5 star books in 2021

Books I've rated 5 stars on Goodreads this year. Includes new and re-reads. In reverse chronological order. New since last update.

• TBD
• Poison Study by Maria V Snyder
  • I liked how once the protagonists figured out that they love each other, that was it. No angst about "how will we make this work" just "welp, let's make it work." Many competence boner.
• Briarley by Aster Glenn Gray
  • The m/m retelling of Beauty and the Beast we all need. It's just SO GOOD. SO. FREAKING. GOOD.
• The badger books by Shelly Laurenston
  • These are potato chip books and as such are excellent comfort reads. Yus.
• Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
  • Comfort read. I love this story.
• Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
  • Sexy? Yes. Kind, inclusive storytelling with neurodivergent characters? Heck, yes. This whole series is just lovely.
• The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison
  • SUCH a different book from The Goblin Emperor and a completely different look at the society. I mainlined this book in a matter of hours and am considering a re-read already. Just continues to be SO GOOD.
• The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson
  • A standalone Stevie Bell mystery, but you'll get more out of it if you've read the Truly Devious trilogy.
  • A love letter to 70s horror movies set at teen campgrounds. Also to small-town English mysteries. Just great.
• Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
  • I don't fully identify with Dani, but I loved the way the couple grew towards each other and learned their love languages. Happy sigh.
• Neon Gods by Katee Robert
  • Persephone/Hades retelling? In the same world as her Carver City and Sabine Valley books? YES PLEASE PUT IT IN MY EYES I LOVE IT.
• Network Effect by Martha Wells
  • Dang do I love Murderbot and ART together. This book continues to make me happy
• All Systems Red by Martha Wells
  • I needed some comforting Murderbot during these dark and stressful times. This novella is to me what Sanctuary Moon is to Murderbot. Yus
• You Can Do Anything, Magic Skeleton by Chuck Wendig
  • It's motivational. And weird. But oddly cheering and it makes me happy. I just have this one near me for random inspiration.
• Hot and Badgered, Badger to the Bone, and In a Badger Way by Shelly Laurenston
  • Honey badger. Shifter. Romance. I mainlined this trilogy over the course of a couple of feverish (literally, thanks vaccine!) days. So worth it
• The Devil's Advocate by Ashley Jade
  • This erotica is Dark Romance. It's smoking hot and really disturbing. But really hot. 
• When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo
  • This fable/fairy tale hit me in all my feelings. The way the same story can be told from two cultures and the way a mammoth can totally end a dinner party before it starts. Also, Chih is a great cleric and I will fight anyone who says otherwise.

• Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
  • Holy CRAP was this book good. So many things that I, a white, cis, low-middle class, bi woman have never had to contend with. So many things that I've taken for granted. And THE LANGUAGE in this book is just SO GOOD.
• Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher
  • In a fluffy paladin romance, we get the CREEPIEST RABBITS ever to grace literature. Just fantastic all around and I need more stories in this world. All hail the Rat!
• The Duke Who Didn't by Courtney Milan
  • This book made me squee and hug my Kindle to my chest. It's the absolute BEST use of the "only one bed" trope and "secret identity" trope that I've ever seen. Just abso-fucking-lutely what I needed
• Success is 90% Spite by Jane Zei
  • This comic collection made me happy. Very funny, very...real. Just made me happy in a week when happy was hard to come by.
• Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
  • I needed to laugh and this book fucking DELIVERS. So good. Still so good.
• Persuasion by Jane Austen
  • Just one of my favorite books and comforting.
• The Wicked Villains series by Katee Robert
  • The Disney villains are SO MUCH MORE INTERESTING than the insipid princes. 
  • This whole series is great. The books can be read as standalone, so if there's one particular villain you like best, grab their book first. So steamy. Much sex.
• Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher
  • Comfort read most extreme.
• The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher
  • Oh man does this book make me happy. Such comfort. Much peace.

HB Reading Embrace 2021

Edit 8/2/21: Done! New addition

Edit 7/5/21: Tree lighting? I need to find a hogswatch book... . 

Edit 6/9/21: Books? Books

Edit 5/3/21: Just keep reading. Mostly bonkers stuff these days because that's where my head is.

Edit 4/8/21: Getting there! 75%! 

Edit 3/5/21: Yeah, doing pretty well. Not sure what I'm going to find to cram into some of these other prompts (13/20 done), but I'll get there!

Edit 2/3/21: So I'm OBSESSED with the Wicked Villains series and am tearing through them like there's no tomorrow. I WILL find a way to get all them on this list. 

The 2021 Heaving Bosoms Reading Embrace prompts are out!

Rules? There are no rules! The only rule is "read books and put them into categories".  

The categories are (20 / 20 done):

1. Darkness Button - Captive in the Underworld by Lianyu Tan
   1. A f/f retelling of Hades/Persephone that, naturally, takes place largely in the very dark underworld.
   2. Persephone is MY GIRL in pretty much any incarnation of this story. I wanted to shake her a little in this version of it, but that's also normal. 
2. Defcon Most Extreme - A Worthy Opponent by Katee Robert
   1. When shit goes down, Tink sounds the alarm and heads in to the rescue. And then her friends come to make sure she's okay.
3. England Times America - The Heiress Hunt by Joanna Shupe
   1. Normally I like her books, but this one just fell entirely flat for me. Not nearly enough groveling from a hero who intentionally ruined everything about the heroine's life that she'd planned. Not nearly enough of a grand gesture and I don't buy the HEA. Hmpf.
4. Furrrrrr - Byony and Roses by T. Kingfisher
   1. It's a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Of course there's fur. No smut, just a sweet romance. One of my favorite books.
5. Ghost Boner - The Pearl by Tiffany Reisz
   1. Malcolm just keeps showing up and meddling, doesn't he? Such a naughty ghost!
6. HB Author - Desperate Measures by Katee Robert
   1. This entire Wicked Villians series is made for me. Just *fans self*
7. Holy Cats, That’s a Nice Nipple! - The Rose by Tiffany Reisz
   1. When the hero is literally a god, his nipples are verrrry nice.
8. Keep Being a Badass - A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare
   1. Hokay, so. This book. The heroine is a total badass and I love her. The hero is a dickwad and I hate him. Why, yes, the best way to prove your love is to take her away from all the things she loves to do so that you can be "together". Ugh. Just not good for me.
   2. I just want to hang out and drink tea with Susanna and have her teach me how to shoot. Maybe we can shoot Bram over the cliff. It'll be fun.
9. Lady Love - Queen Takes Rose by Katee Robert
   1. Zomg hot hot lady lovers. 
10. Morality Boner - Learn My Lesson by Katee Robert
    1. Neither Hades nor Meg have very many morals. Herc does, though. There are lots of boners.
11. Murder Smolder - Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher
    1. A were-bear nun and a berserker paladin? Hell YES there's some smoldering while murdering.
    2. Also the creepiest use of rabbits the literary world has ever seen. So good.
12. Never Seen Snow Before - The Sea Witch by Katee Robert
    1. You guys, Zuri has probably never seen snow before. Or anything. So sheltered, y'all.
13. Orgasms and Waffles - Hot and Badgered by Shelly Laurenston
    1. When stressed, the leading lady bakes. The scene where this is introduced is completely laugh-out-loud funny. I don't remember any waffles, but there are some orgasms. And violence, because the MC is a honey badger shifter. She's awesome and I want to hang out with her.
14. Remembering Things in 2021 - Neon Gods by Katee Robert
    1. Persephone is sunny and survives by appearing empty-headed. But she observes and remembers EVERYTHING and will TOTALLY DESTROY YOU IF YOU CROSS HER. And Hades is grumpy and carries a grudge like you would not believe. I love these two and want to snuggle this book. 
15. Roll Butter - Sinner by Sierra Simone
    1. *fans self* 
    2. There's a scene in a kitchen where there is rolling and a jug of cooking oil. It's not butter and it's not the hero being economical in a weird flex, but DANG is this book steamy. All the steam. Yus.
16. Royal Boner - The Duke Who Didn't by Courtney Milan
    1. Another fantastic historical from Our Lady Of The Twitter Takedowns.
    2. This book made me really happy in the way she turned the tropes on their heads. A less skilled author would have faceplanted, but Ms Milan STUCK THE LANDING. And the crowd (inside my head) went wild!
17. The Seven Seas - Persuasion by Jane Austen
    1. Captain Wentworth, our hero, is in the Navy. That counts.
    2. Also, his title (Captain) starts with C. The Crofts also start with C. And Captain Bennick has 2 Cs. And Captain Harville. Charles Musgrove. That makes 7 Cs. *nods with satisfaction*
18. The Sheriff of My Vagina - The Commanders' Mate by Grace Goodwin
    1. The vagina alien is the Commander of the forces. That makes him BETTER than a Sheriff. A stretch? Sure, but that's what the ATB is for.
19. Traditional Naperville Tree Lighting - All They Want for Christmas by Andie Christopher
    1. I give this book 4 stars for HOT, but 3 for editing. I can overlook some typos, but when I have to stop and go back and try to puzzle out what was meant? Not good. But HAWT.
20. War Horniness - Two Rogues Make a Right by Cat Sebastian
    1. This book is adorable. One of the characters has Extreme PTSD from war shenanigans. The other has PTSD from an abusive father. Together, they're a sweet cinnamon roll M/M power couple. I love them to bits.