Brandon Cloud

Breadlines With Ballistics: On Aid, Optics, and the Math of Looking Away There’s a certain kind of silence that only exists in a crowd waiting for food. It’s not quiet—nothing about hunger is quiet—but it has an agreed-upon hush, a choreography of patience. Bodies stand still because moving burns calories you don’t have. Eyes scan for motion because motion means a truck, a crate, a whisper that today will be better than yesterday by the weight of one sack of flour.

Breadlines With Ballistics: On Aid, Optics, and the Math of Looking Away

There’s a certain kind of silence that only exists in a crowd waiting for food. It’s not quiet—nothing about hunger is quiet—but it has an agreed-upon hush, a choreography of patience. Bodies stand still because moving burns…

When You Tell Me Restaurants Are Under Threat, I Say: “No Sh*t, They Literally Are” Restaurants are collapsing like dominoes in a windstorm, but apparently CNN still felt the need to headline it: “Restaurants Are Under Threat as Costs Skyrocket and Consumers Cut Back.” If you read that and thought, Oh, really? Food costs are eating the industry alive, who could’ve guessed?—you’re both correct and complicit in the slowdown of civilization. Let’s slice into this hot mess:

When You Tell Me Restaurants Are Under Threat, I Say: “No Sh*t, They Literally Are”

Restaurants are collapsing like dominoes in a windstorm, but apparently CNN still felt the need to headline it: “Restaurants Are Under Threat as Costs Skyrocket and Consumers Cut Back.” If you read that and…

A Capital Relocation Program: Now With Extra Federal Flair The nation’s capital has always been a theater for spectacle—power lunches, political scandal, and monuments that double as photo ops for eighth-graders on field trips. But this week, President Trump decided the city’s most enduring monument—its unhoused population—was not photogenic enough for the coming election season. In an announcement delivered with the kind of theatrical flourish that could only be born from decades of branding everything from steaks to universities, he ordered homeless individuals in Washington, D.C., to “move out” immediately.

A Capital Relocation Program: Now With Extra Federal Flair

The nation’s capital has always been a theater for spectacle—power lunches, political scandal, and monuments that double as photo ops for eighth-graders on field trips. But this week, President Trump decided the city’s most enduring…

Purge Season at the FBI: Now Streaming in the Authoritarian Originals Category It’s hard to keep up with the entertainment landscape these days. One week it’s “Shark Week,” the next it’s “Barbenheimer,” and now — premiering exclusively on the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ morally grey channel — we have The Purge: Loyalty Oath Edition. This season stars Kash Patel, the FBI’s current Director and apparent graduate of the “I Don’t Need Evidence, I Have Vibes” school of personnel management.

Purge Season at the FBI: Now Streaming in the Authoritarian Originals Category

It’s hard to keep up with the entertainment landscape these days. One week it’s “Shark Week,” the next it’s “Barbenheimer,” and now — premiering exclusively on the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ morally grey channel…

Rent Is Due, The Ball Is Tonight, and I’m Out of Clean Socks: Why Cinderfella: Glass Slipper Half-Full Exists Read Cinderfella: Glass Slipper Half-Full • Visit my Amazon author page If you’ve ever tried to hold your life together with bus transfers, group chats, and a borrowed suit that smells like ambition—hi. That’s where Cinderfella lives. It’s a Cinderella retelling for the rent-burdened, burnout-bruised, boundary-building crowd: magic that shows up late, refuses to do dishes, and still changes something true.

Rent Is Due, The Ball Is Tonight, and I’m Out of Clean Socks: Why Cinderfella: Glass Slipper Half-Full Exists

Read Cinderfella: Glass Slipper Half-Full • Visit my Amazon author page If you’ve ever tried to hold your life together with bus transfers, group chats, and a borrowed suit that smells…

Brandon Cloud: books, biography, latest update Follow Brandon Cloud and explore their bibliography from Amazon's Brandon Cloud Author Page.

Every book I write hides the same small key—trauma mixed in, queerness as the base coat—sealed into the paint before the first chapter. You can cover it, but you’ll always feel it there.
www.amazon.com/author/thecl...
#booksky #bookrecommends #2025TBR

CINDERFELLA: Glass Slipper Half-Full flips the fairytale: no capes, no tidy rescues—just rent, receipts, and a Fairy Godfather with rules.
“Sometimes the slipper breaks because you’ve outgrown it.”

Read free on Kindle Unlimited: a.co/d/5CaG1ar

#booksky #bookrecommends #2025TBR

Cinderfella: Glass Slipper Half-Full — Viral essay sparks a pile-on, a landlord turns mythic, and Asher must choose recognition over rescue. Sharp, bruising, tender—magic that invoices.
a.co/d/5CaG1ar
#booksky #bookrecommends #2025TBR

Mickey Mouse Buys the World: A Love Letter to Disney’s Hostile Embrace Some people collect stamps. Some people collect vinyl. Disney? They collect entire cultural ecosystems, slot them into a vault, slap a mouse-shaped watermark on the front, and charge you $14.99 a month to visit your own memories. When the history of modern capitalism is written, there will be a whole chapter titled The Seven Deadly Wins of Disney—the corporate equivalent of a fairy godmother granting wishes you didn’t make, for things you didn’t want, at a price you’ll never finish paying.

Mickey Mouse Buys the World: A Love Letter to Disney’s Hostile Embrace

Some people collect stamps. Some people collect vinyl. Disney? They collect entire cultural ecosystems, slot them into a vault, slap a mouse-shaped watermark on the front, and charge you $14.99 a month to visit your own…

Eighty Years Later, We’re Still Pretending We Don’t Like the Big Red Button In Nagasaki today, the air was thick with solemnity, speeches, and the unshakable human tendency to swear off dangerous toys while keeping them polished and ready in the basement. The city marked the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing—a moment that forever seared itself into the world’s conscience—by calling for nuclear disarmament. Politicians, dignitaries, survivors, and that one man in the audience who always claps too soon gathered in remembrance, offering a chorus of “never again” that history, unfortunately, has learned to hear as “until next time, maybe, but we’ll totally feel bad about it.”

Eighty Years Later, We’re Still Pretending We Don’t Like the Big Red Button

In Nagasaki today, the air was thick with solemnity, speeches, and the unshakable human tendency to swear off dangerous toys while keeping them polished and ready in the basement. The city marked the 80th anniversary of…

The Resident Evil Reboot Nobody Asked For (But Will Watch Anyway) Sony Pictures has officially announced that Zach Cregger — yes, that Zach Cregger, the man who made you question your basement’s square footage in Barbarian — will be directing a reboot of Resident Evil. And before you ask: no, they’re not adapting any of the actual video game plots. You know, the ones people actually remember? Jill Valentine’s bob cut, Leon Kennedy’s floppy hair, that time a giant mutant crocodile tried to eat you in a sewer?

The Resident Evil Reboot Nobody Asked For (But Will Watch Anyway)

Sony Pictures has officially announced that Zach Cregger — yes, that Zach Cregger, the man who made you question your basement’s square footage in Barbarian — will be directing a reboot of Resident Evil. And before you ask: no,…

Ken Paxton vs. The Great Texas Hide-and-Seek Championships Some states have political disagreements. Others have lawsuits. Texas, however, prefers its disputes served with an extra-large glass of iced tea, a dash of high drama, and a courtroom appearance that smells faintly of barbecue smoke and contempt of decorum. The latest entry into this Lone Star political rodeo? Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit to declare the seats of 13 absent Democratic state representatives vacant.

Ken Paxton vs. The Great Texas Hide-and-Seek Championships

Some states have political disagreements. Others have lawsuits. Texas, however, prefers its disputes served with an extra-large glass of iced tea, a dash of high drama, and a courtroom appearance that smells faintly of barbecue smoke and…

Bayou Bargain: Louisiana Cuts a $9 Million Check for a Bullet in the Back Sometimes they give out Mardi Gras beads. Louisiana also gives out multimillion-dollar settlements for police misconduct. Different kind of souvenir, same sense of “well, this is just how we do things down here.” The headline was crisp and bureaucratic: Louisiana agrees to a $9 million settlement with a man shot in the back by a state trooper. Translation: the state just put a dollar sign on the price of surviving an attempted on-duty execution, and it’s roughly the cost of a decent two-bedroom in the French Quarter.

Bayou Bargain: Louisiana Cuts a $9 Million Check for a Bullet in the Back

Sometimes they give out Mardi Gras beads. Louisiana also gives out multimillion-dollar settlements for police misconduct. Different kind of souvenir, same sense of “well, this is just how we do things down here.” The…

Times Square: The Stage Where America Performs Its Gun Problem The thing about Times Square is that it’s designed to make you forget the real world exists. You stand there under billboards taller than small nations, every color cranked to an unnatural vibrancy, and it’s like being trapped inside the internet with no “close tab” button. It is loud. It is crowded. It is lit bright enough to convince Midwestern tourists they’ve seen the sun in New York.

Times Square: The Stage Where America Performs Its Gun Problem

The thing about Times Square is that it’s designed to make you forget the real world exists. You stand there under billboards taller than small nations, every color cranked to an unnatural vibrancy, and it’s like being trapped inside…

America, We’re Toast: A Love Letter from the Heatwave That Won’t Quit Somewhere between Phoenix and the inside of a convection oven, the United States decided to see how far it could push the concept of “summer” before it became “slow-roasting.” The answer, apparently, is right now.

America, We’re Toast: A Love Letter from the Heatwave That Won’t Quit

Somewhere between Phoenix and the inside of a convection oven, the United States decided to see how far it could push the concept of “summer” before it became “slow-roasting.” The answer, apparently, is right now.

Jesus Chicken Does Autumn: Chick-fil-A’s New Fall Menu Drops Like a Leaf in a Storm of Selective Morality Chick-fil-A, America’s favorite drive-thru confessional booth, has decided it’s time for sweater weather, PSL selfies, and the annual reminder that even God’s chosen poultry can rebrand when the leaves turn. This fall, they’ve unleashed a lineup so quaintly autumnal you’d almost forget their corporate tithe ledger still smells faintly of sanctified bigotry.

Jesus Chicken Does Autumn: Chick-fil-A’s New Fall Menu Drops Like a Leaf in a Storm of Selective Morality

Chick-fil-A, America’s favorite drive-thru confessional booth, has decided it’s time for sweater weather, PSL selfies, and the annual reminder that even God’s chosen poultry can rebrand when…

Kelly Clarkson’s Pause Button: When Life, Love, and Vegas Neon All Go Dim Las Vegas is built on the illusion that nothing ever stops. The lights don’t dim, the wheels don’t stop spinning, and the only real clock in the room is the one on your phone reminding you that you can’t afford another round. It’s the city of constant motion—until Kelly Clarkson presses pause.

Kelly Clarkson’s Pause Button: When Life, Love, and Vegas Neon All Go Dim

Las Vegas is built on the illusion that nothing ever stops. The lights don’t dim, the wheels don’t stop spinning, and the only real clock in the room is the one on your phone reminding you that you can’t afford another…

Exclusive Sneak Peek: Chapter 29 of Cinderfella: Glass Slipper Half-Full That I’m Very Proud Of Glass Slippers, Half-Full and Holding If you’ve been here long enough, you know I don’t birth a chapter into the world unless it’s been through at least one rewrite, one panic spiral, and one “maybe I’ll just fake my own death instead” moment. This one? It’s been rewritten five times. Five full passes of ripping it apart and sewing it back together until the seams don’t show but the scar tissue still does.

Exclusive Sneak Peek: Chapter 29 of Cinderfella: Glass Slipper Half-Full That I’m Very Proud Of

Glass Slippers, Half-Full and Holding If you’ve been here long enough, you know I don’t birth a chapter into the world unless it’s been through at least one rewrite, one panic spiral, and one “maybe…

When the Bear Meets the Eagle in a Walmart Parking Lot: Trump, Putin, and the Art of the Ceasefire On August 15th, President Trump will meet Vladimir Putin in the most geopolitically neutral ground imaginable: Alaska. Not Geneva, not Vienna—Alaska. A location that says, “We could’ve done this at the G7, but we were both craving a halibut sandwich.”

When the Bear Meets the Eagle in a Walmart Parking Lot: Trump, Putin, and the Art of the Ceasefire

On August 15th, President Trump will meet Vladimir Putin in the most geopolitically neutral ground imaginable: Alaska. Not Geneva, not Vienna—Alaska. A location that says, “We could’ve done this at…

The Day America Put Its Wallet on Airplane Mode It’s August 9th, and somewhere in the depths of a Facebook group with 36 admins and one uncle named Gary, The People’s Union USA has declared a nationwide economic blackout. The instructions are simple: buy only essentials. No lattes. No Amazon impulse “must-haves” at 2 a.m. No Sephora “just to look.” Today, we flex our collective purchasing restraint until the free market’s knees buckle—or at least wobble slightly while checking the bill.

The Day America Put Its Wallet on Airplane Mode

It’s August 9th, and somewhere in the depths of a Facebook group with 36 admins and one uncle named Gary, The People’s Union USA has declared a nationwide economic blackout. The instructions are simple: buy only essentials. No lattes. No Amazon…

The Small Town Gayby Chronicles: Surviving, Healing, and Telling the Truth Out Loud See All My Books Here | Amazon Author Page There’s a certain kind of story you only live if the world tries to erase you from the moment you can speak. And if you survive it, you either bury it so deep it rots you from the inside—or you put it on paper so nobody can pretend it didn’t happen.

The Small Town Gayby Chronicles: Surviving, Healing, and Telling the Truth Out Loud

See All My Books Here | Amazon Author Page There’s a certain kind of story you only live if the world tries to erase you from the moment you can speak. And if you survive it, you either bury it so deep it rots you…

Brandon Cloud: books, biography, latest update Follow Brandon Cloud and explore their bibliography from Amazon's Brandon Cloud Author Page.

I don’t write “happily ever after.”
I write “happily in the middle of it all”—the real stuff.

For people who’ve been in love long enough to know it’s equal parts longing and laundry, forgiveness, joy and gut-wrenching honesty.

www.amazon.com/author/thecl...

#booksky #bookrecommends #2025TBR

House Always Wins, But the Players Are Leaving: Las Vegas Faces a Losing Streak The neon still hums, the fountains still dance, and somewhere a drunk accountant from Omaha is still insisting that blackjack is “all about strategy.” On the surface, Las Vegas hasn’t changed. But beneath the flicker of LED desert opulence, the numbers are telling a story that the slot machines won’t: fewer people are coming. Vegas, the city built on the illusion that you can always buy another life if you can scrape together enough chips, is starting to look like the boyfriend who was hot in his twenties but is now relying entirely on filters and nostalgia to keep you interested.

House Always Wins, But the Players Are Leaving: Las Vegas Faces a Losing Streak

The neon still hums, the fountains still dance, and somewhere a drunk accountant from Omaha is still insisting that blackjack is “all about strategy.” On the surface, Las Vegas hasn’t changed. But beneath the flicker…

GPT-5 Has Entered the Chat (and Possibly the Will of God) The launch of GPT-5 was not announced so much as revealed, the way ancient prophecies emerge from cracked temple walls or a Kardashian reveals a new product line—suddenly, everywhere, and without anyone asking if we were ready. OpenAI calls it the “most advanced AI model to date,” a phrase that lands somewhere between a tech brag and a Bond villain monologue.

GPT-5 Has Entered the Chat (and Possibly the Will of God)

The launch of GPT-5 was not announced so much as revealed, the way ancient prophecies emerge from cracked temple walls or a Kardashian reveals a new product line—suddenly, everywhere, and without anyone asking if we were ready. OpenAI calls…

The 7% American Dream Mortgage rates are now brushing 7%, and the experts—those same people who didn’t see 2008 coming, who told us crypto was the future, and who still insist kale is delicious—are saying the days of historic lows are “probably over.” Translation: welcome to your forever rent. Seven percent doesn’t sound like much until you remember that it’s seven percent of hundreds of thousands of dollars…

The 7% American Dream

Mortgage rates are now brushing 7%, and the experts—those same people who didn’t see 2008 coming, who told us crypto was the future, and who still insist kale is delicious—are saying the days of historic lows are “probably over.” Translation: welcome to your forever rent.…

When Numbers Lie and the Economy is “Perfect” (According to the Man Who Invented Truth) It’s another day in America, and the President has once again reminded us that numbers are not to be trusted. Not his numbers, of course—those are gold-plated, patriotic, and possibly blessed by the ghost of Reagan—but other people’s numbers. Specifically, the ones from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that dared to suggest inflation is rising and job growth is slowing.

When Numbers Lie and the Economy is “Perfect” (According to the Man Who Invented Truth)

It’s another day in America, and the President has once again reminded us that numbers are not to be trusted. Not his numbers, of course—those are gold-plated, patriotic, and possibly blessed by the ghost of…

Brandon Cloud: books, biography, latest update Follow Brandon Cloud and explore their bibliography from Amazon's Brandon Cloud Author Page.

65 books. Every genre. One truth:
Trauma scars, survival stretches, and humor holds it all together.

I write disaster survival kits in paperback—queer, bruised, brilliant.
Romance.. Satire. Dystopia. All sharp. All real. All yours.

www.amazon.com/author/thecl...

#booksky #bookrecommends #2025TBR

Living With Trauma: Scar Tissue Doesn’t Stretch People talk about trauma like it’s a one-act play:Something happens, the curtain drops, and then we’re supposed to stand up, brush off the popcorn, and walk into the daylight with “lessons learned.” But the truth is, trauma isn’t a play.It’s a residency.It moves in. Pays no rent. Rearranges your furniture without asking. And when it finally gets bored, it leaves one shoe under your bed so you’ll never stop thinking about it.

Living With Trauma: Scar Tissue Doesn’t Stretch

People talk about trauma like it’s a one-act play:Something happens, the curtain drops, and then we’re supposed to stand up, brush off the popcorn, and walk into the daylight with “lessons learned.” But the truth is, trauma isn’t a play.It’s a…

From the ER to Elder Care: How My Career Inspired Sunset on Cloud Nine Read Sunset on Cloud Nine here | Visit my Amazon Author Page Before I ever wrote Sunset on Cloud Nine, I lived it. I started my nursing career in the chaos of the Emergency Room — the kind of place where “normal” means treating a gunshot victim while a drunk guy in the next bay tries to sell you a lawnmower he “found.” I worked my way up, finished my master’s, and eventually ran the Emergency Department at Parkland in Dallas — a job that was equal parts adrenaline rush, political minefield, and family Thanksgiving without the turkey.

From the ER to Elder Care: How My Career Inspired Sunset on Cloud Nine

Read Sunset on Cloud Nine here | Visit my Amazon Author Page Before I ever wrote Sunset on Cloud Nine, I lived it. I started my nursing career in the chaos of the Emergency Room — the kind of place where “normal” means treating…

The Smart City Illusion: Where Your Trash Can Knows More About You Than Your Therapist Let’s begin with a simple question: when did we decide that cities needed to be “smart”? Was there a moment—perhaps around 2015—when an exhausted urban planner looked at a pothole, a packed bus, and a man peeing into a parking meter and thought, If only this place had WiFi and LED lighting, everything would be fine? Enter the era of the “smart city”—a phrase that sounds like it was coined by an app developer and a mayor who once tried to tweet from a landline.

The Smart City Illusion: Where Your Trash Can Knows More About You Than Your Therapist

Let’s begin with a simple question: when did we decide that cities needed to be “smart”? Was there a moment—perhaps around 2015—when an exhausted urban planner looked at a pothole, a packed bus, and a man peeing…