#public libraries are for everyone

[criminalizegolf]

> read library book

> it's good

Thank you library

[fallenclan]

Can I print your art out at the public library and hang it on my wall ?

yeah but you have to send pictures of it bc I want to see

[intothestacks]

Something everyone should know about libraries

If we don't have something you want, you really really should ask for us to get it.

Most libraries have an option on their site to give purchase suggestions, and many have a policy that if there's X number of requests for a certain item they have to get a copy.

Additionally, librarians will often make a point of getting stuff even if they know just one patron wants it.

There was a library I worked at once where they had a subscription to a Chinese newspaper because there was an old dude who would come in every day to read it. No one else read it, just the one guy, but they kept up the subscription just because of him.

This doesn't just apply to public libraries, by the way.

I'm a school librarian and I had a Black student a couple years ago ask me if we had any Black history books, and it led me to realize we didn't have much, so I made a point to get some books on the topic just because that one student wanted them.

I always make a point of writing down what books my students want that we don't have so I can try to get them some.

As I always tell them, they're the experts on what they like and want, so it really helps to know there's interest on something.

[book-lore]

And because the Library Goblin in me has been summoned again, I will not only second the great wisdom of the original post, but also add the following:

Can't speak for outside systems to my own, but most libraries only really need a proof of address to get you that card and the access to all the goodies. You can even get the process started without any of that with the promise that they will work with you to get access before you've settled if you've just moved.

Don't have an address? You can still get a card! Again, this is subject to the library in your area, but you can indeed be of no fixed address, between homes or just straight up having a hard time and with no prospect of getting a permanent address and you can still get a library card or at least access to the collection. The library is indeed for everyone and it doesn't matter if you are couch surfing or if you are in a shelter for whatever reason, you too can still come there and use the collection.

And you should because the books are wonderful, and we have a lot of them, but we also have ways for you to access ebooks and audio books. There's Hoopla and Kanopy for your streaming needs and the former even has an insanely large music collection so you can stream a bunch of artists, including brand new albums. For gamers, you can access brand new games and play through them before you commit to buying them. I know that we all love the convenience of things like your streaming service providers but you can find others for free. You don't need a lot of those subscriptions because there is a resource that your tax dollars is already funding ready for you to access.

There are a lot of libraries out there and some can afford to offer more and others less but the more you use those resources, the better the services will get. And you would be shocked at how much you can get through your local library. Yes, even one you might think is small and with a garbage selection. You don't know how much the library can offer you until you go there and the more you use it, the more you value it and the more value it has, the better the argument to fund it. There are libraries out there that have full on Makerspaces where you can learn to sew and rent a machine. There are libraries where you can even take out kitchen materials for baking. There are seed libraries out there where you can get your garden started. This is a third space that people have slept on for years and the possibilities are endless.

I'll cap my ranting off by saying that right now, more than ever, you need to show your library how much you love it and how important a resource it is. There are lots of things you can do but the first and most important thing is getting the card. Having an active library card shows that the community cares and considers the services vital. Libraries have to fight for a lot of the funding that they receive and in recent times, people who would prefer you have nothing have attacked that funding in horrible ways. People who grow complacent when their libraries are under fire like this will end up losing them. And that loss will take decades to recover, if the community can even do it. Starting up a new library takes a lot of money and years to replace everything from books to space to programming. Keep those doors open and show up for the library and they won't be able to take it away from you. Start by getting that card!

YOOOOOO I JUST GOT MY FIRST LIBRARY CARD SINCE LIKE 2007 IT WAS SO EASY???

Like they literally just needed any photo ID with an address, I thought they needed like unopened mail and paperwork and crap, it took 5 goddamn minutes, I did it on my way home from work

And was NOBODY gonna tell me libraries have websites now with ebooks and audiobooks and documentaries and British TV and shit???

Why the FUCK have I been paying Netflix

GO GET A LIBRARY CARD

[distance-does-not-matter]

Penni's Mid-Year Book Wrap-up

I set myself a reasonable (for me) goal of ten books this year, because I wanted to get back into reading. I'm sitting at a cool 29 books so far, including graphic novels and manga, and 23 without. One (1) book was nonfiction, the rest being fiction. Now let's get into months!

January: 2

I read two books in January, and I set myself up for success by starting with a half-read book, my only nonfiction.

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? by Caitlin Doughty

My only nonfiction so far, and by an author I love to read from (I also love her youtube channel). I picked this up last summer in an Edinburgh bookstore, and I enjoyed it, though I had to read it in small bursts.

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt

I'd been hoping to read this for years, and I got lucky enough to pick this up at a library book sale. I read it in just a day or two, and it was like being a kid again. I loved it--interesting things to say about death and life.

February: 2

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang

ABSOLUTELY DO NOT RECOMMEND y'all it was so bad TT-TT. It had potential but absolutely squandered it. What do you MEAN that the historical training period for this spy was two years and she made it THREE MONTHS in the book. Absolutely insane. It read like draft 1.5 of the book, and was an absolute nothingburger of a book.

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

A complete turnaround from Song to Drown Rivers, this was the start to one of my absolute favorite series for this year. Such a solid read, and such a fantasy novel tailored to me (Victorian England but still a good and well constructed fantasy world). In the later books, you get to visit other countries but this one is set primarily in fantasy England and (I believe) fantasy Eastern Europe. This perhaps is a little slower than the later books, since it covers the main character's life beginnings, but still. Really recommend this series (the Memoirs of Lady Trent).

March: 9

I started working at the public library this month as part of my schoolwork, and as you can tell, I had a lot more time to read/time when I wanted to be off my phone but still entertained. Hence the number spike.

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

I found this a good (if a little rushed?) end to the series. Points for the ending with the dog, because I'd just lost my dog about a month ago and it made me really bittersweet and emotional.

My Life Turned Upside-Down: My Dad's an Alcoholic by Mariko Kikuchi

Manga that I read at work. Good read, if hard at times due to the subject matter. It gave grace to the complicated nature of the subject. I think I also read this because the adult summer reading had a "read a graphic novel" challenge.

Hungry Ghost by Victoria Ying

Another graphic novel I read at work, this one about the perils of teenager-hood and eating disorders. Another good read with lovely art.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

A rare YA book on my list, but I didn't find this one half bad. I was intrigued by the promise of a marriage, which DID happen, but it ended on a cliffhanger and the second book was so much worse that I just skimmed it and didn't count it as read for this year. So. Not bad, but can't recommend.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

This was a read for English class that I found really interesting, about a fictional Igbo tribe, and then, later in the book, the beginnings of colonialism and the introduction of Christian missionaries.

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

After mid-tier YA, this was an absolute breath of fresh air. Everyone and their mother says his later work is better, and I know that, and this isn't a perfect novel, but OH MY GOSH what a fantastic fantasy novel. It hit so many points for me and it was just. I devoured it, both at work and at my dorm and before class. It was so good. Fantastic.

The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson

Really good short story, set in the same/a similar fantasy world to the one above, but also a standalone that's another absolute fantastic fantasy read on its own, and I absolutely recommend. (Also, if it's your thing--no romance!!)

My Happy Marriage, Vols. 1 and 2 by Akumi Agitori

I read manga fast, so I read these both on my shift. I've seen the anime and the movie for this, so I gave the manga a shot. I think I prefer the movie, but it was still a good read (and some of the stuff was different in the manga, and I can perhaps see why they changed it lol)

April: 4

This is the Lady Trent month lol

The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan

For some reason, I got 70 pages into this and returned it? Then I picked it up and absolutely devoured it. Exploration of grief a bit and also platonic friendship win!!!

Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan

Introduces one of my absolute favorite characters from the series, and perhaps of all time. I read this book so fast and it was so good and fun.

In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan

I think this was my favorite book in the series. Read inhaled it in 24 hours. Suhail the absolute icon that you are. Isabella the absolute icon that you are. 10/10 chef's kiss.

Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan

Introduced some new elements at the end of the novel, but I still found it a solid end to the series and I just loved more time with the characters. Also I love a protagonist being 40 years old! We love to see it!

May: 1

Look, I graduated this month. I moved out of the dorms for the last time. Lots happened.

Crosstalk by Connie Willis

My introduction to Connie Willis as an author and also was SUCH a fun read. Stayed up till 1am to finish, and I've checked it out to sporadically reread (and also am thinking of getting a copy). I've also put it on my recommendation shelf at work, along with the movie Return to Me.

June: 8

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

Tumblr poetry (derogatory). It had an interesting premise, and the first part wasn't bad, then it just. went downhill. Also I get annoyed sometimes at pop culture references in novels. Surprisingly, Crosstalk was fine but it annoyed me so bad here. Anyway, don't recommend.

The Blighted Stars by Megan E. O'Keefe

First in a sci-fi trilogy (The Devoured Worlds) that I absolutely LOVE. Compelling sci-fi horror with a romance side plot and immersive world building. Recommend, but I just don't recommend getting to a mushroom zombie horror chapter at 11pm.

Murphy's Law by Rhys Bowen

My first mystery novel in a while, and enjoyable! Also a summer reading read, and a fun vacation read to boot.

Death of Riley by Rhys Bowen

Sequel to Murphy's Law. First one focused on the experience of immigrating in the time period, this one focused more on NYC life. Also not bad, but I don't think this genre is entirely my thing.

The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis

Another fun Connie Willis romp, this one about Roswell, the American Southwest, and about a really interesting alien culture and worldbuilding. No sexy aliens here, no sirree! He's shaped like a tumbleweed. A literal actual tumbleweed. It was great.

Summer Spirit by Elizabeth Holleville

Interesting little graphic novel about ghosts I read on my shift. Picked it up because it looked interesting and it was on a display shelf.

Brownstone by Samuel Teer.

Another graphic novel at work, this one about gentrification and connecting with a culture that is technically yours and bonding with a parent.

The Red Palace by June Hur

Everyone say thank you to June Hur for good YA as well as good historic YA. A good introduction to her work and I def need to pick up more.

July: 3

Turning Darkness Into Light by Marie Brennan

A sort-of sequel to the Lady Trent Memoirs, this one about her granddaughter. Avoids the sequel peril of making the original characters awful, and offers a really fun insight into the world, as well as being a good book. Focuses more on the element revealed in the fifth book, so definitely spoilers for the series in here. In addition, its scientific focus switches from naturalism to linguistics.

The Fractured Dark by Megan E. O'Keefe

Book 2 of the series and I devoured it. Got to a point towards the end where it was so good but also so nail biting that I just. didn't want to read it.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

Read it in 24 hours. Good but hard read about the misogyny faced by one Korean woman (and, as such, all of them) and the mental break it induces in her.

Currently Reading

The Bound Worlds by Megan E. O'Keefe

I'm only about four chapters in right now, but I'm sure once I read one or two more the bug will bite me and I'll devour it.

Crosstalk

Look man it's so fun. My kingdom for more people to read Crosstalk

TBR (aka current library checkouts)

Passage by Connie Willis

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

Downbelow Station by C. J. Cherryh

Luminous by Silvia Park

Please Look After Mom by Kyung-sook Shin

I Went to See My Father by Kyung-sook Shin

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

Flawless by Elise Hu

[humming-fly]

This 4th of July I’m stealing the patriotism euphoria that’s usually associated with assholes idolizing the worst attributes of this country because fuck ‘em I live here too and remembering the things this country actually got Right is an important exercise when trying to rally anyone to want to defend it in November SO putting my money where my mouth is I’ll start easy and say I really like National Parks!! It’s rad how many of them there are and how they’re actual set up to preserve some of the most beautiful wild areas in our country while still letting people visit to enjoy and experience nature!! (Less important but I love how they put national parks on the quarters I think that’s real fun)

Feel free to add on if something speaks to ya!

[transxfiles]

Falsettos CDs from the 2016 Broadway Revival Cast Recording

[book-lore]

Library goblin rant incoming and yes, I'm about to ruin your dream. I also work there, so I am going to try to assist you in realizing why you need to access the bigger, better dream.

Okay, so I have seen this stupid post swirl around a few times now and it has had time to marinate and really turn into something I genuinely hate. The idea here isn't really a bad one, mind you. Having libraries open late enough that you can just enjoy reading and have a nice community oriented place to go is not bad at all. The thing is, this post very clearly has but one type of community in mind and it isn't going to be the one that shows up, most likely. This post also seems to have a weird idea of what it is that happens in a library, though to be fair, this isn't surprising for people who don't spend much time there. Let me explain.

For one: libraries are the last community centre that you have access to. It is free and welcoming of everyone and that includes a lot of people you probably aren't planning on inviting to your Saturday Night book club. Our homeless patrons are going to be a big part of who shows up to these late night hours and while most of them are wonderful patrons who are kind and respectful of the space, that doesn't mean that some of them aren't going through major mental health crises, drug withdrawals, conflicts among each other and various other parts that make up life without a home to go to. These are going to be a part of your library at night experience and yes, sometimes that means it's going to be scary there. Scary in a way that isn't necessarily going to be true at a coffee shop or a bar, where people who are deemed a problem are kept out on purpose. The library is for everyone and while I can't stress enough that our homeless patrons are most often among our best behaved, that doesn't always hold true for everyone.

Speaking of which, there are going to be other people attending these evening hours too and some of them aren't going to be people you want to get to know at night. People screaming and swearing and crying is going to be a part of the background of that time of day and those of you who aren't in the library during the day when it happens are probably going to find it pretty alarming. Likewise, when someone decides to go on a massive racist tirade, or just decides that they are going to try to hit on everyone who is feminine presenting, or someone decides to get into your face because they were forced to hear the word pronouns today, that is also something that happens on the regular, but will be a part of your evening experience. Drug use is also going to be happening in the bathrooms and you can expect that this may lead to people overdosing within the building. For the record, again, all this happens during the day, but if you only ever come to the library to pick up your holds before close, you probably didn't know this.

All of this probably has led you to believe that I don't think that there should be funding for later hours in the library, but the truth is a little more thorny. Having later hours wouldn't be a bad thing at all, except that people who are advocating for this fantasy are directly leaving out some crucial issues. For one, as the last community centre available to the wider public, that means that not only is this a shared space among the whole community, it is a space that has to take up the cause for everything the rest of the community doesn't provide. That means everything from people who are looking for shelter when the established ones that remain have no room, to places to safely inject, to places that they can find resources that they desperately need, to spaces where children can go to play in safety, to places where you can print off resumes, to places where someone can try to learn to start speaking English. All of this means that what you might imagine "well funded" looks like is a lot different. This isn't just about having adequate staffing, but also security and access to resources, including professionals who can take the burden off the front line staff who are going to deal with the bulk of it all. Those extra hours are within reach but convincing the people who hold the purse strings to shell out for any of this is going to be the bigger issue. More importantly, should the library really be this kind of resource?

This brings me to the two aspects of this dream that I hate the most: the lack of interest and advocacy that it reveals. As a library goblin, I am happy to help my community and I would love to offer more, but I can't pretend that this dream isn't entirely frustrating to me because nowhere in it does this take into account how it would play out for us or the community. If you want better options for after work and Saturday nights, you should be advocating for better community resources and spaces. There are means to get there. There are people you can elect and put pressure on to built that infrastructure. The library shouldn't be the only game in town where people can take care of their needs but we carry it all right now and we are seeing even more closures of community welfare sites. This means you need to be a part of that community and voice your concerns. This means you need to demand better from people. This means you need to show up and find or build those resources in your own community and help by being active. Community resources don't just appear, they are part of an effort that you have to be a part of.

The second aspect of this dream that I hate more than the first is the fact that if you want this dream to come true, you have to make sure that you are showing up for your libraries and your librarians, especially right now. Libraries have their funding under attack always, but right now a lot of them are facing reductions in their funding if they aren't being threatened with full closures. If you are in America, this is the time when you need to show up for this and demand access to your library. Demand that your money go towards keeping this resource alive. Get angry and make sure that you show up for community meetings about spending. Is it boring? Yes. That is so you won't bother and they can take away more hours from this resource. And if you do care about getting together in your local library to discuss books, you better also be hitting back hard against these book banning groups that have made it their mission to keep certain topics from anyone's eyes. Most book bans happen from the concerted efforts of very few people and if you believe that the library should be a place for you to gather and enjoy after work or on Saturday nights, you need to be a lot more openly hostile to those people who are actively trying to take it away from you. You want that funding? Demand it. You want those extra hours? Get out there and tell those people who are deciding the budget that this is what your community wants. You want those books on your shelf, show up and drown out those puritan assholes who are trying to ban them.

Libraries are for everyone and they have consistently taken on so much of the needs of the communities who rely on them. If you dream of a space that you can live out your dark academia fantasies and ignore the real issues that define the way we in the library operate, you are likely to be sorely disappointed. You are also likely to see the death of that dream if you aren't active about keeping your libraries alive. There's nothing wrong with dreaming, but I would ask you to dream bigger. Include other people in that dream. Make it so that even if the end result doesn't look like this, it also won't end in shuttered buildings and the end of your last community resources.

This is the DREAM.

[displayheartcode]

Having a library card is great because you can access a foreign language learning app for free

[blueberry-bubbles130]

An analysis comparing Queen Genevieve and Aunt Josephine

While I do enjoy a lot of media, there’s a special group that I enjoy more. Said special group of media includes both Barbie Princess and the Pauper and A Series of Unfortunate Events. And by now, most of my followers will probably know my life pretty much focuses on obsessing over fictional parents. Especially ones that have very unfortunate events happen to them. So it’s only natural that I would obsess over Queen Genevieve and Aunt Josephine. Both have experienced some form of tragedy. So after some more thought, I realised they have quite a few similarities when you look into it. But also some interesting differences. Therefore I wanted to make a post comparing them. For this post I’ll specifically be comparing Queen Genevieve to the movie adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events, as well as the specific book Aunt Josephine is featured in. Of course this post will have spoilers for both Barbie Princess and the Pauper. As well as A Series of Unfortunate Events. Though only spoilers for the third book, The Wide Window.

As a disclaimer, I have not actually finished A Series of Unfortunate Events in its entirety. I have watched the movie and show, but I haven’t finished the books. Or read anything else in the Snicketverse. So some bits of information may be missing. Please if you have finished the books add any information you want to in the reblogs.

For those presumably very few who may be waiting, I swear I’m still writing my post about Queen Genevieve. I’ll finish it eventually, it’s only been almost over two years in the making. Though now I’ll probably start writing a post about Aunt Josephine. But I don't know when I’ll start that, let alone finish it.

Before I start I’d like to thank Karolina Żebrowska on YouTube, because she is the only reason I know what era Genevieve’s outfit comes from. I got to watch her videos again, which is so fun, although I should be doing work. The point is go check out her channel. I’d also like to thank @moldygreenblue for helping me actually somewhat understand how Josephine is actually related to the Baudelaires. As well as @magiquartz and their post that also helped me understand the family tree. I’m also giving a thank you to @simperingsimp for their theory/analysis of whether Preminger knew Annaliese’s opinion about marriage. I must also give thanks to the Preminger subreddit, specifically Present_Resource6405 and Inked_Catharsis. Present_Resource6405 posed the question of how tall Preminger is and Inked_Catharsis gave the measurements for nearly all the characters in the movie, which I’ll be using. A large thanks must also be given to @vexingcosmos and @sailorjade125 and @match-your-steps and @queerpiratebrainrot for their posts and contributions in regards to possible outcomes of Preminger’s plan.

Let’s start with a bit of background information. Because I haven’t made an actual essay style post about either of these characters specifically. Yes, I made the theory about Preminger killing the king, that did heavily talk about Genevieve. But she wasn’t the primary focus of that post. And I haven’t talked about Josephine at all in depth. For release dates both films were released in 2004. Princess and the Pauper came out on the 28th of September, 2004. A Series of Unfortunate Events came out a few months later on the 17th of December, 2004. Queen Genevieve is voiced by Ellen Kennedy and Aunt Josephine is played by Meryl Streep in the movie. In Princess and the Pauper, Queen Genevieve is the mother of Princess Annaliese. And in a Series of Unfortunate Events, Aunt Josephine is the aunt to the three Baudelaire orphans; Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire. I am not sure specifically how Josephine is related to them. I’ve looked at the family tree now multiple times and my brain just can’t comprehend it. After @moldygreenblue’s help, I think she may be related via marriage. Because apparently she may have a sibling I never knew about. I’ve also read @magiquartz’s post where they say that she’s their “second cousin’s sister in law.” I don’t know, the family tree is far too complicated and it’ll probably take me another few years to fully comprehend it.

Moving on, I’ll begin with the design similarities, because there’s a few. Plus it’s the easiest place to start. My first point is that you can see both women wear dresses that are historical. Genevieve’s dress style is the oldest; and from Karolina’s video we know Genevieve’s dress is a mixture of different aspects of historical dresses around the 16th century. And she does specifically state the collar of her dress is from the 16th century. On the other hand, Josephine’s dress is from a much later time period than Genevieve’s. I know for definite that it's from the Victorian Era, specifically the late Victorian era. I’ve seen a few people say it’s from the 1890s, so we’ll go with that. Both are floor length dresses and pretty much cover every part of their body. They are also different colours. Genevieve’s dress is a pinkish purple colour. However Josephine’s is black. With both colours of their dresses linking to their character in some aspect. Though we’ll discuss that later.

Another similar thing they share is their hairstyles, as they both wear updo’s. Though the hairstyles are still a little different. Josephine’s bun sits atop her head, that may line a little more the time period her dress comes from. Although I don’t know much about historical hairstyles, just the fashion itself. So please if you know anything about historical hairstyles and if I’m wrong please say so. Genevieve, who I think has a bun, has her hair more so just to the back of her head. And both of them are blonde. I still don’t know how they still have any colour left in their hair though. Josephine is a nervous wreck most of the time; she’s under stress 24/7. However it’s important to remember that in the book, Josephine is explicitly explained as having white hair. And if I had Preminger as my royal advisor for 10 years, and went through what Genevieve went through, I’d definitely have grey hair by now. So hats off to Genevieve for still being dedicated after that time. She’s got more dedication than I ever will.

Although I think the largest physical similarities appear when you look at their faces, are the glasses. Their glasses are very close to being the exact same. Both pairs have the bridge go in a higher curve above the rims and lenses. The lenses and rims are almost perfectly round. Said glasses rest entirely on their noses with no temples. (Temples are the parts that go around your ears to hold them in place) And both pairs are fucking silver! The only visible difference is that there’s an extra bridge and a small chain on Josephine’s glasses.

The last physical similarity that also is something I might discuss later is their age. It isn’t story important, but I just want to point it out. Both are middle aged women. While we don’t have exact ages for either of them, the common opinion across different internet spaces is that they’re most likely in their late 40s to early 50s. They’ve been through a lot in their lives by this point. And I like how you can tell they are middle aged women. Obviously it’s easier with A Series of Unfortunate Events, because Meryl Streep is 75 now. Meaning she was middle aged in 2004. But even with Genevieve, her model has been created in a way that reflects how a middle aged woman would look. Or at least most women look around that age. I just think it’s really neat.

But there are also physical differences I want to explore.

Obviously in Barbie Princess and the Pauper, Genevieve has a pretty healthy complexion. She probably works a hell of a lot, but it doesn’t seem to be taking that much of a toll on her physically. And any emotional effects she’s experiencing aren't really explored. Unlike Josephine who is pretty pale, and is again explicitly described as being pale when she’s first introduced. It’s specifically when they’re talking about the radiator and how she’s scared it’ll explode. This makes a lot of sense for Josephine seeing as she’s probably never out of her house. Or at least very limited contact with the outside world. So being pale would be an effect of not being out of her home and not getting a lot of sunlight.

One thing I can’t place as a similarity or a difference is their height. I’m not sure about how tall they are, and I can’t really compare it. The closest I’ve been able to get is finding Present_Resource6405’s Reddit post where they asked what Preminger’s height was. From Inked_Catharsis’s reply, I learned that Annaliese is about 5ft 9, and that Genevieve is 5ft 10 because she isn’t that much taller than Annaliese. But as of this post being published, I can’t actually find anything on Josephine’s height in the books. Meryl Streep is apparently 5ft 6, so that’s how tall Josephine is in the movie. But for the book, I can’t tell you anything about that.

While not a physical similarity, difference or something I can link in relation to their characters, I’d like to very quickly talk about their names. Both Genevieve’s and Josephine share a similarity in their names because they both have three syllables in them. Again not an important point, just another small similarity I can point out.

Now this is where things start to get more detailed as I try to do more analysis here. So bear with me, because I’m not actually that good at in-depth, critical analysis. It’s been a common critique of my school and college work and I’ve still not improved. Getting back on track, I’d like to discuss how the events they go through before and after the story are similar. But this is also where the major differences appear in their characters. It’s why I believe their characters are reflective of each other. As well as being similar. Especially seeing as they react differently and end up at different positions by the end of the story.

Of course I’ll start with a similarity in terms of their character. Both Genevieve and Josephine are widows, having lost their husbands sometime before the stories take place.

We pretty much don’t know anything about Genevieve’s husband, which makes sense. As I realised while writing this, Genevieve being widowed is a plot device for much later in the movie, where Preminger tries to marry her to become king. Which again after thought, even if Preminger did marry Genevieve, it wouldn’t work for multiple reasons. I’ll be dedicating a small section to it for my essay on Queen Genevieve. As well as linking and talking about other people’s posts about his plan, because they bring some really good points that I never thought about before. Anyway, the most we ever see of him is in the beginning stills, where we can see he wore blue. His hair seems to be a reddish-brown. And that’s it.

However Josephine’s husband is expanded on in much more depth. We are explicitly told quite a bit about her husband. Josephine’s husband was named Ike Anwhistle. He could whistle with crackers in his teeth. And most depressingly of all, we learn absolutely how he died. Ike was literally torn apart by man-eating leeches. And she probably saw that. So this definitely explains a large part of her paranoia and extreme anxiety. Apart from all the VFD stuff. It also explains why her dress is black, she’s still in mourning and hasn’t been able to move on with her husband's death. Alongside everyone else involved in VFD dying during the story. It’s shown to take a toll on her mentally.

Here we come back to discussing their clothing! With the different colours While Genevieve’s dress isn’t black, the colour of her dress still does show at least a part of her character. Out of the main/supporting cast the only people that wear an outfit with a darker pink-purple colour scheme are Preminger and Genevieve. Preminger’s outfit is a full, deep purple. Which does make sense as at the time purple was super expensive to have. And Preminger has been stealing gold for 10 years, so he’d have the money to do so. Genevieve is presumably still rich in some regards, she is the queen after all, so her dress also has a purple shade. I’m guessing the reason her dress isn’t fully purple like Preminger’s, is to set him apart from the rest of the cast. He’s vain and egotistical and must stand out in every way. From his mannerisms, to his hair and obviously his clothes. He’s got the wealth for such extravagance and wants everyone to know it.

Another difference is between what exact roles they have. Genevieve is obviously the Queen of the kingdom in Princess and the Pauper. So she’s making decisions about ruling. Legislation and trading, stuff like that. We’re not shown much apart from her making decisions about Annaliese’s marriage to Dominic, and her marrying Preminger. I am pretty confident in my knowledge regarding the monarchy and their roles historically though, because I study history. So I do know what her role would be outside of the whole marriage plot. I’m not exactly sure what type of job Josephine had though. I know she did a lot of stuff that was extreme and dangerous. But I’m unaware if she had a paying job. Though she does have some sort of money, maybe a widows pension. Do widows pensions even exist in the Lemony Snicket universe? An inheritance perhaps. Either way this particular comparison of them is just another small one, like their names.

And with all those elements of their characters explored to the best of my current abilities. Let’s discuss the main reason I started to compare them and wanted to write this. That main similarity being how they were both betrayed by a man they thought they could trust.

With Josephine, we’re clearly shown that she’s rarely ever outside and with her anxiety it’s made it hard for her to trust people. When Count Olaf comes to Lake Lachrymose as Captain Sham, he recognises that and jumps onto the chance to manipulate her. Manipulating by flattering her, so she grows to trust and listen to him, as she has lost her husband. So having that type of attention in a positive way Therefore when he does reveal to her that he is Count Olaf, her anxiety combined with him manipulating her, she does what he says very easily. Despite this she does manage to get away and the Baudelaire’s do find her. Though she does eat the banana and doesn’t tell them, which……yeah, that was a bad move Josephine. I can understand that she might’ve not wanted to worry them, because of the whole Count Olaf situation. Still a bit of a bad move. She does make another bad move that leads to Count Olaf becoming angered when his grammar is corrected. So he does leave her to die, which he may have done anyway, even if she hadn’t corrected his grammar. And to my knowledge, that's the last we ever see of Aunt Josephine in A Series of Unfortunate Events.

On the opposite end of things, Preminger’s manipulation of Genevieve is a much slower process. I’d also say it's a bit more malicious in how he manipulates her. One reason I say this being that he’s known her for a lot longer. He’s worked for her for 10 years, which we know from his first song “How can I refuse?”. In those 10 years she’s grown to trust him, presumably seeing him as a friend and someone she can talk to. The evidence for this inference is that he is stated to be her Royal Advisor. It’s literally his job to talk to her and advise her on decisions to make for the benefit of the kingdom! And what does he do with that knowledge? He starts stealing the gold from the kingdom and plotting to take over the throne. All the while she's probably still grieving and trying to figure out what is going on with the mines. Then when she tries to fix the bankruptcy problem by marrying Annaliese to Dominic, what’s Preminger’s response? He kidnaps Annaliese and plans to become king by bringing her back with the gold he stole, intending to marry Annaliese. I'm not sure what logic he was using to try that, because Genevieve was probably never going to let Annaliese marry him. So I don’t know what he was thinking with that. And as many people have rightfully pointed out, Genevieve has been widowed for probably a few years by now, so she was always an option for him. If anything, as bad as it may sound, Genevieve was probably the easier option to take for Preminger to become king. She only has him to talk to, and while she doesn’t have a full dependency upon him, because she makes decisions without him. I’d say there may be some emotional dependency, as she’s the main male her age she talks to. @simperingsimp put this really well their post here, how Genevieve wouldn’t think twice with what she tells Preminger. Hence he could have just manipulated her into marriage, and then went from there. Though that does show how good he is as a villain as he had so many options to try and get the throne. In fact Preminger’s plan has a lot of problems, which for now, I’ll just link @vexingcosmos and @match-your-steps posts here and here. The posts themselves do a great job at showing problems with his plans and @sailorjade125 and @queerpiratebrainrot have added some great theories and information. With said information further explaining problems in his plans. So I heavily recommend you check those out.

Overall both Queen Genevieve and Aunt Josephine share a lot of similarities. Not only in their physical appearance but in their personalities and do reflect/compliment each other in a really nice way. Also they both need a break and deserve some happiness in their lives. So I headcanon that they’d be really good friends. I’ll make some art related to it someday. I just hope someone understands this bout of my ramblings. I’d like to say thank you all for reading and I’ll make another art post or essay when I can.

Bye everyone!

[book-lore]

All these are good facts, but you know what is the best about putting library books on hold? WHEN YOU GET THE NOTIFICATION THAT IT CAME IN!!!!

It's like your birthday and sometimes you get more presents than you thought you asked for. Seriously, if you are looking for that whimsical feeling you got when you were a tot and you got a big present during the holidays or on your birthday or something, use the hold system at the library. There's nothing better and the more you do it, the better. Seriously, I went through a period where all my holds came in and I had nothing to look forward to and I started just putting stuff on hold because I missed it. Use the holds!!!

Putting books on hold at the library has the same thrill of ordering books online, but with the added benefit of not losing any money over titles I might not enjoy.

10/10 would recommend.

[nighthawkes]

never kill yourself. a $15 talk on something you don’t know enough about at a local tradesman’s community has the ability to change your life

[justanotherteenlibrarian]

Children's room window display for June! Since this year's Summer Reading Program theme is "Color Our World" I used that as an excuse to lean into the rainbow motif with this one as well, framing it as a way to "create a sense of cohesion between the displays." Works subtly enough as a pride display as well, for any LGBTQIA+ / questioning kids that come in the room.

[karliahs]

The average public library is not only a provider of the latest Anne Enright or Julia Donaldson: it is now an informal citizens advice bureau, a business development centre, a community centre and a mental health provider. It is an unofficial Sure Start centre, a homelessness shelter, a literacy and foreign language-learning centre, a calm space where tutors can help struggling kids, an asylum support provider, a citizenship and driving theory test centre, and a place to sit still all day and stare at the wall, if that is what you need to do, without anyone expecting you to buy anything. [...] The trouble comes when libraries – and the underpaid, overstretched people who work in them – start to become sole providers for all these things: when years of cost-cutting mean that the state has effectively reneged on all but the most unavoidable of its responsibilities to the troubled, the poor, the educationally challenged, the lonely, the physically unwell, the lost or the homeless. “We risk becoming a social care safety net,” said Nick Poole, the outgoing CEO of the library association Cilip, and “our staff are not clinical staff”.

[teathattast]

and if you could read my mind

will you make your way towards mine?

[an--artistic--autistic]

Elevators that have to be escorted by staff are extremely irritating

That's not accessible if I have to try to track down somebody just to unlock the door for it