What are Your Most Anticipated Books The First Half of 2026?
Jan. 21st, 2026 09:00 am
We’re only a few weeks into 2026 (?!!) and I’m curious about the books you’re most looking forward to that are releasing between January 1 and June 30, 2026.
There are MANY on our lists, and I limited folks to only a few – which means I know you have titles to suggest, too.
One that I couldn’t format for our database: Drowning Sorrows in Raging Fire, Vol. 3 by Priest, translated by Yog and SassyStrawberry. This hardcover will be released in March 2026.
And if you want to mention your own book, please feel welcome!
Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter
Author: Heather Fawcett
Released: February 17, 2026 by Del Rey
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, Historical: Other, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Agnes Aubert leads a meticulously organized life, and she likes it that way. As the proudly type-A manager of a cat rescue charity, she has devoted her life to finding forever homes for stray cats.
Now it’s the shelter that needs a new home. And the only landlord who will rent a space to a cat rescue is a mysterious man called Havelock—who also happens to be the world’s most infamous magician, running an illegal magic shop out of his basement. Havelock is cantankerous and eccentric, but not not handsome, and no, Agnes absolutely does not feel anything but disdain for him. After all, rumors swirl about his shadowy past—including whispers that his dark magic once almost brought about the apocalypse.
Then one day a glamorous magician comes looking for Havelock, putting the magic shop—and the cat shelter—in jeopardy. To save the shelter, Agnes will have to team up with the magician who nearly ended the world . . . and may now be trying to steal her heart.
Havelock is everything Agnes thinks she doesn’t need in her life: chaos, mischief, and a little too much adventure. But as she gets to know him, she discovers that he’s more than the dark magician of legend, and that she may be ready for a little intrigue—and romance—in her life. After all, second chances aren’t just for rescue cats. . . .
This book is out February 3, and I want to dive into the cover and roll around in it. I also love everything about this concept, especially the cats.
The Ex-Perimento
Author: Maria J. Morillo
Released: February 17, 2026 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
A woman enlists the help of her favorite musician to win her ex-boyfriend back in this sparkling romantic comedy set in Venezuela by debut author Maria J. Morillo.
Maria “Marianto” Camacho is a planner. At twenty-seven, she has her life perfectly mapped out. Her long-term boyfriend, Alejandro, is perfect on paper, and she’s expecting a proposal any day now. She has a stable job as a lifestyle columnist at Ellas, one of Latin America’s biggest digital magazines. Her future is set; she’s sure of it.
Until everything falls apart overnight: Marianto loses her boyfriend and her job. But she’s determined to get them both back with an idea that is either delusional or ingenious—a juicy new article for Ellas that documents a series of romantic experiments to get her ex back. Thus begins The Ex-Perimento. With her bank account dwindling, however, Marianto lands a temporary gig on Venezuela’s hottest new singing competition show. Her job? Personal assistant to Simón Arreaza, the lead singer of her favorite indie band.
It’s only her second day on the job when Simón discovers Marianto’s list of romantic experiments, striking her ideas and replacing them with his own better ones. Out of desperation, she offers a proposition: Help her win back Alejandro, and she’ll give Simón’s band a profile in the magazine once she returns to Ellas. But between the close quarters on set and the blurred lines of a budding friendship, Marianto and Simón find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other, caught in a whirlwind of unexpected romance.
The Ex-Perimento is out on February 17, and takes place in Caracas, Venezuela, which is both a setting for a contemporary romance I’ve not read before, and a little uncanny in the current political mess. This book is a mix of tropes I love, too: celebrity romance, behind-the-scenes, and “I’ll coach you to get your ex back and we all know that will workout exactly as we planned.”
And Now, Back to You
Author: B.K. Borison
Released: February 24, 2026 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance
Series: Heartstrings #2
Two competing meteorologists are forced to find common ground in this opposites attract, When Harry Met Sally inspired romance, from New York Times bestselling author B.K. Borison.
Jackson Clark and Delilah Stewart have had their fair share of run-ins over the years, often ending in disaster. While Jackson thrives on routine and organization from the comfort of his radio booth, Delilah loves the spontaneity and adventure out in the field. When they’re partnered against their will to cover a historic snowstorm, they find themselves scrambling to figure out how to work together.
Eager to be taken seriously as a journalist, Delilah offers Jackson a deal: If he can help her ace this assignment, she’ll help him rediscover his long-lost fun side. With unexplored chemistry burning beneath their clashes, the unlikely partnership quickly tumbles into an easy and surprising friendship.
But when other feelings start to enter the equation, can Jackson and Delilah withstand the storm? Or does what happens in the mountains stay in the mountains?
February 24th is the day for Borison fans! I have heard so many enthusiastic recommendations for Borison, and I’m starting with this one because I love the idea of rival meterologists.
A Ghastly Catastrophe
Author: Deanna Raybourn
Released: March 3, 2026 by Berkley
Genre: Historical: European, Mystery/Thriller, Romance
Series: Veronica Speedwell Mysteries #10
Veronica and Stoker are practically dying for a new adventure, but when their wish is granted, they find themselves up against a secret society and a darkly seductive duo in this landmark historical mystery from beloved New York Times bestselling and Edgar® Award–nominated author Deanna Raybourn.
When the corpse of an entitled young man is found entirely drained of blood in a carriage next to Highgate Cemetery, Veronica’s interest is piqued. And then a second victim is found, his death made to look like a suicide—and Veronica and her intrepid beau Stoker know the hunt is on. The two men share one link: they were both members of a society so secretive that only a singular mention of it can be found anywhere.
Thirsty for more clues, Veronica and Stoker hear that a young Romany boy may know more about their first victim, and the only way to the boy is through an old acquaintance of Stoker’s, Lady Julia Brisbane. Lady Julia and her dashing husband, Nicholas, occasionally track down murderers and are only too happy to help. But as it becomes clear that the secret society is a dangerous sect looking to entice immortality seekers, Veronica and Stoker find themselves ensnared by a decidedly more sinister couple.
The professed leader of the society claims to be a creature of the night; his partner practices witchcraft and they both fancy themselves emissaries of the otherworldly. Just as Veronica and Stoker get closer to learning the true purpose of the society and unraveling this macabre mystery, another body turns up, and they quickly discover they’ve gone from being the hunters to the hunted. . . .
Can you believe this is book 10 in the Veronica Speedwell series? TEN! I’m shocked. I’m also enamored of this series because sometimes mystery series make me tense and anxious before I even start it – bad things keep happening to the protagonists I like! – but not this one. Veronica is so competent, unflappable, and confident that I am more curious to see what absolute bullshit displays itself in front of her, and what she’ll say about it. Release date: March 3.
The Fox and the Devil
Author: Kiersten White
Released: March 10, 2026 by Del Rey
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, Horror, LGBTQIA, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Anneke has a complicated relationship with her father, Abraham Van Helsing—doctor, scientist, and madman devoted to the study of vampires—until the night she comes home to find him murdered, with a surreally beautiful woman looming over his body. A woman who leaves no trace behind, other than the dreams and nightmares that now plague Anneke every night.
Spurred by her desire for vengeance and armed with the latest forensic and investigatory techniques, Anneke puts together a team of detectives to catch this mysterious serial killer. Because her father isn’t the only inexplicable dead body. There’s a trail of victims across Europe, and Anneke is certain they’re all connected.
But during the years spent relentlessly hunting the killer, Anneke keeps crucial evidence to herself: infuriatingly coy letters, addressed only to her, occasionally soaked in blood, and always signed Diavola.
The closer Anneke gets to her devil, though, the less sense the world makes. Maybe her father wasn’t a madman after all. Diavola might be something much worse than a serial killer . . . and much harder to destroy. Yet as Anneke unearths more of Diavola’s tragic past, she suspects there’s still a heart somewhere in that undead body.
A heart that beats for Anneke alone.
The Fox and the Devil arrives on March 10, and Elyse says, “I love this author and this a sapphic vampire/ vampire hunter Romantasy.” I know many folks here are fans of all of White’s books, so happy new book to all of you!
Yesteryear
Author: Caro Claire Burke
Released: April 7, 2026 by Knopf Doubleday
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
A traditional American woman, a beautiful wife and mother who sells her pioneer lifestyle of raw milk and farm-fresh eggs to her millions of social media followers, suddenly awakens cold, filthy, and terrified in the brutal reality of 1855—where she must unravel whether this living nightmare is an elaborate hoax, a twisted reality show, or something far more sinister in this sensational debut novel.
“A bold and biting satire, Yesteryear…will have you cackling and gasping right to the final page.”
—Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid series
My name was Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive.
Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle. Her charming farmhouse is rustic, her husband a handsome cowboy, her six children each more delightful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers behind the scenes, her kitchen hiding industrial-grade fridges and ovens, her husband the heir to a political dynasty? What Natalie’s followers—all 8 million of them—don’t know won’t hurt them. And The Angry Women? The privileged, Ivy League, coastal elite haters who call her an antifeminist iconoclast? They’re sick with jealousy. Because Natalie isn’t simply living the good life, she’s living the ideal—and just so happens to be building an empire from it.
Until one morning she wakes up in a life that isn’t hers. Her home, her husband, her children—they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Her kitchen is warmed by a sputtering fire rather than electricity, her children are dirty and strange, and her soft-handed husband is suddenly a competent farmer. Just yesterday Natalie was curating photos of homemade jam for her Instagram, and now she’s expected to haul firewood and handwash clothes until her fingers bleed. Has she become the unwitting star of a ruthless reality show? Could it really be time travel? Is she being tested by God? By Satan? When Natalie suffers a brutal injury in the woods, she realizes two things: This is not her beautiful life, and she must escape by any means possible.
A gripping, electrifying novel that is as darkly funny as it is frightening, Yesteryear is a gimlet-eyed look at tradition, fame, faith, and the grand performance of womanhood.
Elyse says, “a trad wife influencer wakes up on an actual homestead in the 1800’s” to which I reply with ALL the wide-eye emoji. Yesteryear is out on April 7, and I’m so ready for more fiction skewering the layers of deceit behind trad wife influencers.
Enemies to Lovers
Author: Alisha Rai
Released: April 7, 2026 by Avon
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
From the author of Partners in Crime, comes a sparkling new adventure rom-com where a con woman and a lawman team up on an epic cross-country road trip to save their families…and each other.
Sejal Chaudhary inherited her mama’s calculating brain, her daddy’s quick fingers, and the boatload of trauma that comes with being the eldest daughter of criminals. Although Sejal has never claimed to be a good girl, she’s spent the last couple years laying low and going (mostly) straight. That is, until a con gone wrong sends her into the arms of a handsome stranger who’s set on dragging her back into her messy family drama.
Krish Anand never mastered the fine art of being a bad boy…he would take a book over bullets any day. But when his FBI agent brother goes missing, he has no choice but to suit up for the adventure of a lifetime. Certain that someone in Sejal’s little crime family is behind the disappearance, a desperate Krish manages to convince the beautiful thief that his brother’s badge is actually his.
The deal is simple: help him find his brother, and Krish and the law will leave Sejal be. With an up-to-no-good ex also hot on her trail, Sejal reluctantly agrees. As they wind their way across the country on planes, buses, and automobiles, sparks ignite, and what began as a fragile temporary truce starts to look more and more like a partnership.
Falling for the enemy? So cliche, but so good…if only they can survive long enough to chance a happily ever after.
April 7 is going to be an EXPENSIVE day, y’all: the long-awaited sequel to Partners in Crime is out, and it’s got a nifty Bonus Trope Title: Enemies to Lovers: A Romantic Adventure of a Jewel Thief and a Lawman on a Cross-Country Journey. Also the hero is a pretend lawman, if cop heroes are not your bag right now: he lies and says his brother’s FBI badge is his. It’s in the cover copy.
So maybe that should read: Enemies to Lovers: The title is already a Trope Tag but here are a few more for this Romantic Adventure of a Jewel Thief and a Pretend FBI Agent on a Cross-Country Journey.
I’ll workshop it.
More Like Enemigas
Author: Stephanie Hope
Released: April 7, 2026 by Carina Adores
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance
“This heartfelt sapphic romance is loaded with laugh-out-loud humor and the high-drama hijinks of a splashy telenovela.” —Camille Perri, author of When Katie Met Cassidy
One wedding, two rivals and a whole lot of secrets…
As the daughter of Cuban immigrants, Isabella Valdes knows three things for certain:
her late father’s restaurant is thriving
she owns lots of designer things
both of those statements are absolute lies to make her mother happy
Isabella would do anything to keep her father’s legacy alive, including attending her estranged cousin’s weeklong wedding extravaganza. Because once Sofia’s wealthy fiancé tastes the recipes Isa prepares from her father’s cherished journal, he’s sure to invest.
To Isa’s annoyance, she’ll be sharing a cabin with Valentina, the former friend turned rival who ruined her quinceañera. But Val is offering an unexpected deal—she’ll help Isa unravel an old family secret found in her father’s journal in return for help sabotaging the wedding and winning the heart of the bride.
Saying yes is a bad idea. Isa’s perfectionism meets its match in Val’s carefree demeanor, but as they work together, the usually responsible Isa can’t seem to say no to Val’s shenanigans. There’s no hiding from Val, no ignoring this complicated but undeniable connection that’s changing Isa’s beliefs about love, loyalty and just how much she owes to her family—and to herself…
Another April 7 title, More Like Enemigas is my favorite title. ENEMIGAS. Perfect word is perfect. And my goodness, the cover copy is offering some incredible messy mess – my favorite kind.
Platform Decay
Author: Martha Wells
Released: May 5, 2026 by Tor
Genre: Novella, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: The Murderbot Diaries #8
A most-anticipated title from USA Today, Goodreads, BookPage, BookRiot, Seattle Times, and The Nerd Daily!
Everyone’s favorite lethal SecUnit is back in the next installment of Martha Wells’ bestselling and award-winning Murderbot Diaries series.
Having someone else support your bad decision feels kind of good.
After volunteering to run a rescue mission, Murderbot realizes that it will have to spend significant time with a bunch of humans it doesn’t know.
Including human children. Ugh.
This may well call for… eye contact!
(Emotion check: Oh, for f—)
System System: NEW MURDERBOT OUT MAY 5! NEW MURDERBOT OUT MAY 5!
I’m sure I won’t devote myself to a weeks long re-read or disappear into the series again. It’ll be fine.
The Tapestry of Fate
Author: Shannon Chakraborty
Released: May 12, 2026 by Harper Voyager
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
New York Times bestselling author Shannon Chakraborty sets sail into the second adventure of pirate Amina al-Sirafi as her quest to track down magical artifacts brings her to the island lair of a sorceress whose woven enchantments are impossible to flee.
Amina al-Sirafi thinks she’s struck gold. Tasked with hunting down arcane artifacts for the council of immortal peris, she can savor the occasional rollicking adventure on the high seas with her cherished criminal companions while still returning home to raise her beloved daughter, Marjana. But when Raksh, the spirit of discord with whom she is reluctantly wed, provokes the council’s wrath, Amina is charged with a seemingly impossible quest: steal a spindle capable of rewriting fate from a mysterious sorceress on an island no one can escape.
Forced to leave Marjana—who is increasingly frustrated at being peddled what are clearly lies about her mother’s life and her own past—Amina finds her mission almost immediately thrown into peril. But deadly storms, an erratic poison mistress, and old enemies are the least of her worries. For the peris’ story is unraveling, hinting at a far deadlier game whose rules Amina must swiftly puzzle out. A game that sets her against an adversary more cunning and powerful than she has ever faced.
A game that not everyone on her crew wants her to win.
Clear your calendars for May 12, because the sequel to The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is arriving, and the cover is luscious and many of us are very excited. Elyse says, “I loved the first book so so much.”
Score
Author: Kennedy Ryan
Released: May 19, 2026 by Forever
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Hollywood Renaissance #2
You never forget your first love. Isn’t that what they say? Verity Hill knows this truth intimately. She didn’t simply miss Wright “Monk” Bellamy when they parted ways in college. She’s haunted by his touch. Every kiss, any lover since—it’s a shadow of what they had.
Time heals all wounds. Isn’t that what they say? Monk doesn’t believe that for a second. He wasn’t simply betrayed when he and Verity split. He was devastated, with parts of him left behind in the ruins of all that was destroyed.
More than a decade after their disastrous breakup, Verity and Monk must work together on the set of an epic Harlem Renaissance biopic. With Monk, now a world-class musician, creating the score, and Verity, an award-winning screenwriter, penning the script, there’s Oscar buzz before shooting even begins. This once-in-a-lifetime project could catapult them both to new heights, but can they can put the past behind them for the sake of the film…for the sake of something more?
The only thing better than a new Kennedy Ryan book (out May 19) is watching how media outlets and book people react to a new Kennedy Ryan book. She’s such a powerhouse, and it’s so fun to watch more people discover that.
Game of Rogues
Author: Julie Anne Long
Released: June 2, 2026 by Avon
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
Series: The Palace of Rogues #9
In this sexy regency romance by USA Today bestselling author Julie Anne Long, a lady on the edge of ruin must plead with the king of London’s underworld to save her family, only to find herself instead caught in his web…and unable to resist him.
One disastrous night. One devastating man. One diabolical proposition.
Gabriel Marchand ruthlessly fought his way up from the gutters of St. Giles to preside over London’s most exclusive gaming hell. Few dare cross him. But when a young earl gambles away his inheritance, Marchand makes an enemy: a woman with wit like a dagger and the softest eyes he’s ever seen.
Spend a night in his bed, and he’ll call off the debt. This is the offer he makes Guinevere Woodville, the earl’s sister, when she blames him for her brother’s disaster. She’d rather die, of course. But when their seething enmity gives way to sizzling attraction at The Grand Palace on the Thames, his offer haunts them. Soon it seems a matter of not if, but when.
It’s not long before Ginny is facing two stark truths: the so-called worst man in London is the best man she’s ever known….and keeping him would mean losing everything and everyone else she loves. But Marchand has one final card to play…and losing everything is a risk he’s willing to take if it means a chance to love her forever.
A sexy, witty, and heartwarming tale, Game of Rogues has everything readers love about Julie Anne Long.
Considering we just snarked on earlier covers in this series, this new cover is jaw-dropping gorgeous. Game of Rogues is book 9 of the Palace of Rogues series, it’s out on June 2, AND the title is kind of a pun. Maybe. Either way, Lara cannot wait for this one.
Romantic Hero
Author: Kirsty Greenwood
Released: June 16, 2026 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Contemporary/Other, Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, Romance
A heartbroken romance novelist is forced to address her writer’s block when the villainous cowboy character from her books shows up in the real world, desperately in need of his own Happily Ever After. . . from the bestselling author of GMA book club pick The Love of My Afterlife.
Gertie Bickerstaff writes happily-ever-afters for a living. . . . Or she did, until her own love life fell apart. Now her ex is thriving, her deadline is looming, and she can’t write a single word.
The last thing Gertie needs is more drama—like waking up to find a confused and rugged cowboy on her sofa. And not just any cowboy, but River Oakley, the villain from her unfinished novel. Somehow very real . . . and very shirtless.
River wants to go home. Gertie wants her life back. So they strike a deal: he’ll use his cunning ways to help her win back her ex, she’ll finish the novel, and, surely, he’ll return to whatever world he rode in from.
But as River Oakley proves to be so much more than just the bad guy, Gertie has to choose: the ending she thought she wanted . . . or the plot twist she never saw coming.
Since I read The Love of My Afterlife, and interviewed the author in Episode 622, I’ve been curious to see what Greenwood’s next book would be. I was not expecting a story about a romance novelist whose villain comes to life and agrees to help her scheme to get her ex back (never a great idea in real life, but fun to read about) if she will help him return to his book/world. I’m in!
Scandal of the Summer
Author: Alexandra Vasti
Released: June 23, 2026 by St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
A desperate debutante meets a ragtag smuggler in this sexy Regency romp by USA Today bestselling author Alexandra Vasti.
Eccentric heiress Lady Ruby Ballimore has had enough of the Marriage Mart. After offending yet another Very Important Marquess―and imperiling her father’s diplomatic career―Ruby flees London for the holiday house of a glamorous (and better yet, absent) princess. Armed with a forged invitation and accompanied by her like-minded friends, Ruby arrives at the Cornwall estate expecting a summer of blissful freedom.
Instead, she discovers a derelict mansion and the most suspiciously charming man she’s ever met.
Former privateer and current con artist Captain Malcolm Archer has dragged his ramshackle crew into a new life. Posing as staff at a princess’s abandoned estate provides the perfect cover for Archer’s smuggling scheme (not to mention free rent). Everything’s going according to plan―until an unorthodox London heiress crashes the party.
But when Archer and his crew attempt to frighten off their uninvited guests, Ruby’s unfazed by insect invasions and sham sea monsters. Harder to ignore? The scorching heat between the rakish pirate and the debutante who can see right through him. As sparks fly, deceptions run wild―because in this Great Cornish Fake Off, the only thing riskier than telling the truth is falling in love.
Several of us are looking forward to this one, including Claudia, Lara, and me, and alas we have to wait until June 23.
I cannot get over her shoe, though. What is happening with her shoe. Since titles don’t tend to hang out in my brain, this book is now “the purple shoe book” in my head. Sorry.
What books are you most looking forward to from now until June 30? And yes, you can mention your own if you wish.
It’s TBR Destruction Time!
Writing status/check-in/where am I at?
Jan. 21st, 2026 07:57 amReached a couple of milestones yesterday, and I'm mentally basically ready to shift back into working on my original projects. Just trying to remember where I'm at with everything. Also cool milestone alert!
Milestone alert: GYWO monthly goal for January, reached! ;)
With my pledge, I should write 12.5k words a month, and now I'll have reached it at least once this year!! It feels really good to start the year being on track. As much as Time Is A Construct, I think I should be careful not to set myself up for big editing projects in January in the future, in general.
I'm so surprised that over 5k of that was for a Spring Thunder fic. Like. I do write freely for tiny fandoms! But usually it's more like coughing out a vignette or a missing scene, or a tiny fix-it to deal with canon stress. Not a full hurt/comfort rescue mission. In the end though, I wrote it for the same reasons I wrote those shorter vignettes in the past: it feels good :D It feels right. It was fun. AND I get to reread and enjoy something tailored to my id in the future :D I was delighted with myself by the end of the first draft, hopefully that'll hold when I return to it for edits :D
Time-sensitive fics
I'll likely just let most of the unposted stuff I wrote rest for a while. Couple of exceptions I have in mind:
- Well I do need to proofread and post my Candy Hearts assignment. That would be good to do on time XD
- For my last 600 words to reach the milestone yesterday, I wrote something for Wind Breaker that will probably be invalidated by a new manga chapter next week. I'd like to clean that up and post it so there's a chance it can be enjoyed as-is for a few days before becoming canon divergent XD
- Not really time-sensitive, but I want to post a couple of BNHA fics to get them out of my mind. One was written a couple of years ago for a collaborative project that never quite completed its landing and I think it's long enough. I need to free my mind of it before I forget it even exists.
Original stuff
( Soul Thief edit preps Take Two )
This was supposed to help me figure out what to do this morning, but it didn't really help in the end! Maybe I'll see if there's a fic in an editable state. I know there's a couple of finished drafts in there, but for some of those I wanted to do a canon review first... Gah!! So many fun things to do, so little time :D
Fandom Trumps Hate 2026
Jan. 21st, 2026 07:18 amhttps://fandomtrumpshate.dreamwidth.org/53196.html
Their list of non-profits they're supporting is here:
https://fandomtrumpshate.dreamwidth.org/53468.html
Apparently last year they raised $127K!
What I'm Reading: That's a Great Question, I'd Love to Tell You by Elyse Myers (2025)
Jan. 20th, 2026 08:05 pmThat's a Great Question, I'd Love to Tell You is a 2025 memoir by comedian/musician/online personality Elyse Myers. It's a collection of essays, free verse poetry, and lists that take a humorous but heartfelt look at formative and vulnerable moments in her life, with a retrospective understanding of the anxiety and undiagnosed neurodivergence that often shaped them.
Stories include a childhood fixation on a Magic 8 Ball, overthinking and missing the obvious during a teenage game of Seven Minutes in Heaven, college panic attacks, Parisian dates gone awry, beach encounters gone sour, and conquering the mysteries of gravel roads. Anyone familiar with Elyse Myers' work online knows she has a way of telling a story and getting a laugh while also not being afraid to be earnest. If you haven't seen her videos before, you can check her out on TikTok or on Youtube.
I don't listen to a ton of audiobooks, my main exception being memoirs that are read by their authors. That usually works out for me, but in this case I really wish I'd gone with the print book for three reasons:
1) It turns out the print edition is full of little illustrations and creative formatting that brings a lot to some of the pieces.
2) One of the things I enjoy about Myers is her more freeform and sometimes frenetic delivery, but this was a more sedate and traditional audiobook performance.
3) Related to #2, several stories triggered some secondhand embarrassment for me and having to listen to that be slowly relayed instead of being able to read faster during those was rough.
( An Excerpt )
(no subject)
Jan. 20th, 2026 09:30 pmFriday at least was better? but yeah. Most of the weekend was off-and-on "pain and anxiety", because that's also one of the weird migraine symptoms. Somewhere in there my major joints also decided that since it's cold as hell (in the 20s, in town, which is unusual for us), they were going to seize up, so. You know.
The upshot of it is that I was running on too little sleep this weekend, including Holiday Monday, and so I slept eleven hours today.
Which. Okay.
I'm glad I had the ability to do it, I guess?
One of the things that was contributing to "blergh" mood (besides, you know, pain) was that everything I tried to cook this weekend turned out awfully, mostly for reasons that weren't my fault. Like — mmm. Last night I made a dish I have made many, many times. Everything went more or less smoothly, except when Max took his first bite he gagged and had to go spit it into the trash, because the frozen vegetable mix I use as a mix-in apparently had a moldy bell pepper stem in it.
...yup. Also found a bit in mine. Thank God neither of us is allergic to mold?
(It was the "pepper stir-fry mix" from WinCo, on the off-chance that anyone else lives somewhere with a WinCo and uses it. Never had that issue before; had unfortunately already thrown out the packaging and taken the trash out as part of making dinner, so, you know. I'm out $3.)
Aside from that: tried to make bread Sunday and it was awful (new bag of flour; must have more water than the last bag I bought from the same brand, because I followed the usual hydration ratio and it was too wet — just did not have a good structure and didn't end up with a good rise, was more like flat bread); overcooked the protein for Saturday's dinner...
The moldy pepper was the real low point and that was the point at which I ended up crying, ha. Too little sleep, fucking up the dinner that spouse had specifically ASKED FOR...yeah.
Anyway! I redeemed myself tonight.
When we went to wine tasting weekend before last, we were given shooters of "Hungarian Mushroom Soup" to accompany their pinot noir.
Both of us tried it and were pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Max in particular was like, "That's really good!", so.
I looked it up and laughed, because it was a recipe from the Moosewood Cookbook!
I told Max I could make it, so. Picked up oyster mushrooms at the store. Had everything else on hand.
Made a new loaf of bread tonight, reducing the amount of water, and it was fine.
Cooked the soup. Omitted the sour cream and the salt (I was using salted butter for the onion step, and like — tamari is pretty salty on its on, too, didn't want to overdo it). The sour cream omission was something I'd seen recommended online to drop the richness of it. Cheated, and instead of making a roux (because I can ALWAYS TASTE THE FLOUR, ugh, I would rather eat wallpaper paste than something made with a traditional French roux — yes, I am weird, and yes, that includes bechamel sauce), I whisked about a tablespoon of corn starch into the milk and added that for the final step with the stock.
Yeah, it was a good dupe of the soup we had at the wine tasting, so. Heh.
It was excellent. The bread was also very good, I put together a green salad to go with it, and on the whole was like, right, yeah, I do know how to cook, so. A much-needed win, I have redeemed myself.
Tomorrow is going to be an attempt at this, I think, so.
Quiet day, otherwise. I started reading Blood on Her Tongue, because my hold came in at the library after having waited for...long enough that I forget when I'd placed it (July, according to the library app). It's...mm. I like parts of it? I suppose I'll post an in-depth review when I'm finished with it. Right now I'm about a third of the way through and it's...something.
Before Blood on Her Tongue was — some dumb memoir by a trauma surgeon from the Rockies that was probably not worth the hour it took to read (dude is massively burnt out and I hope he's since gotten to take a proper vacation, but that doesn't make for good reading). Before that, dumb romance novels. I still have a bunch of stuff on my TBR, but the migraines have been frequent of late, and it's very difficult to want to focus on anything when you're dealing with that level of pain. It's part of why I haven't been posting much, here — when it's like, "well, today was another day, and all that happened was I had a migraine and so slept most of the day and I'm still in pain", why bother? so.
Other stuff:
-I'm doing
-If you're at all interested in participating in the tropes-based remix event I'm co-running with
-I wasn't planning on being an official DEI committee member this year (because I forgot the fucking deadline, whoops), but apparently the city recorder has Thoughts On That, because I got an email today telling me nicely that there were still vacancies and would I be willing to fill one? She asked Manda, too, at some event or another, if I was going to be signing up again, as "the city would find it valuable", so. I filled it out. I was planning to volunteer in an unofficial capacity anyway; this is just — yeah. I think it's mostly that I'm used to running meetings in a very different context and have no compunction about telling someone, like, "that's great, thank you, we are not doing that" and getting stuff back on track.
-After a conversation with Ed (therapist) I am thinking about career stuff in a sort of different light. More on that to come, maybe, when I am up for talking about it — his perspective on things was difficult mostly because, like — I pay my therapist to be the voice of reason, right (among, you know, other things), and so hearing him be like, "I am wondering why you haven't thought about doing [thing I have secretly thought about doing like every day for the last four years] for work?"
I laughed when he asked, then got flustered and was like, well, because — and couldn't come up with a good answer. So.
(It is very boring, fear not, I am just sort of — mm. Fragile enough about it at the moment that anyone going, "Oh, really, are you sure that's a good idea?" will probably make me cry. Ha. :P )
Talked to Max about it and he was like, "huh."
So.
God, that's a really cryptic way to end an entry — I promise, I am not going to run away to join the circus, suddenly start training to be an Olympic gymnast (HA), or anything else that is wildly unattainable. It is very boring and staid! It's just...not something I had let myself think about, for reasons that are difficult to get into. So.
Off to go write, again. It dawns on me that part 3 of this project (which is, to be fair, an unedited nightmare) is at 75k words long. Good lord.
Today was a tad chilly
Jan. 20th, 2026 11:46 pmToday was Cheese Cake and Golden Girls at the library. Just bring/eat cheesecake and watch a couple episodes of GG. It was packed. I was someone's hero because I gave her some of my lactose pills (she forgot hers). You'll share them? Yes, of course. It was fun except....for the two tables in the back who just kept talking thru the entire first episode we watched. Like fucking non stop. I really wanted to say hey, STFU. We're here trying to enjoy ourselves but we can't even hear teh show. I hate that women are so well trained to be 'nice' that sometimes making waves is hard. And then they had the audacity to shove in a couple pieces of cheesecake and then left without watching the first 30 minutes all the way thru. Didn't care. Glad they gone.
Came home. Realized OMG the authors zoom is tonight and I'm exhausted. I shook it off. Wrote over 2500 words in 1 1/2 hours. Well yay for me.
No fannish 50. I'm too tired again.
Also dummy went outside this morning. Refused to come back. I'm like of all days to go out and run off rocket. He's back and he's fine.
AI时代 | age of AI
Jan. 20th, 2026 09:47 pmWill AI replace Chinese teachers | Chinese podcast #184, by Dashu Mandarin 大叔中文
Ben: I don't think I'll be replaced by AI; I'll be replaced by someone who knows how to use AI.
Richard: You'll be replaced by PeiPei.
PeiPei: Follow me!
Richard: If you can't beat them, join them, right?
Ben: 我是觉得呃我不会被AI取代但是我会被会AI的。
Richard: 你会被珮珮取代。
PeiPei: 跟着我干吧!
Richard: 对打不过就加入是吧?
A Reckoning of Swords 19-20
Jan. 20th, 2026 08:48 pmI'm trying to get better at picking at things when I have a few spare minutes, instead of feeling like I need a block of time to code/write/whatever.
The Lemonade Cafe's twenty-third (whut?!) anniversary is somewhere in the next couple of weeks. Looking back, it's traditionally been celebrated between the 30th of January and the 7th of February, so it's very much an anniversary week and not a firm date. This is basically because the original site was coded for a class project for a one-credit web-dev class I took my last semester of university. Once the class was over and the site (a fairly general KH site, tbh) graded, I promptly swapped it over to hosting the fanfiction I'd been writing for an entire month at that point.
I don't actually have any anniversary plans so um, help me make some?
Current gunpla/plamo kit is [redacted] for a contest so mostly all I can yell about is glitter and rhinestones, lol.
Here at the end of the lonely world
Jan. 20th, 2026 07:47 pmIt was hard to get up (it was hard to sleep, knowing I had to get up 90 minutes earlier than usual), but I did it. I also saw two fun signs on the way: "Lube Entrance" and "You can ship anything." As
Now I'm going to try to stay awake for another hour and then go to bed because I am le tired.
*
Linguistics question
Jan. 23rd, 2026 07:26 pmAfter the snow has fallen, sometimes it looks like more snow is falling when the wind blows it off of trees and roofs. Do you have a word or specific phrase for this?
Yes, and I'll tell you in the comments
7 (13.2%)
No, but I've heard some people use a term which I'll tell you in the comments
1 (1.9%)
No
40 (75.5%)
No - I don't live where it snows and am unfamiliar with this phenomenon
5 (9.4%)
Clicky?
( Read more... )
[ SECRET POST #6955 ]
Jan. 20th, 2026 06:57 pm⌈ Secret Post #6955 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
01.

( More! )
Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 23 secrets from Secret Submission Post #993.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
January Manga TBR 2
Jan. 20th, 2026 05:09 pmI finished 5/5 on my last board and had a good time.
Avatar:

Conan
Skill: Beat trap tile once
Roll #1:
An 11, prompt: gender bender. Oh, more Basara then!
Roll #2:
A 12. Man, first I get an excellent skill now I get 2 excellent rolls. Why can't these happen on the boards I want them to?? orz Prompt: cafe/bakery/restaurant. Hmm let's see what I've got. Okay, Amai Jouken it is.
Roll #3:
An 8, prompt: game element. Let's how much I remember in My S-Class Hunters. Honestly about time;;
Roll #4:
Another 8, prompt: started in the month you were born. That took a while, there's no way to filter by 'only stuff on my list'. Anyway, I picked 3-manen no Kareshi.
Roll #5:
A 6 and 'generate from TBR pile'! Exciting and scary. #564 which is...huh. I was just thinking I didn't want to read another Nitta Youka yet but here we are at Haru o Daiteita. Since it's so long I might read it like am with Junjou Romantica, post by post.
Roll #6:
Alriight, a 10 and the end. The physical BL this time is NightS by Yoneda Kou.
Most looking forward to: Basara and My S-Class Hunters
Least looking forward to: Everything else lmao
~Manga TBR List~
[Shoujo/Fantasy] Basara
[BL/Romance] Amai Jouken
[Fantasy/Action] My S-Class Hunters
[BL/Romance] 3-manen no Kareshi ✔️
[BL/Drama] Haru o Daiteita
[BL] NightS
x1 shoujo, x1 shounen, x4 BL
FIC: In a Grain of Sand
Jan. 20th, 2026 05:37 pmFandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating: PG
Length: 392
Content notes: My sweethearts: Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov
Author notes: The beach trip takes place just before Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Summary: Steve remembers Natasha.
12 Week Year WAM Week 04
Jan. 20th, 2026 03:07 pmGoal 1 Increase my spirituality. 48% (12/25)
Review: I'm having a hard time because I can either do my scriptures, or do my exercises. I haven't been able to figure out how to fix that.
Goal 2 Fit better in my clothes / feel better in my body. 57% (16/28)
Review: Still working on this, and I keep hoping it will get better. I did set my fitness goal, and I managed to do my stretching. The rest of it... I'm not doing so well. I want to do better. I get started well, and then it dies out.
Goal 3 Whittle down my to-do list. 100% (8/8)
Review: I managed to get all of those things done. Who knows how.
Intentions for the future: G1 - I'm going to figure out the way to do both scripture study and exercise. G2 - I'm going to do a better job at this, like seriously, much better. G3 - I'm going to work on getting some of the things I have on my online shopping list. I have a few things I want to get.