Tag: Seattle

Books

Book 736: Romantic Renovations – Blake Allwood

Geoff W

Book cover of "Romantic Renovations" with Amazon Affiliate link"I stumbled across Blake Allwood on the MM Romance Reader blog with their review of Love by Chance and thought I’d give him a chance (ha!). Allwood isn’t a five-star read for me yet, but there is a lot of potential. I will say though, if he doesn’t hire better developmental and copy editors and proofreaders he’ll never get there for me.

Rather than diving directly into the Chances series that MM Romance Reader reviewed I thought I’d start with a stand-alone. It didn’t hurt that this one was set on a home renovation show.

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Books

Book 733: So You Want to Talk About Race – Ijeoma Oluo

Geoff W

Cover art of "So You Want to Talk About Race" with Amazon Affiliate linkLike everyone else, but mostly the white people, in America should be doing, I’ve taken some time over the past few months to further educate myself on systemic racism and oppression in the United States. From discussions at work to dozens of articles and books, it has been 100% worth it to self-reflect and be reminded of things I knew and be introduced to things I didn’t.

I was first introduced to Oluo when I read, “The Heart of Whiteness: Ijeoma Oluo Interviews Rachel Dolezal, the White Woman Who Identifies as Black”, a powerful and frank wide ranging interview and reflection on race, privilege, and white supremacy in America. If you haven’t read it yet, go read it.

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Books

Book 726: Must Like Spinach – Con Riley

Geoff W

Book cover of "Must Like Spinach" with Amazon Affiliate linkAfter finishing His Horizon, and absolutely adoring it, I knew I had to seek out more works by Con Riley. Thankfully I recently received a Kindle Unlimited membership (to Tim’s regret at this point I’m sure) and I found quite a few books by Riley on there. We all know more will be forthcoming, but I am trying to show some self-restraint.

I chose this one out of those available because it was a standalone. And more importantly it had an adorably quirky title that just called to me even though I’m not the biggest fan of spinach.

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Books

Book 666: Beta Test (#gaymers #2) – Annabeth Albert

Geoff W

beta test cover art and amazon affiliate linkI managed to restrain myself to only reading two squeal-inducing pretty much swoon-worthy MM romances this go around, and it has nothing to do with the library not having #3 available right away, so you’re welcome.

Seriously though, why are these things like some sort of drug? They’re not rocket science, they’re well written but they’re not going to stay with me forever (I’ll forget them within weeks if not days), and they’re definitely not anywhere close to high brow, but they’re SO DAMN GOOD. Now I’m off on a tangential internet search on studies of what romance novels do to people’s brains. [There appear to be plenty of studies but mostly on women and mostly, it seems, derogatory.]

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Books

Book 555: Lizzy & Jane – Katherine Reay

Geoff W

Lizzy & Jane cover artAs if reading a book about grief and death wasn’t enough, I unknowingly placed a book right behind it from my Reay reading binge that focuses on two sisters, one of whom is battling cancer, and one of whom is battling issues from their mother’s death from cancer.

After reading the first two novels by Reay (The Austen Escape and Dear Mr. Knightley) I wasn’t really sure where this one would fall. Would it be super religious/preachy or wouldn’t it? Would it be squeaky clean or would Reay let a little more spice into the work? Continue reading “Book 555: Lizzy & Jane – Katherine Reay” →