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Posted by Rae Deng

Disney did release its slate of upcoming movies during an April 2026 convention, but none of them are called "Charlie Kirk."
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Posted by Joey Esposito

There has been no shortage of rumors about everything from Johnson's personal life to his political career.
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Posted by Jordan Liles

Online users shared the alleged black-and-white photo in early 2026, claiming it appeared in Jeffrey Epstein's federal case files.
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Posted by Amanda

Book Beat aims to highlight other books that we may hear about through friends, social media, or other sources. We could see a gorgeous ad! Or find a new-to-us author on a list of underrated romances! Think of Book Beat as Teen Beat or Tiger Beat, but for books. And no staples to open to get the fold-out poster.

Cash Delgado is Living the Dream

Cash Delgado is Living the Dream by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Author: Tehlor Kay Mejia
Released: July 2, 2024 by Dell
Genre: , ,

A small-town bartender juggles motherhood and a sexual awakening in this heartwarming queer friends-to-lovers romance from the author of Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review.

Cash Delgado has a good life in the quaint town of Ridley Falls. She has Joyce’s Bar, where she manages a familiar group of regulars and emcees the ever-popular Karaoke Thursday. She has her six-year-old daughter, Parker, whose spunky attitude always keeps life interesting. And she has her best friend, Inez O’Conner, who improves Cash’s sometimes overly responsible outlook with one full of joy and potential.

But change is on the horizon when Chase Stanton, the former bar manager at Joyce’s (not to mention Cash’s last hookup), returns to town with business prospects that could threaten the local institution and all of Cash’s plans to someday bring new life to the place. And if that isn’t enough, Cash starts having very intimate dreams of Inez. Dreams that could threaten the foundation of her well-ordered life.

As Cash embarks on a reluctant journey of self-discovery, she’s forced to confront all the ways she’s been hiding in her own life. But will she choose to remain the same, or will the desire for love (even a love that looks different than she ever imagined) prove worth the risk?

A small town romance that is queer and diverse!

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Duchess in Diamonds

Duchess in Diamonds by Jennifer Ashley

Author: Jennifer Ashley
Released: April 23, 2026 by JA / AG Publishing
Genre: ,
Series: Satin and Silk #1

Eamon Stone, Hayden McCormick, and Dominic Wolfe have survived everything together—from a brutal schoolboy existence to deadly missions against Napoleon. Stranded behind enemy lines at Waterloo, they make a pact: if they live through the day, each will try to settle down and marry, leaving the last bachelor standing the loser of their wager.

No one expects Eamon Stone, son of a disgraced swindler, to fall in love first, least of all Eamon himself.

London, 1816

When Eamon calls on the widowed Duchess of Aylesmore to assess her late husband’s art collection, he hardly imagines she’ll be young, lovely, and in desperate straits. Caro Aylesmore, raising her nine-year-old son alone and drowning in her husband’s debts, hopes the paintings will save them.

Dragged across Europe by his trickster father, Eamon learned all about art, including frauds and forgeries. He hates disappointing the late duke’s beautiful second wife—so much so that he impulsively offers to search the entire house for anything of value.

He’s not certain why he’s being so gallant. But Caro’s quiet resilience reaches him in ways he can’t explain, and young Leo, the new duke, is already finding a place in Eamon’s heart.

Caro faces more than stern debt-collectors. Her husband’s ambitious nephew aims to claim Leo for himself, and is all too eager to expose Eamon as the fraud he once was. If scandal touches Caro, she could lose her beloved son to a man who covets the title more than the boy.

As Caro falls for the disarming Eamon, she faces an impossible choice: her heart, or her son’s future.

Eamon may have to sacrifice his own happiness to keep her safe—even if it means losing the wager and his heart.

Jennifer Ashley has a new historical romance series kicking off next week. 

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Love Sick

Love Sick by Deidra Duncan

Author: Deidra Duncan
Released: May 13, 2025 by Canary Street Press
Genre: ,

“Heartfelt and smart, Love Sick is just what the doctor ordered.”—Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of The Breakup Tour

Their bedside manner needs a little work…
Love may be the best medicine, but first-year resident Grace Rose isn’t prescribing it anytime soon. Not since her ex broke her heart in med school, and especially not since hearing the rumor that she slept her way into the OB-GYN program. (Spoiler  So not true.) With her social anxiety already in full spiral, Grace is determined to set the record straight. But after a tense first encounter with fellow resident Julian Santini—with his annoying good looks and witty charm—she realizes that her reputation may never fully recover.

Julian didn’t mean to offend Grace. After all, he’s just as fed up with the toxic “BrOB-GYN” culture as she is. He’s got his own drama to triage anyway—like proving that he earned his spot in this residency, not simply lucked into it. Still, something about Grace gets under his skin…and not always in a bad way.

Forced to work together through grueling shifts and sleepless nights, Grace and Julian try to cut back on the bickering for the sake of their training. Before long, however, a different kind of tension exposes the cracks in their truce. With their hearts in critical condition, will they accept that love is the best remedy of all?

Grey’s Anatomy meets The Hating Game in this delicious, laugh out loud rom-com set in the world of a tight-knit group of OB-GYN residents—written by a practicing physician.

A medical romance written by a doctor, which seems pretty neat.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

The Unworthy

The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica

Author: Agustina Bazterrica
Released: March 4, 2025 by Scribner
Genre: ,

The long-awaited new novel from the author of global sensation Tender Is the Flesh: a thrilling work of literary horror about a woman cloistered in a secretive, violent religious order, while outside the world has fallen into chaos.

From her cell in a mysterious convent, a woman writes the story of her life in whatever she can find—discarded ink, dirt, and even her own blood. A lower member of the Sacred Sisterhood, deemed an unworthy, she dreams of ascending to the ranks of the Enlightened at the center of the convent and of pleasing the foreboding Superior Sister. Outside, the world is plagued by catastrophe—cities are submerged underwater, electricity and the internet are nonexistent, and bands of survivors fight and forage in a cruel, barren landscape. Inside, the narrator is controlled, punished, but safe.

But when a stranger makes her way past the convent walls, joining the ranks of the unworthy, she forces the narrator to consider her long-buried past—and what she may be overlooking about the Enlightened. As the two women grow closer, the narrator is increasingly haunted by questions about her own past, the environmental future, and her present life inside the convent. How did she get to the Sacred Sisterhood? Why can’t she remember her life before? And what really happens when a woman is chosen as one of the Enlightened?

A searing, dystopian tale about climate crisis, ideological extremism, and the tidal pull of our most violent, exploitative instincts, this is another unforgettable novel from a master of feminist horror.

If Tender is the Flesh is your ideal mindfuck of a book, this is Bazterrica’s latest.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

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Posted by Jack Izzo

Social media users shared what appeared to be a Truth Social post from the U.S. president, but there were several signs it was fake.
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Posted by Amanda

A Conspiracy in Belgravia

A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas is $1.99! This is book two in the Lady Sherlock series, so if you’re looking to collect the series digitally, grab this one while you can.

The game is afoot as Charlotte Holmes returns in the atmospheric second novel in New York Times bestseller Sherry Thomas’s Victorian-set Lady Sherlock series.

Being shunned by Society gives Charlotte Holmes the time and freedom to put her extraordinary powers of deduction to good use. As “Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective,” aided by the capable Mrs. Watson, she’s had great success helping with all manner of inquiries, but she’s not prepared for the new client who arrives at her Upper Baker Street office.

Lady Ingram, wife of Charlotte’s dear friend and benefactor, wants Sherlock Holmes to find her first love, who failed to show up at their annual rendezvous. Matters of loyalty and discretion aside, the case becomes even more personal for Charlotte as the missing man is none other than Myron Finch, her illegitimate half brother.

In the meanwhile, Charlotte wrestles with a surprising proposal of marriage, a mysterious stranger woos her sister Livia, and an unidentified body that surfaces where least expected. Charlotte’s investigative prowess is challenged as never before: Can she find her brother in time—or will he, too, end up as a nameless corpse somewhere in the belly of London?

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

The Devil You Know

The Devil You Know by Kit Rocha is $2.99! This is book two in the Mercenary Librarians series and is set in a post-apocalyptic Atlanta. All books in this series are on sale!

Maya has had a price on her head from the day she escaped the TechCorps. Genetically engineered for genius and trained for revolution, there’s only one thing she can’t do—forget.

Gray has finally broken free of the Protectorate, but he can’t escape the time bomb in his head. His body is rejecting his modifications, and his months are numbered.

When Maya’s team uncovers an operation trading in genetically enhanced children, she’ll do anything to stop them. Even risk falling back into the hands of the TechCorps.

And Gray has found a purpose for his final days: keeping Maya safe.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

The Viscount’s Unconventional Lady

The Viscount’s Unconventional Lady by Virginia Heath is $1.99! This was previously published in 2021, so make sure you don’t already have it. This is book one in The Talk of the Beau Monde series and I certainly don’t like that cover.

The notorious viscount

And the most gossiped-about lady…

After years as a diplomat in the Napoleonic Wars, Lord Eastwood is reluctant to return to London society. His scandalous divorce has made him infamous, not to mention cantankerous! To halt the rumor mill, he should marry a quiet noblewoman—instead it’s bold, vibrant artist Faith Brookes who’s caught his attention. They are the least suitable match, so why is he like a moth to a flame?

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Colton Gentry’s Third Act

Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zentner is $2.99! I mentioned this one in a previous Get Rec’d. This one seems like it’ll pack an emotional punch.

“A story of love, healing, and second chances ” (Emily Henry) following a down on his luck country musician who, in the throes of grief after a shocking loss, moves back home and rekindles a relationship with his high school sweetheart, from award-winning author Jeff Zentner.

Colton Gentry is riding high. His first hit in nearly a decade has caught fire, he’s opening for country megastar Brant Lucas, and he’s married to one of the hottest acts in the country. But he’s hurting. Only a few weeks earlier, his best friend, Duane, was murdered onstage by a mass shooter at a country music festival. One night, with his trauma festering and Jim Beam flowing through his veins, Colton stands before a sold-out arena crowd of country music fans and offers his unfiltered opinion on guns. It goes over poorly.

Immediately, his career and marriage implode. Left with few choices or funds, he retreats to his rural Kentucky hometown. He’s resigned himself to has-been-dom, until a chance encounter at his town’s new farm-to-table restaurant gives him a second shot at a job working in the kitchen with Luann, his first love, who has undergone her own reinvention. Told through perspectives alternating between his senior year of high school, his time coming up with Duane as hungry musicians in Nashville, and the present, COLTON GENTRY’S THIRD ACT is a story of coming home, undoing past heartbreaks, and navigating grief, and is a reminder that there are next acts in life, no matter how unlikely they may seem.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

goddess47: Emu! (Default)
[personal profile] goddess47 posting in [community profile] fancake
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairings/Characters: Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale
Rating: PG
Length: 12K for the first story; 35K for the 5 stories series
Creator Links: DiscontentedWinter on AO3
Theme: Arranged Marriage

Content Notes:

Canon-typical violence

Summary:

To honour a treaty with the people of a strange land, Derek Hale, prince of the kingdom of Triskelion, has to marry Stiles.

Reccer's Notes:

A beautifully lyric and almost mystical work about an arranged marriage between Prince Stiles and Prince Derek where they have never met before the wedding and do not speak each other's language. What could have been either slapstick or tragic turns beautiful in DiscontentedWinter's hands... she shows us the beauty in learning about others and how the power of belief can stop armies.

The additional stories expand the world-building and show how two very different peoples can learn to live together.

Fanwork Links:

The Light in the Woods On AO3
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Posted by Nur Ibrahim

The pope's alleged remark circulated amid tension between the pope and the Trump administration over the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.
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Posted by Joey Esposito

The bill's language does not mention Shirley, journalism or investigations in any context, despite claims. We explain what it would actually do.
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Posted by Emery Winter

Videos, images and reporting from the event showed many empty seats at the event with Vance in Athens, Georgia.
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Posted by SB Sarah

An image of a VHS cassette with a label that reads FRIDAY VIDEOS Smart Bitches Ep. 21 against a pink crosshatch backgroundSome of you may remember this video, but back in 2010, I made a video at RWA National trying to capture the size and scope of the giant literacy signing.

It was massive, y’all. Thousands of people in a giant ballroom, tables in lines stretching into the distance, balloons and prize baskets and swag, and so many books. 

This was the first video I made. You’ll notice that my cell phone footage is terrible but, well, it looked good at the time!

 

I can’t tell you how floored I was that I had forgotten I’d made this, and I’m even more surprised that they’re still online (watch, this feature will kill them dead for good, lol).

But WAIT THERE’S MORE. I made another in 2011!

Watching both makes me so teary – there are people who aren’t with us anymore, authors who are no longer writing, and so many of us in a hot crowded ballroom raising thousands of dollars for literacy.

And it reminds me of what we lost, and how much I miss being in that room with everyone.

Thanks for taking a little trip down memory lane with me and my phone from 15 years ago, and Garage Band.

Friday Videos hope you have plenty of love, because it’s all you need.

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Posted by SB Sarah

The Edge of Space-Time
A | BN | K | AB
When you subscribed to this podcast, I bet you thought, “When is Sarah going to interview an expert on theoretical physics ?” Today is your day!

My guest is Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein author of the book The Edge of Space-Time: Particles, Poetry, and the Cosmic Dream Boogie.

And if you’re thinking, I was really bad at physics – don’t worry, so was I. I found this book to be both incredibly engaging and just the right amount of challenging. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein is going to explain space-time, and how theoretical physics, Black feminist theory, Robert Frost, and the cosmos are all connected.

If you held your breath during the liftoff of Artemis II, and were crying when they splashed down safety, not to worry – so was I. I was extremely excited to interview Dr. Prescod-Weinstein, and the timing is perfect. We are in good hands.

NB: The transcript is already here! 

Listen to the podcast →
Read the transcript →

Here are the books we discuss in this podcast:

You can find Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein’s

You can find the abstract for her work, “The Cosmos is a Black Aesthetic” at Duke University Press.

We also mentioned NASA’s image collection. 

And you can watch Dr. Prescod-Weinstein’s interview at Hot 97 on YouTube.

If you like the podcast, you can subscribe to our feed, or find us at iTunes. You can also find us on Stitcher, and Spotify, too. We also have a cool page for the podcast on iTunes.

Thanks to our sponsors:

More ways to sponsor:

Sponsor us through Patreon! (What is Patreon?)

What did you think of today's episode? Got ideas? Suggestions? You can talk to us on the blog entries for the podcast or talk to us on Facebook if that's where you hang out online. You can email us at sbjpodcast@gmail.com or you can call and leave us a message at our Google voice number: 201-371-3272. Please don't forget to give us a name and where you're calling from so we can work your message into an upcoming podcast.

Thanks for listening!


Podcast Sponsor

Support for this episode comes from The Awkward Agenda, an open-door romance featuring friends-to-lovers, found family, and pirate cosplay, from author Beth Morton.

Cali Barton is sick of playing a background character in her own life. Her plan to rock the world at her new job falls flat after she overhears her co-workers gossiping about her for being standoffish and her boss decides to coach her on her “approachability.” Turns out that for Cali, being quiet and thoughtful somehow translates to “wrong.”

Enter Simon Goldberg, her upstairs neighbor. While Cali spent her childhood flying under the radar, Simon’s Tourette syndrome taught him to roll with the punches. Simon believed he had made peace with his diagnosis. But when the company publishing his graphic novel wants him to go on tour to promote his work, Simon is panicked at the prospect. Television appearances? He’ll either make a fool of himself or become, ewww, an “inspiring story.”

When Simon comes across Cali, he offers to help her dismantle her social anxiety by taking her on a tour of the kind of awkward experiences she’s avoided. Helping her makes him realize just how closed off his own life has become, and having someone to laugh with makes opening up far easier. They learn to see one another for who they really are – but trusting themselves doesn’t come easy, and letting go is the hardest trick of all.

The Awkward Agenda has excellent averages on StoryGraph and Goodreads, and the reviews on Goodreads for this book are so thoughtful!

One reader wrote,

“There is something incredibly tender about watching two people decide—sometimes clumsily, sometimes bravely—to take up space in their own lives.

Simon’s idea of an “awkward agenda” — intentionally pushing Cali into situations she’d normally avoid — becomes the heartbeat of the story. But what makes this romance shine is that it’s never about fixing one another. It’s about witnessing.”

And one reader said, “I wish I had a bigger audience so I could tell more people about this book. It feels criminally under-reviewed. I’m really hoping it gets the attention it deserves, because it truly is fantastic.”

The Awkward Agenda by Beth Morton is available now digitally in Kindle Unlimited, and in print from retailers everywhere.

Remember to subscribe to our podcast feed, find us on iTunes or on Stitcher.
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Posted by Jordan Liles

Users shared the claim in April 2026 following a months-long CNN investigation into the dark online world of drugging and sexually assaulting women.
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Posted by Rae Deng

Hegseth said the lead mission planner for an Iran war rescue operation delivered the prayer to him and told him they use it ahead of missions.
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[personal profile] erinptah

Taxes are done for the year, time to reward myself with some PetShopOfHorrorsposting. My readalong has reached the start of Volume 3 in the Seven Seas Collector’s Edition, which is the start of volume 4 in the original Tokyopop release.

I’m posting the individual reactions on Mastodon and Bluesky, then rounding them up in the blog. Previous roundups in my PSOH fandom tag. You can pick up the books with my affiliate links here.

One thing before I start: There’s an AO3 tag for a PSOH character called “Madam C“. She only shows up in one fic, in this chapter. Haven’t seen her in my reread yet. Anybody know what part of canon she’s from?

(There’s a “Madame” in the Sofu D spinoff manga, but she doesn’t get an initial. And this fic has “Madam C” interacting with Leon, so, probably not the 19th-century Paris woman.)

D with red carnations, cover art of volume 4

 

As you can see, there are no humans here. )
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