I normally avoid romance stories that involve BDSM, as I found they generally seem very off-the-mark compared to my years of personal experience in "the Scene." This title is different, being the first I've read that doesn't simply throw in a little pseudo-domination, force, non-consent, or pain labelled as BDSM for titillation's sake, but instead presents motivations, desires, and at least some self/partner negotiations that ring true for at least part of the "real-life" BDSM community.Īlso, the "submissive" librarian included preachy (in a very good way for me) strength and patience while the detached, strong "Dominant" character had his own vulnerabilities. The author includes a bit of an exploration of the way gender/masculine roles interplay with the gay, small town experience. Similar to the preceding, first book in this series, this is romantic story with plenty of erotic heat. (3.5 for the story, 4 for the heat, and 5 for exploring characters in the context of gay bear/geek, brain/brawn, and D/s interplay in a small town)
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So we know that it's really handy for dealing with pain that's being inflicted on you. Not only that: when afterwards you're asked about how painful that experience felt, you report that cold water as feeling much milder than the water that you had your hand in while you were using some neutral word. When you stick your hands, for example, in freezing cold water, you can stand it for about half as long again if you’re using a single swear word than if you're using a single neutral word. HZ: Another reason swearing is good for you: it relieves pain.ĮMMA BYRNE: That is really potent and surprisingly well documented. It's also really useful individually, both for a cathartic side of things when you do something painful or frustrating, letting it out there. Sometimes it needs to be something stronger than just putting your arm around their shoulder going, "Oh there, there". I feel the strength of your emotions," like saying "Fuck that shit" when someone comes to you with something that's obviously upset them. It's also a really good way of bonding, of saying "I hear you. EMMA BYRNE: It's good for us socially, in that it is this really useful telegraph of our emotions it's a good way of avoiding physical conflict. Legend is David Gemmell’s first novel published in 1984 and it will forever be defined as the monolith of heroic fantasy for generations to come. These awards have been given to several well established fantasy authors over the years, such as: Brandon Sanderson, John Gwynne, and Brian McClellan to forever remember the contributions of David Gemmell and how he shaped the modern heroes of the fantasy genre. In 2009, the David Gemmell awards for fantasy was established with the goal to “restore fantasy to its proper place in the literary pantheon”. David Gemmell unfortunately passed away in 2006 at the early age of 57, depriving us of any more heroic novels he most certainly would have written. There is always a strong heroic theme in his novels but nearly always the heroes are flawed in some way. Gemmell’s works display violence, yet also explore themes of honor, loyalty and redemption. A former journalist and newspaper editor, Gemmell had his first work of fiction published in 1984. David Gemmell born in 1948 was a British author who will forever be associated with heroic fantasy. Once in the Holy City, she attaches herself to the newly appointed king, Herod the Great, as handmaid to Queen Mariamme. Lydia must leave the nearest thing she’s had to a family and flee to Jerusalem. She’s been rejected and left with a broken heart too many times in her short life.īut then her dying mentor entrusts her with secret writings of the prophet Daniel and charges her to deliver this vital information to those watching for the promised King of Israel. Orphaned at birth, Lydia was raised as a servant in Cleopatra’s palace, working hard to please while keeping everyone at arm’s length. Find out more about Tracy at her website.Ībout The Queen’s Handmaid and a Giveaway She has authored many novels, including “Garden of Madness” and “So Shines the Night.” Tracy is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Ancient History and has traveled through Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Italy, researching her novels and falling into adventures. Higley started her first novel at age eight and has been hooked on writing ever since. The war, which was present in people’s lives while the book was written, is seen in the book for example as refugees and a threatening atmosphere. Like the first book, also Comet in Moominland was partly written during the war when life was unpredictable.Ĭomet in Moominland, is about big catastrophes and natural disasters. Writing and drawing Moomin stories gave Tove a new vent for expressing herself. Right after the first Moomin book, The Moomins and the Great Flood, was published, Tove Jansson started to work on the next story. Also Snork, and the Muskrat are presented in this book. Comet in Moominland is often seen as the first novel in the series as it introduces many of the main characters, like Snufkin and Snorkmaiden, and is set in Moominvalley. The second Moomin book, Comet in Moominland (Swedish title Kometjakten / Mumintrollet på kometjakt / Kometen kommer) was published in 1946. In Finnish: Muumipeikko ja pyrstötähti, 1955 I've heard his prose is beautiful however. My problem with the length is that I don't want to invest such a large amount of time to a trilogy of books that are poor history when I could be reading more accurate and insightful books. It sounds like pop history with problematic views. His citations are messy and it's just poorly cited, he has some Lost Cause/ Southern sympathy views (I'm not sure if that's totally reflected in his prose but in interviews he expressed them), and it's overall not being painted as anything essential. The dilemma I have is that not only are all three books long as hell, but I understand that historians don't view his books to be accurate. Recently, I've been wanting to read books on the Civil War (ones I didn't read in college) and wondered if I should eventually give Foote's books a go. I got the box set of Shelby Foote's The Civil War for my birthday about 4-5 years ago and never got around to reading them. Le Guin really knew how to write a solid ending and it's no different here. Moreover, dragons feature quite heavily and not just in passing but as individual characters. We're introduced to an intriguing people 'The Children of the Open Sea', a sea-dwelling culture the likes of which hasn't really been explored before in the genre. Despite the style shift, some worldbuilding does take place. We're back to that original style but The Farthest Shore is more mature and feels like a more complete and more traditional fantasy tale. From the first book to the second there was a real shift in style that is from lonely venturing across numerous locations to a geographically constrained plot with a focus on world building. The Farthest Shore may be the best in the series so far. Thoughts are on responsibility/duty, the limited nature of life and balance. Through rich dialogue, Ged acts as a philosophical guide both to Arran and the reader. Ged, now middle-aged, well-travelled and well-renowned, accompanies the the young prince Arran on a quest to investigate a dark brooding force that is engulfing the world. The Little Mermaid (Read With Me) by Justine Korman 30 copies The Little Mermaid (Disney's Wonderful World of Reading) by Walt Disney 575 copies, 2 reviewsĪriel and the Mysterious World Above by Ann Braybrooks 62 copies, 1 reviewĭisney's the Little Mermaid: Classic Storybook by Sheryl Kahn 112 copies, 2 reviews The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (Disney Princess) (Pictureback) by Walt Disney Productions 71 copies, 2 reviews The Little Mermaid: Disney Movie Collection Storybook by Parragon Books 5 copies Walt Disney's The Little Mermaid (A Golden Look Look Book) by Linda Hughes 32 copies, 1 reviewĭisney's Little Mermaid (Little Library) by Walt Disney Company 3 copies Walt Disney's The Little Mermaid (A Golden Tell-A-Tale Book) by Carlo Ludier 6 copies The Little Mermaid (Disney Princess) (Little Golden Book) by Michael Teitelbaum 1,293 copies, 34 reviews The Little Mermaid (Enchanted Moments) by Enchanted Moments 10 copies Little Mermaid by Jennifer Liberts Weinberg 79 copies Finally, Bethesda clarifies that it still hasn't forgotten about Fallout 5 either. In other news, the UK government might be aware of when The Elder Scrolls 6 will hit store shelves. The opening sequence of Oblivion comes a close second to Skyrim. Who knows? A fresh perspective after working on Starfield might be exactly what Bethesda needs to make a worthy successor. With that said, it's nice to know Howard is confident in Skyrim's sequel. Most likely, Bethesda will use Starfield to experiment with different techniques and features that may eventually make their way to the next Elder Scrolls game. If nothing else, it will be interesting to see what Starfield is all about, even if you're not the biggest fan of space exploration games. If it's any consolation, Howard said plenty of good things about Starfield in the same interview. So, while The Elder Scrolls 6 is certainly on the docket, we don't think we'll hear anything about it at least until after Starfield is out next year. Unfortunately, Bethesda has a reputation for taking its sweet time with its games. “Easthound” is a post apocalyptic story about zombies with a twist. Eighteen short stories, novelettes and sketches form this pleasing and thoughtful collection. Her smooth fantasy and magical realism places her in the category of, and her work is reminiscent of, such writers as China Mieville, Neil Gaiman, Catherynne M. Hopkinson introduces the work with a nod to her influence by Cordwainer Smith and then begins each short story with a brief description of what the story is about and how it came to her. Falling in Love with Hominids, Nalo Hopkinson’s 2015 collection of shorter works, blends elements of magical realism, fantasy and subtle science fiction into an anthology that proclaims her originality and demonstrates her unique talent. |