Take a photo of a barcode or cover
purplepenning's Reviews (1.72k)
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
The trees were full of crows and the woods were full of madmen.
Given that perfect opening line, I wasn't quite prepared for how much chickens would factor into the story — but I'm not mad about it!
Nettle & Bone is a bizarre and brilliant, dark and funny fairytale in the hero's quest tradition. A tradition that it gleefully follows and subverts. It features a simple but stalwart 30-year-old almost-nun/princess, a sharp but secretive dust wife/grave witch, an honorable but disgraced warrior/diplomat, at least one evil but kind fairy godmother, a loving but impulsive dog of bones, and a grumpy demon-possessed chicken. Their quest leads us from a beleaguered middle kingdom by the sea to a haunted stronghold in the north — and through unspeakable lands, markets, and boarding houses in between. Driven, always, by familial love, loyalty, and justice, even in the face of ancient power, its corruption and abuses. Especially in the face of its abuses.
Nothing is fair, except that we try to make it so. That's the point of humans, maybe, to fix things the gods haven't managed.
I sometimes want a little more lushness and emotion in my fairytales, but only sometimes. I also love this matter-of-fact, face-the-fears, roll-with-the-bizarre, do-the-hard things approach. It gives me Granny Weatherwax and Tiffany Aching vibes — and anything approaching the genius of Terry Pratchett's witches is okay by me. Fans of Nicola Griffith's Spear and Emily Lloyd-Jones's The Drowned Woods should also enjoy this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy
Minor: Torture, Blood, Excrement, Cannibalism, Classism
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A literary ROMANTIC COMEDY in three parts: the romance of comedy, the romance of communication, and the romance of life. In part one, we get a detailed week-in-the-life account of what it's like to be a female comedy writer for a live SNL-like show. Sally, our narrator, is a complex, sharp, bold writer and slightly neurotic and uncertain person who meets Noah, a gorgeous, good-natured, too-good-to-be-true (?) crooner who is the host and musical guest that week. Against all odds and the rules she wrote for her own skit (hot women can date normie slubs, but hot guys don't date normies), they seem to hit it off. Until Sally sabotages it. In part two, time and COVID protocols have turned them into pen pals and the connection is even more obvious. In part three, real life finds them and maybe they find their real selves.
With a gender-swapped Notting Hill trope, a bit of writer's life catnip, and a touch of A-list celebrity fan fiction feel, Romantic Comedy is perfect for fans of Nora Goes Off Script, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Emily Henry, and Olivia Dade.
With a gender-swapped Notting Hill trope, a bit of writer's life catnip, and a touch of A-list celebrity fan fiction feel, Romantic Comedy is perfect for fans of Nora Goes Off Script, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Emily Henry, and Olivia Dade.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Sexism, Sexual content, Excrement, Death of parent
COVID
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Read during the #TransRightsReadathon. A good overview, updated in 2017, of trans history from the 1950s on. It focuses on human rights and social justice in historical social context, but does include some scientific/medical history as well. The glossary at the beginning is useful, but be advised, as the author points out, that language can change rapidly, so it should be a starting point and guide to understanding the terminology used in the book rather than a definitive source for current usage.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Transphobia
Moderate: Confinement, Deadnaming, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma
Minor: Deadnaming, Suicide attempt
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Read during the #TransRightsReadathon. A carefully written trans coming-of-age story by a trans author. You'll find: small town high school drama, a tight group of self-described queerdos, an old flame that continues to flicker and singe, a high-pressure piano competition, a super cool new kid in town (who doodles swoon-worthy happy breakfast foods), a brief fake dating trope (referenced as "romance fraud," which made me laugh every time), some bigotry and microaggressions and non-malicious missteps, wonderful terrifying tailors and slightly maniacal maestros, and the powerful joy of self discovery and expression.
(If my tolerance for high school drama, love triangles, and partners kissing non-partners was higher, the star-rating would've also been higher. It's an excellent debut and I'll look forward to the author's future books!)
(If my tolerance for high school drama, love triangles, and partners kissing non-partners was higher, the star-rating would've also been higher. It's an excellent debut and I'll look forward to the author's future books!)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Chronic illness, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Medical content, Dysphoria
Minor: Racism, Sexual content
Carefully written by a trans author who cleverly conveys angst, anxiety, and reality without allowing it to feel gratuitously traumatizing or to overtake the joy of the story. YMMV, of course.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A Likely Story is very nearly An Entirely Unlikeable Story, but it manages, through skillful writing and sheer force of will, to squeak by as a fascinating study of unlikeable characters instead. YMMV — they are very privileged and very unlikeable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Emotional abuse, Blood
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Read during the #TransRightsReadathon March 20-27, 2023. Romance novellas don't usually work for me (because insta-anything doesn't compute for me, but insta-love and hookup culture really don't compute). But this was skillfully written and surprisingly satisfying!
Sam (nb) is a 40-something history professor who meets up with their friends at a karaoke bar every few weeks. They feel doomed to mediocrity and failed relationship, their last one was particularly bad, and they're working out their gender expression. Lily (cis f) is an introverted receptionist at a vet clinic by day and a powerful songstress when she hits the karaoke stage at night. Fed up with trying to clothe her fat, fabulous body, she has begun making her own clothes — and Sam has definitely noticed, just as they always notice her when she sings. When Sam's friends have to miss karaoke night, Sam is drawn into Lily's group. Can a karaoke persona carry over into real life? Can a karaoke crush become a real connection?
"Sing Anyway" has great characters, tons of music catnip, splashes of fashion and design, some nerdy history stuff, late-in-life gender queer realizations, body positivity that's still sensitive to other's needs and perspectives, and refreshingly frank language and communication during the (steamy/explicit/on page) sex scenes.
Sam (nb) is a 40-something history professor who meets up with their friends at a karaoke bar every few weeks. They feel doomed to mediocrity and failed relationship, their last one was particularly bad, and they're working out their gender expression. Lily (cis f) is an introverted receptionist at a vet clinic by day and a powerful songstress when she hits the karaoke stage at night. Fed up with trying to clothe her fat, fabulous body, she has begun making her own clothes — and Sam has definitely noticed, just as they always notice her when she sings. When Sam's friends have to miss karaoke night, Sam is drawn into Lily's group. Can a karaoke persona carry over into real life? Can a karaoke crush become a real connection?
"Sing Anyway" has great characters, tons of music catnip, splashes of fashion and design, some nerdy history stuff, late-in-life gender queer realizations, body positivity that's still sensitive to other's needs and perspectives, and refreshingly frank language and communication during the (steamy/explicit/on page) sex scenes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Alcohol
Minor: Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Dysphoria
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Read during the #TransRightsReadathon March 20-27, 2023..
Sweet, silly, spicy, serious, sensual. This is a contemporary rom-com between two cooking show contestants who are each experiencing a bit of a quarter-life crisis. Dahlia (f/queer) is recently divorced from her high school sweetheart and feels disappointing and directionless. Teaching herself how to cook and develop warm, comforting flavors has helped her get through the worst of it. Winning the $100k competition prize might help her get through the rest. London (nb/pan) is settled in their non-binary identity even if they're still unsettled by their father's lack of acceptance. They're hyper-focused and prepared — to put the strained relationship with their father aside, to ignore the trolls, and to establish their place as the first non-binarycontestant winner of a major cooking competition so they can use the prize money to start a nonprofit for LGBTQ kids. There's an undeniable spark between the two, but is there a future together ahead of them?
An entertaining and enjoyable read that had me laughing out loud in places even as I cringed at others. The writing is vivid and tactile. Which is generally great, but ... I don't ever want to recall someone's hands working with raw chicken when they're in the middle of a sensual massage. There's also a large cast of secondary characters and not nearly enough time to develop them, and a background of socioeconomic disparity that's not explored much. Overall, a really good debut with excellent LGBTQ rep!
Sweet, silly, spicy, serious, sensual. This is a contemporary rom-com between two cooking show contestants who are each experiencing a bit of a quarter-life crisis. Dahlia (f/queer) is recently divorced from her high school sweetheart and feels disappointing and directionless. Teaching herself how to cook and develop warm, comforting flavors has helped her get through the worst of it. Winning the $100k competition prize might help her get through the rest. London (nb/pan) is settled in their non-binary identity even if they're still unsettled by their father's lack of acceptance. They're hyper-focused and prepared — to put the strained relationship with their father aside, to ignore the trolls, and to establish their place as the first non-binary
An entertaining and enjoyable read that had me laughing out loud in places even as I cringed at others. The writing is vivid and tactile. Which is generally great, but ... I don't ever want to recall someone's hands working with raw chicken when they're in the middle of a sensual massage. There's also a large cast of secondary characters and not nearly enough time to develop them, and a background of socioeconomic disparity that's not explored much. Overall, a really good debut with excellent LGBTQ rep!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Transphobia, Alcohol
Minor: Blood, Excrement, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
misgendering (alluded to and explored without being explicitly written), coming out, unaccepting family, internet trolls (alluded to and explored, not explicitly written), cooking gore and detailed descriptions of animal proteins, food-related sex play, public sex, divorce (backstory), pressure to have kids (backstory), socioeconomic pressure and disparity
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Read during the #TransRightsReadathon March 20-27, 2023. A gentle character study of a courtship in antebellum NYC between a skilled silversmith (trans man) and an expert quilt maker (bi cis woman) who is also a political and social activist supporting abolition, women's rights, and workers' rights.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Transphobia, Classism
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Slavery
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Transphobia
Minor: Sexual content
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
An open-door, LGBTQ, Regency romance between a new baronet and the leader of a smuggling operation. High-stakes adventure, high-heat encounters, family support and family betrayal, lovely respectful communication (after requisite miscommunication), marshland entomology, Kentish dialect lessons, thoughtful discussions of the philosophies vs realities of war policies... As always, KJ Charles delivers an emotionally resonate, well-researched, entertaining historical with great diversity rep.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Outing, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Deportation