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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-08-20 04:45 am
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Cuddle Party

Everyone needs contact comfort sometimes. Not everyone has ample opportunities for this in facetime. So here is a chance for a cuddle party in cyberspace. Virtual cuddling can help people feel better.

We have a
cuddle room that comes with fort cushions, fort frames, sheets for draping, and a weighted blanket. A nest full of colorful egg pillows sits in one corner. There is a basket of grooming brushes, hairbrushes, and styling combs. A bin holds textured pillows. There is a big basket of craft supplies along with art markers, coloring pages, and blank paper. The kitchen has a popcorn machine. Labels are available to mark dietary needs, recipe ingredients, and level of spiciness. Here is the bathroom, open to everyone. There is a lawn tent and an outdoor hot tub. Bathers should post a sign for nude or clothed activity. Come snuggle up!
Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books ([syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-08-20 08:00 am

Links: Widows, Queen Victoria, & More

Posted by Amanda

Workspace with computer, journal, books, coffee, and glasses.Welcome back! I hope you’ll enjoy the special treat of a morning edition of Wednesday Links.

I feel like the heat has finally broken in New England and we can feel the start of cooler temps. Yay! In other news, I shared appetizers and margs with a friend last week, which led to her including me on the plan to secure Backstreet Boys at the Sphere tickets.

Well, we got ’em! I’m so unbelievably excited for the experience.

Also there’s nothing better than bonding and venting over warm tortilla chips and fresh salsa.

Kelly Faircloth is killing it over at National Geographic. Her latest is a dive into a new book that discusses the real possibility that Queen Victoria had a secret marriage. This one might be paywalled, but the book in question is Victoria’s Secret by Dr. Fern Riddell.

I’d like to mention a podcast! I follow historian Katie Charlwood, who has a lovely voice and even lovelier fashion sense, on social media. She has a history podcast called Who Did What Now? I’m linking to Spotify, but check your podcast apps of choice.

Thanks to EC Spurlock for sharing this list of sci-fi and fantasy romances with forced proximity. (And not to be nitpicky, but the actual list is all fantasy, with the exception of the sponsoring book.)

Love PBS and want a good cry? Watch this short doc on Camp Widow.

Don’t forget to share what cool or interesting things you’ve seen, read, or listened to this week! And if you have anything you think we’d like to post on a future Wednesday Links, send it my way!

Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books ([syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-08-20 08:00 am

Defining the Evolved Form of Historical Romance

Posted by SB Sarah

This piece of literary mayhem is exclusive to Smart Bitches After Dark, but fret not. If you'd like to join, we'd love to have you!

Have a look at our membership options, and come join the fun!

If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section with exclusive content and events.

Everything you’re used to seeing at the Hot Pink Palace that is Smart Bitches Trashy Books will remain free as always, because we remain committed to fostering community among brilliant readers who love romance.

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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-08-19 07:41 pm

Robotics

WARNING: Do not watch with mouth full.

Robots race, play football, crash and collapse at China's 'robot Olympics'

BEIJING, Aug 15 (Reuters) - China kicked off the three-day long World Humanoid Robot Games on Friday, looking to showcase its advances in artificial intelligence and robotics with 280 teams from 16 countries.
Robots competed in sports such as track and field, and table tennis, as well as tackled robot-specific challenges from sorting medicines and handling materials to cleaning services



Watching the evolution of robotics on a primitive planet is hilarious.



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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-08-19 07:44 pm
Entry tags:

Food

Build an Emergency Food Supply List

There are several ways to build an emergency food supply to stock a survival kit and a “bug out bag”. While you can purchase specialized food products or a self-contained emergency preparedness kit, these can be costly and wasteful.

Instead, you can simply assemble shelf-stable foods that you already buy or preserve at home. Many canned, dried, and pickled foods are quite suitable for use in an emergency kit
.


Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

In particular, watch for sales.  Anytime you see a shelf-stable food that you use, consider buying extra if feasible.

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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-08-19 04:08 pm

American Meadows Order

My fall order from American Meadows has arrived.  :D  Now I just need the weather to break so I can actually get out to plant things.  If you're still shopping, this nursery has some stock of fall bulbs left and some of those are on sale.

Dangerous Mood Bearded Iris (lavender standards with near-black falls)

Montmartre Bearded Iris (purple with yellow edges)

Ziggy Reblooming Bearded Iris (yellow standards with burgundy-and-yellow streaked falls)
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-08-19 02:38 pm

Birdfeeding

Today is partly cloudy and sweltering.  It rained a little last night.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

EDIT 8/19/25 -- I put out water for the birds.  I've seen a male cardinal.

EDIT 8/19/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 8/19/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 8/19/25 -- I watered the barrel garden and the old picnic table garden.

EDIT 8/19/25 -- I watered the new picnic table and the septic garden.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books ([syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-08-19 03:30 pm

KJ Charles, Non-Fiction, & More

Posted by Amanda

Murder by Memory

Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite is $2.99! This is book one in the Dorothy Gentleman series, which I know was highly anticipated. Did any of you pick this one up?

A Memory Called Empire meets Miss Marple in this cozy, spaceborne mystery, helmed by a no-nonsense formidable auntie of a detective.

Welcome to the HMS Fairweather, Her Majesty’s most luxurious interstellar passenger liner! Room and board are included, new bodies are graciously provided upon request, and should you desire a rest between lifetimes, your mind shall be most carefully preserved in glass in the Library, shielded from every danger.

Near the topmost deck of an interstellar generation ship, Dorothy Gentleman wakes up in a body that isn’t hers—just as someone else is found murdered. As one of the ship’s detectives, Dorothy usually delights in unraveling the schemes on board the Fairweather, but when she finds that someone is not only killing bodies but purposefully deleting minds from the Library, she realizes something even more sinister is afoot.

Dorothy suspects her misfortune is partly the fault of her feckless nephew Ruthie who, despite his brilliance as a programmer, leaves chaos in his cheerful wake. Or perhaps the sultry yarn store proprietor—and ex-girlfriend of the body Dorothy is currently inhabiting—knows more than she’s letting on. Whatever it is, Dorothy intends to solve this case. Because someone has done the impossible and found a way to make murder on the Fairweather a very permanent state indeed. A mastermind may be at work—and if so, they’ve had three hundred years to perfect their schemes…

Told through Dorothy’s delightfully shrewd POV, Murder by Memory is an ode to the cozy mystery taken to the stars with a fresh new sci-fi take. Perfect for fans of the plot-twisty narratives of Dorothy Sayers and Ann Leckie, this well-paced story will leave readers captivated and hungry for the series’ next installment.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting

The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles is 99c! Take note that it has a new cover and a new ISBN from its initial release, so double check if you have this already. This book was almost recommend in two Rec Leagues: Papa Bears and No Bleak Moment.

Robin Loxleigh and his sister Marianne are the hit of the Season, so attractive and delightful that nobody looks behind their pretty faces.

Until Robin sets his sights on Sir John Hartlebury’s heiress niece. The notoriously graceless baronet isn’t impressed by good looks, or fooled by false charm. He’s sure Robin is a liar—a fortune hunter, a card sharp, and a heartless, greedy fraud—and he’ll protect his niece, whatever it takes.

Then, just when Hart thinks he has Robin at his mercy, things take a sharp left turn. And as the grumpy baronet and the glib fortune hunter start to understand each other, they also find themselves starting to care—more than either of them thought possible.

But Robin’s cheated and lied and let people down for money. Can a professional rogue earn an honest happy ever after?

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

The Jasmine Throne

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri is $2.99! Many of us were big fans of her debut fantasy romance Empire of Sand. This is the first book in her second trilogy, which has been concluded. Are you a fan?

Author of Empire of Sand and Realm of Ash Tasha Suri’s The Jasmine Throne, beginning a new trilogy set in a world inspired by the history and epics of India, in which a captive princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic become unlikely allies on a dark journey to save their empire from the princess’s traitor brother.

Imprisoned by her dictator brother, Malini spends her days in isolation in the Hirana: an ancient temple that was once the source of the powerful, magical deathless waters — but is now little more than a decaying ruin.

Priya is a maidservant, one among several who make the treacherous journey to the top of the Hirana every night to clean Malini’s chambers. She is happy to be an anonymous drudge, so long as it keeps anyone from guessing the dangerous secret she hides.

But when Malini accidentally bears witness to Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. One is a vengeful princess seeking to depose her brother from his throne. The other is a priestess seeking to find her family. Together, they will change the fate of an empire.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women

The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women by Rosalie Gilbert is $1.99! I mentioned this non-fiction in a previous Get Rec’d. I love a niche history deep dive.

A “wickedly entertaining, informative and thought-provoking” look at romance, courtship, and other intimacies behind closed Medieval doors (Dr. Markus Kerr, PhD, MDR).

Were medieval women slaves to their husband’s desires, jealously secured in a chastity belt in his absence? Was sex a duty or could it be a pleasure? Did a woman have a say about her own female sexuality, body, and who did or didn’t get up close and personal with it? No. And yes. It’s complicated.

The intimate lives of medieval women were as complex as for modern women. They loved and lost, hoped and schemed, were lifted up and cast down. They were hopeful and lovelorn. Some had it forced upon them, others made aphrodisiacs and dressed for success. Some were chaste and some were lusty. Having sex was complicated. Not having sex, was even more so.

Inside The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women, a fascinating book about life during medieval times, you will discover tantalizing true stories about medieval women and a myriad of historical facts. Learn about:

  • The true experiences of women from all classes, including women who made history
  • The dos and don’ts in the bedroom
  • Sexy foods and how to have them
  • All you need to know for your wedding night, and well as insider medical advice
  • How to get pregnant (and how not to), and more

“Quite compelling and hilariously funny. I have been chuckling out loud and my husband says he thinks he ought to read it if it’s such a tonic. God forbid!” —Susanna Newstead, author of the Savernake Novels

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksSmart Bitches, Trashy Books ([syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed) wrote2025-08-19 02:00 pm

HaBO: She Works as a Receptionist for a Skydiving Place

Posted by Amanda

This HaBO is from Dina, who wants to find this romance. CW for cancer:

I have been searching for this book for weeks.

I tried everything: Reddit, Facebook groups, Google, Goodreads, all my kindle, Amazon history.

I don’t know how, but I read it twice and can’t remember the name.

Only the plot.

I think I read it the first time maybe 3 years ago and it was written around that time, something from the last 10 years maybe.

It was a beautiful, emotional love story, medium spice. Between a young girl that survived cancer, she always wears a beanie to hide her hair loss, she goes to live with her step brother, he runs a skydiving business and she develops a relationship with his friend/partner.

I have a feeling maybe the girl had a unisex name, not sure.

I don’t think it was part of a series, but maybe it was suggested that the brother will have his own story.

The girl had a very hovering mother. When she healed, she wanted to move away and that’s how she got to work as a receptionist at the skydiving place with the brother. I feel like they were half siblings and shared a father.

Towards the end, she feels sick and the mother picks her up, takes her back home. I think that’s when her love interest realizes he loves her and wants them to really be together.

A lot of the story centers around the beanie and the insecurity with her hair.

There is a scene with all of them going to a bar and this another girl is making fun of her.

She was afraid of skydiving, but ended up doing the first one with him.

I think she was an artist.

Does this ring any bells?

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yellowrosess ([personal profile] yellowrosess) wrote in [community profile] iconic2025-08-19 01:38 pm

icons.

Vampire Diaries cast
Taylor Swift
Gigi Hadid
Elsa Hosk
Cats and books
Coffee/matcha


yr020 yr08 yr02

rest HERE
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-08-19 04:24 am

Poem: "He Who Whispers"

This is the freebie for the August 5, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from [personal profile] siliconshaman. It also fills the "He Who Whispers" square in my 8-1-25 card for the Crime Classics fest. This poem belongs to An Army of One series.

Read more... )
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Rascal ([personal profile] gimmighoulcoins) wrote in [site community profile] dw_community_promo2025-08-19 05:31 am
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[community profile] 1character: a character-focused fanfic writing community

the banner has the image of a blank notebook and a pencil on a white background, with a bullet point list that reads: Pick a character. Pick a theme set. Write 50 one-sentence fic. The title of the community, 1character, is displayed under the list.

Description: Pick one character as your focus in this fic writing community in the style of [livejournal.com profile] 1sentence, choose from 1 of the 6 theme sets, and make your claim - then, write 50 one-sentence fic inspired by the prompts to share on the comm! This is an ongoing activity, open to writers for all fandoms, as well as original characters. Claims are good for three months, and you can get an extension of one month if needed.
Schedule: Ongoing
Links:
On Dreamwidth: [community profile] 1character