#questions about books

[sentientcave]

questions about books! thanks for the tag @stellewriites (And also the people that tagged me in this before I was lazy about it

1. the last book I read

All About Love by Bell Hooks (Technically I listened to the audiobook, but I think it counts.)

2. a book I recommend

Tehanu by Ursula K LeGuin - I'd recommend the whole Earthsea Cycle but Tehanu is particularly gorgeous.

3. a book I couldn't put down

Howls Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - This is one of my favourite books ever, every time I read it I basically don't stop until it's done. DWJ writes some of my favourite books of all time tbh, mostly children's lit, but like, really good children's lit. I still really enjoy the Chrestomanci Series as well.

4. a book l've read twice or more

There are a lot of books that fit this. If I like a book I'll read it at least twice. Probably one of my most re-read books is actually an anthology called The Golden Book of Faerie by O.R. Melling. It was so influential on my outlook as a writer, Melling just has this really beautiful way of tying the ancient to the everyday that I've always enjoyed. It's technically 4 books and like 1000 pages but I've read it probably 10 times over the years.

5. a book on my tbr

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - I can't even remember where I came across the recommendation or if I just happened to pick it up during an ebook sale, but it looked really interesting. It's set in Afghanistan and spans from the Soviet Invasion to post-Taliban.

6. a book l've put down

I didn't get very far into Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao but I would like to revisit it sometimes soon. I was just really distracted at the time and I just never picked it up again. But I've heard a lot of good things.

8. a favorite book from childhood

The Tortall Series by Tamora Pierce - Just like, all of them. I've named a lot of old favourites in here already though.

9. a book I would give to a friend

This would depend immensely on the person! I gift books a lot and try to branch away from personal favourites of mine to picks tailored more to them. I'm pretty good at it.

10. a fiction book I own

I own a lot of fiction books lmao. All of the above really.

11. a nonfiction book I own

Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms by Paul Stamets. I got really into mushroom growing a couple years ago. I only own the E-book though. Does it have to be a physical book? I've got a whole bunch about dye plants too

12. what I am currently reading

The Meaning of Freedom and Other Difficult Dialogues by Angela Y. Davis - It's a series of her speeches over the years.

13. what l am planning on reading next

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur - I've just seen her poetry online a lot and figured I should read it. I used to really love poetry so I'm trying to get back into it.

14. my shelfie

A lot of my books are still in storage so it's still a little empty in here. I have to move the tier stand next to my notebooks because I don't wear makeup anymore and it's just collecting junk.

I think most of my people have been tagged already but I don't think @mi-i-zori has been tagged yet. Also tagging anyone who wants to do this please show me your shelfies

[feywildfancypants]

I need someone who loves absurd thrillers to explain the appeal to me because I don't get it, but I genuinely want to understand. Like, I wish I was a thriller reader but I'm not? These are the two books I've read recently that I am just so confused about.

Like, for all people want to critique romance, I can tell you I love it BECAUSE of the tropes, because of the familiarity, because of HEA and emotional depth. So like, what is the thing that draws people to books like this? Genuinely asking to understand.

[inkskinned]

this is just my opinion but i think any good media needs obsession behind it. it needs passion, the kind of passion that's no longer "gentle scented candle" and is now "oh shit the house caught on fire". it needs a creator that's biting the floorboards and gnawing the story off their skin. creators are supposed to be wild animals. they are supposed to want to tell a story with the ferocity of eating a good stone fruit while standing over the sink. the same protective, strange instinct as being 7 and making mud potions in pink teacups: you gotta get weird with it.

good media needs unhinged, googling-at-midnight kind of energy. it needs "what kind of seams are invented on this planet" energy and "im just gonna trust the audience to roll with me about this" energy. it needs one person (at least) screaming into the void with so much drive and energy that it forces the story to be real.

sometimes people are baffled when fanfic has some stunning jaw-dropping tattoo-it-on-you lines. and i'm like - well, i don't go here, but that makes sense to me. of fucking course people who have this amount of passion are going to create something good. they moved from a place of genuine love and enjoyment.

so yeah, duh! saturday cartoons have banger lines. random street art is sometimes the most precious heart-wrenching shit you've ever seen. someone singing on tiktok ends up creating your next favorite song. youtubers are giving us 5 hours of carefully researched content. all of this is the impossible equation to latestage capitalism. like, you can't force something to be good. AI cannot make it good. no amount of focus-group testing or market research. what makes a story worth listening to is that someone cares so much about telling it - through dance, art, music, whatever it takes - that they are just a little unhinged about it.

one time my friend told me he stayed up all night researching how many ways there are to peel an orange. he wrote me a poem that made me cry on public transportation. the love came through it like pith, you know? the words all came apart in my hands. it tasted like breakfast.

[incognitopolls]

We ask your questions anonymously so you don’t have to! Submissions are open on the 1st and 15th of the month.

[ciderjacks]

dwarven brew

+

[starlingfawn]

through starless sky to blackest ground

[astrhae]

crowley used the metal tool in season 1 to start time, and we learn that he's used it first to start space. to create the stars -- he still remembers how. he still remembers all of heaven's passwords: in the book crowley is described as an optimist because he has the "utter surety... that the universe would look after him". not god, but the universe. and of course he does: he helped create it and he's looking after it, too.

think about it: aziraphale had a sword, but crowley is about to face satan who wants to destroy the world, and crowley's only weapon is a tool of creation

[warrior-of-storms]

Okay but do you know what really gets me?

There's no one left in-universe who can or will talk about Jaybin as he really was.

Bruce is the founder of the Jaybin Slander Department;

Alfred is no better.

Dick wasn't around much, didn't know him that well.

If Barbara ever interacted with him in his original run, I haven't found it yet.

I mean, he had some interactions with the Teen Titans, but was he really close with any of them?

I suppose Gordon could, assuming he isn't in on the Jason-bashing. I haven't seen it but I could be missing something.

And, well, Jason... somehow, I don't think anyone's asking Jason what he was like as a kid, nor is he really a reliable source. Autobiographical memory is weird.

No one in-universe will ever really talk about this bright, friendly, eager kid, and it's a tragedy.

He was smart and clever and had so much compassion.

He wanted so badly to help people, and he found joy in his work as Robin.

He had a dramatic flair and he was kind of a nerd and he was really funny on occasion.

He was so deeply, fundamentally good, and the fact that somehow his legacy has been twisted into one of anger and recklessness is honestly a crime.

It makes me so desperately sad that there's not a single character who can even start to undo the lasting damage of a four-decade smear campaign against a kid who did nothing to deserve it.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Out of sight, out of - wait.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[reality-detective]

So basically taxpayers paid for the creation of the Covid-19 virus through USAID and then paid the mainstream media to brainwash them about masks, vaccines, and lockdowns?

It's unbelievable what these sick people did through money laundering to humanity worldwide. 🤔

[foldingfittedsheets]

My beloved is very particular about their belongings. I was surprised when we first started dating about the scrutiny their loaned objects would be placed under when returned. Their car would be checked carefully for scrapes if someone loaded a bike into it, all returned objects were carefully and thoroughly looked over. Even now if Korben has bitten something left out like a dildo they’ll carefully look it over for damage it has one tiiiny tooth dent.

It won’t surprise anyone to learn that books they’d loaned people had previously been returned with broken spines and dog eared pages, and now it's very important to them to maintain their things in good condition. Their things weren’t treated with care and now it’s a sign of respect to them.

The first time they loaned me a book I was a little shocked that they received it back and began immediately investigating it for wear. To my chagrin there was indeed a tiny scuff at the corner where I’d put it in my bag too hastily. They said nothing, but nothing needed to be said.

Going forward I treated each book they gave me as utterly precious. I dogear my own pages but I’d never dare on a book that wasn’t mine and on their books I elevated to special protocols, handling them as gently as possible.

When it came to books I loaned them I got them back exactly as I’d handed them over. I had them read American Gods. They weren’t totally sold and I suggested the lighthearted sequel Anansi Boys might be more up their alley. It’s about a trickster god and his sons.

I was lounging when I got a call from my beloved. We usually texted, they’re not a phone talker so I picked up right away.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m so sorry,” they blurted.

“What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, but I was getting in my car, and I had a coffee and I was trying to juggle things and well-“

The silence stretched out.

“What?” I asked gently, afire with curiosity.

“I left your book on top of my car and I drove off. When I realized I drove back but I couldn’t find it. I’m so sorry!”

As the words sank in a laugh started rising out of me. “You lost my book?”

“I’ll buy you a new copy! It was an accident!”

“I’m not mad, it’s okay! Its just really funny, you’re always so careful.”

I then realized that they were holding themself to their own standard, beating themself up for something that to me was just a silly mishap.

“It’s really okay! I’m not mad, you can get me a new copy.”

They did, and when I chuckle about it they still pout a little like the funny part is that they made a mistake.

But honestly the thought of someone coming upon a copy of a book about trickster gods being left in a coffee shop parking lot and taking it is the funniest part. I hope they enjoyed it.

[egophiliac]

I've had a beast of a cold for the last few days, but I wanted to get this out before the new year! while I've sort of made my peace with my first take on Lilia's UM poster, I really wanted to do a version with the new context that chapter 6 gave us. because. c'mon.

(don't worry, Lilia can carry ALL HIS KIDS AT ONCE)

[morningstarwrites]

The LAST chapter for Of Saints and Sinners is out now! Here's the outfits they wore for their 'wedding' 😌

[firebound-press]

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO I PROUDLY PRESENT!!!!!! A FULL COLLECTION OF FISH N CHIP WORKS BY @earlgay-milktea !!!!!!!

My first ever leatherbound book!!!! Over 650 pages!!!!! My first time doing double core endbands!!!!! It’s all in here!!!!!!!!

It’s got custom graphics by @fishcop !!!! It’s got a couple graphics from me!!!!!! We’ve got it all!!!!!!

Ive been working on this book for over a year now and I’m so so proud to finally have it done. There’s a lot of stuff I could say about this bind but it mostly boils down to “holy shit I actually did it that’s so cool”

A lot of love and work went into this bind so if you have any questions please don’t be afraid to ask! Please!! I want to talk about it!!!!

Works featured:

Heart of the Sea

Breaking Free

Honesty Is The Best Fallacy

Captive Hero

Lovefool

Bitter Water

advancing on real ground

Wreck the Halls

Before Daybreak

You can also read Earls other work here:

https://archiveofourown.org/users/earlgay_milktea

[incognitopolls]

Vote based on the publication year of the physical copy that you own, not the book's first edition.

Publication/print dates can usually be found in the first 2–3 pages of a book, where title and/or copyright information is printed. If you own an old book that does not have a publication date printed on it, make your best estimate.

We ask your questions anonymously so you don’t have to! Submissions are open on the 1st and 15th of the month.