Tag: 2019

Categories
Romance

Read Flashed

Read Flashed (Happy Endings, #3)

A former soccer player, stripper, and model, legendary party boy Patrick Halloran finally gets his big break starring in the summer blockbuster. But when an accident leaves him changed forever, he hides away in his secluded Montana ranch. Only his new housekeeper is allowed inside–with one rule: she’s not allowed to see him. But Pat sees her, and she’s the most stunning woman he’s ever laid eyes on. Even her voice is beautiful. Still, Pat can’t allow himself to get close to anyone. Not without a fight at least . . .

Magdalena “Lena” Martel is a long way from Queens, New York. After a rough patch, the aspiring artist is working her way through college–even if it means keeping house for a man whose gruff voice she can only hear through a closed door. Still, Lena senses Pat’s got a good heart, maybe even a lovable one. She’s intrigued–until his anger sends her running into the freezing woods. Now Pat will have to find her–and when he does he may have found the one woman who can thaw his heart–not to mention the rest of him. But can their new bond survive the paparazzi–and their personal demons? . . .

I like this adaptation of beauty and the beast — the guy really did have some work to do on being a better person. He was a huge jerk at first, which gave him a long way he needed to grow, so appropriately the first half was a pretty slow buildup. I would have liked a little more resolution with the evil stepmother, and would have liked to build up to the finale a bit more. I was bummed and not wholly convinced by the misunderstanding breakup.

Categories
Future Building

Investigating intersectionality in biking habits

Read Toward feminist geographies of cycling

Using a systematic search strategy, this paper reviews the literature about gender and cycling and critically assesses existing approaches to study the topic. Most studies use a binary conceptualization of gender, a cross-sectional research design, and quantitative analysis to examine male–female differences in cycling behaviours, stated concerns, correlates, and barriers. The two hypotheses at the centre of most of this work are (1) that women cycle less than men due to greater safety concerns and (2) that women cycle less, or at least use bicycles differently than men, because of their more complex travel patterns that arise from greater household responsibilities. While the literature draws attention toward travel characteristics, it often relies on a simple binary conceptualization of gender. In doing so, it identifies differences in male–female cycling patterns, but it rarely sheds light on the gendered processes underlying these differences. In this paper, we argue that research into cycling as a form of mobility could be strengthened by engaging with feminist theories such as performativity, intersectionality, and embodiment to advance a more nuanced understanding of how gender and other axes of identity are intertwined with cycling.

Concentrating on how gen­der shapes mobility without considering how mobility shapes gender is problematic because it can result in studies that ignore the power relations that exist between these social categories. Furthermore, failing to do so can contrib­ute to gender-based inequalities. For example, it can encourage harmful gender stereotypes (e.g., “girls don’t bike because they are scared”), inhibit people from fully expressing themselves (e.g., “I can’t admit I find cycling dangerous because I will be called a sissy”), or justify the status quo (e.g., “women will never bike as much as men because they are more fearful”).

Emphasis mine.

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Categories
Fantasy Romance

Read Warmth of His Light

Read Warmth of His Light (Blanchard Coven #1)

When Eos Hawthorne went to meet a friend one evening, he never expected his entire life to change. As if stumbling across a group of men fighting in an abandoned lot by his home wasn’t shocking enough—one of those men suddenly attacks him…with fangs and claws.

Vampire coven leader Julien Blanchard is having a bad day. After failing to apprehend a murderer and traitor to his coven, the absolute last thing he needed was a hapless human stumbling into the picture— especially an intriguing young man who, as it turns out, happens to be his mate.

Eos doesn’t know if he believes in mating, and knows nothing about the supernatural world he is suddenly thrust into. Julien is a vampire who has always put his coven and his duty first.

This was a little goofy, but I was in the mood for light fluff. The setup is very contrived. Thought about bailing at 75% but finished. Probably wouldn’t read another in this series.

The two love interests were a little flat, the human’s main interest was watching reality TV. I know that’s super normal but it’s kinda boring to read about. The building is described as cold and sterile and perfect, but later the human decides it reflects the vampire’s personality because it has thoughtful touches like a bowl of fruit and a historic photo of the building 🤔

I thought it was funny the vampire was like “oh my long long life” and it’s later mentioned he’s 75. The bad guy needed more motivation. I wanted to know more about the Witch Mother (?).

Categories
Comics Fantasy

Read The Tea Dragon Festival

Read The Tea Dragon Festival (Tea Dragon, #2)

Rinn has grown up with the Tea Dragons that inhabit their village, but stumbling across a real dragon turns out to be a different matter entirely! Aedhan is a young dragon who was appointed to protect the village but fell asleep in the forest eighty years ago. With the aid of Rinn’s adventuring uncle Erik and his partner Hesekiel, they investigate the mystery of his enchanted sleep, but Rinn’s real challenge is to help Aedhan come to terms with feeling that he cannot get back the time he has lost.

Cute art, charming story, cozy world. Love that the art includes sign language! Nice lessons.

Categories
Romance

Read The Monster of Montvale Hall

Read The Monster of Montvale Hall (Saints & Sinners Book 1)

A childhood tragedy had shaped the life of Robert Forsythe, the Duke of Montvale Hall, forever.

He kept himself isolated from the world and the people in it, reveling in his reputation as a monster.

Locked in a world of guilt and grief, nobody had ever been able to break down the walls he kept around him. Nobody had ever tried.

And if being a monster kept everyone away, then a monster he would be.

Abigail Langton was as headstrong as she was mischievous, so it was no surprise that she wasn’t exactly welcomed at Montvale Hall with open arms.

It didn’t take her long to understand why its owner was called a monster.

It took even less time to realize that monster or not, Abigail’s heart called to him in a way she couldn’t deny or understand.

Robert’s world is turned upside down and inside out by the irrepressible Abigail. And try as he might to avoid it, he finds himself drawn to her in ways he doesn’t want. In ways that scare the wits out of him.

Will Robert give in to the temptation that is Abigail? And will Abigail find the heart of the man beneath the monster?

I didn’t realize this was a sweet romance 😣

I’m not sure the hero had enough going for him for me to buy that she fell in love with him despite his constant snapping and rudeness. They didn’t seem to have much in the way of conversation, especially that didn’t end in him yelling.

Not a lot happened in this? One dramatic interaction was… stumbling on the staircase. Another was… disputing wildflowers as decoration. (His antipathy towards the wildflowers was never clear to me.)

Saw the climax coming though I was hoping it wouldn’t go that way… at least it was less dramatic than I was braced for.

Is it not fridging if the female character is killed to traumatize the hero, rather than motivate him? 🤔 I kept waiting for her to come back from the dead.

Got this for free in a stuff your kindle giveaway — hadn’t read this author previously. Not planning to read the next book.

Categories
Food

Read East

Read East: 120 Vegan and Vegetarian recipes from Bangalore to Beijing

Modern, vibrant, easy-to-make food. East is a must-have whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, or simply want to eat more delicious meat-free food.

Drawing from her ‘New Vegan’ Guardian column, Meera Sodha’s stunning new collection also features plenty of brand-new recipes inspired by a wide range of Asian cuisines. There are warming noodles, curries, rice dishes, tofu, salads, sides and sweets, all surprisingly easy to make and bursting with exciting flavours. Taking you from India to Indonesia, Singapore to Japan, by way of China, Thailand, and Vietnam, East will show you how to whip up a sprout nasi goreng and a swede laksa; how to make Kimchi pancakes, delicious dairy free black dal, and chilli tofu. There are sweet potato momos for snacks and unexpected desserts like stem ginger chocolate truffles and matcha roll cake.

Only flagged ten recipes to try, too many recipes called for ingredients that are hard to get, and not that many sounded like both I and my husband would like them.

I liked the cover art and illustrations throughout. Beautiful photo staging.

Author lives in London, and is of Indian heritage. Interestingly, she wrote in the intro that she had a toddler and couldn’t travel for inspiration like she’d done for her previous books, so she asked around people she knew for ideas and favorites, and visited restaurants around London.

Categories
Mental Health Self Care Society The Internet

Read Notes on a Nervous Planet

Read Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig

The societies we live in are increasingly making our minds ill, making it feel as though the way we live is engineered to make us unhappy. When Matt Haig developed panic disorder, anxiety, and depression as an adult, it took him a long time to work out the ways the external world could impact his mental health in both positive and negative ways. Notes on a Nervous Planet collects his observations, taking a look at how the various social, commercial and technological “advancements” that have created the world we now live in can actually hinder our happiness. Haig examines everything from broader phenomena like inequality, social media, and the news; to things closer to our daily lives, like how we sleep, how we exercise, and even the distinction we draw between our minds and our bodies.

Very casual writing style, like a collection of blog posts (even listicles 😂). I don’t have as much trouble as he does with phone use, but can relate to the overall overwhelming information intake of the internet and the constant marketing pressures. Enjoyed reading through this slowly. Complementary to Oliver Burkeman’s Four Thousand Weeks.

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Categories
Art and Design Comics

Read Eileen Gray: A House Under the Sun

Read Eileen Gray

In 1924, work began in earnest on a small villa by the sea in the south of France. Nearly a century later, this structure is a design milestone. Meet Eileen Gray, the woman behind the E-1027 house and a pioneer of the Modern Movement in architecture. Like so many gifted female artists and designers of her time, Eileen Gray’s story has been eclipsed by the men with whom she collaborated. Dzierzawska’s exquisite visuals bring to life the tale of a young Irish designer whose work and life came to bloom during the ‘Annees Folles’ of early 20th century Paris.

I liked the art but didn’t understand why the house is so special or why it was so offensive to have Le Corbusier’s murals added. Though the book is titled after the house, it’s more of a general biography.

Her Bibendum chair is cool looking.

“The poverty of modern architecture stems from a lack of sensuality.”
Categories
Art and Design Comics Mental Health

Read Camouflage

Read Camouflage

Autism in women and girls is still not widely understood, and is often misrepresented or even overlooked. This graphic novel offers an engaging and accessible insight into the lives and minds of autistic women, using real-life case studies.

The charming illustrations lead readers on a visual journey of how women on the spectrum experience everyday life, from metaphors and masking in social situations, to friendships and relationships and the role of special interests.

Fun, sensitive and informative, this is a fantastic resource for anyone who wishes to understand how gender affects autism, and how to create safer supportive and more accessible environments for women on the spectrum.

Like the color palette with teals and pinks. The cover illustration is especially nice. I liked the use of textures though text didn’t read well over halftones.

Very slender volume with simple explanations, suitable for teens and pre-teens. Mostly info I knew already. I did like how they broke down the main elements of the autistic experience for women:

  1. “You’re not autistic”
  2. Pretending to be normal
  3. Growing from passive to assertive
  4. Special interest based identity

Categories
Comics Fantasy History

Read New World

Read New World

The discovery of the Americas forever changed the landscape of the world as cultures collided with violent consequences. New World weaves the stories of three characters from unique backgrounds—a Native Indian seeking revenge against those who invaded her land, an African musician fighting for freedom against those who enslaved him, and a Portuguese sailor in search of redemption. These three unlikely heroes, connected by fate, will work together to free the New World from the darkness of the old.

Simple but expressive artwork, with vivid color used effectively. Iracema is a great lead character for the story. Some metaphors I get (monsters as disease), there might be more I’m missing or maybe those elements are just magical realism.

Stunning cover.