Once again, I've had a panic about finishing my #LitsyAtoZ! Realistically, I'm not sure that I'll get X, Y & J done in time, but here's my #LetterF, with both English and German editions pictured. I've been studying it this semester for a Holocaust Literature class. As is perhaps expected, it is a difficult read, but in this case it's because the young narrator's naivety and cognitive dissonance are so confronting for the modern reader.

I started this on the plane to Germany back in February, but the Heyeresque language was too much for my sleep deprived brain. I put it aside until a few weeks ago, but in retrospect I wish I'd picked it up again much sooner! It was a engaging read that straddled historical romance and fantasy so well, and is such an excellent example of the boundless possibilities of decolonised literature.
#LitsyAtoZ #LetterS

Do you ever just love a book, even though you can't objectively figure out why? That was me with Kissing Tolstoy. The last 1/3 was maybe a bit rushed, but the quirky characters, Russian lit references, aloof hero and the way Reid handled the student/professor aspect all just weirdly worked for me. Looking forward to the next one in this series! #contemporaryromance #LitsyAtoZ #LetterK

This romantic comedy had a cool heroine and nuanced representations of female friendships, but I found the ex-cheater hero a bit hard to handle. Maybe it wouldn't have pissed me off so much a few years ago, but the last 18 months has left me with little sympathy for the poor-little-rich-boy shtick. Also not a fan of the subplot that plays into the treacherous bisexual trope. But overall a ok read. #LitsyAtoZ #LetterR #contemporaryromance

We have a public holiday today in Germany today, to celebrate 500 years - to the day - since Luther started the Reformation by (apocryphally) nailing his 95 Theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg. To celebrate, here is my little special-edition Playmobil Marty posing with some paraphenalia from Luther-related exhibitions I've been to this year. #germanlyf #reformationstag

A book exchange has just popped up inside an old telephone box in my town, and I'm loving it! I dropped these two off today, so I won't feel guilty if I take one without putting something back next time. #germanlyf

Thanks for tagging me in #10authorrecommendations @DebbieGrillo! This was harder than I thought: once I got past my absolute stand-outs, I realised there were a lot of authors whose books I love with a similar intensity, and choosing between them was tough! I limited my selection to romance authors just to make my life easier, and put them in alphabetical order rather than worrying about a definitive ranking.

This #contemporaryromance, set in an AU England still divided into the Yorkist/Lancastrian camps of the War of the Roses, was a fun and engaging read, even if I had trouble buying some historical elements of the worldbuilding. The heroine, Lady Amelia, is given the chance to help her people - the underdeveloped Yorkist North - by marrying the heir to the throne, the intriguing Prince Arthur. #LetterQ #LitsyAtoZ #romantsy

Why did it take me so long to read this, and even longer to post about it? Now I'm trying to ration out the rest of the series for when I need sure-thing comfort reads 😂 #LitsyAtoZ #LetterO #romantsy

I've been massively AWOL on here, but I've just had a panic about finishing #LitsyAtoZ so hopefully that will get me back in the habit! 😂 I'm currently reading an ARC of Yuletide Truce, which - happily -can also function as my #LetterY. It's a cute little m/m Christmas novella set in the publishing world of Victorian London. None of the series are on Litsy, so I've requested for it to be added and tagged another of Schwab's titles in the interim

So glorious to relax and catch up on reading now that semester is finally over! For some reason Litsy doesn't seem have Her Best Worst Mistake in its database - which is, frankly, a crime - so I've tagged the accompanying novella instead. #romantsy #contemporaryromance #summerreads

Last seminar of the semester with my 'Deutsche Literaturgeschichte II: Von der Aufklärung zur Goethe-Zeit' class. Most of the class are retirees who now take university classes for fun, and they've all become like my little German family. At this point, I think they're as invested in bettering my German and writing my thesis as I am! Today one of the ladies gave me this and another book as a present, and I nearly cried! #germanlyf

Five months and two trips to Berlin later, I'm finally reading this comtemporary exploration of the city in the 1920s #LitsyAtoZ #LetterW #nonfiction #germanlyf

There's a certain type of romance that I think of as being 'quiet'. They're not necessarily low-angst or low-conflict, but the characters ineract in ways that demonstrate their love. They support one another and are mindful of the other's wellbeing, and something about that reaffirms my flagging faith in humanity. This was a much-needed and perfectly-formed quiet romance (and is also just generally excellent) #romantsy #LitsyAtoZ #LetterL

When I moved here almost 3 months ago, I brought two books with me (Sorcerer to the Crown and Walking in Berlin). Now I'm in double digits and I have no clue how I'm going to get them all back to Australia when the time comes! Also, is anyone else driven absolutely round the bend by the way that English-language spines read top-to-bottom, but other languages like German read bottom-to top? I can't deal, I have to keep them separate 😂 #germanlyf

Today's bookmail 😍 #germanlyf

If anyone is wondering how uni in Germany is going, I've discovered a new level of stress, which can only be countered by bilingual binge-reading of Lisa Kleypas. 😂 I'm using Devil in Spring as my #LetterD for #LitsyAtoZ though, so at least it's contributing to something! #romantsy #historicalromance #germanlyf

When Josh is evicted from the polygamist cult they grew up in, Caleb chooses to leave as well. Together, the two must navigate the secular world, and Caleb must convince Josh that his attraction is reciprocated, and that a relationship between them isn't sinful or shameful. This was a enjoyable and emotive romance, but problems with the pacing and conflict mean I don't think it's one of Bowen's best. #LitsyAtoZ #LetterG #romantsy

This was a stark and beautiful collection of poems, and these few lines touch on many of the themes running through the work. In a world that centres whiteness and maleness, Waheed meditates on what it means to be an African American woman, on self-care, personal growth, resistance and decolonisation. The Kindle edition is currently free on US Amazon and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

This had a good premise and sense of place (1890s Boston), and was interesting in that it dealt with the opium trade and addiction. However, the male characters - hero included - treat the heroine terribly and never show much remorse, and, while I expected a religious aspect since it's an inspirational romance, but the hypocritical way the hero mansplained faith etc. to the heroine didn't sit well with me. #historicalromance

I'm having to send my laptop away to get fixed, which is a bummer, but hopefully that means I'll have more time for reading. I started The Undateable last night, and so far it's been witty and modern-feeling with a super-relatable heroine, so I'm expecting big things! #romantsy #LitsyAtoZ #LetterU

An Extraordinary Union just went on my mental list of required reading for non-romance readers before they can denigrate and stereotype the genre. With a freewoman heroine who goes undercover as a slave in the South to spy for the Union during the Civil War, it's a story of staggering nuance with so much to say about relationships, race, gender, history and society. #LitsyAtoZ #LetterE #romantsy #historicalromance

The downside of being so exhaustingly busy at the moment is that I've only read about 3 books so far this month. But, on the upside, I've rediscovered my love of (affordable) magazines. Plus, check out this awesome sticker from F-Mag that I've stuck on my Kindle cover! #germanlyf

When I was a kid, I watched Disney's Peter Pan so many times that the video tape broke and unspooled in my VHS player, breaking it as well (those were the days, eh?). All these years later, I still have a soft spot for the story, and I'm excited to read this adaption that I've heard such good things about!

Friday night vibes: Gummi bear alcoholic drinks and @minavesguerra's No Strings Attached #romantsy #romanceclass #germanlyf

Totally in the mood for some Alisha Rai, and the gorgeous new cover doesn't hurt either 😍 #romantsy #LitsyAtoZ #LetterC

My social media are filled with my friends at Sydney's Mardi Gras Parade, and I'm feeling a bit sad I can't be there too. But I'm wearing my rainbow accessories out and about today, and reading this collection of queer Carnivale romance novellas instead! ❤💛💚💙💜 (Title not on Litsy, so I've put in a placeholder)

UPDATE: I'm now unapologetically watching the Parade live feed on my phone 😂

I'd personally like to thank historical romance authors for making sure I knew a folly when I saw one. And to the many people who have told me that I'm wasting my time reading that uneducational trash: up yours, who's laughing now? Surprise! It's me, the same person who has spent the last 10 years laughing at the idea that only self-improving literature has value.

Here you go @Chachic - some postcards of the medieval buildings in my new German home! These pictures are from before/during WWII, so some buildings were destroyed, have been demolished, revamped or burnt down since then, but much of it looks surprisingly the same. Also for @HannahM995

Looking forward to starting this today. I've been meaning to read it for ages, but seeing it on @bookriot's list of 100 must-read sports romances pushed it up my TBR. (Also, does anyone else get self-conscious about their hands in photos? I swear mine get 300% uglier the moment I turn a camera on them, and they weren't very attractive to begin with 😂) #LitsyAtoZ #LetterH #romantsy

What did you do on your first day living in Germany, Dani?

Well, my friend asked "are you interested in second-hand bookshops?" and I said "what kind of fucking question is that?" and made him take me on a bookshop tour of my new home town, where I saw these cool covers for the German editions of Fifty Shades (amongst other things).

So, I told myself I wasn't going to read this until I was on the plane tomorrow. Guess how that's going?! 😂 #romantsy #LitsyAtoZ #LetterP

I've boxed up all my non-fiction books because I move overseas tomorrow (!!), so this was the only #presidentialread I could find. The heroine is the president's widow, and has been asked to continue her duties as First Lady. Also pictured are some pieces of Obama memorabilia I've been given. #feistyfeb #presidentialreads #romantsy

Not very original, but this is the only physical book I have with me for today's #feistyfeb prompt, since a lot of my books have been boxed up now. I do love a good Jane Austen #homage! #romantsy

I use non-fiction as a #palatecleanser, so here's a picture of my non-fiction #TBR. I culled it viciously in the hope I'd be able to get these ones read before I moved overseas, but I think it's time to admit that that's not going to happen in the next 5 days! 😂 #feistyfeb #nonfiction

Loving everyone's #bookmark #riotgrams! I use anything as a bookmark, although plane and event tickets are quite popular because I don't want to hurt my 'real' bookmarks! The ticket on the far left is for the Kremlin, and I've been using it as a bookmark since my 2014 trip to Russia. My favourite, though, is the "well behaved women rarely make history" one my dad bought me at a suffrage museum in the US. #riotgram

Reading my most recent ARC on the way to dinner with a friend. All three of her books are history-heavy historical romances set in the Phillipines during the American colonial era. I've really enjoyed the first two so looking forward to this one! #romantsy #historicalromance

So even though there are 36 titles on my Kindle containing the word 'love', I can only find four actual books with #loveinthetitle. Some romance reader I am! 😂 #feistyfeb #lovetitles #romantsy

One of my favourite #diverselovestories from last year. Sofia Khan is Not Obliged tells the hilarious dating mishaps of a British hijabi, who ends up finding love in the most unexpected of places. #romantsy #feistyfeb #diverselovestory

Until today, I never realised how ubiquitous flowers - particularly roses - are on the covers of romance novels 😂 #flowersoncover #feistyfeb

It's over 40°C (104°F) here today. AGAIN. Leaves are shrivelling and dying, I'm shrivelling and dying, but I still managed to get a photo of my current read on the way home from the train station #LitsyAtoZ #LetterB

I've loved all the #blackhistory posts today; they've made me realise that my non-fiction shelf is shamefully lacking in African American history. I do have this book about the Australian Freedom Ride though, which was inspired by the Freedom Rides in the US during the Civil Rights Movement and which challenged anti-Aboriginal racism, discrimination and segregation in country NSW #riotgram #riotgrams

Full review: http://bit.ly/2kK5Jde

My #AllTheWorldsAStage shot: plays in the middle, with historical romances featuring the theatrical world on the outside. Of the two on the left, one has a opera singer heroine and the other is set at a Viennese opera house with a stage-hand heroine. On the right, a actor/theatre owner hero and a ballerina heroine. #feistyfeb #romantsy

I know lots of people loved this one, but I wasn't one of them. I liked the heroine, but was uncomfortable about the way the hero kept trying to manipulate her into changing how she felt about an unwanted pregnancy, and just generally steamrolled her. Plus, he is still with his girlfriend - not the heroine - until 3/4 of the way through the book, which was a bit unsavoury. #LitsyAtoZ #LetterA

Eva Ibbotson's The Morning Gift and Meg Cabot's Boy Meets Girl are tied when it comes to #mostreread. For some reason, they've become my ultimate comfort reads. I bought this copy of Boy Meets Girl when I was homesick and sick-sick while living in India; I walked into my local bookshop, saw this book I had loved since I was a teenager, and knew everything was going to be ok.
#feistyfeb #romantsy

When I think #shadows, I think paranormal romance covers. On my PNR shelf, I even found a book with #shadow in the title! #feistyfeb #romantsy @RealLifeReading

Did some work in the peace and quiet of my local library today, and was super excited to see these #LoveOzYA posters up in the Youth area! So awesome! 😁 I tagged Randa Abdel-Fattah's 'Does My Head Look Big In This?' because I vividly remember reading it during school lunches when I was 14 or 15 - it was probably the first book I read with a hijabi MC

This short non-fiction piece follows the actions of an American who helped Jewish people and dissidents escape the Nazis, and I've been thinking about it a lot lately. It highlights that the narratives we have constructed around the Holocaust (such as "we didn't know") aren't always as simple or true as they seem
(Tagged under another title while Litsy adds this one) #nonfiction
Review: http://bit.ly/2jhJf5L
Quote ?

The Women's Marches across the world last weekend inspired me to pull this out of my #nonfiction TBR. My dog is reserving judgement, but I think it's spot-on. However, some parts are hard to read because it's so painfully forthright about what we experience as women #LitsyAtoZ #LetterM

So excited to be starting this newly released #OzRomance! Only a little way in and it's already full of comedy and sexual tension. Also my #LetterI for #LitsyAtoZ #summerreads #romantsy