Jenny Hamilton
@readingtheend.bsky.social
she/her. southern geek feminist and scholar of boning. bylines at NYT Book Review, Booklist, Strange Horizons, Lady Business, Reactor. author of SFF romance column Ships in the Night for Reactor.
writing is STUPID and I should be entitled to compenSAtion
You know how hard it is to find neat ideas for how to keep the fun in writing???
January 3, 2026 at 2:36 AM
writing is STUPID and I should be entitled to compenSAtion
Reposted by Jenny Hamilton
Reposted by Jenny Hamilton
Happy 10th anniversary to The Rec Center! My fannish life has been greatly enriched by this newsletter from @elizabethminkel.bsky.social and @gavia.bsky.social! Thank you both for such a labor of love for fandom and fan culture.
The Rec Center
The Rec Center: A weekly digest of fandom articles, fanart, and fanfiction recs, sent to your inbox every Friday. About the newsletter Launched in 2016, The Rec Center is a weekly newsletter about fan...
buttondown.com
January 3, 2026 at 1:39 AM
Happy 10th anniversary to The Rec Center! My fannish life has been greatly enriched by this newsletter from @elizabethminkel.bsky.social and @gavia.bsky.social! Thank you both for such a labor of love for fandom and fan culture.
oh my God a hero for our times
I was able to do this for my sequels and I am genuinely glad that Orbit let me keep em!
setting an intention for SFF publishers in 2026 that they will put a "previously on" page at the front of the book when they are publishing sequels
IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR TOLKIEN IT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU
IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR TOLKIEN IT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU
January 3, 2026 at 1:07 AM
oh my God a hero for our times
Reposted by Jenny Hamilton
I’m in a book de-cluttering phase and the way I want to get rid of so many series that I started and fell behind on because I couldn’t remember enough to read the sequels 😭
setting an intention for SFF publishers in 2026 that they will put a "previously on" page at the front of the book when they are publishing sequels
IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR TOLKIEN IT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU
IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR TOLKIEN IT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU
January 3, 2026 at 12:52 AM
I’m in a book de-cluttering phase and the way I want to get rid of so many series that I started and fell behind on because I couldn’t remember enough to read the sequels 😭
Reposted by Jenny Hamilton
I MISS THIS SO MUCH. It feels like so many SFF books published pre-2000 did this, but now, when my memory has developed the retention power of a sieve, you rarely see it.
Help us, publishers. Please. 😭
Help us, publishers. Please. 😭
setting an intention for SFF publishers in 2026 that they will put a "previously on" page at the front of the book when they are publishing sequels
IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR TOLKIEN IT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU
IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR TOLKIEN IT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU
January 3, 2026 at 12:55 AM
I MISS THIS SO MUCH. It feels like so many SFF books published pre-2000 did this, but now, when my memory has developed the retention power of a sieve, you rarely see it.
Help us, publishers. Please. 😭
Help us, publishers. Please. 😭
Reposted by Jenny Hamilton
Begging, pleading. Especially sequels that come out more than a year from the last one. I cannot retain all the details of the plot for that long. I read 150+ books a year. You're lucky if I even remember who the MC is.
setting an intention for SFF publishers in 2026 that they will put a "previously on" page at the front of the book when they are publishing sequels
IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR TOLKIEN IT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU
IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR TOLKIEN IT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU
January 3, 2026 at 12:50 AM
Begging, pleading. Especially sequels that come out more than a year from the last one. I cannot retain all the details of the plot for that long. I read 150+ books a year. You're lucky if I even remember who the MC is.
setting an intention for SFF publishers in 2026 that they will put a "previously on" page at the front of the book when they are publishing sequels
IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR TOLKIEN IT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU
IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR TOLKIEN IT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU
January 3, 2026 at 12:33 AM
setting an intention for SFF publishers in 2026 that they will put a "previously on" page at the front of the book when they are publishing sequels
IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR TOLKIEN IT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU
IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR TOLKIEN IT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU
Reposted by Jenny Hamilton
I dunno. It's a "many things can be true" situation and I wish we could all have a thoughtful conversation about it without getting hit with strays!
January 2, 2026 at 8:42 PM
I dunno. It's a "many things can be true" situation and I wish we could all have a thoughtful conversation about it without getting hit with strays!
Reposted by Jenny Hamilton
A very good thread!
one challenging thing for me in talking and reading about Heated Rivalry is that there are so so many truths that have to sit alongside each other, and talking about one of those truths inevitably makes it seems like you (well, I!) don't care about others
The female fans who led the charge in making the gay hockey romance a hit are also the ones policing its subjects.
January 2, 2026 at 7:56 PM
A very good thread!
Reposted by Jenny Hamilton
This is the thing that makes me saddest about trying to write queer spec romance. Because they mean "romance is for cishet women". Love stories with HEAs are for everybody. There's amazing queer and trans romance writers and we deserve what they will write if they have support to do it.
I see plenty of people insisting on "romance is for women" as a way of gatekeeping the genre against non-women, including and especially queer folks of all genders.
January 2, 2026 at 7:54 PM
This is the thing that makes me saddest about trying to write queer spec romance. Because they mean "romance is for cishet women". Love stories with HEAs are for everybody. There's amazing queer and trans romance writers and we deserve what they will write if they have support to do it.
one challenging thing for me in talking and reading about Heated Rivalry is that there are so so many truths that have to sit alongside each other, and talking about one of those truths inevitably makes it seems like you (well, I!) don't care about others
The female fans who led the charge in making the gay hockey romance a hit are also the ones policing its subjects.
Do women love "Heated Rivalry" too much?
The female fans who led the charge in making the gay hockey romance a hit are also the ones policing its subjects.
www.salon.com
January 2, 2026 at 7:47 PM
one challenging thing for me in talking and reading about Heated Rivalry is that there are so so many truths that have to sit alongside each other, and talking about one of those truths inevitably makes it seems like you (well, I!) don't care about others
Reposted by Jenny Hamilton
Really appreciated how thoughtful this piece is. I enjoy the show but it's not lost on me that many of the folks evangelizing the show as a beacon of queer media have literally been homophobic to my face at cons and festivals.
The female fans who led the charge in making the gay hockey romance a hit are also the ones policing its subjects.
Do women love "Heated Rivalry" too much?
The female fans who led the charge in making the gay hockey romance a hit are also the ones policing its subjects.
www.salon.com
January 2, 2026 at 7:28 PM
Really appreciated how thoughtful this piece is. I enjoy the show but it's not lost on me that many of the folks evangelizing the show as a beacon of queer media have literally been homophobic to my face at cons and festivals.
Reposted by Jenny Hamilton
I think this might actually be my favourite "easter egg" thing I've read about Heated Rivalry? There was so much care and attention put into so many "little" choices. www.tumblr.com/coeur-de-coe...
Post by @coeur-de-coeurs · 3 images
💬 0 🔁 32 ❤️ 96 · Ahhh, Jacob and his mind. · This is such a cool little extra.
And it appears to be true.
www.tumblr.com
January 2, 2026 at 5:49 PM
I think this might actually be my favourite "easter egg" thing I've read about Heated Rivalry? There was so much care and attention put into so many "little" choices. www.tumblr.com/coeur-de-coe...
Reposted by Jenny Hamilton
We're a bit biased on this issue, but we believe the type of thinking that comes from deeply engaging with books & literature ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU WRITE YOUR THOUGHTS DOWN, is a powerful antidote to the type of thinking that got us...uh...here...
January 2, 2026 at 2:32 PM
We're a bit biased on this issue, but we believe the type of thinking that comes from deeply engaging with books & literature ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU WRITE YOUR THOUGHTS DOWN, is a powerful antidote to the type of thinking that got us...uh...here...
Reposted by Jenny Hamilton
Intergalactic Mixtape is live! Maybe put some guard rails on your TBR lists. :)
Intergalactic Mixtape #34
Hey! Welcome to 2026. Also, welcome to the new subscribers; I assume lots of you are here from the very kind rec in The Rec Center. Thanks very much to...
buttondown.com
January 2, 2026 at 1:35 PM
Intergalactic Mixtape is live! Maybe put some guard rails on your TBR lists. :)
Reposted by Jenny Hamilton
LET’S GO.
(Queen of the Brainy Overthinkers, first of the Frizzy Haired Heroines, more obsessed with her vocation as a writer & how to navigate it authentically, beloved at first sight for her candor & honesty, & who knows — & ultimately accepts — that she cannot love by halves)
(Queen of the Brainy Overthinkers, first of the Frizzy Haired Heroines, more obsessed with her vocation as a writer & how to navigate it authentically, beloved at first sight for her candor & honesty, & who knows — & ultimately accepts — that she cannot love by halves)
oh my God, who was going to tell me that Strong Poison was published in 1930 which means this #PublicDomainDay marks the public domain debut of my favorite character in all of literature, my queen, my angel, Harriet Vane?
oh my God I'm going to cry
oh my GOD who's going to make the new TV series?
oh my God I'm going to cry
oh my GOD who's going to make the new TV series?
January 2, 2026 at 2:29 AM
LET’S GO.
(Queen of the Brainy Overthinkers, first of the Frizzy Haired Heroines, more obsessed with her vocation as a writer & how to navigate it authentically, beloved at first sight for her candor & honesty, & who knows — & ultimately accepts — that she cannot love by halves)
(Queen of the Brainy Overthinkers, first of the Frizzy Haired Heroines, more obsessed with her vocation as a writer & how to navigate it authentically, beloved at first sight for her candor & honesty, & who knows — & ultimately accepts — that she cannot love by halves)
a guiding principle for me as a critic is to stay in the text as much as poss. this isn't absolute -- extradiegetic things matter too! -- but if I'm bringing an author's identity into my consideration of their work, I ask myself to clear a much much higher bar on whether that approach is necessary.
As someone who has come through the wars and been told things I write that reflect my lived experience are “bad rep and not accurate” can I beg you to find a way to do discourse about systemic problems w/o demanding individual authors disclose gender, orientation, health status, and family trauma?
January 1, 2026 at 7:05 PM
a guiding principle for me as a critic is to stay in the text as much as poss. this isn't absolute -- extradiegetic things matter too! -- but if I'm bringing an author's identity into my consideration of their work, I ask myself to clear a much much higher bar on whether that approach is necessary.
oh my God! I DID miss this news, and it's incredible! Two Lines Press is doing fantastic work, and I'm thrilled for UK audiences to have access to their books.
I’ve been sitting on this news for so long I can hardly believe it’s finally ‘out the bag’…
If you’ve read the trade press you may already have spotted that @twolinespress.com will be launching in the UK next April! In case you missed it, read here: www.thebookseller.com/news/two-lin...
If you’ve read the trade press you may already have spotted that @twolinespress.com will be launching in the UK next April! In case you missed it, read here: www.thebookseller.com/news/two-lin...
Two Lines Press brings translated fiction list to UK and Europe
Two Lines Press has announced that its books are now available in the UK and Europe, distributed by Turnaround Publishing Services.
www.thebookseller.com
January 1, 2026 at 3:01 PM
oh my God! I DID miss this news, and it's incredible! Two Lines Press is doing fantastic work, and I'm thrilled for UK audiences to have access to their books.
Reposted by Jenny Hamilton
The National Book Critics Circle Awards 2025 Longlists - National Book Critics Circle
www.bookcritics.org/awards/
www.bookcritics.org/awards/
The National Book Critics Circle Awards - National Book Critics Circle
Each year, the National Book Critics Circle presents awards for the finest books published in English in six categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Poetry, and Criticism. In…
www.bookcritics.org
January 1, 2026 at 2:50 PM
The National Book Critics Circle Awards 2025 Longlists - National Book Critics Circle
www.bookcritics.org/awards/
www.bookcritics.org/awards/
a little girl (about six, I think?) on the subway once looked me up and down, then said, at the top of her lungs, YOU ARE A LARGE WOMAN WITH BONES INSIDE.
Forget insults, what’s the most unhinged *compliment* you’ve ever received?
January 1, 2026 at 2:35 PM
a little girl (about six, I think?) on the subway once looked me up and down, then said, at the top of her lungs, YOU ARE A LARGE WOMAN WITH BONES INSIDE.
Reposted by Jenny Hamilton
I am begging @pbs.org to bring back Lord Peter for the 21st century
oh my God, who was going to tell me that Strong Poison was published in 1930 which means this #PublicDomainDay marks the public domain debut of my favorite character in all of literature, my queen, my angel, Harriet Vane?
oh my God I'm going to cry
oh my GOD who's going to make the new TV series?
oh my God I'm going to cry
oh my GOD who's going to make the new TV series?
January 1, 2026 at 2:01 PM
I am begging @pbs.org to bring back Lord Peter for the 21st century
oh my God, who was going to tell me that Strong Poison was published in 1930 which means this #PublicDomainDay marks the public domain debut of my favorite character in all of literature, my queen, my angel, Harriet Vane?
oh my God I'm going to cry
oh my GOD who's going to make the new TV series?
oh my God I'm going to cry
oh my GOD who's going to make the new TV series?
January 1, 2026 at 1:56 PM
oh my God, who was going to tell me that Strong Poison was published in 1930 which means this #PublicDomainDay marks the public domain debut of my favorite character in all of literature, my queen, my angel, Harriet Vane?
oh my God I'm going to cry
oh my GOD who's going to make the new TV series?
oh my God I'm going to cry
oh my GOD who's going to make the new TV series?
I read 52 of my own damn books in 2025, and I think that's pretty good. Think I can get to 60 in 2026?
January 1, 2026 at 1:26 PM
I read 52 of my own damn books in 2025, and I think that's pretty good. Think I can get to 60 in 2026?
Reposted by Jenny Hamilton
Last post of the year! We present ARB's Notable Criticism of 2025—ten articles that highlight the vitality and possibilities of speculative criticism:
ARB’s 2025 Notable Criticism
In the field of speculative criticism, many of the challenges and positive developments we noted last year are still in full effect. 2025 has brought even more precarity for culture writers and aca…
ancillaryreviewofbooks.org
December 31, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Last post of the year! We present ARB's Notable Criticism of 2025—ten articles that highlight the vitality and possibilities of speculative criticism: