#Recently Read

[clonerightsagenda]

#recently read, June 2025

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones. An academic uncovers the diary of her pastor ancestor, who received the confession of a Blackfeet vampire. *Jones has a very distinct style not everyone enjoys, but I do and I enjoyed this.

Lote by Sheila Von Reinhold. A Black aesthete joins a bizarre artists' residency in her search for information about a mostly forgotten Black artist and socialite. *A very experimental novel about recordkeeping, theory, and who gets to be quirky and decadent.

You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue (trans. Natasha Wimmer). A hallucinatory reimagining of the meeting between Moctezuma and Cortes, where the Colhua play politics and the conquistadors wonder if they'll make it out alive. *3 for 3 on quite odd but I really liked it

The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling. Otherworldly visitors interrupt an endless siege, but three women - a knight, a reclusive alchemist, and a vengeful orphan - don't believe these creatures mean well. *Starling's books have gotten more polished since the Luminous Dead but haven't hit me as hard. However it hits many current tumblr darlings (fucked up religion, cannibalism, toxic lesbian throuples) so will likely speak to many people here.

Anthologies

Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Horror Anthology, ed. Stephen Graham Jones.

Lake of Souls: The collected Short Fiction by Anne Leckie.

Short Story

"Second Person, Present Tense" by Daryl Gregory. Clone angst-adjacent!

[bookishfreedom]

March Wrap-Up ☘️

this was a month of quantity AND quality. I somehow read… 18 books in March??? (Most not pictured because library/audio/ebooks) many of which are new favorites ❤️

[gorimbaudandgojohnnygo]

OM: I think you would agree that the character who most personalizes the film and makes it so emotional is Arthur. He’s not just the guy who walks around asking what Rosebud is.

TH: Arthur is me. He’s you. He’s the fan who becomes part of the story, the silhouette who has the light turned onto him. I still have a crush on him, the character, and it’s largely due to Christian’s performance — there’s just something so heartbreaking about it. I still can’t be completely objective about Arthur. It is a very difficult part to play, and much less inviting than the more colorful roles in the film. But the weight on that character/actor to carry the film and ground you emotionally, and give you a consistent point of entry into the story — through all of these flashbacks and dizzying whirlwind of memories — was enormous. I think Christian rose to the occasion and presented us with a portrait of ourselves as the public who buys the music. The film had to have a really strong fan point of view, not just as a framework for letting Mandy and the rest tell the story. He is there for us as a reminder of our place in the cycle of pop and consumer culture, that we’re really central to it. Something about that cycle — where the kiss between Brian and Curt is photographed, the photograph gets printed, it goes through the press, it gets sold at the newsstand, some little kid in Manchester buys it, he takes it home, he opens it up, and it gives him an erection — is very real. There’s something palpable about intercutting the public sexuality of the rock stars with the very private, unknown sexuality of the consumer, and how one directly affects the other. I think it all has to do with the tremendous joy that rock performers get from performing their music, the sexual connection to the audience, which film-makers cannot experience. To have lived a live moment with an audience, where some kind of charge is being let out on one end and taken in on the other, is pretty amazing. It’s also why rock speaks to adolescents. They are most in need and most open to all kinds of charges like that, because it’s not yet codified, or genderized or labelled.

—from “Superstardust: Talking Glam with Todd Haynes,” by Oren Moverman

[rustbeltjessie]

If I Were an Ewok, My Sister Would Take Me and Name Me Sunshine

Well she actually said if you were an Ewok I would rescue you and name you Sunshine build you a tiny house in my backyard make your salads out of sunflowers comb your hair tickle your belly until your feet start to look like hairy propellers

            She would cuddle me             until my dreams are of thick forests             high treehouses             two moons in the sky             filled with endless stars

            Cuddle me             until my planet is emptied             from warmongers             planet thieves             planet destroyers             golden gods             troopers             rebels

            She would cuddle me back             to where her ancestors sang protection songs             in the morning beauty songs

She would tell me stories about her people how strangers from a distant land came and forced them to march how they had sticks that shot out lightning rods that cut deep forced them to march had them walk across the borders of their homeland had them watch as they murdered their women and children

            I would tell her stories about my people             how strangers from a distant planet             forced us to fight for our lives             how they had sticks that shot out lightning             rods that burned deep             forced us to fight their war             had us watch as they murdered our women and children

She would tell me of how these strangers came on horses how they ran her people off cliffs

            I would tell her how these strangers came in the belly of metal beasts             how they ran over my people

She would tell me how they came like shooting stars             I would tell her how they came on shooting stars

She would tell me about the day her people signed a treaty to go home how they promised to learn their strange ways she would sing the songs they sang on their way into their sacred mountains how they relit the fires in their homes to ward off future threats

            I would tell her about the day we watched the death star die             how we celebrated             how we used the helmets of our enemies as drums             how we raised the fires to ward off future threats

That was the day she told me they started to see more strangers on their land             That was the day I started to see more strangers on our planet

More people with lightning sticks             more people with rods that burn deep

More like shooting stars riding in with flags             more shooting stars landing in our fields

She would tell me how they were here to “save” her and her people             I would tell her how they needed to “save” me and my people

How they would give them freedom             how they would rescue us from the Dark Side

 They never stopped  They took language by force  they destroyed sacred sites  polluted water  until there was only the litter of war left  so they took to the stars  to a galaxy far far away

We would sit let our tears trail down our faces gazing at the stars mapping out the systems holding each other as sisters

—Rowie Shondeen Shebala, from Poetry Magazine (March 2025)

[usha-is-transgender]

@batmanisagatewaydrug 's book bingo update for February!

Coming to you late (again). This month, I added 5 squares onto the bingo board, and am now only one square away from my first bingo. Not bad!

--

Literary Fiction: No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood

I went into this book completely blind, and I'm so glad I did. I had seen it floating around as a book people really enjoyed, and sometime months ago I put the e-book on hold at my library, swiftly forgetting about it as the long, winding wait list inched forward. The day I finally got the notification that I could borrow it was a lucky one. I had just finished a couple of longer sci-fi books, and was in the mood for a change of genre and a quick finish. Starting this book off, I thought it had an interesting structure and fun narrative voice, but to be honest I didn't think it would be any more than just a fun read to tide me over until I started something I was really excited about. That is, UNTIL! The protagonist has a major event happen in her life, and we are immediately swept into it. What I thought was solely a commentary on the role of social media in the modern day becomes a meditation on grief, and if there is one thing about me you should know it's that I will always eat up a meditation on grief. I highlighted a lot of lines while reading this, and going through all of them shows an arc in and of itself. The early marks are quippy, tongue-in-cheek comments concerning life in the age of the internet. The later ones are punches to the gut in their simple severity. This book surprised me in the way I always hope to be surprised when I pick up something new.

As an aside, it seems from reading through the acknowledgements that this story has autobiographical elements, which immediately made sense to me. I sometimes feel like a sentiment like this is overused, but I genuinely think this a case where it is clear that the author has personal experience with the kind of grief it is portraying. As someone who has myself unfortunately experienced an especially tragic death of a loved one, I am not exaggerating when I say that some of the things written in this book have brought me to tears not only when first reading them, but after every subsequent revisit as well. This book made me feel understood, and for an aspect of my life I so seldom feel understood about. It is an incredibly special feeling when something comes out of the blue and touches you so deeply. An absolute standout.

Sequel: The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers

This is the fourth and final entry in the Wayfarers series, and while reading it I was finally able to put into words what it is I love so much about these books. There is an optimism within them about the future and the capabilities of humanity to work towards a more just world that I have only ever felt before while watching early Star Trek. This is not at all to say that there isn't horrifying and compelling conflict present in this world. Neither Star Trek nor Wayfarers is a perfect sparkling utopia. There are actually some pretty heavy topics covered in all four books. The optimism doesn't come from nothing bad happening, but from the conviction that we have the capacity to solve these issues if we only commit ourselves to the difficult path of collaboration and equitable construction.

Now, I am someone who felt that my life was changed by reading I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream as a middle-schooler. I tend to gravitate towards stories of the dystopian and depressing variety. I like to read about misery. That being said, there is something very compelling to me about a narrative in which you can feel in your bones how much its creator believes that things can get better. That is what I feel when I read Becky Chambers, and I can't deny how invigorating it is when done right. These books don't feel to me like I am being preached to. They feel like I have happened to overhear a very personal conversation. Chambers' portrayal of a society in which many different aliens all live among each other, a society that has adapted continuously to make this possible, and a world that has moved past so many of the issues of our day while also inevitably running into structural problems of its own is immersive and fascinating. I'm sad that there's no more to come of this series, but incredibly excited to dive into this author's other work.

Fantasy: The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

Something I love to do every once in a while is to make one of my weekends into a game. The game consists of searching my library for any novellas I'm interested in and then trying to finish as many of them as I can in those two days. The way you win is by finding a really good book and/or feeling accomplished with how you made the most of your weekend. This book was part of that game, and yes I did win that time. My favorite thing about this novel was the fun structure it had in which we are learning about events that happened years ago from a somewhat unreliable narrator telling stories of her life to another character. It gives the story this really cool feeling of being simultaneously so large in its scope while extremely confined in its actual space. The majority of the events happen in a single cabin, but the effects ripple through everyone living in the empire its a part of. I know that this is the first book in a series, and I can definitely see opportunities for expanding on the story in interesting ways. I have to say, I wasn't quite enraptured enough to run immediately to book 2, but who knows? Maybe this world will find its way into my weekend game again.

Indie Publisher: Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident by Donnie Eichar

This prompt was a really interesting one to try to fill for me. In the process I learned that so many publishing companies that I thought had nothing to do with the big names out there are in fact easily found to be subsidiaries of the Macmillan Industrial Complex. It was extremely sobering to try three separate times to slot in a book I was reading into this square, only to come back after a google search once again foiled. I was actually surprised when I looked up the publisher for this book (Chronicle Books) and found no connection to the Big 5. I picked this one up not because I thought it would fulfill the prompt, but to indulge my guilty pleasure of learning about survival disasters.

Okay, I can't lie, this was a bit of a weird one. I was very pulled into the chapters set during the Dyatlov group's fatal hiking trip and the ensuing search for their bodies. What wasn't so engrossing to me was the equal number of chapters dedicated to the author's trip to Russia in the 2010s to visit the mountain they died on. Those parts frankly just felt stretched out to pad the page count. There were a couple interesting moments, but they would have been more impactful if that entire section of the narrative was edited way down. In case you're wondering, the book does make an argument for how exactly the hikers came to die in such mysterious circumstances, and it comes straight out of left field. Have you ever heard of infrasound waves? Me either. In his defense, it seems like the author was equally baffled by the concept when he first came across it, and he chronicles his conversations with a really big deal scientist about how it's totally possible. I am not at all qualified to judge whether his theory is scientifically sound, but it's certainly interesting if for nothing more than how bizarre it is.

Social Justice and Activism: Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Davis

I bought this book years ago with the determination to read more non-fiction, only for a receipt I was using as a bookmark to stay stuck on page 15 long enough so that increases in inflation that have likely rendered every price recorded there a historical artifact. I honestly cannot be sure if I would have ever gotten around to it without this bingo, which is exactly the kind of books I hoped I'd be reading when I started this.

There's not that much I have to say about this book other than it is a concise, wide-reaching, and persuasive case for the abolition of the prison. Pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. I found it very useful for myself in that I was certainly familiar with prison abolition and some of the most well-known talking points surrounding it, but lacked a lot of the historical context and specifics of its perspective. There's also a great wealth of information to be found in the references section for potential places to continue my reading of this topic, another plus. It feels to me like an excellent broad starting place with suggestions for more in-depth works on specific aspects of what it tackles. Happy I read it and would gladly read more on the topic.

--

Overall, a whole lot of wins this month, and I'm extremely pleased with how the board is filling out. Here's to more great reads this year, and hopefully a bingo soon!

[theeccentricraven]

Books Read in 2024 (and 2025) 📚

Thank you @forthesanityofstorytellers for the tag here 🐦‍⬛

Rules: list 9 books you’ve read and loved in 2024 (and so far in 2025)

11/22/63 by Stephen King

Time travel, Historical Fiction, Horror

The first Stephen King novel I read. I can tell why people love him. Although the book is long, the story and characters were fascinating. Teacher Jake Epping finds a portal that brings him back to 1958, which he then uses to go back in time to prevent the JFK assassination. During his journey, he impacts many lives including romancing the librarian Sadie, but will these changes be for the better or for the worse? Will he uncover Lee Harvey Oswald's secrets?

Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte, illustrated by Ann Xu

Graphic Novel, Contemporary Fiction, Middle Grade, Cooking

A graphic novel about a 12 year old girl, Cici, who immigrates from Taiwan to the USA. She's an expert on cooking Taiwanese cuisine, as she's learned a lot from her grandmother, who is still in Taiwan. Cici wants her grandma to visit for her 70th birthday. She finds a way when she learns of a cooking contest for youth where the prize money is enough to buy a plane ticket. Cici ends up partnering with Miranda, who carries the family tradition of cooking Italian-American. I really loved the story and beautiful illustrations. I love to cook myself. It's fun if you're a foodie like me!

Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel by Jessica Brody

Nonfiction, Reference

This was one of the most impactful writing craft books that I've read. Jessica Brody bases how to write a novel using Blake Snyder's Save the Cat technique for screenwriting. She previously wrote Save the Cat! Writes a Novel. I especially love this Young Adult version because it's up to date on the latest Young Adult releases. I studied Young Adult literature in college 20 years ago, so I was happy to see how YA fic has evolved over the years. I love the Save the Cat! method because of how it studies the way good movies and good books pull off great story arcs and character arcs. I learned what I was doing wrong and what made my favorite books and movies so great. I recommend this to any new writer.

Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine

Nonfiction, Reference

This is the greatest book about the craft of fiction writing. I slowly progressed on this because each chapter ends with a writing exercise, and the exercises involved a lot of creative sweat and blood. But that's what makes it good. Ms. Levine provides some of the best writing advice and provides many opportunities for writers to learn. I consider this a must for aspiring writers.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Dystopia, Scifi, Young Adult, New Adult

As a lover of dystopian fiction, I had to check this out. Set in a future where classes of people are divided by colors, Darrow is a 16 year old Red, the lowest of classes, and a helldiver, one of the men who dig the underground of Mars. When tragedy hits his life, Darrow ends up in a clandestine operation to rise against the highest of the color classes - the Golds. Darrow goes through the process of transforming into a Gold to infiltrate their ranks. It has everything I love about the genre - a the oppressed rising against the oppressors, fascinating future technology, tensity, morally gray characters not without pure evil characters, and raises thought provoking questions. Darrow goes through a lot of suffering, often being at the receiving end of deception. This makes it pay off in the end when he's able to turn the tables. You'll have to read to find out what happens.

The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, and LeUyen Pham

Children's Lit, Chapter Book, Fantasy, Humor, Adventure

The Princess in Black series are for ages 6-9 years old, but the child in me digs them. The series tells the stories of Princess Magnolia, a princess by day who dresses in black and becomes a super hero when there's danger. The Prince in Pink is the 10th books in the series and the cutest. Here she meets Prince Valerian, who acts like a prince and knight in shining armor by day, but when a party is ruined, he becomes the prince in pink to save the party. A whimsical, sweet story that is great for new readers and anyone who wants a cute, humorous story.

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Historical fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult

Set in 1968, sisters Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern were raised by their father in Brooklyn under the constant eye of their grandma, until one day when the mother who abandoned them has custody for the summer. The sisters have a difficult time getting along with their mother, but try to get closer to her through her love of poetry. The sisters go to centers run by the Black Panther Party, originally just for breakfast, but become involved in the arts and movement for black civil rights. I love this book! The three sisters are cute, have cute conversations, and have pretty names (and there ends up being significance to Fern's name). The story overall was powerful.

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult

Set in medieval Korea, the story's main character Tree-ear is an adolescent beggar boy who dreams of becoming a potter like Min. When Tree-ear accidentally causes damage, he offers himself to work for Min to pay off the debt. Even after he pays off his debt, Tree-ear offers to keep working for Min in hopes of becoming his apprentice. It's not easy when Min is a difficult person, but Tree-ear is willing to work hard. On the one hand, I didn't like the passive voice. It could have used more editing. However, I love the story and characters. I love a story that portrays how hard work pays off, a value that not enough people know. The Korean setting and overview of celadon pottery was just plain fascinating.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Sci-fi fantasy, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Urban Fantasy

This has been on my TBR so long, glad I finally got down to read it. It feels a lot like my favorite, Harry Potter, with the magical, whimsical tone. The title character Artemis Fowl is a 12 year old genius and criminal mastermind who wants to find his missing father. He does so by kidnapping a fairy, Holly Short, a captain in the LEP recon unit (it turns out, leprechauns are actually recon officers of the fairies, and the fabled pot of gold is actually a ransom fund). I love the mix of magic and modern technology. One thing that did bother me is the head hopping. I wish the POV's were more limited, focusing more on Artemis and Holly's POVs. Nonetheless, I couldn't help but love this book.

No pressure tagging: @agirlandherquill @buffythevampirelover @sunflowerrosy @kitty-is-writing @kitkins13

[mistressheroine]

Recently read: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

The bird, the pin, the song, the berries, the watch, the cracker, the dress that burst into flames. I am the mockingjay. The one that survived despite the Capitol’s plans. The symbol of the rebellion.

[somethingboutafic]

To you I can admit, I'm just too soft for all of it by starryhaze (28,280) Rating: Not Rated Summary: “Harry?” Louis asks when he hears the frantic crying coming through the speaker. “H, darling what's wrong?”

Concerned, Louis puts on his shoes as he keeps hearing the sobs. It’s the middle of the night and the phone call has definitely pulled Louis out of his deep slumber, but Harry is crying, and Louis has to be with him.

“It’ll be okay, baby, I'm gonna come over, okay? You just- Haz you have to send me your address, yeah? Can you do that for me?” Louis asks, trying to remain as poised as possible as he presses his phone between his ear and shoulder so he can grab his jacket.

“No.” Harry cries out. “It's all wrong, Lou- It’s-” Another sob. “I hate it, Lou, I hate it so, so much, make it stop.”

the nesting shop au

leave it to the breeze by hattalove (81,459) Rating: Explicit Summary: a great british bake off au in which louis cares about winning and winning only, harry is made of sunshine and rainbow sprinkles, and niall sticks his nose into other people's business. also featuring liam as louis's best friend-slash-concerned mother, and zayn as a macaron connoisseur.

Hiding Green Smiles by HoldingOnToChaos (45,227) Rating: Explicit Summary: When Louis goes with Liam to a hidden sex shop, he discovers a new sex toy, the BiteMat, and he can't believe his luck. He loves being bitten, has a biting kink, even, and now he can be bitten over his bonding spot without the fear of anything permanent.

He hastily buys it to try with Harry, his friend and roommate, and his regular heat/rut partner for the last eighteen months. They've been friends-with-benefits outside heat or rut for eight months now, and Louis' been desperately in love with Harry for at least five of those months.

Or the BiteMat fic

sunshine, baby! by staybeautiful (106,528) Rating: Explicit Summary: Louis is in his first year of law school, Harry is a junior on the swim team dreaming of the Olympics, and they both agree that they don't have time for anything more than friends with benefits... right?

From This Moment On by therogueskimo (52,124) Rating: Not Rated Summary: Louis Tomlinson needs a tour photographer, and he thinks he's found the one in the mysterious H on Instagram.

Harry Styles swore he'd never do tour photography again - that is, until he did

no pressure, no diamonds ‘verse by karamelised (5 works; 71,463) Rating: ExplicitSummary: Louis is a thief, Harry a grifter.

I Figured It Out by therogueskimo (9,133) Ziam Rating: Not RatedSummary: The one where Liam and Zayn have their first kiss.

Just Breathe With Me by She_bear (90,410) Rating: ExplicitSummary: Louis and Harry meet at a yoga retreat in India, both struggling to reconcile ghosts of the past and uncertain about the future. Brought together by an irrepressible emotional and physical connection, they embark on a journey of self-discovery which will change their paths forever.

Maybe It's Heaven by therogueskimo (81,713) Rating: MatureSummary: When Harry Styles finds himself forced to go home for Christmas, the last thing he expects is to fall in love.

But then he meets Louis Tomlinson … again.

[heartyearning]

George Orwell, down and out in Paris and London

[wideeyedreader]

Two recently completed books—trying to get back in the swing of things!

[clonerightsagenda]

#recently read May 2025

May isn't over yet but this month has lasted 20 years and this post is getting long, so here goes.

Singing Hills Cycle by Nghi Vo. Series of novellas about the complexity of history and memory set in a fantasy Asian-inspired world. *I'd read the first two but went through all of them. All good although I think the first 2 are strongest.

Sundown in San Ojuela by M. M. Olivas. When Liz returns to her recently dead aunt's home, she finds herself enmeshed in a clash of monsters and ancient magic that's already claimed her childhood friend. *Don't think it quite held together but some very striking imagery.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker. Cora works as a crime scene cleaner after her sister is murdered in the early days of the pandemic. When she and her coworkers discover a serial killer targeting Asian women, her sister's hungry ghost spurs her to do something about it.

Blob by Maggie Su. Depressed and aimless Vi rescues a blob from an alleyway and accidentally shapes it into her perfect man. *Competently executed, but my perception was affected by reading 3 books in a row starring depressed young people with substance abuse problems and no direction in life.

Under the Surface by Diana Urban (YA). American high school students on vacation in Paris get trapped in the catacombs pursued by dangerous figures. *Liked the survival horror, disliked the teen drama.

Ana and Din Mysteries by Robert Jackson Bennett. Fantasy murder mysteries in a Pacific Rim bio body horror setting. A good time. I did not bother trying to solve the mysteries.

Stag Dance by Torrey Peters. Novella and short stories about the messiness of transfeminine experiences across genre and time period. Titular novella is about the biggest, toughest lumberjack electing to 'play' a woman at the camp's upcoming dance.

[imogenleewriter]

What are some of your favorite fics? i feel like i trust your opinion so much since what you write is so amazing u have to read something just as loll

I've given rec's to anons before, not sure if you've checked any of those out. Favourites / Famous/Non-Famous / A/B/O / WIPs (although most are complete now!) / Recent Read Recs Pt 1

But, let's do a new recently read and loved list!

I Don't Wanna Face The Music by hereforh / @hereforh Word count: 95,378 (but there is also a pt 2, still a WIP and up to 80k). Rating: E. Uni AU. Strangers to Lovers.

Louis likes to think he's a pretty normal, typical lad. He likes spending nights at the pub with his mates, he loves football and is very close to his family. So when he moves to London for uni, he doesn’t think much will be different.

Until he makes these new friends who are nothing like his mates back home and change his life for the better - and this one boy who messes with his head from the get go and makes him question everything he has ever thought about himself.

Wind beneath my wings by lunarheslwt / @lunarheslwt Word count: 93,131. Rating: E. A/B/O. Strangers to Lovers.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Harry gritted out, wild-eyed. “You should be scared of me.” Louis opened his mouth to speak, to cut him off, to disagree, but Harry was pushing. “I could hurt you.” “You won’t hurt me,” Louis said, simple and assuredly. Calm. “I’m capable of hurting you.” “But you won’t. That’s not who you are, Harry. I trust you,” Louis whispered.

As an omega carer that works at a rescue and rehabilitation centre for feral alphas and omegas, Louis has experienced all sides of ferality. So Harry- a cold, near-mute, non-receptive alpha- was a challenging case for everyone at Phoenix Rehab Centre. Louis wasn’t expecting to feel drawn towards an aloof Harry, or to form a slow bond with him. He certainly was not expecting for his entire life to change in unforeseen ways.

don't want no other shade of blue by padfootyoudog / @louisisworthit Word count: 43,230. Rating: E. A/B/O. Enemies to lovers.

“I know you’re putting on an act,” says Harry after a moment, and Louis scowls when he realises the prince is actually amused.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” says Louis.

“All I’ve heard over the past couple of years are rumours of Prince Louis’ kindness, and generosity, and oh, he’s so handsome I can barely pour his tea without shaking!” says Harry, putting on a silly, high-pitched voice for the last bit. Louis’ scowl deepens. “I would already know if you were just another selfish, bratty omega prince. You can’t fool me, darling, but I admire your efforts.”

“As you said,” Louis grits out, “those are only rumours. I assure you, I’m a terrible person.”

Harmony by nouies / @nouies Word count: 6,175. Rating: E. A/B/O. Enemies to lovers.

Alpha Harry and Omega Louis don’t have the most amicable relationship at work. When they get stuck together in an elevator, Harry scents Louis after nothing else works to bring him out of his panicked state.

Their time trapped in the elevator together brings to light some misunderstandings, and maybe some feelings for each other, too.

We Both Got Nothing To Hide by lovelarry10 / @chloehl10 Word count: 43,811. Rating: E. A/B/O. Friends to lovers/mutual pining.

“Talk to me, Lou.”

“I can’t,” Louis mumbled, knowing he genuinely couldn’t say it. He couldn’t admit to what he was doing. “Don’t ask me to say it, because I can’t.”

“Then… I’ll try and guess. You’ve… got some stuff of Harry’s. Something of his to make it smell like him?”

Louis just nodded, eyes fixated on the floor. This was humiliating, but he knew Zayn wouldn’t stop until he found out what was going on.

“Okay. Like… a blanket, or a comforter or something?”

“Kind of…”

//

Omega Louis has a secret nest. Alpha Harry keeps losing his clothes.

through the jungle through the dark by YesIsAWorld / @louandhazaf Word count: 12,555. Rating: E. Road Trip, Ex-friends to lovers.

Louis and Harry were best friends, until they weren’t. Five years after they last spoke they’re forced to drive cross-country to visit an injured friend. If they can’t get over the past, it will be a very long week together.

Nailed By Louis by haztobegood / @haztobegood Word count: 6,311 (+part 2: 3,168). Rating: E. Enemies to lovers.

It had started as a joke, just two months earlier. Louis had tried to make recipe from HarrySizzles Instagram account. It looked doable: no strange ingredients, no scary kitchen machinery. Just a simple layered lettuce salad. The result had been catastrophic. His friends had laughed so hard at the disgusting appearance of his salad, and after a few drinks, Louis had been convinced to start his own Instagram to track his food failures.

these bad omens (I look right through them) by likelarry / @likelarryfics Word count: 82,322. Rating: E. Age Difference (all legal). Strangers to lovers.

How on earth does someone his parents' age look so damn hot? All of their other friends look... bland and boring.

But Louis, fucking hell. He's something out of Harry's wettest fucking dreams.

Where Louis is Harry's parents' friend and teaches at Harry's university. Harry can't resist getting a taste.

[gorimbaudandgojohnnygo]

I think geometry is the secret—the cut at the heart of the canvas, the heart of the room, the heart of—            what we can’t say.

—Rosanna Warren, from “Concerning Ceremonies” (Commonweal, October 2024)

[rustbeltjessie]

What I want to emphasize in this column this year is that you have to make a commitment to your own happiness in order to keep your compassion alive and help others in meaningful ways. Contrary to popular belief, you can witness suffering and take action to alleviate suffering without believing that it’s your moral duty to suffer in sync with others.

Sensitive, compassionate people often view their independent stores of resilience, ebullience, imagination, and strength as a kind of hoarding. They might not understand this consciously, but subconsciously they associate their onboard optimism, their big dreams, their tenacity, and even their pleasure with selfishness. Finding joy in a time of sorrow doesn’t feel like an option for them. It’s more righteous to mourn, to stay attuned to the darkness ahead, to stay hypervigilant, and to greet each new assault to the senses with rage and fear.

But if you allow yourself to be ruled by shame and anxiety this way, eventually you’ll break down and make an impulsive grab for joy through escapism or addiction or obsession. Your subconscious shame and self-hatred will send you in pursuit of some self-destructive, immersive experience or relationship that’s unsustainable. If you unknowingly punish yourself in the face of despair, shame will drive your bus into a brick wall.

—Heather Havrilesky, “Ask Polly: Reckoning With This Vicious World” (Jan 29, 2025)

[coldbrewlvr]

having read tbosas right before going to see the movie i feel like i’m upset at key parts being left out which made the movie feel so rushed, i think this would have been a great opportunity to split the book into two parts…

the treatment of the tributes, the days that passed that showed how close lucy gray and coriolanus got and ma plinth’s character were some of the most important parts that were left out and could have added so much more depth to the film. and sure i get why they changed so much of what happened in the arena because it was described so graphically in the book and because it was a lot more boring since there were long periods of nothing but i really feel like they could have made the construction of the area better because the scene where coriolanus had to save sejanus was so downplayed. and there’s also all the little details from the end like the fact that the tenth hunger games was erased from the vault is HUGE in my opinion because it shows that they were willing to do everything to make sure something “uncontrollable” couldn’t happen again, and how snow was practically living off the plinths like it makes sense that it was left out of the movie because that relationship was practically nonexistent but i think it could have been huge to keep it in to show how snow lands on top…

but what i can’t lie about is that the actors did an absolutely incredible job with these character! viola, tom and rachel are so so talented! i would definitely go see the movie first then read the book because so many details about the way snow’s mind works helps bring the movie to a completely new level!!