Emma Barry

Here, gas prices were about $2.70/gallon two weeks ago; this morning? Between $3.30 and 3.40.

Hugs and strength, everyone. Monday is Monday-ing real hard.

I'm so very sorry, Matt. I've read your work for more than 20 years. You're a brilliant critic, and you've profoundly shaped how I--and so many other people--think about movies and tV.

There's something deeply obscene and broken about the fact that Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth are bombing elementary schools in an illegal war of aggression, and there's still a sense among the opposition that it has to be explained in terms of gas prices in order to get American voters to care.

Okay, this is amazing. It also reminds me of a Joanna Bourne novel.

As far as I know, no. My branch of the family was in Texas well before then. But I will ask my uncle who got really, really into genealogy to confirm!

I'll take it!

I'm certainly descended from the disreputable part, lol.

I'm descended from the New Bedford Coffins (the innkeeping part of the family), not the ship captain part (which was the branch on Nantucket).

that's WILD

‼️

One of my great-grandmothers was born with the surname Coffin. COFFIN.

I can confirm that the quote is real. It's from The Ride Down Mount Morgan.

Markwayne is certainly...well, he doesn't seem as if he'll be a great manager. lol

[Exit Murderer.]

(yes, she's going onto another government job, and that sucks. and this doesn't address the structural issues at DHS. but take the win for the day, I say. we get so few of them.)

It couldn't have happened to a nicer walking affront to human rights. Let's do Bondi and Hegseth next.

Yay!!

this is WILDLY insightful, and I would guess that it explains at least some of what we're seeing. I need to think about it more (I just got in from work, and my brain is Jell-O), but I absolutely think you're onto something.

It wasn't me. Was it this piece? bsky.app/profile/oliv...

How very dare she!! Lol

Yes, this too. I tend to think our books tend to be too simple about their politics and often use politics not to explore characterization or to fuel conflict but as shorthand for morality (who should we care about, who deserves an HEA, etc.)

I absolutely think this could be the case. But of course romance sublimates that (not that I want it on the page!).

Yup!!

and in fairness, some of that might be backlash to subgenres such as dark romance in which--IMHO--the characters *are* often irredeemably flawed. I don't know! much to consider, lol.

so while lack of editing or the difficulties of capturing the human condition are part of it, we do seem to be living in a moment where at least some readers don't have patience for flawed characters.

same.

I do think some of this is an attempt to meet the market. I saw a review the other day on Instagram the other day where the reviewer said they wanted one protag to "die in a fire" and not get an HEA because of his actions. and it was basically just regular flaws (not like being a Nazi).

(and the single POV books I've read recently seem to pair a realistic, flawed protag with a too perfect LI, which is just obnoxious.)

oh, I totally agree! but I do feel as if many new books I pick up either have flawless protags or the flaws are the equivalent of saying "I just work too hard" in a job interview when asked about your greatest flaw.

the protagonists need to be likable but flawed (and not necessarily in a quirky way) and need to love each other *because of* their imperfections.