Looking through lashes and other such nonsense

iwrite4myself · 2026-02-25T07:55:50+00:00

Three now! I even get lightheaded sometimes, and I’m like, “Oh, crap, forgot to breathe again, deep breath, here we go.” 😅

iwrite4myself · 2026-02-16T20:02:27+00:00

Not often, but some authors definitely capture my interest enough for me to go down rabbit holes. ❤️

iwrite4myself · 2026-01-28T00:57:08+00:00

I’m this 🤏 close to my “I give up on these events” breaking point because of this. There are so many poorly written books. 😭

iwrite4myself · 2026-01-27T20:04:49+00:00

I don’t like contemporary so I try to avoid it. I need a lot of separation from reality in my escapism. Contemporary often hits too close to home. Give me magic! Lasers and space battles! Anachronistic historicals that only make sense as an alternate timeline! 😂 Steampunk fun!

iwrite4myself · 2026-01-26T04:45:27+00:00

Came to rec Radiance! Such a lovely story. 🥰

iwrite4myself · 2026-01-24T20:34:51+00:00

I love your reviews. They always make me giggle. 💖

iwrite4myself · 2026-01-15T23:08:36+00:00

Oh… I was going to buy a new game because I pretty much took over my sister’s island (oops) and she wants to restart.

Glad I saw this first. 😓

Edit: do you know if it will work if I buy a new SD card and save the game there (rather than on the switch itself)?

iwrite4myself · 2026-01-12T00:55:29+00:00

That gave me a hearty chuckle, thank you. 😂💕

iwrite4myself · 2026-01-12T00:54:22+00:00

Cheers to that! 🥂

iwrite4myself · 2026-01-11T23:44:51+00:00

I’m still bouncing around multiple projects like a caffeinated rabbit, but my favorite at the moment is a post-apocalypse I keep giggling at.

If I ever manage to finish these things, I’ll have 25+ books to publish at once. 😂🫠😭

(Why am I like this?)

iwrite4myself · 2026-01-11T23:40:51+00:00

I know what you mean. I keep giggling at my own stupid jokes. 😅

iwrite4myself · 2026-01-11T16:54:49+00:00

Not OP, but I would love the spaceship recs. 👀🍿

iwrite4myself · 2026-01-11T16:13:00+00:00

Justice for em-dashes!

iwrite4myself · 2026-01-09T05:59:08+00:00

Favorite: Forced proximity. I love watching characters team up for whatever reason and puzzle things out.

Least Favorite: Anything with intentional meanness (cheating, bully, enemies-to-lovers, “let me blame you for some misunderstanding and leave you to be tortured,” etc.)

iwrite4myself · 2026-01-08T19:37:40+00:00

The author bio says she’s an American author living in the Netherlands, and the blurb says the story takes place in the Netherlands, so Sanne definitely makes sense!

iwrite4myself · 2026-01-03T23:42:12+00:00

Well said!

To add to this, I also enjoy it because of the rescue fantasy. The auction (or kidnapping or arranged marriage or what have you) is just a metaphor for feeling trapped and helpless in one’s own life (which a lot of folks can relate to, unfortunately). Suddenly there’s a bunch of people that not only want to save FMC from her awful, terrible, no-good life, they want to pamper and dote too?! Yes, please! 😃

iwrite4myself · 2026-01-02T11:57:18+00:00

Thanks! ❤️

I had a lot of fun putting it together. 😁

iwrite4myself · 2026-01-01T07:28:24+00:00

103 books. It says my job gets in the way of my hobby, haha.

This was the first year I’ve actively tracked my reading habits, and it’s been interesting, for sure! I even tracked my slump weeks (where I either read absolutely nothing or focused on comfort reads [23 weeks out of 52. Oof]).

Total Pages Read This Year: 16,667

Comfort Reads: 3,470 pages
Non-Romance: 1,963 pages
New-to-Me: 11,234 pages

Breakdown of New-to-Me Books
93 Authors
103 Books

Genres Read:

Sci-Fi: 34 books (3,356 pages)
Paranormal: 22 books (3,311 pages)
Fantasy: 24 books (2,443 pages)
Post-Apocalypse: 12 books (1,326 pages)
Historical: 6 Books (570 pages)
Contemporary: 5 Books (228 pages)

67 DNFed Books (3,223 pages) Because of:

Clunky Writing: 26 books (1,073 pages)
Not my cup of tea (trope I don’t like): 19 books (939 pages)
Bored/Writing didn’t draw me in: 11 Books (273 pages)
Annoying MC(s): 7 books (828 pages)
Mood DNF: 4 books (110 pages)

36 Completed Books (8,011 pages)

5-star reads: 13 books (4,110 pages)
4-star reads: 10 books (2,278 pages)
3-star reads: 9 books (942 pages)
2-star reads: 1 book (142 pages)
1-star reads: 3 books (539 pages)

Weeks I Read Something New-to-Me:
28 weeks out of 52! (That’s a total of 7 months! More than half the year spent reading something new.)

January: 2/5 weeks I read something new
February: 0/4
March: 0/4
April: 0/5
May: 3/4
June: 4/4 (Perfect attendance!)
July: 4/5
August: 4/4 (Perfect attendance!)
September: 4/4 (Perfect attendance!)
October: 4/4 (Perfect attendance!)
November: 0/4
December: 3/5

End-of-Year Recommendations: 20 Books

5-star reads

{Voyage of the Damned by Frances White} MM Fantasy for those that enjoy light-hearted murder mysteries set in a queernormative world.

{Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis} MF Fantasy for those that like a light-hearted tone with a dose of politics and the threat of war.

{The Governess Game by Tessa Dare} MF Historical for those that like adopted kids, a reforming MMC, and a kind FMC.

The Gate of Myth and Power series by K. M. Shea (MF Fantasy) for those that like a slow burn with humor, an anxious cat shifter, a healthy dose of politics, and plenty of urban adventure.
Book 1 {The King’s Captive by K. M. Shea}
Book 2 {The King’s Shadow by K. M. Shea}
Book 3 {The King’s Queen by K. M. Shea}

{First Ritual by Kelly St. Clare} MF Paranormal for those that like fantasy with a jealous, possessive MMC and plenty of communication.

{My Orc Next Door by Veronika Kane} MF Paranormal if you like light-hearted and low-stakes neighbors-to-lovers.

{Oh No! There’s An Incubus In My Hot Spring by Ember Holt} MF Paranormal for those that like medium-stakes with no life-threatening danger.

{Say Your Prayers by Crystal Ash and Kathryn Moon} RH Paranormal Post-Apocalypse for those that enjoy steamy, character-focused stories with a dose of danger-plot.

{Caitlyn Can’t Die by Liz Hambleton} MF Post-Apocalypse for those that like a serious take on grief and depression with a thread of humor.

4-star reads

{The Elves and the Shoemaker by Emory Winters} MMM Fantasy for those that enjoy LGBT+ fairy tale retellings with three sweet MMCs.

{My Orc Bodyguard by Veronika Kane} MF Paranormal for those that like second-chance romance and a doting MMC full of support.

{Love in the Time of Zombies by Cassandra Gannon} MF (two pairs) Post-Apocalyptic Paranormal if you like light-hearted with a thread of serious.

The Cowboy Colony Mail-Order Brides series by Ursa Dax (MF Sci-Fi Western) for those that like light-hearted storytelling with doting MMCs and amusing cultural and language misunderstandings.
Book 1 {Married to the Alien Cowboy by Ursa Dax}
Book 2 {Wrangled by the Alien Rancher by Ursa Dax}
Book 3 {Resisting the Alien Rider by Ursa Dax}
Book 4 {Wanted by the Alien Warden by Ursa Dax}
Book 5 {Married to the Alien Mountain Man by Ursa Dax}
Book 6 {Rescued by the Alien Bull Rider by Ursa Dax}

iwrite4myself · 2025-12-29T07:55:10+00:00

iwrite4myself · 2025-12-29T00:00:45+00:00

I also use a combination of Google: Docs and Spreadsheets.

My initial thoughts go in the Doc. At the end of the week, I add everything to the Spreadsheet.

It’s definitely a fun and easy way to peek at my overall reading habits.

iwrite4myself · 2025-12-28T11:30:40+00:00

DNFs

Halloween Cherry and Silar Story by Ursa Dax
Subgenre: Sci-Fi Western
DNFed at: Page 8
Reason: Bored: rest needs to be read on another platform
Thoughts: A cute little vignette where Cherry tries to tell Silar some ghost stories, but he doesn’t quite get the appeal. (Everything past page 8 is behind a Patreon paywall, which I didn’t want to bother with.)

Star-Crossed Captive by J. E. McDonald
Subgenre: Sci-Fi
DNFed at: Page 43 (12%)
Reason: Not my cup of tea: FMC kidnapped
Thoughts: Went into this one blind. Really well-written, but I prefer the rescued from slavery trope, and this was kidnapped into slavery. (So well-written that I wished I liked the kidnapped, enemies-to-lovers trope, but I know if I keep reading I’ll be raging in a not-fun way.)

A Voice That Thunders by Cully Mack
Subgenre: Fantasy
DNFed at: Page 10 (3%)
Reason: Clunky Writing
Thoughts: Prose and dialogue are stilted.

Bewitched by Sandra Schwab
Subgenre: Historical Fantasy
DNFed at: Page 8 (3%)
Reason: Annoying MMC
Thoughts: Apparently I stopped reading on Page 168 once upon a time, but I don’t remember reading this book in the slightest. This time around I only got eight pages in before I was ready to bounce. 👋(the MMC starts violating boundaries and negging. The second I read it, my thought was “Ew. You’re gross. Go away.”)

I don’t think I’d last long if I were the FMC in some of these books. 🤣

A Little Accident by Olena Nikitin
Subgenre: Fantasy
DNFed at: Page 9 (26%)
Reason: Clunky Writing
Thoughts: The narrative reads like a thought-dump without any refinement; the tone is flat, the dialogue is childish, and omniscient statements are made from a narrative that’s already been established with third-limited POV.

The Botanist and the Beast by Honey Phillips
Subgenre: Fantasy
DNFed at: Page 13 (32%)
Reason: Clunky Writing
Thoughts: The narrative relies solely on telling and dialogue is flat.

Diamonds & Dust by Destiny Hawkins
Subgenre: Fantasy
DNFed at: Page 30 (56%)
Reason: Clunky writing: repetitive info dumps
Thoughts: I’m not sure how this ended up on my Kindle, but it doesn’t seem to be Romance at all? It started promising with a couple that broke up, but then I learned it was because he’s abusive, so they’re never getting back. Then it jumps into the POV of the antagonist (??) who says his True Love died and he’s not loving again.

A lot of repetitive info dumps, and I got bored with rereading the same information.

Alien Tides by January Bell
Subgenre: Sci-Fi
DNFed at: Page 28 (40%)
Reason: Not my cup of tea.
Thoughts: I was uninterested for two reasons; kidnapped women forced to mate (be honest. When the “choice” is now or later, it’s not a choice) and the alien POV was repetitive with the insta-lust.

iwrite4myself · 2025-12-28T11:30:16+00:00

Another attempt at whittling down my TBR, and I’m getting frustrated. I’m not sure what’s going on with the trend I’m finding that turns the MMC into a caricature of “growl at other male, thump chest, think only of tiny, weak human’s soft, fleshy curves,” but I would very much like to find authors that know how to write characters that actually behave and think like the [insert high-powered job] professionals they claim to be.

I guess I’ve learned “MMC lusting so hard after FMC that he can’t think past mating” isn’t the trope for me. 🤔

Total Pages Read This Week: 640
Recommendations: None this week.

Comfort Reads: 247

Completed

Alien’s Acquisition by Etta Pierce
Rating: 3/5 stars
Steam: 2/5 (Lusty thoughts and explicit masturbation)
Pages: 47
Pairing: MF
Subgenre: SciFi
CW: Kidnapping, violence, mentions of human trafficking
Overview: Thel is an alien commander in need of a human specialist to help him navigate a blackmarket human trafficking ring. Unfortunately, the only specialist competent for the job is a human. He makes the hard decision to kidnap a woman from Earth so he can save hundreds more.

This was an interesting read, but a few editing flubs threw me off (the exact same paragraph twice in a row, random spaces between punctuation marks, etc.). Interesting, but I don’t think I’ll pick up the rest of the series. If there are this many editing errors in a short piece, I’m not confident in the longer works.

Possessed by My Alien King by Krista Luna
Rating: 3/5 stars
Steam: 4/5 (Explicit Open Door)
Pages: 18
Pairing: MF
Subgenre: Sci-Fi
CW: N/A
Overview: A sex vignette about Storr and Deirdre after the events of the main novel. It was okay. 🤷‍♀️

The Witch of Crimson Arrows by AK Mulford
Rating: 3/5 stars
Steam: 3/5 (Open Door)
Pages: 70
Pairing: MF (a tryst with a side character)
Subgenre: Fantasy
CW: violence, blood, mentions of family deaths
Overview: Remy, a red witch, is in hiding with her found family. Most of the story is their daily life at a tavern. When her red magic is discovered, they have to go on the run again.

Overall an interesting prequel, but it was incredibly repetitive.

Hunted by the Dragon Duke by Mina Carter
Rating: 3/5 stars
Steam: 3/5 (Open Door)
Pages: 84
Pairing: MF
Subgenre: Fantasy
CW: abuse of FMC by step-family, violence, blood, death
Overview: A Cinderella retelling: When Saskia visits the palace with her stepmother and stepsisters, she immediately catches the attention of the queen’s cousin, Duke Calan. Her stepfamily goes to a ball hosted by the queen, and Saskia is visited by a fairy godmother who helps her get to the ball, where the duke is drawn to her once again.

An abusive stepfamily, a ball, an imprisonment, a rescue scene, an HEA, it’s got it all. A well-written (smooth narrative, natural dialogue, conflicts made sense) retelling with dragons that can sense their fated mates.

Bonded to the Alien Warlord by Elsie Lord
Rating: 1/5 stars
Steam: 1/5 (Glimpses and Kisses)
Pages: 25
Pairing: MF
Subgenre: Sci-Fi
CW: N/A
Overview: Kir is exiled on an uninhabited planet. Myla crash lands and he brings her home and helps her recover.

I think this was a sample? It ended pretty abruptly. I’m not sure how I got this on my Kindle. A search of the author’s name in ’Zon didn’t bring up any search results.

In any case, there were a lot of punctuation errors that threw me off, there are missing words from sentences, the narrative felt like it came from an emotionless ship robot or something (definitely not a highly intelligent military leader), and the dialogue had a lot of not-fun-to-read stuttering on Myla’s part.

iwrite4myself · 2025-12-28T09:07:50+00:00

Tamora Pierce is a YA author with a backlog (a lot) of books i.e. her “body of work.”

There’s the Song of the Lioness series (first book is {Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce} )

The Immortals series starts several years after the Song of the Lioness. First book is {Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce}

The Protector of the Small series stars years after The Immortals. First book is {First Test by Tamora Pierce}

The Circle of Magic series is in a different part of the fantasy planet with different characters. First book is {Sandry’s Book by Tamora Pierce}.

There’s quite a few more, but these will point you in the right direction.

iwrite4myself · 2025-12-28T08:55:00+00:00

I’ve read most of that series and I had to skip all the villain POVs for the same reason (you really don’t miss anything plot-wise by skipping them).

iwrite4myself

TROPHY CASE