Tuesday, June 16th, 2026 09:56 am

Posted by Nathan Yau

The pandemic tested the strength of many relationships. Alvin Chang, for the Pudding, examined who stayed together and who did not over that time period. Divorce and separation were more common than usual.

At the end, you can explore the data view the responses from each person. Plus claymation.

The project is based on the How Couples Meet and Stay Together dataset from researchers at Stanford University. Every few years they’ve run the survey, following up with the original respondents, which provides a longitudinal view of individual relationships.

Tags: , ,

Tuesday, June 16th, 2026 10:48 am
Here's the next two chapters, in which a fair bit happens!

Chapter Nine Read more... )

Chapter Ten Read more... )
Tuesday, June 16th, 2026 07:00 am

Posted by Amanda

Welcome back!

It’s a big release week for us before the month slows down. I haven’t even taken a peek at July yet.

What new releases are on your radar today? Let us know in the comments!

Bump, Set, Sparks

Bump, Set, Sparks by Jennifer Moffatt

Author: Jennifer Moffatt
Released: June 16, 2026 by St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: , ,

Two rival volleyball players compete for the championship in this summer romp full of community, crushes, and confidence building from the author of Flirty Dancing.

Jess loves volleyball—she really does. Playing in Southern California Beach Volleyball League with her best friend Tania is a blast, but their recent losing streak has destroyed her confidence. In fact, a lot of what used to bring her joy—stargazing, hanging with friends at Maggie’s bar, and her adorable wiener dog, Fleming—just doesn’t seem like enough anymore. It doesn’t help that Vivienne, one of Jess’s rivals in the league, always seems to be around just when she’s feeling her worst. Vivienne is everything Jess isn’t: beautiful, confident, effortlessly charming, and, most infuriatingly, winning.

When Jess is ghosted again, it’s another blow to her confidence. Who better to challenge her than the most confident girl she knows? And as Jess gets to know Vivienne, she discovers there’s much more to her than just a pretty face (and wicked serve). But even though there’s an undeniable connection between them, they’re competing for the same spot in the pro leagues. Jess has the opportunity to build self-confidence and a better life, but she’ll have to learn to believe in herself, and the people around her, if she doesn’t want to lose everything she’s gaining. And there’s nothing Jess hates more than losing.

Dahlia: First m/m Dirty Dancing, now f/f volleyball… ‘m very into what Moffatt is bringing to queer romance!

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Dhampira

Dhampira by Amy Pennza

Author: Amy Pennza
Released: June 16, 2026 by Ace
Genre: , , , ,

A long-lost noble of the ruthless vampire court discovers she might not need to choose between her two suitors in this blood-pounding new romantasy from the USA Today bestselling author of the Bitten and Bound series.

Corinthe has spent a lifetime longing for excitement outside her sleepy human village. As a dhampir born of a human mother and vampire father, her unique abilities make her desired by those who lurk across the Feyline—the boundary that keeps the magical realm in perpetual twilight where vampires hold dominion. To stay safe, she’s concealed her supernatural strength and taste for blood from her human neighbors, but when her yearning for excitement accidentally exposes her gifts, she is captured to sell to the highest bidder.

Terrified, she expects the worst. But rescue comes in the form of Vander, a handsome stranger who whisks her from the auction stage and across the Feyline . . . where he reveals himself to be a vampire knight of King Rasimir’s court. Notorious for his cruelty, the deranged king is determined to extend his rule to the farthest reaches, and Vander has been tasked with delivering Corinthe to him.

Now a pawn in the vampire court, Corinthe learns that Rasimir intends to marry her off to the arrogant Prince Lorcan and exploit her daywalking abilities for his own gain. But a wedding isn’t the only obstacle in her path to freedom. While Vander burns with dangerous charm, Lorcan watches her with hungry eyes. And both men claim they can help her—if she can trust them.

Amanda: I’ve been on a big Why Choose kick lately!

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Love is a Contact Sport

Love is a Contact Sport by Frederick Smith

Author: Frederick Smith
Released: June 16, 2026 by Bold Strokes Books
Genre: , ,

After a rough breakup, gay romance author Renny Ross heads to the Bay Area for a fresh start. His new gig writing the anniversary story for a local university is supposed to be a fresh chapter (thanks to university president Dr. Taylor James). But Renny didn’t expect to run into a familiar face from his past.

After dropping off his youngest child at college, recently divorced Brent D. King DuPree, is on a journey to freedom, liberation, and living the life he put on hold for over twenty years to raise his family. Figuring out life as a newly out and newly single man, Brent is hesitant about stepping into the Bay Area gay scene until a chance reunion with his first real crush, and the guy he never quite forgot, his peer mentor and tutor in college: Renny Ross.

Neither man expected a second chance. But working together at the same university stirs up feelings that never really faded. Their love doesn’t have to be a secret anymore, but will they get it right this time?

Tara: I’m excited to see a book about someone coming out later in life.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Romantic Hero

Romantic Hero by Kirsty Greenwood

Author: Kirsty Greenwood
Released: June 16, 2026 by Berkley
Genre: , , ,

A heartbroken romance novelist is forced to address her writer’s block when the villainous cowboy character from her books shows up in the real world, desperately in need of his own Happily Ever After. . . from the bestselling author of GMA book club pick The Love of My Afterlife.

Gertie Bickerstaff writes happily-ever-afters for a living. . . . Or she did, until her own love life fell apart. Now her ex is thriving, her deadline is looming, and she can’t write a single word.

The last thing Gertie needs is more drama—like waking up to find a confused and rugged cowboy on her sofa. And not just any cowboy, but River Oakley, the villain from her unfinished novel. Somehow very real . . . and very shirtless.

River wants to go home. Gertie wants her life back. So they strike a deal: he’ll use his cunning ways to help her win back her ex, she’ll finish the novel, and, surely, he’ll return to whatever world he rode in from.

But as River Oakley proves to be so much more than just the bad guy, Gertie has to choose: the ending she thought she wanted . . . or the plot twist she never saw coming.

Sarah: Villain cowboy from romance novelist’s book comes to life.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

The Someday Garden

The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston

Author: Ashley Poston
Released: June 16, 2026 by Berkley
Genre: , ,

The new head gardener at the enchanting Lilymoor House stumbles upon a secret garden . . . with a mysterious man trapped inside, in the next magical novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Sounds Like Love and The Seven Year Slip.

When Sophie Drear plans her escape to coastal Maine for the summer—for a temporary job revitalizing the storied grounds at Lilymoor House—she doesn’t expect to fall in love.

But she With the beguiling land, the fragrant flowers, and the towering hedge maze. With the quirky staff and the enigmatic woman who owns the place.

And then, the door appears. Never in the same place twice, it leads her to a secret, and unfinished, garden with a frustrated thundercloud of a man trapped inside.

This mysterious garden is not the only sign that the future of Lilymoor is the foliage resists Sophie’s careful nurturing, vines threaten to strangle the hedges, and the manor’s owner has wild ideas about who will take over when she retires—including her inconveniently attractive nephew who is also there just for the summer.

Despite herself, Sophie has come to care for the residents of Lilymoor just as much as she cares for its grounds. With the help of one man on the outside of the secret garden, and one man on the inside, she might be the only person who can figure out exactly what Lilymoor needs to bloom once more.

Sarah: I’m extremely curious about this book!

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Tropesick

Tropesick by Lauren Okie

Author: Lauren Okie
Released: June 16, 2026 by Avon
Genre: ,

In this lush, slow-burning romance, two childhood neighbors, connected by a shared tragedy, unexpectedly reunite to ghostwrite a love story for a reclusive author. Spending the summer at her secluded Hamptons estate, they soon discover that dozens of classic romance tropes, including the ones they’re crafting on page, are mysteriously playing out in real life.

Katie Caruso is a completely normal twenty-five-year-old girl. At least, for the past eight years, she’s tried to be. She likes glitter and sequins and flirting with cute boys at New York City bars. She’s also a ghostwriter for Meredith Bradford, the bestselling romance novelist of all time. But then Tyler McNally walks back into Katie’s life, and that bedazzled facade crumbles at her platform-sneakered feet.

Katie and Tyler haven’t seen or spoken to each other since the overdose death of Katie’s older brother, a standout MLB pitching prospect. Tyler was her brother’s best friend, and Katie—naturally—was the girl next door. But now, Tyler is a sleeve-tattooed, Ivy League–educated aspiring literary fiction novelist, nine years sober . . . and Katie’s writing partner for the summer.

As genre conventions require, Katie and Tyler soon find themselves removed from Manhattan and instead writing their love story in “forced proximity” at Meredith’s isolated Southampton home. As the summer unfolds, the tropes Katie and Tyler have written into their novel begin to play out in their own lives. Call it destiny, fate, or magic itself: it’s clear their love story isn’t finished. This time, though, they’ll work through the pain that tore them apart—and fight for their happy ending.

Heart-wrenching and tender, Tropesick is a love letter to the romance genre. With a wink and a nod, Okie has packed the novel with readers’ favorite tropes.

Elyse: I’m curious to see how the author squeezes every trope imaginable into one book, and if it works.

Dahlia: I loved Okie’s debut, The Best Worst Thing, so much, I would’ve followed to her next book no matter what, but this one sounds especially curious and delightful.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Under Construction

Under Construction by Aurora Rey

Author: Aurora Rey
Released: June 16, 2026 by Bold Strokes Books
Genre: , ,

Sadie Simoneaux is finally living her dream of opening a bookstore in her hometown. Equal parts childhood fantasy and a much-needed exit from the hustle culture of tech startups, Sadie has the passion, the plan, and the perfect historic building. All she needs is someone to renovate it.

Peyton Broussard is Sadie’s high school friend and friendly rival, and the town’s only contractor. Rehabbing one of Duchesne’s oldest buildings is a dream job. Helping Sadie reno the apartment upstairs on a shoestring budget isn’t so bad either. But for once, Peyton’s the expert and Sadie’s the one asking for help.

Their competitive banter and long hours quickly turn their professional relationship personal until developers offer Sadie a fast exit and a fat check. If she cashes in, what happens to the love she’s just starting to build?

Tara: I just think this sounds hella cute. Renovation romance, to open a book store? People who already know each other? I’m into it.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Wildflower

Wildflower by Becky Jenkinson

Author: Becky Jenkinson
Released: June 16, 2026 by Del Rey
Genre: , ,

A magical florist journeys from the kingdom’s capital to its wild woods to fulfill an unusual request, and stumbles upon friendship, conspiracy, and the buds of new love in this debut cozy fantasy.

The book contains hand-drawn floral sketches inside!

Cursed from birth to always tell the truth, magical florist Felicity “Fliss” Farrow chooses her words carefully to avoid trouble. But when she receives an anonymous request for a mysterious flower, her search leads her directly into trouble’s to Willoh Vane.

Fliss knows the outcast—yet teasingly handsome—sorcerer is rumored to have used dark magic to corrupt the northern forest five years ago. She’s witnessed the resulting feud with Prince Bastion, whom her best friend, Card, is soon to marry. Despite her divided loyalty, Fliss reluctantly accepts Will’s help with gathering rare flowers and finds herself increasingly drawn to him.

As the royal wedding approaches, Fliss fears the flowers she’s delivered are intended for a sinister purpose. But when her warnings are ignored, can she and Will save the kingdom from disaster, and ultimately discover what Fliss has sought for so long—the truth.

Sarah: Magic florist can’t lie, teams up with dark wizard on quest.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Tuesday, June 16th, 2026 12:14 am
We must begin with the regrettable news of The death of Anthony Head, best known to children of the 90s in Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Giles, and to the children of this era for his role in Ted Lasso as Rupert Mannion, at 72 years of age. (And also many other roles, but for the US audience, those two are the ones that come to mind immediately.) And also, the death of Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis, at 56 years of age. Persepolis was one of those books endlessly recommended for a look of what it was like to be a women in Iran before and during the revolution that put the current hard-line government in charge. And also, Jane Yolen, a children's author with more than 450 books to her name, and therefore likely, you've read one of her books, passing onward at 87 years of age.

Neither the French horn nor the English horn are properly named, but instead are the result of misconceptions and translations of those misconceptions.

When someone wants to talk about trans people in UK media, they're four times more likely to mention a cisgender woman with a massive fortune and an equally large hatred of trans people than they are actual trans people. And even more so likely to mention politicians and negative attitudes than actual trans people and their issues. Although, sometimes, you have good stories from the people who aren't the actual trans people, like when the trade unions showed up to help make sure that Durham Pride was able to continue after the anti-queer government pulled their funding. Or Disability Rights UK showing up for trans people and criticizing the EHRC guidance.

Why do they have to reference TERFs? Because most people don't find the idea of trans women in women's spaces threatening, so they can't find anyone but TERFs who want to talk about it to the media.

If you want people to have better sex (and quite likely more of it), the best thing you can do for them is give them a universal basic income. Because people who aren't stressed about money issues often have time to do things they enjoy doing, which is often sex. And so is art. And so many other things that make our lives better.

Governments stop using the vague threat of children being online to force everyone to submit to the surveillance state. Difficulty: impossible. Because they keep doing it. The UK, for example, intends to ban anyone under 16 from having access to any social media at all, on the belief that it will somehow make their childhoods less fraught and less dangerous. (They're not, however, banning messaging apps or online gaming spaces, because they don't understand where things like radicalization and bullying happen, and therefore have no idea what they would have to ban to properly keep kids away from potential harm, as they claim to want.)

The usual that you have come to expect, and possibly appreciate, inside )

Last out, DistroSea, which offers VNC connections so that someone can test drive a Linux distribution before making a decision to install it. I like this idea. It's certainly more accessible than downloading and imaging a thumb drive repeatedly to decide whether something is worth sticking with. And with this available to people, it might be a really good way for someone to try a Linux system and see if they like it, without having to dedicate space and time to it other than a web browser. (You can at least get a feel for what it's like, and to see how similar and different it is than a Windows or a macOS desktop.

And also, Some very good designs for Michigan's "I Voted" sticker contest. ("I voted, now let me sleep" is the one I like the most.)

(Materials via [personal profile] adrian_turtle, [personal profile] azurelunatic, [personal profile] boxofdelights, [personal profile] cmcmck, [personal profile] conuly, [personal profile] cosmolinguist, [personal profile] elf, [personal profile] finch, [personal profile] firecat, [personal profile] jadelennox, [personal profile] jenett, [personal profile] jjhunter, [personal profile] kaberett, [personal profile] lilysea, [personal profile] oursin, [personal profile] rydra_wong, [personal profile] snowynight, [personal profile] sonia, [personal profile] the_future_modernes, [personal profile] thewayne, [personal profile] umadoshi, [personal profile] vass, the [community profile] meta_warehouse community, [community profile] little_details, and anyone else I've neglected to mention or who I suspect would rather not be on the list. If you want to know where I get the neat stuff, my reading list has most of it.)
Monday, June 15th, 2026 11:32 pm
Today was freaking awful. I still have that constant low grade nausea. I wanted to clean the kitchen but I needed to take a check to Jackson and pick up meds and mail something. No problem. that went fine.

Halfway home I realize I forgot to put in my forwarding address for the summer. I can't do it on line without uploading my drivers license and I can't tell you how much I don't want to do that. I also don't want to turn around so I decided to go to the one closer to home, half way to the office. I get there and I swear the clerk is 12 (I will guarantee you she's not 21) I ask for the temporary forwarding paperwork. She stares at me and says there is no such thing. Yes, I do it every year. Do you mean mail hold? No, forwarding. A change of address? No, temporary forwarding, you know like snow birds do only I do it in the summer. I'm new and I have no idea what you're talking about.

Never mind. I'll go to your competitor 3 miles down the road in Rio. She hands me the paperwork without issue (actually it probably IS the change of address paperwork but you have to check temporary. Now it's nearly 2 pm and I'm ripping. I stop off in the office and got something I forgot and one of the new text books are there so I take it.

I get home, start cleaning the kitchen and remember oh fuck, I need to call my doctor about this 'your insurance needs more info' turns out that they billed the old United Healthcare I had and the UH medicaid/medicare supplement. Oh here we fucking go. It's the other Dana in Texas with my exact name and exact birthday.

I call the doctor's office and tell them they billed the wrong insurance. But your medicare supplement is your first insurance. I go off like a roman candle. How many years have I been telling you that it the woman in Texas? HOW do you keep doing this? Why is no one using my social security number (Hers is different. She hasn't stolen my ID. I checked this with the texas hospitals back in the day). I told them they ain't getting paid until they resubmit (and the check I was cashing today? Them paying me back from me paying when yet again they billed the wrong insurance and I over paid)

THen I call Edwards durable health goods about my dexcom and why no one called me back from last week. This guy goes you need to talk to the change of insurance people (WHY did no one do this last week?) she quickly said yes I'm in network. My dexcoms will be 20$ BUT she also has Other Dana's fucking insurance as my best insurance. She's stunned by this and goes 'we can't see what state the supplement is from' when I mentioned medicaid is by state so how do you not see I'm in OH and she's in TX? Once they get a fax from my doc I'll get my units.

BUT all of these phone calls was another 2 hours on the phone (mostly me having it on speaker while I scrubbed the kitchen). I planned to do the floor tonight. But I had to get my bank paperwork and my SUV title out of the box like Mom has been nagging me about for 2 weeks. I didn't because I knew where they were. banking paperwork is there. My title is GONE. I have no damn idea where it is. I literally have my last two cars paperwork still in the folder but the title is gone. I tear thru this paper by paper for over an hour. Call mom and say 'did I bring it to your place at Spring Break because I thought maybe I did and forgot it. I know I saw the paperwork in January when I did the clean out and put all the IRS stuff together.

She doesn't see it. I go through more places it might be. I go through my jewelry box (and notice that I see my old passport but not the new one but that's a problem for future Dana) Now it's 10 pm and I give up. I'll stop at the BMV tomorrow before I leave and pay for a new one and pray they'll mail it to PA. I'm so over all of this (and mom the I told you sos don't help)

But I cant understand why it's gone. Mom said you said you were putting it in your suitcase so you wouldn't forget it. But I've been using that for the last month. It's surely not there. It's why I think I did take it at spring break but where did I put it at their house?

The topper is Rocket doesn't want anything to do with me other than meals. He runs in and runs back to the neighbors (who are retired and can spend time with him). They'll take care of him for me. I know he'll be back as soon as it gets cold again but today it hurt because I'm already raw.



Here if you made it through this minefield have something fun. It's the last time for this version of music monday 30 weeks of music. This week's prompt is 30 A song in a different language. I'm betting Suzume has a bunch and I know there are several of you on here with Kpop. Share away. I will say most of mine are old ones in Italian that my grandmothers listened to. I don't actually listen to many foreign language songs that aren't in an anime and the only one I remember listening to a lot from them was the opening theme of Fullmetal Alchemist


some are cheats )





here's the whole prompt list

All under here )



And here's one I was going to keep for tomorrow's fannish 50 but what the hell. I didn't put it under the cut because it's not one I know well. It popped up when I looked for the Italian Hazbin stuff. Someone did an anime opening in Japanese for Hazbin and reimagined everyone as bishies (I like them all but Valentino. He looks weird) There is no info so I'm betting this is all AI. No clue if the song makes sense but it's still cool.

Monday, June 15th, 2026 07:39 pm
1. The new car has black interior, including the NFC wireless charger, which was getting so hot that it was causing my phone to overheat and shut off in the middle of my drive home, so today when I got to work I parked under one of the solar panels and wow, that really kept my car cool! I figured it would help to be in the shade but I didn't think it would be that drastic. I'm definitely going to try and park somewhere covered from now on.

2. Speaking of the car, I was finally able to get Bluelink set up today, so now I can set the charger on a timer and stuff like that. Also the car will stop bugging me to set up Bluelink lol. I wanted to! But the purchase still hadn't been fully processed, I guess, because it kept saying there was no car associated with my account, but today I got an email from Hyundai saying I could set it up now. It also lets me see the remaining charge and stuff like that from the app, which is handy.

3. Look at Ollie multitasking! Yawning and stretching at the same time!

Monday, June 15th, 2026 10:26 pm

Down to 728 fandoms! I’ve knocked out about 150 since the last check-in, and almost exactly 800 in the whole past 6 months.

There are so many 1-work webcomic fandoms to drop, and I’m not even halfway through the alphabet yet. Bet I get my list under 450 by the end of this sweep.

(I’m not gonna just reach 450 and then stop. We’re doing the full A-to-Z here. Hopefully that leaves me a nice amount of wiggle room to pick up and clean new fandoms — which I’ve done a little of in the past 6 months, but it’ll be nice when I can make that a regular thing again.)

Only 25 of my fandoms have any tags to wrangle. This time I checked through in a little more detail, and for a full 8 of those, all the unwrangled tags are in the “crossover from for a fandom that isn’t canonical yet” category. (A full 2 of them are only here because of the same fic! It’s from this past December, and it’s tagged with 2 different adaptations of The Grinch…plus a tiny little web series, whose characters have been sitting in the Grinch bins ever since.)

AMT updates: I’m still holding firm on not being the person to detangle the Pundit & Broadcast Journalist RPF tag…but I did go down a different rabbit hole, and ended up writing a proposal to turn Late Night Host RPF into a metatag.

This involves a couple updates to Fake-News-adjacent fandom tags (LSSC and LWT). So I’m not re-submitting the new-and-improved Fake News AMT proposal until after this whole shebang has been processed.

It also involved adding a few new late-night fandoms to my wrangling list. (This kind of project is one of the reasons to leave wiggle room.) Definitely not keeping these long-term! Just long enough to make sure that, if/when everything gets updated, the various Jimmies and Jameses and so on all end up in the right places.


Wednesday, June 17th, 2026 10:19 pm
Would you like to throw a stone at me?
Here, take all that’s left of my peach.

Blood-red, deep:
Heaven knows how it came to pass.
Somebody’s pound of flesh rendered up.

Wrinkled with secrets
And hard with the intention to keep them.

Why, from silvery peach-bloom,
From that shallow-silvery wine-glass on a short stem
This rolling, dropping, heavy globule?

I am thinking, of course, of the peach before I ate it.

Why so velvety, why so voluptuous heavy?
Why hanging with such inordinate weight?
Why so indented?

Why the groove?
Why the lovely, bivalve roundnesses?
Why the ripple down the sphere?
Why the suggestion of incision?

Why was not my peach round and finished like a billiard ball?
It would have been if man had made it.
Though I’ve eaten it now.

But it wasn’t round and finished like a billiard ball;
And because I say so, you would like to throw something at me.

Here, you can have my peach stone.

- San Gervasio


**************


Link
Monday, June 15th, 2026 08:28 pm
In honor of Boots' 2nd gotcha day, what are the names of some cats you have had?

Thom(as), (Missy) Uno, Simon, Snowball who became Sammy, Pooh Bear, Pollux, I-Chaya who became Gizmo, (Chester) Bu(bastis), (Alexandria) Chi(cago), Memphis (Jones), (Thumbsy) Thebes, (Cairo-)Glyph, Turtle, Mischa, Denali, Evie, Boots.

I think that is all the named cats I have had the pleasure of sharing part of my life with. Renames were rehomes.
Monday, June 15th, 2026 11:35 pm

Posted by Melissa Srago

LGBTQ+ communities are facing an escalating wave of censorship and targeted surveillance, but we can push back through mutual solidarity. Join us live to learn how safer virtual spaces get built, how platform policies and government pressure are reshaping the digital landscape, and what platform accountability actually looks like. Our panel will share ideas for direct action and concrete strategies you can bring back to your community. Whether you’re an activist, an ally, or just paying attention, this conversation is for you. Join the livestream online followed by live Q&A.

EFFecting Change Livestream Series:
LGBTQ+ Solidarity Against the Tide of Surveillance
Wednesday, June 17th
9:00 am - 10:00 am Pacific - Check Local Time
Livestream followed by Q&A

RSVP Today
This event is LIVE and FREE!


About the Speakers

Paige Collings
As a lawyer, digital policy activist and community organizer, Paige works to dismantle systems of oppression and advance collective liberation. Her work focuses on highlighting how state surveillance and corporate restrictions stifle marginalized communities and perpetuate historic injustices and harm. She has worked with activists across the globe to facilitate systemic change by speaking truth to power and creating spaces for alternative imaginations; and her writing on digital justice has been featured in Wired, Politico, Teen Vogue, the Daily Beast and more.

Jillian C. York
Jillian is EFF's Director for International Freedom of Expression, based in London. Her work examines state and corporate censorship and its impact on culture and human rights, with a focus on historically marginalized communities. At EFF, she organizes coalitions, writes about and researches topics related to freedom of expression, leads the Speaking Freely interview series, and contributes to various other areas of the organization's work. Jillian is the author of Silicon Values: The Future of Free Speech Under Surveillance Capitalism (Verso, 2021), a contributor to several academic volumes, and has written for MIT Technology Review, The Guardian, and WIREDamong others. She is also a visiting professor at the College of Europe Natolin in Warsaw, and a regular speaker at global events.

Soatok Dreamseeker
Soatok Dreamseeker is a gay furry security engineer. He blogs about applied cryptography on his blog, Dhole Moments, and is developing key transparency to enable end-to-end encryption on the Fediverse. His puns are 100% whole groan.

Luísa Franco Machado
Luísa Franco Machado is an award-winning international expert in digital rights and data justice. She has also been a technical advisor in data governance and AI ethics for governments, NGOs, and international organizations worldwide, including the UN, OECD.AI, GIZ, and others. Luísa has carried on policy research at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and Sciences Po Paris on the intersection between technology and socio-economic development. In 2022, the United Nations recognized them as a global Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among more than 6,500 advocates. In 2025 she was featured in Apolitical's Government AI 100 list as a rising star.

Monday, June 15th, 2026 07:45 pm

Work has been very quiet for the past couple of weeks and then today was a pain of trying to work with some code that no one has touched in a year and no longer works out of the box, and debugging it took me most of the day.

Once I had done what I could there, I went to the gym and never really settled into a rhythm on the treadmill. The Smartypants premiere episode did not really hold my attention, alas, hopefully tonight's Game Changer episode will keep me going next time. So I walked down to the mall, tried on some sandals, failed to find a pair that was both reasonably cute and reasonably comfortable, and stopped by the Japanese grocery. Tonight is the monthly meeting of the neighborhood association board, which I liase with as a board member for the Park Friends. Mostly that is people trying their best to care for the neighborhood, with a garnish of NIMBY, fingers crossed that proportion stays bearable.

I just have to get to Wednesday afternoon and I will be in Maine for three days, the weather is predicted to be mediocre so I will bring a lot of books, but I need a break oh my godddd.

Monday, June 15th, 2026 06:44 pm
The two "Talking to the Sun" books were published in the 2020s. That's the common theme.

Now I have a catch all of books I read as a teen, books from the 1980s, the 1990s, the 2000s, and the 2020s.
Monday, June 15th, 2026 03:10 pm
Fandom 50 #18

Look, sometimes all there is to say is "This was extremely formative to me in my early adolescence, and I think you can all tell why."

I also distinctly remember that when I bought this album, my older sister—then in high school, very attached to her identity as a prep—informed me that if I kept listening to this kind of stuff, people would think I was a skid. By the time I was her age, I had a shaved head and a face full of metal, and my wardrobe was 95% black and 5% safety pins, so she wasn't wrong. Happily, by that point, no one I knew said "skid" anymore. Or "prep" for that matter.

Push by Moist
Monday, June 15th, 2026 05:27 pm
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Monday, June 15th, 2026 06:22 pm
Today was a perfect spring/early summer day, clear, mild, sunny, and breezy. It was very pleasant to feel some fresh air wafting through my room every so often now that I can open the windows.

We had some rain overnight so I considered taking an umbrella when I went out walking but I decided against it because I don't like having to carry anything in my hands and the sky looked only partly cloudy. However, by the time I walked half a km big black clouds were building up, so I turned around at the 1 km/.6 mile point, came home, got an umbrella, and went out again. Of course it didn't rain, although black clouds kept moving across the sky, and by the time I was back home having breakfast there wasn't a cloud in sight.

When I was halfway back from my walk I saw another fox sauntering across the road in front of me. A minute or so after it disappeared behind a house I heard a scream, as of a small animal that had just been attacked by a fox. I'm speculating, but I don't know what else it could have been.

Several years ago in Western Australia, the Blue Tree Project was started to raise awareness of mental health. There are now blue trees scattered across the globe although the majority are still in Australia, and I had never seen one here until this morning, when I walked down a road I had never walked along before and came across a small blue tree in someone's yard. I can't help wondering if the people who live in that house are Australian.
Monday, June 15th, 2026 10:34 pm

D and I got talking to one of my favorite transgym people after circuits tonight, and as regularly happens when the two of us talk to someone who hasn't known us long/well, I had the realization of just how nonsensical we must sound. With our shared brain and our running jokes (including the one about whose brain it is that we're sharing) and almost two decades of shared references, I really feel for people that we inflict ourselves upon.

Like just now, I nipped into the bathroom to grab some lotion while he's in the shower, and by the time I'd done it and left, we'd already established that a butt seen in the mirror is the worst kind of butt because that's ass-backwards, that Ass Backwards sounds like a comic book villain name, and he was saying "Condiment is such a good word anyway."

Monday, June 15th, 2026 02:01 pm


A Chivalry and Rising Sun Bundle featuring the 5th edition Chivalry and Sorcery TTRPG along with the 2021 version of the Land of the Rising Sun campaign setting.

Bundle of Holding: Chivalry and Rising Sun (from 2024)




Recent historical sourcebooks, fantasy gazeteers, and full-length campaign adventures for 5th Edition Chivalry and Sorcery (Not to be confused with other TTRPGs currently in their 5th edition).

Bundle of Holding: C&S New Lands
Monday, June 15th, 2026 03:30 pm

Posted by Amanda

Georgie, All Along

Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn is $3.99! I’ve had several friends read this one and mention it brought them to tears. Have you read it?

The acclaimed author of Love Lettering weaves a wise and witty new novel that echoes with timely questions about love, career, reconciling with the past, and finding your path while knowing your true worth.

Longtime personal assistant Georgie Mulcahy has made a career out of putting others before herself. When an unexpected upheaval sends her away from her hectic job in L.A. and back to her hometown, Georgie must confront an uncomfortable truth: her own wants and needs have always been a disconcertingly blank page.

But then Georgie comes across a forgotten artifact—a “friendfic” diary she wrote as a teenager, filled with possibilities she once imagined. To an overwhelmed Georgie, the diary’s simple, small-scale ideas are a lifeline—a guidebook for getting started on a new path.

Georgie’s plans hit a snag when she comes face to face with an unexpected roommate—Levi Fanning, onetime town troublemaker and current town hermit. But this quiet, grouchy man is more than just his reputation, and he offers to help Georgie with her quest. As the two make their way through her wishlist, Georgie begins to realize that what she truly wants might not be in the pages of her diary after all, but right by her side—if only they can both find a way to let go of the pasts that hold them back.

Honest and deeply emotional, Georgie, All Along is a smart, tender must-read for everyone who’s ever wondered about the life that got away . . .

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You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Backhanded Compliments

Backhanded Compliments by Katie Chandler is $2.99! This is a f/f sports romance. It came out last summer. Did any of you pick this up?

A steamy sapphic romance with a fantastical twist about two bitter tennis rivals who realize they are reluctant soulmates—perfect for fans of Expiration Dates and Here We Go Again.

Juliette Ricci dreams of only one being the best women’s tennis player in the world. She’s worked nonstop with her strict father/coach to prepare for her big chance in the Australian Open. Unfortunately, she’ll be playing Lucky Luca Kacic, an aloof player whose unorthodox style and reigning popularity deeply irritate Juliette.

For months they’ve traded sly insults in their press conferences leading up to their showdown on the court, and their first ever match is the most anticipated of the season. But Juliette refuses to let her nerves—or Luca’s annoyingly perfect abs—get the best of her.

Meanwhile, Luca seemingly has everything Juliette desires but there’s one thing missing from her love. When she shakes hands with Juliette after an agonizing match and sees her rival’s name appear on her wrist, it feels like a cruel joke. Juliette is a spoiled, arrogant brat who wants absolutely nothing to do with Luca or a soulmate.

But despite their personal and professional clashes, the two grow closer after late-night massages and one too many shots of limoncello. Their chemistry is tangible, but Luca’s anxiety tells her that Juliette is just messing with her head to throw her off her game, and Juliette can’t understand why Luca is so hot and cold. With the pressure of the world scrutinizing their every move, they will have to decide what’s more important—being together or being number one.

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You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Float Plan

Float Plan by Trish Doller is $2.99! This was mentioned in previous Hide Your Wallet. I remember seeing readers I know and trust recommend it, but it flew under the radar for me. Grief and suicide are themes in this one, so check for triggers before buying.

Critically acclaimed author Trish Doller’s unforgettable and romantic adult debut about setting sail, starting over, and finding yourself.

Since the loss of her fiancé, Anna has spent the last year foundering on land, shipwrecked by her grief and inability to move on. But when a reminder goes off about a trip they were supposed to take, she impulsively sets off in their sailboat, intending to complete the planned voyage around the Caribbean that Ben had mapped out for them.

But after a treacherous night’s sail and a brush with an ocean tanker, she decides she can’t do it alone, and hires a professional sailor to help her get to Puerto Rico. Much like her, Keane is struggling with a very different future than the one he had planned, and he can’t refuse her offer. Together they find a way to rebuild their lives and the possibility of new love.

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You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Sorcery of Thorns

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson is $1.99! This is a young adult fantasy with romantic elements and I’ve heard such good things. I believe I remember Aarya squeeing about this in Slack, but I could be wrong.

From the New York Times bestselling author of An Enchantment of Ravens comes an imaginative fantasy about an apprentice at a magical library who must battle a powerful sorcerer to save her kingdom.

All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.

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You can find ordering info for this book here.