Love the commitment to the math here π
Love the commitment to the math here π
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza creators at @biketrailbooks.bsky.social this afternoon! ππ
Just hosted the creators of Taco Goat Cheese Pizza at the bookstore, too. It was so fun to learn behind the scenes of developing a viral game like that
On my reread of #onyxstorm and Iβm LOVING listening to the audiobooo version for the second pass. Highly recommend (and Iβm not normally an audiobook preferred kinda gal). Obvs get it from @librofm.bsky.social ππ
Silent Patient is my go to for anyone thatβs βnot a readerβ but wants to grab a book!
And our Xaden Daddy margarita & The Pearlescent Andarna spritzer
Iβll go first:
- Onyx Storm
- Iron Flame (reread)
- Book Lovers by EH
- Au Pair Affair by TB
- Fangirl Down by TB
- Tell Me Everything by ES
ππ
Okay, weβre 3 weeks into Jan. What have you read in 2025 so far? ππ
I read within the last year but still needed a reread. Highly recommend listening to the audiobook version (esp on @librofm.bsky.social)! Helped me get through it quickly for the re-read. (Also, 1.3 speed!!!)
Our Battle Brief & nametags we handed out at our Onyx Storm release parties #booksky
I'm listening to this one, and I enjoy it. But, I always recommend her as a frivolous, character-driven story -- never plot.
Here are my favorite romance tropes:
enemies to lovers : 9/10
slowburn : 8/10
forced proximity: 8/10
grumpy/sunshine : 8/10
friends to lovers : 8/10
second chance : 5/10
age gap : 5/10
love triangle : 4/10
why choose: 3/10
fake dating : 1/10
pregnancy : 0/10
I'm also a history nerd w/ an BA & MA in history. If you're looking for solid historical context & commentary, I can't recommend @hcrichardson.bsky.social's Substack enough
Just the right balance of scholarly critique + depressive realism + hopeful action items
substack.com/@heathercoxr...
Headshot of bookstore owner Brooke Hathaway DeSantis wearing a navy sweatshirt stating 'PLANTS & BOOKS'
Hello! My name is Brooke, and I opened a bookstore in Greater Cincinnati last year! I own & run the 1300 sq ft store, & I'm excited to join #BookSky!
If bookstore vibes, wine, caffeine, parenting little kids, suburban resistance, or reading are on your 2025 bingo card, then let's connect!
Our first βFeministβ book club is tonight; itβs an outgrowth of a Blue Bracelet meetup, turned @redwineblueusa.bsky.social local group. Each month the group is meeting up twice: once for action-based meetings and once for a community bookclub
Love that youβre doing this!
Bookshop.org is a godsend for small indie bookstores that donβt have the bandwidth, staff, etc to ship books. We make 30% of the sale without touching a single book or packing material. I make a decent portion of revenue each quarter via this.
Hey Lara! Iβm an indie bookstore owner in Ohio. Hereβs whatβs Iβd recommend: 1) finding a local indie bookstore & shopping via their website, 2) picking out a larger indie bookstore like Joseph Bethβs, Powells, Schuler Books and selecting shipping, 3) buying from Bookshop.org
If a customer does not indicate a particular store to support, it goes into a general fund. Then they split that pot up and send out bonus checks once a year to all stores. It really IS amazing for indie bookstore owners!
Hey there - just want to step in as a local bookstore owner. This is not true. Bookshop.org gives all participating stores 30% of all sales (there are some criteria to participation).
ππ
Sample of printed handouts at Bike Trail booksβ Onyx Storm release party.
Two participants dressed in costume at Bike Trail booksβ Onyx Storm release party.
Registration table with Basgiath War College backdrop at Bike Trail booksβ Onyx Storm release party.
Also, still basking in our amazing #OnyxStorm launch parties the last two nights. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!
Thatβs my point β thereβs room for βcontentβ (and really just mean normal people like me) sharing their desires for more straightforward ingredients AND preferences for science, research, etc.
Susie down the street needs to know I like sourdough & public health.
But, I also like NIH and funding health research. I love vaccines & the diseases & death they prevent.
An acquaintance at dinner said βat least RFK will clean up our foods.β And I was like βand eliminate vaccines.β She was like βHuh??β
For example, I want my kids outside more and love the idea of 10,000 hours outside. I want to eat pastries and breads made out of ingredients like Europe has. I like to make homemade butter.
Another thought Iβm thinking thru: how can I share things online (βcreate contentβ) of ideas/things our family does that may mimic the MAHA movement. So many friends, aquantiances are n this crunchy camp, but thereβs got to be ways to encourage them to think more critically.
- Getting off TikTok. I love it, but Iβm torn between the community/idea sharing versus the ick of the last week
- Setting up monthly, automatic donation; consistent funding is crucial for hyper-local/small nonprofits to operate
- Gardening & wine. This is not the year(s) Iβm dropping either
Things Iβm thinking through/planning on implementing (at some level):
- No Buy Year (or, attempting to thrift first)
- Canceling Amazon Prime (member since 2008 & massively used in our family; have to weigh this with the mental load itβd carry)
- Officially joined our Episcopal church
-Signed up for paid subscriptions on Substack for ~5 writers/journos to support their work & follow responsible news
- Signed up for ~10 free Substack newsletters of likeminded people/creators that bring me joy
Things Iβve done so far β not announcing as a pat on the back but to encourage idea sharing.
- Joined League of Women Voters in my very conservative county (annual membership dues were quite minimal)
- Recommitted to @redwineblueusa.bsky.social (our Loveland, OH group)