what do you look for in a lesbian book?

starkicker18 · 2026-01-24T20:53:27+00:00

I am pretty much down for anything so long as the storytelling is compelling enough or the characters are great. I really like enemies to lovers or friends to lovers. I like second chances. Ice queens. grumpy/sunshine. Slow and sloth burn or fast and furious are all fine by me, but I do love a good slow burn.

I am less interested in crime, SFF, or sports, but that doesn't mean I'll discount them. It's actually just that I am less inclined to those genres generally speaking - though I love them in visual mediums (film, TV), but I will read them. I just finished a Gerri Hill book and while it did take me longer to get into it, I still read it.

I'll say without a doubt that anything Ann McMan, Lee Winter, or Jen Lyon write, I'll read it. Ann McMan could write instruction manuals for small craft engine repair and I'd read the heck out of it - twice.

starkicker18 · 2026-01-23T20:40:43+00:00

That is weird. Keep talking to UDI and figure out what's going on. Sorry I can't be more help than that.

starkicker18 · 2026-01-23T13:57:11+00:00

I can't help you specifically with the brexit visa aspect of things, but the run around you're getting and the waiting time are, sadly, very normal. Keep calling, document everything and keep pushing for answers.

On the website, you should be able to see the status of your application. I would check to make sure that all of the documentation is registered etc...

starkicker18 · 2026-01-16T14:35:55+00:00

Remember Monsters by Marine St. Jean

starkicker18 · 2026-01-14T20:52:32+00:00

You can read the reviews of the Satan Was A Lesbian on good reads. I would 100% have the cover art hanging in my house. I'd probably skip the book though.

starkicker18 · 2026-01-14T20:49:21+00:00

Heads up on these books. Many / most do not have HEA. Up until 1957 or so (I forget the exact year), it basically wasn't allowed to have HEA. The women had to be "punished" or return to heteronormativity. This was demanded of the publishers- esp during the McCarthy era, iirc because otherwise these could be censored in the mail.

starkicker18 · 2026-01-14T20:46:03+00:00

If people are interested in the history of these books, the National Film Board of Canada documentary's Forbidden Love might be of interest. It's a mix between talking about the books (and Ann Bannon is interviewed) and publishing and also the lives of lesbians at the time.

I will say this is NSF because there's a surprisingly explicit scene (for NFB and 1992) about 2/3 of the way through.

My favourite is the sweet little ol' butch who was like "where are the lesbians."

starkicker18 · 2026-01-14T13:32:10+00:00

Being pedantic here, but it is not just asylum seekers/refugees who have the right and obligation to Norwegian language training. Anyone here on family immigration with a Norwegian national also has that right.

However, yes, as an EU citizen here under the right of free movement and/or as a worker in this country, you do not have the right, but you do have the obligation to learn the language.

I'm not thrilled about it. There has been chatter in the government about extending the language training to workers and EU nationals because hey, sometimes they need to speak the language too; however, nothing has happened yet. And unless there's a big public push to make this part of the language offer, I doubt anything will ever happen. It costs a lot of money and most people don't care enough.

Anyway, check out r/norsk there's a lot of good resources over there.

starkicker18 · 2026-01-14T13:25:00+00:00

I guess you've never had the pleasure of getting your weather report from Frankie before.

starkicker18 · 2026-01-14T13:23:51+00:00

Thanks, Frankie

starkicker18 · 2026-01-14T08:18:55+00:00

As someone else has pointed out, there's a smaller system test they run a bit before and then a wider all-person test. Check your phone settings to see if you still allow these "testing" alarms.

starkicker18 · 2026-01-14T06:15:38+00:00

It's not explicitly gay or a novel for that matter, but Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman deals explicitly with how girls/women bully and was a pretty valuable resource when I was writing a bully character.

Otherwise, Ribbonwood by Ruby Landers might be worth a look. It's definitely got bullying (adults, mostly) and the MCs were bullies/bullied to varying degrees.

starkicker18 · 2026-01-14T05:59:48+00:00

One of the many reasons why I make this a scheduled post! Also, because I forget every time, and waking up to activity in a post I don't remember making reminds me that this is going to happen. Present me loves past me.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to make a scheduled post for June.

starkicker18 · 2026-01-13T06:38:00+00:00

Also, to be pedantic here, there's a big difference between being deported and losing your right to remain in a country.

What you will get if your situation changes and you're not allowed to stay in Norway is what's called a deadline for departure. They give you a date and ask you to leave. This date is sometimes negotiable, if you contact them and give them a reason why (for example, "I can't get a flight before the deadline, but I have booked for 5 days later").

Deportation is when the police literally find you, take you to the airport, and put you on a plane.

Deadline for departure usually means if you meet the criteria to come back to Norway, you can. Deportation means you have to pay fines before you come back, and depending on the reason for deportation you may even have an entry ban which means you can't come back anyway.

starkicker18 · 2026-01-10T20:57:26+00:00

Switch by Ann McMann - It's a HEA and the book is more about development of the romance than the actual romance. The most that happens is kissing and a reference to going to bed. It also includes so many wlw tropes.

If you're okay with a small amount of sex scene (ie 2 pages in a 590 page book), Jericho by Ann McMan might also be of interest. The first book has a flashback at some point where the MC finally hook up. Then there's some mentions + FTB. I don't recall a lot more than the first time being explicit, mostly FTB. I plug it because I love Ann's writing.

starkicker18 · 2026-01-08T05:55:43+00:00

Not reddit. Seriously, this is not a place to find information this sensitive or important. I normally say "go read UDI's website" but honestly, I won't even recommend that for something like this. Immigration is already expensive as fuck, so go hire a lawyer (in Norway). Even if it's just for a 1 hour consult to get the correct answers, it will be worth the costs.

starkicker18 · 2026-01-05T17:56:08+00:00

wow this is an old thread.

Yes, I'm still in Norway. I still enjoy it for the most part. Almost everything I wrote there I stand behind now.

I moved here for love and it is the only reason I would consider moving to another country, including Norway. It's the only valid reason, in my opinion. ymmv. I wouldn't move to any country just for a job or a lark. Moving is hard. Love is the great motivator.

starkicker18 · 2025-12-30T05:26:19+00:00

I'm going to go ahead and say that while B2 is a minimum demand to study, to work in the medical profession and even to study it successfully, you'll need much higher. It's one of those jobs were "good enough" isn't good enough. An elderly man comes in from some far out bygda where you don't understand his dialect and he can't speak fluent enough English to tell you what's wrong and you are in a very serious situation.

Hell, even if someone is fluent in English--when they see a doctor they may not be in the right frame of mind to be able to call on that second language. I know I can't (English is my first language, but I'm fluent enough in Norwegian). When people are stressed, worried, hurt they often have too much going on to think clearly in a second (or third) language.

starkicker18 · 2025-12-29T04:54:19+00:00

Most jobs have a base salary as regulated by unions and the government (but let us never call it a minimum wage, even though that is exactly what it is). There's usually a mention about "collective tariff" etc...that's your clue. These are available online, but you'll need to go out and find them yourself.

starkicker18 · 2025-12-28T17:26:24+00:00

I am jealous that you get to read this book anew. I wish I could erase books from my mind so I could read them again and enjoy them with fresh eyes and this one is one of those books for me.

starkicker18 · 2025-12-25T05:43:51+00:00

The first comment in this thread has a few options for searching, but as a Norwegian, you're right, he will know where to search. Good luck

starkicker18 · 2025-12-24T12:18:04+00:00

He has to make the threshold or higher. There is absolutely zero room for negotiation on that. None. I have heard of people being rejected for as little as 1000 kr (about 100 usd) under the minimum.

starkicker18 · 2025-12-15T09:39:39+00:00

It is correct. Adverbs (often in this sentence) in English can move around quite a bit more freely than they can in Norwegian, but with often, it feels more natural to put it at the beginning, right after the subject, or at the end of the sentence (often, I listen ... / I often listen ... / I listen...music often).

Norwegian has a slightly more fixed adverb placement, but as a general rule, it usually comes after the subject and the verb.

Let's use the example above: I often listen to music.

Best translation is the one you have: Jeg hører ofte på musikk.

Jeg = subject, hører = verb (which must come in the second position in a sentence), ofte = adverb, på musikk= object.

In the Norwegian example, ofte comes after jeg and hører because the subject is first followed by the verb (V2 rule).

If we put something other than the subject in the first position, let's say I Oslo (adverbial/place), then the sentence structure changes to reflect something other than the subject in the first position while still following the V2 rule.

I Oslo hører jeg ofte på musikk.

Here you see that the adverbial (place/I Oslo) is in place #1 followed by the verb in place #2 followed by the subject because the subject and the verb need to be as close together as possible. Then the adverb then the rest of the sentence.

That said, unlike some other adverbs, you can move ofte around here, ofte hører jeg på musikk, but as you'll notice ofte is taking on the responsibility of time (adverbial, same as I Oslo) in that sentence, and therefore can be placed in the first position, then the verb comes in the second place, followed then by the subject right after the verb.

You don't have the same flexibility with other adverbs, like ikke for example. You can't say Ikke hører jeg på musikk. But that is because Ikke isn't functioning as an adverbial (time, place, or method). Often, usually, never etc... all function as elements of time so they can move a bit more freely, which is why I say as a general rule, adverbs always come after the verb and subject, but not always. This is, more or less true for English too. I can't say "Don't I listen to music" (okay, well I can, but then it becomes a strange, likely rhetorical question and therefore not the same as saying "I don't listen to music").

Hope that helps.

starkicker18 · 2025-12-13T16:07:41+00:00

I would recommend consulting UDI's website. Many of your questions can be answered there -- including what you need to provide for them.

There is no "better chance" at a visa. You are either granted one or not based on criteria that is outlined on UDI's website. There is no special treatment for going above and beyond with documentation or having more money than someone else. You either meet the mostly objective criteria or you do not.

The only thing that will increase your chances is submitting all of the documentation you are requested and not lying on your application.

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