Of Literary Nature

finally had enough natural light to snap some better photos of these beaded rainbow trout earrings today ✨

tagged by @thereadingchallengechallenge and @bigcats-birds-and-books

Number of books you’ve read so far: 61, and I have about two hours left of The Poet Empress audio so I should finish that today if I get to my walkies.

Best book you’ve read so far in 2026: hm. HM! The Incandescent, The Everlasting, Long Live Evil, and Volatile Memory have all been hits for me. Faven Scythe also hit five stars. I've had some bangers so far.

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2026: I finally read Labyrinth's Heart, finishing the Rook & Rose trilogy and WOWEE what a trilogy.

New release you haven’t read yet but want to: ack. What is a New Release. I read Wolfworm. Just finished Morsel. Oh, I haven't read The Works of Vermin yet, is that still new? I haven't gotten a hold of Radiant Star yet either. Oh, and All Hail Chaos, but I feel like that's cheating a bit because I didn't know LLE even existed until this year. And didn't A Tapestry of Fate come out recently? I should read that too....

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year: I'm going to be so real with you, I have lost track of book releases since leaving twitter, even with all the email newsletters I've signed up for. I don't know what's happening the rest of the year, someone enlighten me.

Biggest surprise favorite new author (debut or new to you): The Last Gifts of the Universe and The Lonely Castle in the Mirror were two impulse reads I chose just to have something playing in my ears and ended up loving a whole lot. Never heard of the authors or titles and ended up sobbing on my walks. Immediately looked into other books each other wrote I wanted to be hurt again so badly.

Newest fictional crush: are we still doing this? I'm in my 30s and some flavor of aroace.

Book that made you cry: The Last Gifts of the Universe had me sobbing so badly on my walk I was worried someone would stop and try to talk to me so I altered my route to be more secluded lol I thought it would be a silly space adventure! It was about Grief :') similar story with Lonely Castle in the Mirror and Lost Souls Meet Under the Full Moon. I'm perfectly normal about Grief.

Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received): wracking my brain trying to think if I've even bought any books this year. I think the only one I've bought has been Works of Vermin and it's pretty but its not Pretty™️, yknow? Was Wolfworm a this year purchase? It must be. That has beautiful illustrations of bugs on the end pages :)

Book that made you happy: ....happy? All my faves were Not Happy, and all the ones that made me giggle and kick my feet were rereads (murderbot) Does this mean I should read more Happy books? In my defense, I did think Last Gifts was going to be happy silly fun times.

What books do you need to read by the end of the year? I have the rest of my Books of the Month jar, which includes the Raven Scholar, The Last Soul Among Wolves, The Second Death of Locke, Swordheart, The Enchanted Greenhouse, and Winter's Orbit

The Gospel According to Hobby Lobby is a damning exposé of the powerful Green family and all that they've done in our country to power Christian Nationalism and the rise of Donald Trump. This family, the founders of Hobby Lobby, are, through channels including Signatry, some of the strongest funders behind the powerful Alliance Defending Freedom, or ADF, a powerful force behind Supreme Court decisions including Dobbs; the insidious "He Gets Us" advertisement campaign; and Project 2025. They are a powerful symbol of how entwined capitalism, the "prosperity gospel," and the idea that the USA is, and should be, a Christian nation run by Christian faith, have all contributed to the fierce rise of conservatives in our current politics.

While the book takes a moment to set its scene, explaining how the Green family rose into its wealth and forged an empire rooted in an evangelizing mission, it picks up strongly. Most of all when it hits a story that went under-reported as it peaked during the pandemic: the Museum of the Bible, founded by the Greens and funded by them through donations that they carefully purchased, sorted, "donated," and then wrote off on their taxes, was revealed to hold a tremendous number of stolen, trafficked, and forged artifacts that were seized and returned to Egypt, Iraq, and others. This museum is intensely misleading and a center for Christian nationalism, and meanwhile its artifacts are stored (yes, really) in a Hobby Lobby warehouse. Next to the crafts inventory.

This book is wrenching my heart. I have friends with disabilities and this book has opened my eyes even more to the struggles they deal with everyday and how much masking it takes to look “normal”. I’m only a fourth of the way through but I love it so far.

>looks inside

when life gives you lemons (massive $700 return from Ingram), you make lemonade (put the books up on etsy to recoup the loss)

anyway for the first time ever i'm offering signed books shipped straight to you - limited quantity; once they're gone, they're gone

annotated books are also available and 25% off