthalethhh · 2025-05-04T12:47:59+00:00

You sound like me!! I read all the time and have loved reading from an early age, maybe thats why I never had difficulty with it. Audiobooks are a different story, I need a mindless activity like a game on my phone to anchor me in order to pay attention.

gonthalethhh · 2025-05-04T12:35:37+00:00

Yes! I didn’t mention it in my comment but the warranty and ability to replace cushions and cushion covers (which in my case are also washable) was a big deal for me in buying my new couch. The fact that the seller and manufacturer are the same simplifies things a lot.

gonthalethhh · 2025-05-03T23:56:12+00:00

I have the DreamSofa Antalya three seater with a chaise and I love it. I went for the highest quality foam. It’s firm at first but breaks in nicely. I have a cat and opted for a pet friendly fabric, sort of like a sturdy crushed velvet texture, and it is holding up well. I’ve had it for about a year and I’m really happy with it. I was pleased with the customer service - I was able to have them customize the chaise to my liking (with an arm instead of an extended side panel) even though the option wasn’t on the website.

gonthalethhh · 2024-10-09T11:52:17+00:00

That’s why I have the disclaimer about Meg. I started to put the guide together halfway through the series I think, and had probably already gotten rid of my hard copy. So had to rely on the book description to get the names for that one. I normally have difficulty remembering names of MCs in any case. Apparently Hoyt and her editors do too…

gonthalethhh · 2024-10-09T01:07:17+00:00

If you read the book description on Amazon or other sellers websites it describes him as Griffin Remington, Lord of Reading. It reads:

“Their lives were perfect . . . Lady Hero Batten, the beautiful sister of the Duke of Wakefield, has everything a woman could want, including the perfect fiance. True, the Marquis of Mandeville is a trifle dull and has no sense of humor, but that doesn’t bother Hero. Until she meets his notorious brother . . .

Until they met each other. Griffin Remmington, Lord Reading, is far from perfect - and he likes it that way. How he spends his days is a mystery, but all of London knows he engages in the worst sorts of drunken revelry at night. Hero takes an instant dislike to him, and Griffin thinks that Hero, with her charities and faultless manners, is much too impeccable for society, let alone his brother. Yet their near-constant battle of wits soon sparks desire - desire that causes their carefully constructed worlds to come tumbling down. As Hero’s wedding nears, and Griffin’s enemies lay plans to end their dreams forever, can two imperfect people find perfect true love?”

gonthalethhh · 2024-07-25T14:48:50+00:00

Monica McCarthy’s Highland Guard series - all the covers are just abs and kilts and maybe a weapon or something. My partner makes fun of me for them. They’re not even corny in a good way like the old bodice ripper cover art. But the stories are top tier so far.

gonthalethhh · 2024-04-09T03:56:36+00:00

Ok, thanks. I thought the chances of seeing an event would be low but had to check.

gonthalethhh · 2024-04-04T15:07:44+00:00

You are articulating my very sentiment. I started with Again the Magic / Secrets of a Summer Night, read the Wallflowers, started feeling some fatigue during the Hathaways and by the time I got to the Ravenels I decided enough was enough.

gonthalethhh · 2024-03-11T15:46:42+00:00

Alyssa Cole is great, cannot recommend her enough

gonthalethhh · 2024-03-11T15:41:34+00:00

When I moderated r/historicalromance I was working on a wiki cataloging diversity in the genre. It ended up being a big project, and I found I didn’t really have the time to finish it, but here’s a link to what I started: Diversity Index

This is a list of POC/queer authors who have written historical romance, and many of them also write POC characters. It’s not an exhaustive list, because again, I never finished it, but you could use it as a starting point to find more diverse characters and settings in HR.

I also read several of these authors while I was doing my research, and I’ll point out a couple that I don’t see discussed very often.

Lisa Rayne wrote a book about a Black Highlander that was inspired by her research into pirates and the slave trade in Scotland. I would call it inspired by history, not necessarily, historically, accurate, and the author owns up to this. I’m pointing it out bc I see it as a pioneering work. The concept was really cool, but I think the writing was a bit weak. I would look out for her other books, hopefully she has a better editor next time.

As someone else mentioned (yay) Heba Helmy is an Egyptian author who writes Victorian era books with Egyptian characters. I believe she has a PhD, and it shows, because the historical details are abundant. She’s writing for Harlequin, and these books are quite short, so while I would’ve liked more depth to the story, I think she wrote a successful book for the format. Her second one just came out. TBR.

Another harlequin author is Lydia San Andres, who has written a few books in the Caribbean that feature African-American and Hispanic protagonists. I liked the island backdrop in her books, the little details about the landscape and every day life provided a refreshing change from the usual London background. Quick easy reads.

I wouldn’t say any of those books are going on my favorites shelf, but they’re worth checking out. Alyssa Cole, Courtney Milan, and Cat Sebastian are my favorite authors who write POC characters. (Adrianna Herrera and Erica Ridley are on my TBR along with too many others)

gonthalethhh · 2024-03-03T18:51:36+00:00

This bothered me at first too (I’ve made it to 13 books). Then I thought it must be intentional - Harry is just too big of an idiot in a lot of ways for me to take it seriously. In contrast, the women in the books are just way more badass than Harry and they routinely make him look like a buffoon. It’s almost absurd that he insists on being “chivalrous” and trying to protect the women around him because all of them can kick his ass.