![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Surfer injured in fourth shark attack in Australian state in 48 hours
Jan. 20th, 2026 02:05 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
bbcnewsworld_feedAuthorities are warning people to stay out of the Australian state's waterways after recent rainfall.
bbcnewsworld_feedGoodbye gator, see you later: San Francisco mourns its beloved albino alligator
Jan. 20th, 2026 01:53 ambbcnewsworld_feedCalifornia names a street after reptile Claude, who won millions of hearts with his albinism.
Confronted over Greenland, Europe is ditching its softly-softly approach to Trump
Jan. 20th, 2026 01:04 ambbcnewsworld_feedTransatlantic relations aren't broken, though they are damaged. And if Europeans want to try to cut through with Trump, they'll have to stick together, writes Europe Editor Katya Adler
Nigeria remembers master wood carver
Jan. 20th, 2026 12:30 ambbcnewsworld_feedKasali Akangbe Ogun, who came from a long line of wood carvers and wanted to preserve local traditions, has been buried following his death after a brief illness.
Ros Atkins on...President Trump's year in numbers
Jan. 20th, 2026 12:08 ambbcnewsworld_feedExecutive orders, pardons, trips and Truth Social posts - the BBC’s Analysis Editor breaks down Donald Trump’s first year back in office, in numbers.
Greenland 'will stay Greenland', former Trump adviser declares
Jan. 20th, 2026 12:00 ambbcnewsworld_feedDonald Trump's former chief economic adviser said the US president's actions are a negotiating tactic.
Hiring woes and 'super high' prices: Voters say Trump's progress on the US economy is mixed
Jan. 19th, 2026 11:51 pmbbcnewsworld_feedWe asked six Americans what they make of the US economy one year after President Trump returned to the White House.
In pictures: Valentino's life and work - and the stars who shared his journey
Jan. 19th, 2026 11:21 pmbbcnewsworld_feedHis creations have featured at countless red carpets and award ceremonies around the world.
What we know about Spain's worst rail disaster in over a decade
Jan. 19th, 2026 09:00 pmbbcnewsworld_feedWhat caused the train to derail remains unclear but officials say an investigation has been launched.
'Europe is at a total loss': Russia gloats over Greenland tensions
Jan. 19th, 2026 04:26 pmbbcnewsworld_feedThe BBC's Russia editor Steve Rosenberg analyses why pro-Russian government papers are full of praise for Donald Trump's desire to buy Greenland.
Lawyers for Swiss bar owners condemn 'vindictiveness' after deadly fire
Jan. 19th, 2026 02:53 pmbbcnewsworld_feedLawyers for the Moretti couple say "lies" have been circulating about their clients, in their first public statement since the fire.
fail_feedTech employee finally has it with being under-appreciated after getting reprimanded for not wearing a tie. So he decides to quit "in style" with the most obnoxious yellow tie.
Nobody really quits a job over something as minimal as a tie. Obviously, there is so much more than just a tie. This tech professional was a top-notch employee. He got the job done and flawlessly so. Unfortunately, the company did not care. All they saw was that he did not follow the unofficial dress code of business professional attire. Nowhere in the company guide does it saw a dress code. Sure, everyone followed it just through pure perception, but he just wasn't wasn't a tie guy. He wasn't showing up to work looking like a total slob. He just didn't wear a tie.
Instead of the company overlooking this due to his skills, they reprimanded him for his defiance. What they didn't know, however, was that he was already over this toxic workplace. So instead of getting a nice tie, he made sure to find the most obnoxious yellow tie that had a big cartoon character one it. He wore that to work and made sure to say hi to every single person in the office that day so they could see his "stylish" fit. They never bothered him about wearing a tie again.
However, the damage was done.
fail_feedThis guy not only chopped down his neighbor's plants, but he did it at 2 AM for extra secrecy.
Everyone knows that if you do something in the middle of the night, that makes it much more suspicious. Walking around your neighborhood, putting trash out to the curb, briefly perusing your neighbor's property… all of these things that would be normal in the daytime are, you know, a bit sus at 2 AM.
Back in the olden days, I bet you could get away with trimming your neighbor's overgrown trees or chopping up one of their plants in the middle of the night. But today? No, no, my friend. That will not be happening! If even one of your numerous neighbors has a Ring camera, you won't be getting away with anything. One of my neighbors actually has a surveillance camera that announces out loud, "Hi! You are now being recorded," every time I walk by. This includes if I'm walking across the street — I guess the range of these things is pretty far, maybe like 100 feet? Aside from how unfriendly and frankly dystopian the little announcement is, I'm sure it keeps people from messing with their overgrown yard, as well as any of the surrounding houses.
These people in the story shared below didn't mention if they had cameras, or just good intuition. But they did wake up in the middle of the night to find their terrible neighbor trying to chop up some of their plants! These people had put up plants to ward off the neighbor in the first place. It seems awkward — apparently, he could peer right into their kitchen. Considering how much time is spent in ones' kitchen, and considering a lot of that time we're also wearing our jammies or sweatpants, it's not ideal if your neighbor can glare in as you eat toast at the kitchen table.
Well, these folks put up some wandering-eye-repelling plants, and the neighbor took that personally. He didn't even have a good reason why the folks next door couldn't have the plants — he just wanted them gone. However, the route he took to get there was just a bad plan altogether, and it cost him a great deal! Check out the full story below — it's a delicious tale of malicious compliance, as well as a good reminder that you'll get much further in life if you just ask politely instead of brute forcing your way into solutions.
Spain to hold three days of mourning for victims of high-speed train crash
Jan. 20th, 2026 05:26 ambbcnewsworld_feedAt least 40 people died in Sunday's collision in southern Spain, the worst crash the country has seen in more than a decade.
bbcnewsworld_feedKaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, said the bloc has "no interest to pick a fight, but we will hold our ground".
Watch: Spain train crash survivors describe 'absolutely terrifying' scene
Jan. 19th, 2026 11:59 ambbcnewsworld_feedPassengers recount the moment two trains collided between Málaga and Madrid on Sunday evening.
fail_feedThis manager's blatant lack of professionalism ended up being the cause of her own downfall.
When an employee submits a letter of resignation, that letter should not be interpreted as merely a request. That letter deserves to be taken seriously, but if you have a manager like this one, you're going to have to demand their attention.
This guy tended to work the night shift, while his manager worked during the day, so their interaction was already minimal. This meant that when he dropped his letter of resignation on her desk at the end of one shift, he knew he would have to wait a while before he got a response. Well, it took longer than one shift. It ended up taking the full three-week notice period.
It should be noted that the author of this story was already being generous by giving her the luxury of three full weeks to find a replacement or to come up with a game plan. Instead, she simply refused to acknowledge the transition that was coming and continued to completely ignore his request up until the final possible moment.
Not only is the manager's behavior here reflective of poor leadership skills, but it is also contributing to what will inevitably be a disaster for the company at large when this guy leaves. Keep scrolling below for the full story and for some reactions from several members of this online community.
Contemporary Romances, Kelly Bowen, & More
Jan. 19th, 2026 04:30 pmsmartbitches_feedFlowers from the Storm
RECOMMENDED: Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale is $1.99! This is one of those romances that is frequently talked about and in a previous Whatcha Reading, several of the Smart Bitches talked about the level of feels this book gives them. Have you read it? And, if so, do you have fond memories of it?
The Duke of Jervaulx was brilliant – and dangerous. Considered dissolute, reckless, and extravagant, he was transparently referred to as the “D of J” in scandal sheets. But sometimes the most womanizing rakehell can be irresistible, and even his most causal attentions fascinated the sheltered Maddy Timms.
Then one fateful day she receives the shocking news – the duke is lost to the world. And Maddy knows it is her destiny to help him and her only chance to find the true man behind the wicked facade.
But she never dreamed her gentle, healing touch would alter his life and her own so completely – and bind them together in need, desire…and love.
Immortal Longings
Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong is $1.99! I mentioned this one in a previous Hide Your Wallet because I’ve enjoyed Gong’s new adult fantasy retellings. This is her adult debut and is a retelling of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra.
Out of the Woods
Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young is $1.99! This is a standalone contemporary romance and came out about a year ago. I’ve seen Bonam-Young’s books recommended in the comments previously. Do you have a favorite?
A married couple joins a week-long wilderness expedition to help them reconnect in this heartfelt companion novel to the viral TikTok sensation Out on a Limb.
High school sweethearts Sarah and Caleb Linwood have always been a sure thing. For the past seventeen years, they have had each other’s backs through all of life’s ups and downs.
But Sarah has begun to wonder… who is she without her other half?
When she decides to take on a project of her own, a fundraising gala in memoriam of her late mother, Sarah wants nothing more than to prove to herself—and to everyone else—that she doesn’t need Caleb’s help to succeed. She’s still her mother’s daughter, after all, independent and capable.
That is, until the event fails and Caleb uninvitedly steps in to save the day.
The rift that follows unearths a decade of grievances and doubts. Are they truly the same people they were when they got married at nineteen? Are they supposed to be?
In a desperate attempt to fix what they fear is breaking, Sarah and Caleb make the spontaneous decision to get out of their comfort zone and join a grueling, week-long hiking trip intended to guide couples through rough patches.
What follows is a life-affirming comedy of errors as two nature-averse people fight their way out of the woods in order to find their way back to their roots.
A Lady’s Guide to Skirting Scandal
RECOMMENDED: A Lady’s Guide to Skirting Scandal by Kelly Bowen is $1.99! This is a historical romance novella. Carrie gave this a B+:
I read A Lady’s Guide to Skirting Scandal at the dentist while waiting for two fillings. I’m horribly phobic about the dentist so when I say that this story was comforting, it’s high praise indeed. It’s too rushed to go down in literary history as the best story ever, but if you need a quick comfort read you can’t possibly do better than this tale of a social climber who falls madly and inconveniently in love with a ship’s doctor.
Lady Viola Hextall is bored—of the ocean, her chaperones, and the woeful lack of available dukes on the ocean voyage from London to New York. Scrambling for any diversion short of jumping overboard, Viola strikes up a conversation with the ship’s rough-hewn, blue-eyed surgeon—and discovers an immediate cure for what ails her…
To Nathaniel Shaw, Viola has the bearing of a lady and the spirit of an adventurer—an unlikely combination that he finds utterly irresistible. So he’s hoping to convince Viola to leave the stifling ballrooms of London high society behind because there is a big, wide world just waiting for them to explore—together.
Cross Your Heart and Hope He Dies by Jenny Elder Moke
Jan. 19th, 2026 09:00 amsmartbitches_feed
B
Cross Your Heart and Hope He Dies
by Jenny Elder Moke
January 20, 2026 · Minotaur Books
Contemporary RomanceMystery/Thriller
I had a tremendous amount of fun with this book. Not only is it actually laugh-out-loud funny, the heroine is perfection. Or to quote my Gen Z work colleague, she is goals. Slay.
Let’s begin with the trauma that makes her who she is. Juliette Winters had two psychologists for parents who treated her more as a lab experiment than a beloved daughter. They published books about her! Multiple books! The result is that Juliette is pretty messed up but in a way that makes her so so much fun to read and you kind of want to be her friend too. If you can stop being intimidated by her for long enough for friendly relations to begin, that is. Juliette is beyond driven and refuses to trust anyone. She is firm in her belief that nothing is beyond her abilities. Despite this she has a good gang of people around her who appreciate her loyalty and drive even if Juliette sees only her fearsome drive.
Juliette’s drive has a particular target at the start of the book. She is trying to save the publisher she works for by bringing in a tell-all memoir by an aging but still very powerful business magnate. Only on the night of his 70th birthday, the magnate dies of an apparent heart attack and the manuscript is stolen. Juliette is beside herself. She has to get that manuscript back. And so ensues a very satisfying mystery plot.
I enjoyed the mystery elements enormously. The number of characters (aka suspects) is manageable for a semi-focused reader. You can’t quite let your mind wander but you also don’t need to take notes while reading in order to follow the story. There are a good number of twists and turns in the plot, some of which were very good indeed. There is rather a lot of daring investigation led by Juliette, with the assistance of her friends. Not quite edge of the seat stuff, but compelling nonetheless. Overall the mystery plot really hit the spot.
A lot of the humour comes from Juliette’s sharp tongue and then also from the comic relief provided by her friends, her assistant Veeta and one of her authors, Kate. Sometimes also with her colleague Kennedy. Incidentally, this book is part of a series with Kate being the lead of the first book. I could follow the story easily enough but I had serious FOMO when the events of book one were mentioned because I wanted to have experienced it too. Please sound off in the comments if you’ve read the first one, She Doesn’t Have a Clue. Should readers start with book one?
There is an excellent opposites-attract romance as well. It’s between our beloved fiery virago, Juliette and a rumpled, gentle doctor called Charlie. Their chemistry is great and I really enjoyed seeing Juliette get to grips with someone so different to her. It’s all very emotionally mature at the end, but the process of getting there is a bit rocky. Naturally!
I do have an issue with the book’s title. As with all mystery books like this, there is more than one murder. But that first murder is the critical one. And while the magnate was seriously unpopular with everyone, Juliette needed him alive and well and all her plans were junked by his death. So while some did hope that he would die, the critical voice, Juliette, did not want him dead. But that’s me, the pedant, talking.
Okay so if I had so much fun with this book and Juliette is such a treat, why only a B. First of all, a B is a GREAT grade. We firmly believe in using the full grade range at SBTB. Also personally, I firmly resist the BookTok-fuelled nonsense that only a five star read is worth your time. There are too many different takes on a single novel and way too many readers for a grading to be one-size-fits-all. Yes, I’m getting sidetracked.
Back to the point: I didn’t stay up past my bedtime while reading this book. That’s what it comes down to. If my tiredness disappears, then I know the book is stellar. This book is good and I happily recommend it to the Bitchery, but a Bad Decisions Book Club, it was not. I feel bad for ending on such a downer. Back to Juliette and her fearsome, flawed ways! I loved her!