David Rider ✅<p>We had a great time today at FAN EXPO Chicago. Here’s our crew from the HWA Chicagoland panel “Craft of Creating Horror,” and also our full table crew. (Flip back and forth to figure out which of us didn’t do the panel.) Fun fact: it was storming behind us, which lent to the spooky mood. Doing a great job in her first time as moderator was Grace Daly.</p><p><a href="https://c.im/tags/FanExpo" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>FanExpo</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/FanExpoChicago" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>FanExpoChicago</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/HWAChicagolandChapter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>HWAChicagolandChapter</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/bookstodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>bookstodon</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/books" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>books</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Horror" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Horror</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/IndieHorror" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>IndieHorror</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/HorrorCommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>HorrorCommunity</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/IndieAuthor" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>IndieAuthor</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/SupportIndieHorror" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SupportIndieHorror</span></a></p>
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I learned a new word today: mephitic, as in foul-smelling or noxious.
Big shout out to Tahereh Mafi, author of The Woven Kingdom, for teaching me.
I will read anything that Kalau Almony translates and this is no exception 
https://honfordstar.com/products/mistress-koharu-pre-order?variant=54044414574977
honfordstar.comMistress Koharu (Pre-order)
I've never read Pirkko Saisio before but that's going to change. I really enjoyed the first part of her autofictional trilogy
www.goodreads.comvoodoocactus's review of Pienin yhteinen jaettava4/5: This audiobook was read by the author herself and she does it masterfully. I’m not sure what to say except that I LOVED THIS. The story weaves back and forth between Saisio’s memories of her childhood and the shock of the death of her father. It’s filled with momentary glimpses of magical realism, sharp observations of how people should live and yet do not, and while it doesn’t really GO anywhere, it’s such a rich, rich story! I loved Saisio’s voice (both the literal reading voice and the narrative voice) and the pacing, the odd jumps here and there, and where the story ended. I’m gonna ...
Review - Underwear: Fashion in Detail, by Eleri Lynn: not always laid out in a way that's as easy to read as I'd like, but fascinating. Rating: 3/5 ("liked it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2025/08/16/review-underwear-fashion-in-detail/
Nicky @ The Bibliophibian · Review – Underwear: Fashion in DetailUnderwear: Fashion in Detail is another of the books from the V&A delving into a particular topic through their collections, this one written by Eleri Lynn. I found it a little less easy to rea…
Cette terre que l’on quitte
"Si vous vous demandez à quoi peut bien ressembler ce qu’on appelle un « roman-paysage », imaginez qu’il puisse se lire comme on regarderait de tous ses yeux un site fascinant menacé de disparition. Nous sommes en Lozère, au creux d’un hameau du nom de Maheux niché dans le Haut-Pays des Cévennes. Juste en dessous, le lieudit s’appelle Mazel-de-mort. Au recensement de 1954, la commune toute proche de Saint-Julien-d’Arpaon compte 251 habitants et un château du XIIIème siècle." #larepubliquesdeslivres #rdl #PierreAssouline #mastolivre #bookstodon #JeanCarrière #cevennes
https://larepubliquedeslivres.com/cette-terre-que-lon-quitte/
La République des livres · La République des livresSi vous vous demandez à quoi peut bien ressembler ce qu’on appelle un « roman-paysage », imaginez qu’il puisse se lire comme on regarderait de tous ses yeux un site fascinant menacé de disparition. Nous sommes en Lozère, au creux d’un hameau du nom de Maheux niché dans le Haut-Pays des Cévennes. Juste en dessous, […]
Read it.
In a forest.
Because trees are astonishing.
How to read a tree, Tristan Gooley
8/10
I’ve been spending time with Expiation lately. It’s a fun book about adultery.
Milly’s husband dies leaving all but £1000 to a home for fallen women. Revealing that he knew, all along about the other man.
The family try to keep up appearances, for around 360 pages as Milly tries to escape first to her ‘fallen’ sister (who turned out to be a perfect, self sacrificing wife) then to her lover.
The family’s reactions to each fresh revelations are hilarious. And divided starkly down gender lines with the men pitying poor Milly and the women suspecting something fishy.
Rory Sparkes and the Elephant in the Room by Hugh Bonneville 
I loved this light-hearted, funny romp about a young boy whose life becomes more interesting, not to mention chaotic, when the circus comes to town. 
See my review on www.goodreads.com/loopykaz
Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC.
This title will be available on October 9th.
#rorysparkesandtheelephantintheroom
#hughbonneville
#bloomsburypublishinguk
#netgalley
#bookstodon
Chapter 1 - "Prologue"
It's the end of the revolution against the Triskele Corporation. The last sputtering naval battles occur in orbit around the capital planet of Triskele whilst the people besiege Villa Triskele's citadel. The young Carl Schafer bears witness as they drag the dictator from his sanctuary and force him to face the people he brutally suppressed for two thousand years.
Continued thread
Alternatively, for a similarly low price, you can get the series that got me into Dave's writing in the first place.
The "world of the Goddess" as they call it in the book, or the seventh sword series, as it's known, is a typical portal fantasy (although I didn't really know the term when it was written).
the protagonist, Wallie Smith, a man from our world, finds his consciousness transferred into the body of a barbarian swordsman in a completely different world.
In the classic "fish out of water" narrative, he must navigate the rules, customs, and dangers of the new world. Wallie Smith's journey epitomizes this, as the mild-mannered earthling is suddenly thrust into a society governed by a goddess and a rigid code of swordsmanship.
The twist is great, too. It's one of those utterly fantastic revelations that you had all the material to work out for yourself, so perhaps you will.
The 4th book was written years after the first 3 and is as much an homage to the fans as another story, so if you're going in fresh, enjoy the trilogy as a unit first.
My omnibus copy omited the preface when I bought it, so be wary of that. I did report it to the publisher, so hopefully they fixed it.
https://seanrandall.me/recommends/B0732L5MND
#Bookstodon #Fantasy #portalFantasy
Join the Dead Robots' Society to talk about how Audible's "Audible Plus" is harming authors and narrators.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dciRd8pynz0
#writing #audiobooks #bookstodon
For only £2.39 on Kindle at the moment in the UK, you can get all 4 of the Man of His Word fantasy books.
Nearly 1,800 pages of escapism which enthralled me greatly the first time I read it. I've been back a handful of times, too.
It's light (but moving), entertaining YA fantasy. The good guys are good, the bad guys are bad, and there's not a lot of grey area. It is a bit heavy on the traditional gender roles, Inos is a princess but she's not helplessly waiting to be rescued, and while Rap is the strong commoner, he's not always right, or always doing the rescuing. They're genuine (if young and not overly complex) people.
It's clever, diversionary fantasy with a rich magic system. The sequel is just as good too, which is rare.
https://seanrandall.me/recommends/B0732J6PN5
#Bookstodon #Fantasy
Wenn ich mir einen neuen eReader zulegen möchte, welcher wäre das dann aktuell?
Der Akku von meinem Kindle Oasis lässt inzwischen sehr zu wünschen übrig.
Ich beziehe meine eBooks aus verschiedenen Quellen, eigentlich nie von Amazon.
Aktuell sende ich die epubs mit Calibre per Mail an den Kindle und finde das sehr komfortabel.
Möchte Tasten zum Umblättern(!), lange Akkulaufzeit, leicht und gut zu halten, beleuchtetes Display.
Gerne boosten.
#FediHelp #bookstodon #eReader