sesame-sim

[sesame-sim]

Emergency Contact (by Mary H.K. Choi)

ALEXIS: (to Billy Ray) You be good for your daddy ok hun? ALEXIS: (to her husband Danny) It's New Year's Eve. The diner's gonna be busy. Lord knows when I'll get home. Don't just let 'em eat cereal all night. There's chili in the pot and some sandwich stuff around. DANNY: I'm a pro at this by now.

ALEXIS: When you're awake you are but you ain't much help when you snooze off after drinking. Brandi Rose, babe. Please try and get your brother to sleep if your dad can't handle it. BRANDI ROSE: 'kay, but can I stay up and wait for you? ALEXIS: Stay up for the countdown on tv if you want but not much later than that, alright? I'll be home already when y'all wake up.

Billy Ray fussing

ALEXIS: You wanna be picked up again? BILLY RAY: Yes. ALEXIS: Oh, look at that face. He misses me already. (gives him kisses)

DANNY: You're never getting out the door. DANNY: (to Brandi Rose) Why does your mom always think she's leaving for 20 years instead of a few hours? BRANDI ROSE: (shrugs) She's just like that. (pause) I kinda like it.

BOOK SYNOPSIS - Penny (a college freshman) meets Sam (a coffee shop barista) because he’s kinda-sorta a relative of her roommate. Penny rescues Sam when he’s having a panic attack. A will they won’t they set in Austin, TX. 

CONTEXT - Brandi Rose Sidelow later grows up to be the mom of male protagonist Sam Becker. At this time, Brandi Rose is age 5 and her brother Billy Ray just turned 2.

BOOK TIME/PLACE - year unspecified in the book; Austin, Texas

MY SAVE TIME/PLACE - Sim Year 50 / Sim Day 5712 / Winter D28 / Saturday / Evergreen Harbor

POSTS FOR THIS BOOK

SONG PAIRING - for their new year, "This Will Be Our Year" by OK Go

[sesame-sim]

The Color of Water (by James McBride)

Baby Edmond looks as if he will roll over on his own any day now. To Rosa's amusement, her toddler Lacy keeps giggling. All his tiny teeth are on full display as he gurgles with laughter at the sight of his baby brother's struggles. "You laughin Lacy? Was you not long ago! Oh, you a big man now huh?" Rosa said. But Lacy the big man was running off to use his potty.

BOOK SYNOPSIS - Memoir about James McBride’s upbringing as a biracial son in a family of 12 children interwoven with the story of his white Jewish mother.

CONTEXT - Andrew and Rosa McBride and their 4 sons are from a couple generations back on the author's father's side of the family.

BOOK TIME/PLACE - 1888, somewhere in North Carolina

MY SAVE TIME/PLACE - Sim Year 50 / Sim Day 5711 / Winter D27 / Friday / Copperdale

POSTS FOR THIS BOOK

SONG PAIRING - from the 1880s, "Songs My Mother Taught Me" by Antonin Dvorak

[sesame-sim]

I am so very excited for Procreate Dreams. So very very excited.

I don't even have an ipad, but I know how amazing Procreate is. It was just announced they're making a full affordable animation program with a one time purchase of $20 and no subscription cost like holy shit????

[sesame-sim]

Unmarriageable (by Soniah Kamal)

Recently, an air of spring romance has come to Mr. and Mrs. Barkat Binat's marriage again. Oh, who knows. Maybe it is that their eldest daughter, Jenazba, will be turning 13 in just a few months and second daughter Alysba wouldn't be far after. A feeling has bubbled up between them that they would like to have a baby in the house again before they start feeling old. In fact, Barkat and Pinkie are hardly old enough to be feeling old, Having married young, Barkat is now only in his early 30s and Pinkie is not even 30 yet. But here they are, reminiscing like an old couple in the candlelight, laughing at their teenage selves. (And here are those teenage selves! Back when I was playing them in Jan. 2021)

Barkat and Pinkie decide they will actively start trying for a baby again. They sneak upstairs to their bedroom while their daughters are downstairs doing their homework.

The next day, Pinkie meets up with her older sister Falak so they can both shop for presents for their soon-to-be-teens. Falak's son is turning 13 even sooner than Jenazba will. Pinkie tells her sister that she and hubby are going to try for another baby.

Falak: I want one too! Pinkie: (clicking her tongue) You just want one out of sibling rivalry. Falak: It's true, it's true! I don't want to push another one out of me and I've already got 3 men in my house to take care of. But seriously, when on earth is your older brother going to get himself married and leave behind bachelorhood? Pinkie: OUR older brother, not just mine! Falak: Mujhe jagah do! (Give me some space!) He is at my house for every meal! He needs someone who can cook for him.

(Throwing in a pic of Nisar, Falak, and Pinkie Gardenaar when they were 13.5, 11.5, and 10. They are descendants of the City Living townie Salim Benali.)

BOOK SYNOPSIS - As the book cover says, Pride and Prejudice in Pakistan. Our Elizabeth and Darcy in this book are Alysba Binat and Valentine Darsee.

BOOK TIME/PLACE - 1981, Pakistan

MY SAVE TIME/PLACE - Sim Year 51 / Sim Day 5713-5714 / Spring D3-4 / Sunday-Monday / Oasis Springs

POSTS FOR THIS BOOK

[sesame-sim]

Kitchen Confidential (by Anthony Bourdain) + Bourdain (by Laurie Woolever)

When Nancy arrived at the location of the bonfire with her sister in tow, she saw Flip had arrived first. Leaning against the side of the building, he was having a smoke. He looked up upon hearing Nancy's voice. When he realized she had her sister with her, he quickly offered to get Joan a drink and said he would get the bonfire started so that they could warm up.

Despite how much she had teased Nancy in the car on the way over, Joan took her role as older sister seriously. When she saw that her kid sister's first boyfriend is Philip/Sam/Flip Goldman, she felt wary. This guy of several names wasn't unknown to her. He is one year older than Nancy and his time in school had overlapped with Joan's so she knew how popular he was with the female population at the school. At least he did seem to be genuinely putting in effort to make a good impression on her so she kept the mood light too.

It wasn't long before others started arriving. Savannah was the next person, followed by Jeff and Anthony who immediately started being the goofs that they are. Eventually, a good 20+ people showed up throughout the evening. To Joan's surprise and relief, a few of them were from her year in school and were also back home for the holidays like she was so she didn't feel like she alone was playing babysitter to a bunch of high schoolers.

"Well? What do you think of Flip?" Nancy asked when she had a moment to pull her sister aside. "I think our dad is the one who's going to flip." Joan said, looking over her shoulder at their subject of conversation who was now smoking weed. Nancy smacked her sister's leg, saying, "But he's nice though! Really nice!" defensively.

After that, Nancy and Philip/Sam/Flip's were never more than a couple feet apart. Nancy hardly noticed that Anthony was often hovering around nearby as well, occasionally jumping into the conversation with funny remarks to make her laugh...

...though he knew to give up around the time Nancy and Flip started their long PDA session. (Savannah with the side eye lol.)

Hours later, most of the gatherers had headed home. Only a few of them were left still sobering up inside the teen hangout because all of them had consumed some amount of alcohol, drugs, or both. By that point of the evening, with the lovebirds kissing yet again, Anthony was very much like "What is my life right now?" But at least his buddies Dae and Jeff stuck by his side.

BOOK SYNOPSIS - In Kitchen Confidential chef Anthony Bourdain recounts all his culinary adventures. The other Bourdain book is also recounting his life but does so entirely with quotes from family, friends, coworkers.

IRL TIME/PLACE - 1968, Leonia, New Jersey

MY SAVE TIME/PLACE - Sim Year 50 / Sim Day 5707 / Winter D22 / Sun. / Newcrest

POSTS FOR THIS BOOK

SONG PAIRING - from 1968, Light My Fire (by Jose Feliciano)

[sesame-sim]

Yo. Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro. I've only watched ep 1 so far so I can't say if they did a good job on the overall show yet but jfc this adaptation attempt was worth it for his casting. I've only seen him as Arata in Chihayafuru before and this is so entirely different it's hard to even tell it's the same actor.

[sesame-sim]

Kitchen Confidential (by Anthony Bourdain) + Bourdain (by Laurie Woolever)

Dr. Edward Putkoski: Nancy. Nancy? Anne Christine! It's late. Where are you going? Nancy: Bonfire. Everyone's going. Dr. Edward: Everyone refers to your friends from school? It's Winter Break. Joanie's home from university. Wouldn't you like to spend the holidays with your family? You see your school friends all the time.

Nancy: Dad...come on. Winter Break is also the only time we do the bonfire. If I get Joan to go with me, it still counts as spending time with family, right? And you'll feel better knowing we're looking out for each other, right?

10 minutes later, Joan finds herself dragged away from her cozy night in front of the TV to stand out in the cold.

Dr. Edward: No smoking, no drinking, no unconscionable activities with boys.

Joan (the moment their dad goes back inside): I haven't thought of how you're going to pay me back for this, but you'll be paying me back times 10.

Nancy: Well, for starters, you get to see who my boyfriend is.

Joan: You?! Have a boyfriend now?!? Who said you could grow up while I was gone?

BOOK SYNOPSIS - In Kitchen Confidential chef Anthony Bourdain recounts all his culinary adventures. The other Bourdain book is also recounting his life but does so entirely with quotes from family, friends, coworkers.

IRL TIME/PLACE - 1968, Leonia, New Jersey

MY SAVE TIME/PLACE - Sim Year 50 / Sim Day 5707 / Winter D22 / Sun. / Newcrest

POSTS FOR THIS BOOK

SONG PAIRING - from 1968, Slip Away (by Clarence Carter)

[sesame-sim]

Killers of the Flower Moon (by David Grann)

Swimming in oil money, Mollie Nekahesey used a portion of it to purchase an Auburn Model C for $1000 dollars. She thought driving couldn't possibly be that hard to grasp and in those days no driving license was required. But after months of practice behind the wheel, her sisters still felt every outing with Mollie was like a game of Russian roulette.

On this sunny winter day, Mollie and Rita took the car into town to pick up some supplies for the upcoming holidays. "I did well this time! I got us exactly to the doorstep," Mollie said with a happy laugh. "Any closer and you would've parked us inside," Rita muttered. She was certain that the stone steps had contributed more to stopping the car than Mollie had.

"That's a fine vehicle," a young man commented. It was Ernest Burkhart who the sisters had seen around often. They were aware that his uncle is the owner of a nearby ranch. Most everyone knew everyone in their town. "When you're ready to leave, give me a holler and I can get her turned around nicely if you'd like."

"You know a thing or two about cars?" Mollie asked. "Oh sure. I do a bit of driving for folks when I'm not needed over at my uncle's. "Is that so?!" Rita's ears perked up. "Hire him. Hire him immediately." She said to Mollie in a side whisper that was not at all a whisper.

BOOK SYNOPSIS - True crime story following Osage tribe member Mollie Nekahesey who marries her chauffeur, a white man named Ernest Burkhart. Then a series of murders of Osage people take place including Mollie’s own family members. (A movie adaptation is coming soon starring Leonardo DiCaprio)

IRL TIME/PLACE - 1911, Osage County, Oklahoma

MY SAVE TIME/PLACE - Sim Year 50 / Sim Day 5706 / Winter D21 / Sat / Strangerville

POSTS FOR THIS BOOK

Totally failed to post last week. It was the first week back to school and there was too much going on. I'm an art teacher with classes Mon-Sat. In the summer I could play almost every day but school year schedule isn't going to let me do that. I'm still going to keep chugging along with my save as often as I can. I'll try prepping a couple posts in advance on Sundays.

[sesame-sim]

prep day

I reached a point in my bookish save that I need to get some world-building tasks done first before I can keep playing

For KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL - working on 3 builds that will be needed soon

The beach rental Anthony and his friends live in for the summer.

The first restaurant Anthony gets a job at

And still continuing the Culinary Institute of America

For KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON - I realized that I was avoiding playing with Mollie and her sisters because it's always bothered me that I have them dressed completely wrong. So far I can't find cc that looks like what they actually wear. It's ridiculous that they are main people in the book and I barely show them. I can deal with screenshots when I have my sims not dressed right as long as it's still somewhat close, not like jarringly wrong. But to me what I currently have the Osage sisters wear is so off the mark that it takes me out of the immersion. Below is what they SHOULD be wearing. Been trying to find something I can recolor. Also looking for a 1910s car because Ernest becomes Mollie's chauffeur soon.

[sesame-sim]

BOOK - Kitchen Confidential (by Anthony Bourdain) and Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography (by Laurie Woolever)

From a flirty kiss on the hand at the ice skating rink to full-blown makeout sesh at Flip's place a few days later. Things were moving fast between Sam/Flip/Phillip and Nancy. Ooooh Nancy. Have fun girl.

At that moment, Anthony was moping at the comic book shop with pal Dae Bennett (2nd son of famous singer Tony Bennett who also lives in Leonia. Dae and Tony were often in detention together at school.) Tony loves comic books and even posted an ad in the paper seeking old comic books. He also really likes trying to draw and create his own.

BOOK SYNOPSIS - In Kitchen Confidential chef Anthony Bourdain recounts all his culinary adventures. The other Bourdain book is also recounting his life but does so entirely with quotes from family, friends, coworkers.

BOOK EXCERPT - This time the excerpt is from Down and Out in Paradise: the Life of Anthony Bourdain by Charles Leerhsen.

Posting from this playthrough more often than the others at the moment because there's just more going on in the main character's life right now. Different books have different busy times.

IRL TIME/PLACE - 1968, Leonia, New Jersey

MY SAVE TIME/PLACE - Sim Year 50 / Sim Day 5706 / Winter D21 / Sat. / Newcrest

POSTS FOR THIS BOOK

Song Pairing: from 1968, Love Makes A Woman

[sesame-sim]

BOOK - Wild Game (by Adrienne Brodeur)

"I haven't seen you in six months!" Vivian fumed. "You think I'm the kind of person to wait around for that long?"

Bert is a representative at Muller & Phipps Asia in Bombay and lives there most of the year. The couple's families are in the same social circles in New York City and they'd become attached during the times when Bert was at home visiting. They were two firecracker personalities, equally matched in flirtatiousness, hot-temperedness, and drinking habits. Each of them could easily reel in catches left and right when they turn on their charm, but perhaps it was the push and pull with each other that kept them interested.

Bert is currently back for the winter holidays and had immediately taken Vivian out on the town. Although she came along, she gave him the cold shoulder from the start. She was silent during the automobile ride, huffy and pouty at the dinner table, then she strolled off to the bar to talk with an exaggerated amount of interest to another man. Bert followed, keeping his cool.

When she couldn't bring out any reaction from him, she stormed off again to see the view from upstairs. Bert followed.

After she'd covered a lot of mileage, he said "Viv darling, if you're done touring, maybe I can tell you. I would like to invite you to come see India and, there, I mean to make you my wife. Unless, of course, you have other arrangements with that gentleman down at the bar."

NOTE - Bert and Vivian are the parents of Malabar and grandparents of the author. The names are just what they are named in the book. The author revealed their real names on instagram, but I will go on using the book version of the names for the playthrough so that it's easier to follow in book excerpts.

BOOK SYNOPSIS - The author Adrienne recounts how when she was a teenager, her mother Malabar not only had her keep Malabar’s affair with her husband Charles’s BFF a secret, but also enlisted Adrienne’s help with setting up secret rendezvous. Yikes.

BOOK TIME/PLACE - 1925, New York City

MY SAVE TIME/PLACE - Sim Year 50 / Sim Day 5704 / Winter D19 / Thu / Newcrest. (I didn't put it in San Myshuno because I actually a lot called Little India from the gallery into San Myshuno to serve as Bombay where Bert is living so they can't both be in San Myshuno).

POSTS FOR THIS BOOK

[sesame-sim]

BOOK - Kitchen Confidential (by Anthony Bourdain) and Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography (by Laurie Woolever)

In Anthony's hometown, the police would flood the basketball courts in the winter so that kids could ice skate on them.

From L to R we have 9th grader Anthony, his friend Jeff Formosa, plus upperclassmen Sam and Nancy. Lol Jeff looks like he's about to chomp on Sam's arm.

Every high school has the charismatic cool guy that everyone gravitates towards. At Dwight-Englewood School, Sam Goldman was that guy. His real name is Phillip but everyone calls him Flip but then he also went by Sam so you can't blame me for not knowing which name to stick with calling him. (This is nonfic ppl. I didn't make up the names.)

The way the current situation stands, Anthony the short lil' freshman follows Flip the 11th grader around and does his bidding, while Nancy the sophomore is into Flip, but Anthony is into Nancy. Lately, Sam-Flip-Phlilip whatever his name is seems to have caught on that Nancy is interested in him. It wasn't hard to notice. For example, if he got too hot from skating and goes off to the side for a break, Nancy will casually head over to the side for a break too.

See?

Oh? OH? What's this!?! Keep skating, Tony. Don't look over here. You don't need to see this.

Damn it. He noticed. Flippin' Flip.

QUICK SYNOPSIS - In Kitchen Confidential chef Anthony Bourdain recounts all his culinary adventures. The other Bourdain book is also recounting his life but does so entirely with quotes from family, friends, coworkers.

BOOK EXCERPT - This time the excerpt is from Down and Out in Paradise: the Life of Anthony Bourdain by Charles Leerhsen. I didn't read all of that one but skimmed it for some anecdotes.

IRL TIME/PLACE - 1968, Leonia, New Jersey

MY SAVE TIME/PLACE - Sim Year 50 / Sim Day 5703 / Winter D18 / Wed. / Newcrest

POSTS FOR THIS BOOK

[sesame-sim]

BOOK - The Color of Water (by James McBride)

Andrew and Rosa McBride are the great-grandparents of the author James McBride and they are the parents of 4 boys (thus far). On Thanksgiving, the family skipped out on breakfast and lunch so that a more lavish dinner could be had. Andrew and the two older boys were up before the sun, their holiday spirits making them quick going about their chores. Not a peep of complaint was heard. Charlie pumped the water. He fed and cleaned the goat and sheep too. French gathered eggs, fed the chickens, and cleaned their coop, shiftily avoiding eye contact with the one that would be killed for their grand meal. Their father chopped firewood and changed the hay in the animal manger. Third son, Lacey, was too young for chores. He kept his mama company inside the house to make sure she didn’t get things done too quickly.

Dinner was warm and wonderful. In addition to the chicken, there was milk from the goat, 3 eggs, and some root vegetables that had been stored for winter. It had taken many struggles to arrive at their current level of self-sufficiency. They were doing well.

Rosa’s heart was satisfied to see her husband have another heaping plateful after all the rest of them had retired their bellies for the evening. To cap it all off, that day baby Edmond had laughed for the first time when his papa came in from the cold and tried to pick him up. Those icy fingers sure have a funny tickly feeling!

A look at their home which is in Copperdale. Aside from your standard Henford and Chestnut Ridge, this is a pretty great lot for a small farming family. There's fishing right next to them too. The old-timey secluded vibe is on point here as long as you DON'T TURN THE CAMERA AROUND AND SEE THE FRICKIN' FERRIS WHEEL.

BOOK SYNOPSIS - Memoir about James McBride’s upbringing as a biracial son in a family of 12 children interwoven with the story of his white Jewish mother.

NOTE - There is a document showing that Andrew McBride was a farmer in North Carolina so I've started my sim versions of them as farmers as well, though I've probably made their home still too large for those times. I felt I needed to bc they still have 3 more kids coming!

BOOK TIME/PLACE - 1888, somewhere in North Carolina

MY SAVE TIME/PLACE - Sim Year 50 / Sim Day 5702 / Winter D17 / TUE / Copperdale

POSTS FOR THIS BOOK

[sesame-sim]

BOOK - Emergency Contact (by Mary H.K. Choi)

The first time Brandi Rose felt like a grown-up was when her parents and brother were sleeping and, instead of being afraid of all the nighttime sounds outside her window, she made herself a peanut butter jelly sandwich with a diagonal cut.

BOOK SYNOPSIS - Penny (a college freshman) meets Sam (a coffee shop barista) because he’s kinda-sorta a relative of her roommate. Penny rescues Sam when he’s having a panic attack. A will they won’t they set in Austin, TX. 

Brandi Rose Sidelow just aged up to child. She later grows up to be the mother of Sam the barista

BOOK TIME/PLACE - year unspecified, Austin, Texas

MY SAVE TIME/PLACE - Sim Year 50 / Sim Day 5707 / Winter D23 / MON / Evergreen Harbor

POSTS FOR THIS BOOK

SONG PAIRING

[sesame-sim]

KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL

Anthony entered high school as a shrimp who wanted to quickly get into the good graces of the upperclassmen. He was pretty bold about it, chatting to them at every opportunity or thinking up stunts to make them laugh, especially if Nancy Putkoski from one grade above him was around. But he wasn't on her love interest radar because he was just a funny little freshman.

Besides, Nancy too had eyes for someone one grade above her. His name--Sam Goldman. (I know there were no selfies back then. I imagine Sam was checking out his hair in a small mirror and Nancy was back there caught off guard that he saw her looking his way.)

BOOK - Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain and Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography by Laurie Woolever

QUICK SYNOPSIS - In Kitchen Confidential chef Anthony Bourdain recounts all his culinary adventures. The other Bourdain book is also recounting his life but does so entirely with quotes from family, friends, coworkers.

BOOK EXCERPTS - both are from Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography

IRL TIME/PLACE - 1968, Dwight-Englewood School, New Jersey (Note on accuracy: At the time it was still the Dwight School for Girls and the Englewood School for Boys which I think were right next to each other. They later merged into one school. But because all the high schoolers in Sims 4 attend just one school, and in real life people of the 2 schools mingled and hung out together anyway, I'm just playing it like they are in one school.)

MY SAVE TIME/PLACE - Sim Year 50 / various days in Fall and Winter season between Sim Days 5656 - 5712 / Newcrest for where they live but Copperdale for school

PREVIOUSLY

[sesame-sim]

BOOK - Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal

QUICK SYNOPSIS - As the book cover says, Pride and Prejudice in Pakistan. Our Elizabeth and Darcy in this book are Alysba Binat and Valentine Darsee.

IMAGE - Dr. Farhat Kaleen and his young bride Roohi married in the early winter. It is the ideal season to marry in Pakistan, when the women can confidently wear their lehngas without worrying about wilting in the heat. Everyone agreed the bride looked lovely and her petite stature gave her husband the illusion of being tall. Poor Roohi, enjoy your 5 minutes of fame because, alas, you are an incredibly tiny side character who will die in a similar fashion to the father of the Bridgertons and Aethelwulf from Vikings.

BOOK TIME/PLACE - 1980, Pakistan

MY SAVE TIME/PLACE - Sim Year 50 / Sim Day 5698 / Winter D15 / SUN / Windenburg

PREVIOUSLY

[sesame-sim]

Books I'm considering next

I mentioned before I add a new book every 5 sim years in my bookish save.. I'm torn about what book to add in next for Year 55. I know It seems too soon to be thinking about it bc I'm posting Year 50 right now, but in actuality I'm halfway through playing Year 53 so I need to give myself some time to finish reading and do prep like take notes, make a timeline.

Below are the ones I'm currently considering. They each have things about them that I really want to play and things about them that would be difficult to show with sims. Opinions welcome! I would love if somebody just tells me they have a clear favorite and then I don't have to decide lol.

In alphabetical order (info on each after the cut)

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys (memoir)

Dust Child (historical fic)

Magic Lessons and the Practical Magic trilogy (fantasy)

Refugee High (nonfic)

Salvage the Bones ; Sing, Unburied Sing (fic)

She's Not There (memoir)

The Glass Castle ; Half Broke Horses (memoir)

To Kill A Kingdom (fantasy)

War and Speech (YA)

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys (memoir of Viv Albertine, member of British female punk rock group The Slits. I'm interested in the aesthetics of this. She's also dated Mick from The Clash, has been friends with various ppl like Sid Vicous. But should I hold out for the possibility of a bands EP or GP in the future? And there's another memoir of hers I could also read before playing. It's more focused on her family rather than her music career)

Dust Child (historical fiction about a half Vietnamese half black man who is trying to find out who his father is in the present time intertwined with the story of two sisters who leave their small town to become bar girls in Saigon in past time. I actually haven't read this yet but I became interested in playing something with a Vietnamese storyline because of the tumblr @biplusco . Their Indochine cc collection made me want to play something set in Southeast Asia.

Magic Lessons; The Book of Magic; The Rules of Magic; Practical Magic (trilogy and a prequel following the Owens family of witches since the 1600s. You may know the movie Practical Magic. Of these books I've read Practical Magic and half of Magic Lessons but haven't read The Book of Magic or The Rules of Magic yet. The main issue here is 4 books is a lot to take notes about and make timelines for before playing through. Plus, starting from the late 1600s all the way to more current times at the speed I play will mean I never finish! But maybe I could JUST play the prequel.)

Refugee High (nonfiction about the high school in the U.S. with the highest percentage of refugees. The author chose some students, each from a different country, to delve into the lives of. Could be interesting depicting each one's past in sims before they end up together in Copperdale High School. But I've only just started reading this one.)

Salvage the Bones; Sing, Unburied, Sing (fictions both by Jesmyn Ward and they take place in the same town. The characters even cross paths at one point. I love her writing so much but a key part of one book is a hurricane and the other book mostly takes place in a car so I don't know if I can do this well in Sims 4 as the game is rn)

She's Not There (memoir, gender transition. I might want to read her other book called Good Boy about every dog she's had in her life first so I can play both together and have each of the pets join the family at the right times)

The Glass Castle; Half Broke Horses (both by Jeannette Walls. The Glass Castle is a really popular memoir about the author's nomadic upbringing with parents who eventually choose to be homeless. Half Broke Horses is her biography of her maternal grandmother. That one mostly takes place on ranches. What happens in The Glass Castle basically picks up right after what happens in Half Broke Horses.)

To Kill A Kingdom (fiction, fantasy, mermaids and princes. This one I'm worried about my lack of cc for. I want to play out a fantasy book at some point but I haven't done any collecting of fantasy cc whatsoever yet so it might take a while to accumulate it )

War and Speech (a humorous YA book about a high school girl, new to a school, who joins the super snobby speech team just to try to bring them down from the inside.)