No one wants to earn a reputation for being cheap, especially in the workplace.
This author's coworker, Lori, was more than just cheap. She was essentially a fraudster, frequently going out of her way to take money from one trainee after another in the office. Somehow, Lori managed to get away with uncouth behavior time and time again, but the folks on her team started informing one another of their frustrations and suspicions about Lori.
As is the case with any office environment, news travels fast. One day, the author was shopping online for a dress she planned to wear to her friend's wedding. Nosy Lori stepped in and insisted that it would be cheaper for the author if she bought two dresses (one for herself and one for Lori) so she could qualify for free shipping.
The author, however, could smell Lori's plan from a mile away. She knew Lori was never going to pay her back for that dress. Still, she decided to buy into the scheme at first so that eventually, she could confront Lori and get her to admit that she never was going to pay her back for that dress in the first place.
Challenge 30 - Results
Dec. 27th, 2025 05:05 amThank you very much to all the participants & voters.
The votes tally if needed is in the comments of the voting post.
Challenge 30 Just the Caps 3
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WINNERS
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A prospective home buyer caught a realtor trying to fluff his own commission after he lied about a potential higher offer, going behind the agent's back to get a good deal on a farmhouse by buying directly from the homeowners.
Curious about how to save thousands of dollars on closing costs in this housing market? Cut out the middle man!
Realtors are the ultimate middleman. With no skin in the game and everything to gain from selling a home, real estate professionals are glorified paper-pushers who glamorize their daily desk job with a flashy watch and a mid-range luxury vehicle. With their faces plastered all over town, on billboards, bus stops, and in the penny pages, real estate agents are constantly vying for a leg up on the other salesmen in the city, hoping to line their pockets with as much commission and as many gold-star home sales as possible. Ultimately, they don't care whether a client gets a good deal or if a seller is giving their prized possession up to a worthy buyer.
The suits only care about the commission they're taking home at the end of a sale.
Luckily, buyers and sellers aren't beholden to these big-britches money-grubbers. There's no law that says you HAVE TO use a realtor to sell your own home. In fact, when this family realized they had found the perfect buyer to take over their family farm house, and when they found out how crooked their middleman was, they decided to take the sale into their own hands, selling a house the old-fashioned way: With a firm handshake and an honest deal.
The end of Heated Rivalry season 1
Dec. 28th, 2025 12:36 amWatching episode six was such a trip as by then I was fully immersed in the fandom. It dropped here at 7pm each time, and I made myself wait until after 9pm when it was dark before watching, as I like to be cocooned in a lighted bubble with the show. Then after the ep was finished I went to tumblr for the gifs, reactions, and meta, and today I rewatched it, picking up several small things others had noticed and blogged about. I'll rewatch the show again off and on - it's a comfort watch for me now - and while we wait for season 2 there'll be art, and fanfic.
( Read more... )
And in 2026 we'll get Connor in his first movie as a protagonist: April X. Dystopian sci-fi, already gathering kudos and in final production.
Three French Hens
Dec. 27th, 2025 06:51 amWhen I went out in the morning, it was dry, but the sky was...leaden, to borrow a novel term. (Nobody ever calls the sky "leaden" in real life.) After I got my purchases stashed away, I came back to my desk for a while. I had an email from Book Outlet that they were having a sale, and one of the books on sale was one that I had been planning to pick up for months at B&N (which we still haven't made it to, and probably, at this point, won't). Let's see, $8.00 online or $20.00 in the store...which is the better deal.... Yeah, so I spent forty-five minutes or so putting together a book order and bought as many books as I would have on a trip to B&N, but for half the price, so yay. And it means I'll have a package in the mail in a few days.
Then I hopped onto the Kohl's site because I had Kohl's Cash. I filled a cart with clearance items, including a birthday present for Dad (whose birthday is about a month off) and a clear plastic tube for storing wrapping paper. I added pumpkins that I had been eyeing at Halloween, and Christmas decorations, and candle holders, and chocolates (only to find that they don't ship the chocolates). And then I emptied the cart out because I only had $20 in Kohl's Cash and didn't really need all of that stuff. In the end, I bought the gift for Dad and the wrapping paper tube, which together came to $19.49, so all I had to pay for them was the shipping, and I still have 51 cents in Kohl's Cash. Which amuses me greatly.
And then...it was naptime. Were there cats involved? Yes.
I was contemplating going to the new bookstore, yesterday, but then the weather started, and when I saw the ice glazing the windows, I decided that my couch was a nice place to be. I spent the rest of the day (except when making meals and cleaning up after) under a blankie and one or more cats reading. I have made serious headway into the fourth Malloreon book (Sorceress of Darshiva). If I did nothing else for the rest of my vacation, I would finish the series. Unfortunately, I do need to do some things. My house is a pit, and it definitely needs some cleaning and organizing. Deciding where to start is going to be a problem, though. Maybe I'll start with the back room. That really just needs a bit of tidying and to have the boxes that I saved for possible shipping to Auntie and Nuncle collapsed and moved to the recycling bin. Though...not until the ice in the driveway melts.
I am very glad I went out yesterday for groceries so that I don't have to do it this morning.
I have email from Mom this morning saying that they found another gift for me under the tree and that they will either deliver it or I can come get it. Probably I should go get it, but they also go right past my street when they go to the shop, so....
Today, I am going to start with a list of everything I hope to accomplish during my vacation. Some of it is simple enough, like reorganizing my DVD storage binders to include the disks that I have bought since the last time I did that (which was probably last December, now that I think on it). I am debating separating movies out into categories, instead of organizing alphabetically by title, but I still think alphabetical is the way to go, even though it means massively reorganizing sometimes. I did separate out the superhero movies, though; they have their own binder now.
Some of my projects are a little larger, like clean out the separate room in the basement where all of the To Keep stuff got piled, and where the workbench is, because I still want to teach myself book binding and the workbench is a better option than the dining room table or my crafting desk upstairs in Spare Oom. Which is also a project, because Spare Oom and my papercrafting supplies is a separate disaster, and could possibly take me all week on its own to fix.
My office, too, needs work. It's terribly cluttered in here.
The library is another days-long project, because I still have boxes of Grama's paperwork piled in there, almost four years after her death, and that closet also needs major cleaning.
So, yeah. Now that I've had a day off, it's time to get busy. Unfortunately.
I would really prefer to just spend my vacation reading and writing and crafting.
Having a construction site next to your home is never a fun time, but if the head of that construction project is a kind and respectful person, everyone can survive it. However, when this construction site turned into a loud and filthy site for young carpenters, things got uglyâŠ
It all started when a sweet old man was in charge. When they were setting down the foundation, he was very respectful to the neighbors and communicated with them well. However, after that was finished, the carpentry started. This could have also been a nice experience, expect the crew was a bunch of entitled 20-something-year-olds. The foreman was only 25! They blasted annoying music all day, they worked well past 9pm, parked in places that blocked driveways, and the worst of all, they would leave their trash everywhere, even on the neighbor's front lawn.
One neighbor tried asking them several times to keep it down after late hours and to pick up their trash. But did they listen? No. They rolled their eyes and kept going on with their entitlement. So, this neighbor finally had enough. One night they gathered all of the tradies' trash, took them to the construction site, and stapled them to the siding they had just built.
The next morning they were furious! So much so, they even called the cops. Luckily, the nice respectful senior blue collar man was still in charge. So instead of starting an even more heated feud withe the neighbor he did the most satisfying thing. He fired that entire crew and personally apologized to the neighbor. The next work day, the crew was much older and much more respectful.
HOA resident becomes HOA president and disbands their association: âWhat a time to be aliveâ
Dec. 27th, 2025 02:00 amHOAs are, at best, schemes to keep homeowners dishing out their cash to look uniform in a cul-de-sac community. A lot of homeowners prefer to live in a cookie-cutter neighborhood with rules and regulations. HOAs provide residents with guidance, help them stay on their toes about general home upkeep, and most of all, allow them to call the shots at community board meetings.
Do these residents actually call the shots? It's challenging to know for sure. The allure of an HOA generally doesn't beat the downside of the association, mainly because you have horror stories left and right about residents not being allowed to have a basketball hoop in the driveway they own, or general power struggles where HOA entitlement ruins everything. You might think you want to live in an HOA, but it's crucial to understand what you're getting yourself into. Not all HOAs are bad, but not all of them are great either.
Success stories about evil HOAs are what keep us going, though. There's a way to combat power-hungry board members and money-hungry developers, and all it takes is a little grit and a whole lot of encouragement from other like-minded residents.
Smaller HOAs are easier to navigate, especially when there are certain checks and balances in place to possibly disband the entire association. That's what's going on in the story below, where a four-home HOA development elects a president who decides to upend everything. Scroll below to read the full story.
Fight Challenge: Babylon 5: Illegal Actions
Dec. 27th, 2025 10:56 amTitle: Illegal Actions
Fandom: Babylon 5
Author:
Characters: Sheridan.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 200
Spoilers/Setting: No Surrender, No Retreat.
Summary: Sheridan can’t stand idly by while Earth Alliance destroyers fire on unarmed ships full of refugees.
Content Notes: None needed.
Written For: Challenge 501: Amnesty 83, using Challenge 83: Fight.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Babylon 5, or the characters. They belong to J. Michael Straczynski.
A/N: Double drabble.
Arrhythmia [by calrissian18, Jack/Robby]
Dec. 27th, 2025 09:41 amThey have a shorthand, the two of them. They donât need words or explanations, not when they have a rhythm and choreography that decades of working together have given them.
Only Robby canât hear the music now.
Whatcha Reading? December 2025, Part Two
Dec. 27th, 2025 09:00 am
This year is coming to a close! Here’s what we’re reading during the last week of December:
Lara: Iâm catching up with Nalini Singhâs Guild Hunter series. Iâm currently reading Archangel’s Lineage. ( A | BN | K | AB ) Iâm desperately sad that this series will be coming to an end in May. Itâs been a stalwart comfort for years.
Amanda: My Romance TBR Takedown board had me landing on ânew series.â I’m starting my Alice Coldbreath journey with Her Baseborn Bridegroom, ( A ) which is book one in the Vawdrey Brothers series.
Sarah: I am reading The Astral Library by Kate Quinn – I’ll be interviewing her for the podcast. It’s catnip for people who love stories about being inside books.
Shana: Iâm rereading Common Goal by Rachel Reid. Itâs the only book in the Game Changers series I actually own, probably because I love the older bisexual hero. Someday my Heated Rivalry hold will come in, after 63 other people read it.
Amanda: I thought you read them, Shana? I remember you reviewing Long Game. Or is my memory shot?
Shana: Your memory is perfect, as always! I have read all of the series, I’m just doing a reread since Iâm obsessed with the show.Amanda: It sounds like your hold will come in just as season two starts.
Shana: And by then I will have moved on to a new obsession and won’t be in the mood to read the book.
Elyse: Iâm reading Mother Mary Comes to Me ( A | BN | K | AB )Â which is a memoir by Arundhati Roy. Itâs really beautifully written and I’m a sucker for a book about complicated relationships with moms.
Claudia: I am so curious about that book. The mom sounds terrible to the daughter but great to the world.
Kiki I’m listening to The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickensâ London by Judith Flanders ( A | BN | K | AB ) which is a great companion while I’m semi-frantically trying to finish a cross stitch for my best friendâs wedding ceremony Monday! I’ve learned a lot about omnibuses and the intricacies of the mail coach system so far. Iâve been having a hard time falling into romance lately, and I feel like this is a good pivot: still historical, so I’m feeling immersed, but no plot that I have to buy in to.
Whatcha reading to end 2025? Let us know in the comments!
What's the ultimate scam? Acting supremely stupid and pretending you don't know how the world works.
Scammers get pretty creative in this day and age, and it's not very often that we see an OG classic like the "Gift Card Workaround." However, if you've ever spent a day in the shoes of a customer service employee, either in retail or food service, you've seen it all, especially idiotic customers who couldn't run a scam right even if you handed them the keys to the register vault.
Customer service employees are trained to be good little minions, the face of the company, and the smile customers see when they walk through the door. But as most workers know, the minimum wage paycheck is hardly worth the effort of contorting your smiling muscles into changing your natural expression of boredom, dismay, and genuine dumbfoundedness. Having worked in the food service industry for many years (to be fair, I worked at In-N-Out Burger, which is by far the best fast-food chain to work for), I have gained valuable insights into customer management. It's tougher than you think to smile and pretend that the customer is always right, because oftentimes, the customer is oh-so-wrong that it tingles in your bones for the rest of your shift, immortalizing their tale on the Customer Wall of Shame in the colleague break room.
An employee in this next story was no stranger to knuckledragging customers. Working for years at the local taco shop, they had seen it all from late-night taquito runs to breakfast burrito hangover cures. However, this particular day, they were far too sharp on their shift to let a pair of scammy hooligans attempt to run their scheme on them. As they whipped out the likes of a brand new, $0 gift card, they hoped to purchase their entire meal and then some, but this clever cashier saw right through their guise, calling them out and forcing them to pay like everybody else.
Because playing dumb can only get you so far in this drive-thru, and you're going to have to be a little smarter to pull the wool over an experienced customer service person's eyes.
Whatcha Reading? December 2025, Part Two
Dec. 27th, 2025 09:00 am
This year is coming to a close! Here’s what we’re reading during the last week of December:
Lara: Iâm catching up with Nalini Singhâs Guild Hunter series. Iâm currently reading Archangel’s Lineage. ( A | BN | K | AB ) Iâm desperately sad that this series will be coming to an end in May. Itâs been a stalwart comfort for years.
Amanda: My Romance TBR Takedown board had me landing on ânew series.â I’m starting my Alice Coldbreath journey with Her Baseborn Bridegroom, ( A ) which is book one in the Vawdrey Brothers series.
Sarah: I am reading The Astral Library by Kate Quinn – I’ll be interviewing her for the podcast. It’s catnip for people who love stories about being inside books.
Shana: Iâm rereading Common Goal by Rachel Reid. Itâs the only book in the Game Changers series I actually own, probably because I love the older bisexual hero. Someday my Heated Rivalry hold will come in, after 63 other people read it.
Amanda: I thought you read them, Shana? I remember you reviewing Long Game. Or is my memory shot?
Shana: Your memory is perfect, as always! I have read all of the series, I’m just doing a reread since Iâm obsessed with the show.Amanda: It sounds like your hold will come in just as season two starts.
Shana: And by then I will have moved on to a new obsession and won’t be in the mood to read the book.
Elyse: Iâm reading Mother Mary Comes to Me ( A | BN | K | AB )Â which is a memoir by Arundhati Roy. Itâs really beautifully written and I’m a sucker for a book about complicated relationships with moms.
Claudia: I am so curious about that book. The mom sounds terrible to the daughter but great to the world.
Kiki I’m listening to The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickensâ London by Judith Flanders ( A | BN | K | AB ) which is a great companion while I’m semi-frantically trying to finish a cross stitch for my best friendâs wedding ceremony Monday! I’ve learned a lot about omnibuses and the intricacies of the mail coach system so far. Iâve been having a hard time falling into romance lately, and I feel like this is a good pivot: still historical, so I’m feeling immersed, but no plot that I have to buy in to.
Whatcha reading to end 2025? Let us know in the comments!
Our Favorite Reads of 2025
Dec. 27th, 2025 08:00 am
For our favorite reads, we had to choose one favorite read of 2025, but everyone is allowed two bonus picks for books not released this year. However, we typically have a few rulebreakers!
Here are our favorites of the year! Weâd also love to hear about your best read of 2025!
Ladies in Hating
Author: Alexandra Vasti
Released: September 23, 2025 by St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Gothic, Historical: European, LGBTQIA, Romance
Series: Belvoir's Library #3
A pair of Gothic novelists trade rivalry for love in this swoony, steamy, sapphic Regency by USA Today bestselling author Alexandra Vasti.
Celebrated authoress Lady Georgiana Cleeve has achieved fame and fortune. Unfortunately, sheâs also acquired an the enigmatic Lady Darling, whose spine-tingling plots appear to be pulled straight from Georgianaâs own manuscripts. Whatâs a stubborn, steely writer to do? Unmask her rival, of course.
But unmasking doesnât go according to planâbecause Lady Darling is actually Cat Lacey, the butlerâs daughter and object of Georgianaâs very secret, very embarrassing teenage infatuation.
Cat Lacey has spent a decade clawing her family out of poverty. The last thing she needs is to be distracted by the stunning(ly pretentious) Lady Georgiana Cleeve. But Cat canât seem to escape her infuriatingly beautiful rivalâincluding at the eerie manor where they both plan to set their next books. The plot unexpectedly thickens, however, when the novelists find themselves trapped in the manor together. In between ghostly moans and spectral staff, Cat and Georgiana come face-to-face with real the scorching passion thatâs been haunting their rivalry all along.
Sarah: I got to have Alexandra on the podcast twice this year to talk about the trilogy, and so Iâm pretty spoiled. Not in the âI found out the endingâ kind of way, but in the âIâve been indulged with a truly opulent amount of history that makes the trilogy a more sumptuous reading experienceâ way. Worldbuilding, like comedy, is grounded and enhanced by detail and specificity, and the world of the two characters, the conflicts between and around them, and the charm of the whole series is precise in its elegance. Loved it.
Tara: Okay, Iâm cheating a tiny bit because this book was also published this year, but it was another true standout for me. While I was drawn by the premise, with two rival gothic novel writers finding their HEA together, the true magic was in seeing them grow while experiencing traditional elements of gothic fiction.
Stone and Sky
Author: Ben Aaronovitch
Released: July 8, 2025 by DAW
Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Urban Fantasy
Series: Rivers of London #10
“This isnât London. The rules are different up here⊔
All Detective Constable Peter Grant wanted was a nice holiday up in Scotland.
Heâll need one once this is overâŠ
check.
some.
sort of â but thatâs not the only thing in the skyâŠ
Sarah: Iâve said before this series is the one exception to some general policies I have about reading: I generally donât like books about cops, and I donât like books where characters of color are written by a White person. I have enjoyed many of the books in this series, and I particularly like the audiobooks, so listening to Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and Shvorne Marks narrate was an extra treat. This book does have a romance of sorts in it – a queer one, too – and some of the plot points reflect current events in an eerie way, but I was so happy while I was listening to it. This book and âWhat Abigail Did That Summerâ are probably my favorites in the series. Itâs talking foxes, after all.
Never Over
Author: Clare Gilmore
Released: October 28, 2025 by St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
A swoony second-chance romance where facing the one who broke your heart could be the thing that makes your dream come true.
Twenty-five-year-old Paige Lancaster is one contract away from earning a living doing her favorite thing in the world: writing songs. But when a music industry professional suggests she might be holding back with her lyrics to lessen the heartbreak of an old flame, Paige doubts if her music is ready to be heard.
In a rare, impulsive move, Paige contacts Liam Bishop after four years of no contact to ask him for a small favor: date her, and then re-break her heart, all so she can remember what those big, songworthy emotions felt like. And since Liam is the one who first set Paige on this career path, he hesitantly agrees.
Across three months of Liamâs summer work travel, the exes are forced to share hotel beds, rehash the past, and date in the present, all while navigating the building attraction between them they both swore was the one line of their agreement they wouldnât cross.
But when it becomes near impossible not to act on their rippling chemistry, and as ever intensifying feelings blur the lines of whatâs actually real and whatâs driven by the music, Paige and Liam will both have to decide whatâs more important: art for the sake of it, or love over everything.
Amanda: This book made me eat so much crow! It took two things in romance I typically avoid: characters who work in music and a second chance romance. There is so much pining and yearning and forced proximity. If you love emotional angst and obstacles, this is amazing. I also think if you like Cara Bastoneâs books, this might work well for you, though itâs a little lighter on traumatic themes.
Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 1
Author: SUOL
Released: November 8, 2022 by Ize Press
Genre: Manga, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Villains Are Destined to Die #1
Playing Daughter of the Dukeâs Super Love Project as the easy mode heroine, Ivonne, makes charming the male characters a breeze. But once you switch to hard mode and step into the shoes of Penelope, the misunderstood villain, itâs nearly impossible to even stay alive! So imagine the shock of suddenly waking up in Penelopeâs bodyâyou know right away that your life is on the line. With love interests who will kill you if their affection meters drop too low and the inability to speak without choosing from pre-selected dialogue, it quickly becomes clear that Penelopeâs chances have been rigged from the startâand this villain might just be destined to die!
Amanda: I started reading this as a webtoon, but I am both impatient and impulsive. With over 150 chapters and one free chapter read a day, I was bereft that I couldnât marathon this one until my eyeballs fell out of my head. Thankfully, there are eight volumes in paperback format in beautiful full color. The art is gorgeous and the concept is so fun. The only way this could be better is if it were a âwhy chooseâ book where she gets to be with everyone.
Jane Austen’s Bookshelf
Author: Rebecca Romney
Released: February 18, 2025 by Simon & Schuster
Genre: Nonfiction
From rare book dealer and guest star of the hit show Pawn Stars, a page-turning literary adventure that introduces readers to the women writers who inspired Jane Austenâand investigates why their books have disappeared from our shelves.
Long before she was a rare book dealer, Rebecca Romney was a devoted reader of Jane Austen. She loved that Austenâs books took the lives of women seriously, explored relationships with wit and confidence, and always, allowed for the possibility of a happy ending. She read and reread them, often wishing Austen wrote just one more.
But Austen wasnât a lone genius. She wrote at a time of great experimentation for women writersâand clues about those women, and the exceptional books they wrote, are sprinkled like breadcrumbs throughout Austenâs work. Every character in Northanger Abbey who isnât a boor sings the praises of Ann Radcliffe. The play that causes such a stir in Mansfield Park is a real one by the playwright Elizabeth Inchbald. In fact, the phrase âpride and prejudiceâ came from Frances Burneyâs second novel Cecilia. The women that populated Jane Austenâs bookshelf profoundly influenced her work; Austen looked up to them, passionately discussed their books with her friends, and used an appreciation of their books as a litmus test for whether someone had good taste. So where had these women gone? Why hadnât Romneyâdespite her trainingâever read them? Or, in some cases, even heard of them? And why were they no longer embraced as part of the wider literary canon?
Jane Austenâs Bookshelf investigates the disappearance of Austenâs heroesâwomen writers who were erased from the Western canonâto reveal who they were, what they meant to Austen, and how they were forgotten. Each chapter profiles a different writer including Frances Burney, Ann Radcliffe, Charlotte Lennox, Charlotte Smith, Hannah More, Elizabeth Inchbald, Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi, and Maria Edgeworthâand recounts Romneyâs experience reading them, finding rare copies of their works, and drawing on connections between their words and Austenâs. Romney collects the once-famed works of these forgotten writers, physically recreating Austenâs bookshelf and making a convincing case for why these books should be placed back on the to-be-read pile of all book lovers today. Jane Austenâs Bookshelf will encourage you to look beyond assigned reading lists, question who decides what belongs there, and build your very own collection of favorite novels.
Carrie: This is an amazing nonfiction book about the women who wrote novels in the Georgian period who Jane Austen would have read or at least known of. Entertaining, informative, and changed the way I think about the literary landscape of that time!
War for the Oaks
Author: Emma Bull
Released: July 1, 1987 by Ace
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Acclaimed by critics and readers on its first publication in 1987, winner of the Locus Award for Best First Novel, Emma Bull’s War for the Oaks is one of the novels that has defined modern urban fantasy.
Eddi McCandry sings rock and roll. But her boyfriend just dumped her, her band just broke up, and life could hardly be worse. Then, walking home through downtown Minneapolis on a dark night, she finds herself drafted into an invisible war between the faerie folk. Now, more than her own survival is at riskâand her own preferences, musical and personal, are very much beside the point.
By turns tough and lyrical, fabulous and down-to-earth, War for the Oaks is a fantasy novel that’s as much about this world as about the other one. It’s about real love and loyalty, about real music and musicians, about false glamour and true art. It will change the way you hear and see your own daily life.
Carrie: I re-read The War for the Oaks by Emma Bull for about the 1,000th time since I first read it in high school and not only is it just as good as every other time but, if possible, itâs even better. I find new things to delight in it every time.
The Botanist’s Assistant
Author: Peggy Townsend
Released: November 18, 2025 by Berkley
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
A murder in the science lab shatters a womanâs quiet and ordered life when she decides she must solve the crime herself in this entertaining and uplifting mystery.
Plenty of people consider Margaret Finch odd. Six-feet-tall and big-boned, she lives alone in a small cabin in the woods, drives a 20-year-old truck, and schedules her life so precisely you can tell the time and day of the week by the chore she is doing and what she is wearing. Â But the same attributes that cause her to be labeled eccentricâan obsessive attention to detail and the ability to organize almost anythingâmake her invaluable in her job as Research Assistant II to a talented and charismatic botanist.
It’s those very same qualities, however, that also turn Margaret into a target after a surprising death shakes the small university where she works. Even as authorities claim the death appears to be from natural causes, Margaret fears it might be something a murder born of jealousy and dark secrets. With the aid of a newly hired and enigmatic night custodian, Margaret finds herself thrust into the role of detective, forcing her to consider that she may not be able to find the killer before the killer finds her.
With a cast of quirky and likeable characters that one wonât soon forget, The Botanistâs Assistant is a delightful story of perseverance and the power in all of us to survive.
Lara: I read some fantastic books this year and there are about three real standouts, but this one is something special. So quiet, so good and so strong. I adored every second with this book.
The Bone King and the Starling
Author: Elizabeth Stephens
Released: March 19, 2025
Genre: Historical: European, Novella, Romance
They call him the bone king.
A massive, beast of a male who worships the gods and is all too willing to provide them their sacrifices. Human sacrifices. He and his warriors have come to visit Winterbren, a poor little village on the outskirts of Wrath and my home.
Iâve never been more grateful to be a thrall, for my low status will ensure that I remain outside of his notice. But when he requests â nay, requires â a willing female to warm his furs for the duration of his stay, his selection falls to me. All I can do is pray to the gods that I survive the nightâŠ
And beg the bone king for mercy.
This book contains dark themes, including a Black woman in the position of thrall, graphic depictions of torture, non-con, and discussions of early childhood abuse. A full list of warnings can be found on my website.
Shana’s 2025 pick!
This Could Be Us
Author: Kennedy Ryan
Released: March 5, 2024 by Forever
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Skyland #2
âHeart-searing, sensual, and life affirming.â âEMILY HENRY, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Soledad Barnes has her life all planned out. Because, of course, she does. She plans everything. She designs everything. She fixes everything. Sheâs a domestic goddess who’s never met a party she couldn’t host or a charge she couldn’t lead. The one with all the answers and the perfect vinaigrette for that summer salad. But none of her varied talents can save her when catastrophe strikes, and the life she built with the man who was supposed to be her forever, goes poof in a cloud of betrayal and disillusion.
But there is no time to pout or sulk, or even grieve the life she lost. She’s too busy keeping a roof over her daughters’ heads and food on the table. And in the process of saving them all, Soledad rediscovers herself. From the ashes of a life burned to the ground, something bold and new can rise.
But then an unlikely man enters the pictureâthe forbidden one, the one she shouldn’t want but can’t seem to resist. She’s lost it all before and refuses to repeat her mistakes. Can she trust him? Can she trust herself?
After all she’s lost . . .and found . . .can she be brave enough to make room for what could be?
For fans of Tia Williams and Colleen Hoover comes a deeply moving and personal novel about sacrifice, self-reliance, and finding true happiness from âone of the finest romance writers of our age.â âEntertainment Weekly
Shana’s bonus pick!
Hen Fever
Author: Olivia Waite
Released: December 11, 2022
Genre: Historical: European, LGBTQIA, Romance
Lydia Wraxhall is on her best behavior every day of the yearâexcept one: the annual Bickerton Christmas Poultry Show. On that day she brushes her birds, sharpens her tongue, and engages in the closest thing the village knows to war.
Harriet Boyne is a soldierâs widow reeling from the worst years of her life. She and her friends have inherited a manor on the village outskirts, and Harriet is looking forward to a quiet holiday far from the anguish of the battlefield.
But a dispute over a flock of loose chickens â a rare local breed, which Lydia thinks could be champions and Harriet thinks could be delicious â draws Harriet into the competition under Lydiaâs grudging guidance. Harrietâs frozen heart is thawed by Lydiaâs gentleness, and lonely Lydia blossoms under Harrietâs keen regard. But the day of the poultry show is fast approaching, and everyoneâs drawing up battle lines. And in the contest between secret love and public glory, there can only be one winner.
Shana’s bonus pick!
Discovering Nicola
Author: Clare Ashton
Released: May 1, 2025
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance
Series: Oxford Romance #3
Sparks fly between Nicola Albright KC and Geeta Sachdeva, but not the good kind. Theyâre the sort that leave small fires, devastation, and everyone peeping between their fingers at arrogant lawyer, Nicola, on one side, and everyoneâs favourite mum, Geeta, on the other.
Yet when both are divorced and at a new stage in life, they find themselves living within glowering distance of each other, in beautiful Iffley Village, Oxford. Reluctantly they call a truce and try to make friends. Itâs tricky though, when thereâs more than one reason theyâve circled and snapped for years.
For a start, Geetaâs lawyer daughter, Olivia, idolises the eminent King’s Counsel barrister, to eye rolls from Geeta. And to Nicolaâs annoyance, her own daughter, Charlotte, has always turned to perfect mama Geeta for comfort and understanding. Animosity between the two is a given.
Until they force themselves to be nice to each other, that is, and then theyâre compelled to question everythingâŠ
Tara: I donât think I knew how much I needed to read a romance with two women in their fifties falling in love. Even better, two women who couldnât stand each other! While the subject matter wasnât always easy, this book was so refreshing and it left me with that big dreamy sigh that only comes from the most special stories.
Our Favorite Reads of 2025
Dec. 27th, 2025 08:00 am
For our favorite reads, we had to choose one favorite read of 2025, but everyone is allowed two bonus picks for books not released this year. However, we typically have a few rulebreakers!
Here are our favorites of the year! Weâd also love to hear about your best read of 2025!
Ladies in Hating
Author: Alexandra Vasti
Released: September 23, 2025 by St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Gothic, Historical: European, LGBTQIA, Romance
Series: Belvoir's Library #3
A pair of Gothic novelists trade rivalry for love in this swoony, steamy, sapphic Regency by USA Today bestselling author Alexandra Vasti.
Celebrated authoress Lady Georgiana Cleeve has achieved fame and fortune. Unfortunately, sheâs also acquired an the enigmatic Lady Darling, whose spine-tingling plots appear to be pulled straight from Georgianaâs own manuscripts. Whatâs a stubborn, steely writer to do? Unmask her rival, of course.
But unmasking doesnât go according to planâbecause Lady Darling is actually Cat Lacey, the butlerâs daughter and object of Georgianaâs very secret, very embarrassing teenage infatuation.
Cat Lacey has spent a decade clawing her family out of poverty. The last thing she needs is to be distracted by the stunning(ly pretentious) Lady Georgiana Cleeve. But Cat canât seem to escape her infuriatingly beautiful rivalâincluding at the eerie manor where they both plan to set their next books. The plot unexpectedly thickens, however, when the novelists find themselves trapped in the manor together. In between ghostly moans and spectral staff, Cat and Georgiana come face-to-face with real the scorching passion thatâs been haunting their rivalry all along.
Sarah: I got to have Alexandra on the podcast twice this year to talk about the trilogy, and so Iâm pretty spoiled. Not in the âI found out the endingâ kind of way, but in the âIâve been indulged with a truly opulent amount of history that makes the trilogy a more sumptuous reading experienceâ way. Worldbuilding, like comedy, is grounded and enhanced by detail and specificity, and the world of the two characters, the conflicts between and around them, and the charm of the whole series is precise in its elegance. Loved it.
Tara: Okay, Iâm cheating a tiny bit because this book was also published this year, but it was another true standout for me. While I was drawn by the premise, with two rival gothic novel writers finding their HEA together, the true magic was in seeing them grow while experiencing traditional elements of gothic fiction.
Stone and Sky
Author: Ben Aaronovitch
Released: July 8, 2025 by DAW
Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Urban Fantasy
Series: Rivers of London #10
“This isnât London. The rules are different up here⊔
All Detective Constable Peter Grant wanted was a nice holiday up in Scotland.
Heâll need one once this is overâŠ
check.
some.
sort of â but thatâs not the only thing in the skyâŠ
Sarah: Iâve said before this series is the one exception to some general policies I have about reading: I generally donât like books about cops, and I donât like books where characters of color are written by a White person. I have enjoyed many of the books in this series, and I particularly like the audiobooks, so listening to Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and Shvorne Marks narrate was an extra treat. This book does have a romance of sorts in it – a queer one, too – and some of the plot points reflect current events in an eerie way, but I was so happy while I was listening to it. This book and âWhat Abigail Did That Summerâ are probably my favorites in the series. Itâs talking foxes, after all.
Never Over
Author: Clare Gilmore
Released: October 28, 2025 by St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
A swoony second-chance romance where facing the one who broke your heart could be the thing that makes your dream come true.
Twenty-five-year-old Paige Lancaster is one contract away from earning a living doing her favorite thing in the world: writing songs. But when a music industry professional suggests she might be holding back with her lyrics to lessen the heartbreak of an old flame, Paige doubts if her music is ready to be heard.
In a rare, impulsive move, Paige contacts Liam Bishop after four years of no contact to ask him for a small favor: date her, and then re-break her heart, all so she can remember what those big, songworthy emotions felt like. And since Liam is the one who first set Paige on this career path, he hesitantly agrees.
Across three months of Liamâs summer work travel, the exes are forced to share hotel beds, rehash the past, and date in the present, all while navigating the building attraction between them they both swore was the one line of their agreement they wouldnât cross.
But when it becomes near impossible not to act on their rippling chemistry, and as ever intensifying feelings blur the lines of whatâs actually real and whatâs driven by the music, Paige and Liam will both have to decide whatâs more important: art for the sake of it, or love over everything.
Amanda: This book made me eat so much crow! It took two things in romance I typically avoid: characters who work in music and a second chance romance. There is so much pining and yearning and forced proximity. If you love emotional angst and obstacles, this is amazing. I also think if you like Cara Bastoneâs books, this might work well for you, though itâs a little lighter on traumatic themes.
Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 1
Author: SUOL
Released: November 8, 2022 by Ize Press
Genre: Manga, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Villains Are Destined to Die #1
Playing Daughter of the Dukeâs Super Love Project as the easy mode heroine, Ivonne, makes charming the male characters a breeze. But once you switch to hard mode and step into the shoes of Penelope, the misunderstood villain, itâs nearly impossible to even stay alive! So imagine the shock of suddenly waking up in Penelopeâs bodyâyou know right away that your life is on the line. With love interests who will kill you if their affection meters drop too low and the inability to speak without choosing from pre-selected dialogue, it quickly becomes clear that Penelopeâs chances have been rigged from the startâand this villain might just be destined to die!
Amanda: I started reading this as a webtoon, but I am both impatient and impulsive. With over 150 chapters and one free chapter read a day, I was bereft that I couldnât marathon this one until my eyeballs fell out of my head. Thankfully, there are eight volumes in paperback format in beautiful full color. The art is gorgeous and the concept is so fun. The only way this could be better is if it were a âwhy chooseâ book where she gets to be with everyone.
Jane Austen’s Bookshelf
Author: Rebecca Romney
Released: February 18, 2025 by Simon & Schuster
Genre: Nonfiction
From rare book dealer and guest star of the hit show Pawn Stars, a page-turning literary adventure that introduces readers to the women writers who inspired Jane Austenâand investigates why their books have disappeared from our shelves.
Long before she was a rare book dealer, Rebecca Romney was a devoted reader of Jane Austen. She loved that Austenâs books took the lives of women seriously, explored relationships with wit and confidence, and always, allowed for the possibility of a happy ending. She read and reread them, often wishing Austen wrote just one more.
But Austen wasnât a lone genius. She wrote at a time of great experimentation for women writersâand clues about those women, and the exceptional books they wrote, are sprinkled like breadcrumbs throughout Austenâs work. Every character in Northanger Abbey who isnât a boor sings the praises of Ann Radcliffe. The play that causes such a stir in Mansfield Park is a real one by the playwright Elizabeth Inchbald. In fact, the phrase âpride and prejudiceâ came from Frances Burneyâs second novel Cecilia. The women that populated Jane Austenâs bookshelf profoundly influenced her work; Austen looked up to them, passionately discussed their books with her friends, and used an appreciation of their books as a litmus test for whether someone had good taste. So where had these women gone? Why hadnât Romneyâdespite her trainingâever read them? Or, in some cases, even heard of them? And why were they no longer embraced as part of the wider literary canon?
Jane Austenâs Bookshelf investigates the disappearance of Austenâs heroesâwomen writers who were erased from the Western canonâto reveal who they were, what they meant to Austen, and how they were forgotten. Each chapter profiles a different writer including Frances Burney, Ann Radcliffe, Charlotte Lennox, Charlotte Smith, Hannah More, Elizabeth Inchbald, Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi, and Maria Edgeworthâand recounts Romneyâs experience reading them, finding rare copies of their works, and drawing on connections between their words and Austenâs. Romney collects the once-famed works of these forgotten writers, physically recreating Austenâs bookshelf and making a convincing case for why these books should be placed back on the to-be-read pile of all book lovers today. Jane Austenâs Bookshelf will encourage you to look beyond assigned reading lists, question who decides what belongs there, and build your very own collection of favorite novels.
Carrie: This is an amazing nonfiction book about the women who wrote novels in the Georgian period who Jane Austen would have read or at least known of. Entertaining, informative, and changed the way I think about the literary landscape of that time!
War for the Oaks
Author: Emma Bull
Released: July 1, 1987 by Ace
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Acclaimed by critics and readers on its first publication in 1987, winner of the Locus Award for Best First Novel, Emma Bull’s War for the Oaks is one of the novels that has defined modern urban fantasy.
Eddi McCandry sings rock and roll. But her boyfriend just dumped her, her band just broke up, and life could hardly be worse. Then, walking home through downtown Minneapolis on a dark night, she finds herself drafted into an invisible war between the faerie folk. Now, more than her own survival is at riskâand her own preferences, musical and personal, are very much beside the point.
By turns tough and lyrical, fabulous and down-to-earth, War for the Oaks is a fantasy novel that’s as much about this world as about the other one. It’s about real love and loyalty, about real music and musicians, about false glamour and true art. It will change the way you hear and see your own daily life.
Carrie: I re-read The War for the Oaks by Emma Bull for about the 1,000th time since I first read it in high school and not only is it just as good as every other time but, if possible, itâs even better. I find new things to delight in it every time.
The Botanist’s Assistant
Author: Peggy Townsend
Released: November 18, 2025 by Berkley
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
A murder in the science lab shatters a womanâs quiet and ordered life when she decides she must solve the crime herself in this entertaining and uplifting mystery.
Plenty of people consider Margaret Finch odd. Six-feet-tall and big-boned, she lives alone in a small cabin in the woods, drives a 20-year-old truck, and schedules her life so precisely you can tell the time and day of the week by the chore she is doing and what she is wearing. Â But the same attributes that cause her to be labeled eccentricâan obsessive attention to detail and the ability to organize almost anythingâmake her invaluable in her job as Research Assistant II to a talented and charismatic botanist.
It’s those very same qualities, however, that also turn Margaret into a target after a surprising death shakes the small university where she works. Even as authorities claim the death appears to be from natural causes, Margaret fears it might be something a murder born of jealousy and dark secrets. With the aid of a newly hired and enigmatic night custodian, Margaret finds herself thrust into the role of detective, forcing her to consider that she may not be able to find the killer before the killer finds her.
With a cast of quirky and likeable characters that one wonât soon forget, The Botanistâs Assistant is a delightful story of perseverance and the power in all of us to survive.
Lara: I read some fantastic books this year and there are about three real standouts, but this one is something special. So quiet, so good and so strong. I adored every second with this book.
The Bone King and the Starling
Author: Elizabeth Stephens
Released: March 19, 2025
Genre: Historical: European, Novella, Romance
They call him the bone king.
A massive, beast of a male who worships the gods and is all too willing to provide them their sacrifices. Human sacrifices. He and his warriors have come to visit Winterbren, a poor little village on the outskirts of Wrath and my home.
Iâve never been more grateful to be a thrall, for my low status will ensure that I remain outside of his notice. But when he requests â nay, requires â a willing female to warm his furs for the duration of his stay, his selection falls to me. All I can do is pray to the gods that I survive the nightâŠ
And beg the bone king for mercy.
This book contains dark themes, including a Black woman in the position of thrall, graphic depictions of torture, non-con, and discussions of early childhood abuse. A full list of warnings can be found on my website.
Shana’s 2025 pick!
This Could Be Us
Author: Kennedy Ryan
Released: March 5, 2024 by Forever
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Skyland #2
âHeart-searing, sensual, and life affirming.â âEMILY HENRY, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Soledad Barnes has her life all planned out. Because, of course, she does. She plans everything. She designs everything. She fixes everything. Sheâs a domestic goddess who’s never met a party she couldn’t host or a charge she couldn’t lead. The one with all the answers and the perfect vinaigrette for that summer salad. But none of her varied talents can save her when catastrophe strikes, and the life she built with the man who was supposed to be her forever, goes poof in a cloud of betrayal and disillusion.
But there is no time to pout or sulk, or even grieve the life she lost. She’s too busy keeping a roof over her daughters’ heads and food on the table. And in the process of saving them all, Soledad rediscovers herself. From the ashes of a life burned to the ground, something bold and new can rise.
But then an unlikely man enters the pictureâthe forbidden one, the one she shouldn’t want but can’t seem to resist. She’s lost it all before and refuses to repeat her mistakes. Can she trust him? Can she trust herself?
After all she’s lost . . .and found . . .can she be brave enough to make room for what could be?
For fans of Tia Williams and Colleen Hoover comes a deeply moving and personal novel about sacrifice, self-reliance, and finding true happiness from âone of the finest romance writers of our age.â âEntertainment Weekly
Shana’s bonus pick!
Hen Fever
Author: Olivia Waite
Released: December 11, 2022
Genre: Historical: European, LGBTQIA, Romance
Lydia Wraxhall is on her best behavior every day of the yearâexcept one: the annual Bickerton Christmas Poultry Show. On that day she brushes her birds, sharpens her tongue, and engages in the closest thing the village knows to war.
Harriet Boyne is a soldierâs widow reeling from the worst years of her life. She and her friends have inherited a manor on the village outskirts, and Harriet is looking forward to a quiet holiday far from the anguish of the battlefield.
But a dispute over a flock of loose chickens â a rare local breed, which Lydia thinks could be champions and Harriet thinks could be delicious â draws Harriet into the competition under Lydiaâs grudging guidance. Harrietâs frozen heart is thawed by Lydiaâs gentleness, and lonely Lydia blossoms under Harrietâs keen regard. But the day of the poultry show is fast approaching, and everyoneâs drawing up battle lines. And in the contest between secret love and public glory, there can only be one winner.
Shana’s bonus pick!
Discovering Nicola
Author: Clare Ashton
Released: May 1, 2025
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance
Series: Oxford Romance #3
Sparks fly between Nicola Albright KC and Geeta Sachdeva, but not the good kind. Theyâre the sort that leave small fires, devastation, and everyone peeping between their fingers at arrogant lawyer, Nicola, on one side, and everyoneâs favourite mum, Geeta, on the other.
Yet when both are divorced and at a new stage in life, they find themselves living within glowering distance of each other, in beautiful Iffley Village, Oxford. Reluctantly they call a truce and try to make friends. Itâs tricky though, when thereâs more than one reason theyâve circled and snapped for years.
For a start, Geetaâs lawyer daughter, Olivia, idolises the eminent King’s Counsel barrister, to eye rolls from Geeta. And to Nicolaâs annoyance, her own daughter, Charlotte, has always turned to perfect mama Geeta for comfort and understanding. Animosity between the two is a given.
Until they force themselves to be nice to each other, that is, and then theyâre compelled to question everythingâŠ
Tara: I donât think I knew how much I needed to read a romance with two women in their fifties falling in love. Even better, two women who couldnât stand each other! While the subject matter wasnât always easy, this book was so refreshing and it left me with that big dreamy sigh that only comes from the most special stories.
Game Changers (Heated Rivalry): Love Takes Miles by corsi
Dec. 27th, 2025 08:06 pmCharacters/Pairings: OFCs, Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Scott Hunter/Kip Grady, Hayden Pike, Troy Barrett, mentions of many HR characters
Rating: Teen
Length: 6937
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply. Some mentions of homophobia and slurs.
Creator Links: corsi on AO3
Themes: Outsider POV, Unconventional format & style, Epistolary, Worldbuilding, Fans and fandom
Summary:
yara
tried to get oomf into hockey and now she's obsessed with FUCKING HOLLANOV? THEY'RE 50 YEARS OLD
Or: Ten years, as seen through fandom.
Reccer's Notes: This is courtesy of a rec in
PS: It may help to know in advance (as these may be hockey rpf terms with which I was unfamiliar) that 2481 is code for Hollander/Rozanov (their jersey numbers), and 2435 is Hollander/Pike. MHL is the Major Hockey League, HR's version of the NHL. Some details in the fic will probably only make sense if you've read the books.
PPS: Also, there's a fictional recs list by "ice knives" partway through, and I want to read ALL OF THEM!
Fanwork Links: Love Takes Miles (read it in creator's style if you can, for the formatting)
Merry Christmas!
Dec. 26th, 2025 10:36 pmWe exchanged gifts, which can be summed up as Warhammer + art supplies (for me) and Warhammer + video games (for Will). As always, I wish I could have done more, but they assured me I did enough. I just want to get them all the nice things. ;3;
I finished my assignment for
(I drew ABO porn for the first time! what the heck!)
I both love and hate that Steam has a yearly replay similar to Spotify's Wrapped. I love it because, I mean, I'm very sentimental and I love looking back on the year! But I hate it because it's such a magnifying glass on how bad I am at staying on task in games, lmao. Oh well. I'm hoping 2026 is a kinder year in all ways and I'll be able to focus better on hobby things.
........I usually do a little look back on the year but frankly, 2025 SUCKED and I don't want to. It was just a shitty, disheartening, scary year and I understand that there is a lot of privilege to being able to be like, nope, not gonna focus on all that scary stuff, but damn it! I'm tired of focusing on the scary stuff! It's ALL bad! Even news about video games is bad (Larian employees making fun of the gender stuff in BG3, Larian using AI for the character design in Divinity, etc) and it's just. All bad. So I'm looking forward to the future and the things I can control.
Speaking of which, I bought a fancy hardback planner for this year!

The gold is shiny and I'm using different colored pens to help try and keep me on track. As someone notorious for NOT staying on track on goals....I hope I can stick with this, lmao.
















