KJ Charles

Do not under any circumstances assume a link or a claimed partnership or an Instagram account or a website is proof of reality.

I am finding this escalation honestly pretty creepy. Feels a bit like having my house cased by burglars, albeit very stupid burglars with too many fingers

You might recall this thread about a slop book scam website from last month.

Today I got a fake invitation to do a radio interview which claimed the station was in partnership with the very same slop website.

Their romance category is particularly well curated. I'm sure 1984 was in there the other day.

a pleasure! :)

Guaranteed HEA (Headless Ever After)

no but seriously if you asked me to name one (1) British historical figure that I associate with the words "happily ever after" or "wedded bliss"

Screengrab of Kobo's "swoonworthy deals on romance books...tales of true love" featuring a biography of Henry VIII

do you ever feel that Kobo's algorithm is just a massive exercise in taking the mickey

*this

Mph. I need my comfort reading to be absorbing, and I don't find many low stakes/plot books actually achieve that. Hence thinking very highly of thins.

Working on a q&a lecture for a class today: The story of robots is always a story about slavery. The story of LLMs labeled as AI is a story about class, and which humans pay the cost, including the physical toll on their bodies/minds, and the lack of water and electricity, so data centers can exist.

I'm going to read the rest, it's just I'm selecting for the Trans Rights Readathon later this month

I read no.1 but it would make sense anyway, it really isn't plot heavy

I know someone is going to ask so: Insomnia, that's how. Also I don't have a commute, but mostly, insomnia.

Review by kjcharles - Dear Bartleby A very cosy, low-stakes read, set in a queernorm alt-Regency with magic. I am not generally a...

I read Dear Bartleby by Sarah Wallace

The only one I've read is World Running Down, which I really liked, sort of cosy dystopia?

Cover of Three Twins at the Crater School by Chaz Brenchley. Art by Ben Baldwin. Three young girls in green school uniforms cower back at the edge of a lake. From the waters emerges a giant Martian creature: part-insect, part-lobster. The Crater School buildings can be seen in the background.

Are you a fan yet? Chaz Brenchley's Crater School books are a perfect recreation of the classic girls' boarding school tales such as the Chalet School series. There's just one twist: the school is on Mars! The first book in the series is Three Twins at the Crater School.
wizardstowerpress.co...

I just flung myself head first into it and it worked out marvellously

LOUIE

Dear Shabana, I notice today that you referred to me in your speech on immigration at the IPPR think tank. You said: “A party leader should not be on the beaches of France encouraging people to make a perilous crossing on small boats.” I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised especially after the hateful Labour campaign in Gorton and Denton, but this is just the latest in a string of lies peddled by a discredited Government who intentionally fan the flames of racism and division. When I went to Calais, I was not there to encourage people to travel to the UK. I was there to see at first hand the suffering your Government and successive Governments have done in demonising migrants in a pathetic bid to pander to the base instincts of Reform and the flawed strategy of Morgan McSweeney. As you will know, if you even bothered to research my visit instead of taking Reform talking points, I was there to witness the brutality of families living in tents in freezing temperatures. I filled water tanks and picked up litter. What that visit did do is confirm my belief that if we are to smash the boat gangs and stop the boats, we need to offer safer and managed routes for migrants to come to this country. Showing compassion as a politician is not a crime. In fact, we need to see much more of it. It reminded me of a young MP who in October 2015 spent three days in Lesbos helping migrants fleeing war-torn Syria. She posted videos on X, talked about handing out water and croissants to refugees and food parcels. When she returned to the UK, she wrote a very moving piece in the New Statesman. She said “we have to work with our European partners and create new, safe, and legal routes for refugees to get to Europe. We cannot abandon them to their fate, left as prey for smugglers whilst risking death on the seas.” She said “maybe we can make ourselves feel better by saying no-one is making them get on the boats. And again, the Home Secretary is not entirely wrong when …

Dear Shabana,

Let's clear some things up around migration and remember we're talking about people's lives.

I'm just over here gibbering in a corner at this point

That wasn't sarcasm. I'm so tired.

Thank God for the House of Lords, standing up for the people against the elected representatives of the people.

aaah it's so much fun. Just really soothing :::::)

(it was great)

not saying this was good but I've just put four more books by this author in the kobo cart

Review by kjcharles - Yours Celestially I don't know exactly what happened here but it was amazing. Absolutely delightful cosy SF abou...

I read Yours Celestially by Al Hess

Review by kjcharles - The Build-a-Boyfriend Project Fake dating romance in which trans journalist Eli is teaching Korean-American shut-in Peter to...

i read The Build-a-Boyfriend Project by Mason Deaver

that's fantastic work, thank you for organising!

All slides have a dark background, with a variety of pink, blue, and white doodles as accents. Text reads: Trans Rights Readathon is partnering with Point of Pride, and we need your help!

Text reads: This year, the TRR will be hosting a 32Auctions fundraiser, with all funds going directly to Point of Pride.

Text reads: The Auction runs March 17th through March 31 and we are looking for item donations!

Text reads: The donation link is on our website. Know someone who might be able to contribute? Share this post or tag them in the comments.

The Trans Rights Readathon is hosting a 32Auctions fundraiser to benefit Point of Pride. In addition to items like shapewear, POP provides grants trans folks nationwide. We're looking for donations! #trr26 #transrightsreadathon #booksky