#A.K Summers

[paigebraddock]

TODAY: Opening reception for Resplendent, Identity and Visibility in Comics exhibit at Montserrat College of Art. 🌈✒️

[guide-to-galaxy]

Top 5 (books I meant to read in 2022) Tuesday

Top 5 (books I meant to read in 2022) Tuesday

As always, I very most likely have about 5 or 15 choices to go through. This time I’m only choosing 5 that I really wanted to go through this year and will now (unfortunately) be pushed to the ‘concept’ of next year (because how can we be so close to 2023 but I’m here still thinking of like 2019 haha). Thank you to Meeghan @ Meeghan Reads for giving us the last month of prompts! I’ve missed…

[queerliblib]

Hello!! I was looking for non-fiction books of butches and femmes that mention bisexual butches and femmes too! I guess that's a very specific thing and difficult thing to ask for but I was hoping if you knew some? In the end, I'll take any and all butch femme non-fiction books you know of please! 👉👈💖

hello! okay so don’t wanna promise bisexuality in all of these because that’s tricky to do without having read each cover-to-cover*

that said, we do have some recs! I’m going to split this up two ways;

Non-fiction (not memoir)

Butch is a Noun by S. Bear Bergman

Persistance: All Ways Butch & Femme eds. Ivan Coyote & Zena Sharman (& it’s precursor, Persistent Desire: a butch-femme reader although sadly it’s not available as an ebook for us to purchase)

The Life & Times of Butch Dykes by Eloisa Aquina

Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold by Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy & Madeline D. Davis

& one essential we haven’t gotten around to buying yet: Female Masculinities by J. Jack Halberstam

Non-fiction (memoir)

Burning Butch by R/B Mertz (also in audio)

Pregnant Butch by A.K. Summers

Rust Belt Femme by Raechel Anne Jolie

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H. (also in audio)

& before anyone asks Stone Butch Blues is NOT in our collection, but that’s because it’s available for free, as a pdf, directly from Leslie Feinburg’s website

[the-bi-library]

Here is the final part of the bi4bi books posts!

I'd appreciate it if you let me know if there are any more bi4bi books that I didn't include here 💕

Books listed: They Never Learn by Layne Fargo If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia The Drowning Summer by C.L. Herman Case Sensitive by A.K. Turner Missing, Presumed Dead by Emma Berquist Her Soul to Take by Harley Laroux Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao City of Shattered Light by Claire Winn City of Vicious Night by Claire Winn The Light Years by R.W.W. Greener The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Shaun David Hutchinson Tell Me Anything by Skye Kilaen Her Scarlet Letters by Cat Giraldo Break Free by Raleigh Ruebins Modern Divination by Isabel Agajanian Caroline's Heart by Austin Chant The Door Into Fire by Diane Duane The Stone Prince by Fiona Patton Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner Wolf, Willow, Witch by Freydís Moon When the Stars Alight by Camilla Andrew Love at First Set by Jennifer Dugan Cleans Up Nice by Margo Phelps Educated by Nellie Wilson Queried Sick by Dallas Smith Chance Agreement by Margo Phelps Sirens & Muses by Antonia Angress Release by Suzanne Clay Orphia and Eurydicius by Elyse John Crown of Starlight by Cait Corrain To Beg or Not to Beg by Cat Giraldo Two Winters by Lauren Emily Whalen Electric Idol by Katee Robert Neon Gods by Katee Robert The Scandalous Letters of V and J by Felicia Davin The Spinster's Swindle by Catherine Stein Rocky Mountain Freedom by Vivian Arend Um traço até você by Olívia Pilar Biforia by Rebecca Romero Escalando Você by Rebecca Romero Entre estantes by Olívia Pilar → translated Between Bookshelves by Olívia Pilar Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders The Stars Undying by Emery Robin Legend of Korra: Graphic Novels Harley Quinn: The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour Novels Seven Days: Monday–Sunday by Venio Tachiban Brimstones and Roses It Would Be Great If You Didn't Exist My Werewolf Girlfriend The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur Xeni by Rebekah Weather

Part 1

Part 2

[agardenandlibrary]

Books* Read in March 2024

*and novellas. It was a very good month for reading.

Standalones:

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher (re-read)(still really good)(gonna talk about it on the podcast with a friend!)

Wayward Children:

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire

None of these have quite hit me as much as book 1. I should go and re-read it, honestly. But this was good!

The Fives Crowns of Okrith series:

The High Mountain Court by A.K. Mulford

The Witches’ Blade by A.K. Mulford

The Rogue Crown by A.K. Mulford

This has been a fun fae series! Book 1: a little shaky, but ultimately a good time. Book 2: immediately took me out at the knees, loved it. Book 3: also good, but book 2 is still my fave.

Rivers of London series:

The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch

What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch*

Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch

The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch*

False Value by Ben Aaronovitch

Amongst Our Weapons by Ben Aaronovitch

Tales from the Folly by Ben Aaronovitch*

The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch*

Look, obviously I like this series.

[blysse-and-blunder]

in lieu of a bachelorette party

10pm, sunday, aug 6, 2023

we're officially in the period of the summer that has been planned out since months and months ago, in the lead up to some dear friends' wedding; time is telescoping in a very odd way! after traveling the past two weeks, my re-entry was good but hard; i came back from my trip thinking i'd be all revitalized and looking around me with new eyes, which in a way i did, but then i was also pretty wiped. i didn't really want to spend all week hibernating, but i guess it was good to recharge my batteries since i also had five different party/gathering-type things (three this weekend, including the aforementioned bachelorette).

reading can't forget to mention finishing carmen maria machado's in the dreamhouse, which was gripping and devastating and still beautiful somehow. the experience of reading it was so...i couldn't stop once i got started, you know? short fragmented chapters, some funny, some incredibly sad. every once in a while there would be a detail or an allusion to something i could relate to, punctuating the intense surreality / unreality used to talk about the abuse with a sudden concrete reality that was. striking. loved the device of the footnotes, pointing out where certain things are matching up with folklore tropes? as a form of foreshadowing and ironic, devastating commentary? inspired. that's just one detail, but it's one i can sum up.

abrupt tonal shift and getting back to fantasy / adventure, a.k. larkwood's the unspoken name has been very engaging this week too. part one was...fresh but in a comforting sort of vein, with a young protag escaping a bad fate under the protection of a new mysterious mentor, who then helps her get an education, martial arts training, before he sends her out on a mission--reminded me of half a dozen beloved fantasy novels, with the addition of some fun details! for example, neither is actually described in much detail, but our main character and her mentor are clearly not Human; she has grey skin and tusks (my mind went right to a dnd-style orc?) and he has mobile, elongated ears, which seem to telegraph his emotions much like those in the goblin emperor and was an *immediate* delight to envision. just about a third of the way through this one now; it feels like a locked tomb book with a slightly different magic system, and i'm really enjoying it.

watching plane movies while returning home:

the battle of the sexes (2017) -- entertaining more because i didn't know the history and always enjoy the depiction of historical women's sports and sports teams; emma stone is great but has virtually no chemistry with either of her romantic counterparts, painfully straight energy overall. i was too entertained by watching steve carell and sarah silverman in their respective period hair and makeup . kudos to whoever was the tennis stunt doubles, it was legitimately fun to try and follow the games.

banshees of inisherin (2022) -- people who talk about the overdone stereotyped blarney-filled hollywood depiction of ireland in this one are missing the fact that it's an intentional (ironic?) depiction; see, the imprecision when it comes to year/time passing / calendars and whatnot. sort of waiting for godot-y in its heightened reality / absurdity. my lukewarm take is that it was definitely meant to be a play, and would have worked a lot better that way. not sure i'll watch it again, not sure i *got* it, but it will certainly live in my brain rent-free.

finished strange world (2022) as a palate cleanser-- i wanted to support it, the box office and overall reception to this was pretty disappointing but it's fine! like it's a cute kids' movie! you know, disney's first gay character, thinly veiled climate analogy lesson, absolutely gorgeous animation and colors, what's not to love.

the first three episodes of season 1 of the white lotus . hypnotizing like a train wreck, but i'll wait until i've seen more of it to give a real write-up.

listening you ever watch a viral video and then realize you're captivated by both the cute videos of people dancing and the soundtrack? (and recognizing the background scenery, and it turns out i was right!!) anyway i went and found these two tracks courtesy of just this experience, so thanks to youtuber thoraya i guess?

UPDATE: saw hadestown live today!!! the original broadway recording didn't prepare me for how much i would love it, how dynamic and captivating the live band and incredible ensemble would be-- and of course i was crying almost immediately, and was clutching my chest during 'wait for me' both times. but then again, the performance i saw didn't include this one instrumental track i love and had on my semester playlist all spring, so here:

playing finally got the cut-scene celebrating my community center completion in stardew, hell yeah. had two great dnd sessions; one campaign successfully defeated a monstrously-oversized jaguar and decided which faction we're going to attempt to win over first, while the other group went shopping and spent some downtime at base and gathering info on some individual plots! napoleon did exist in this world and was a gnome, and our organization assassinated him apparently??, also this just feels like a good time to mention that their resume also includes '1841 – Controlled controversy riots when “Dinosaurs” suggested as a creature alongside and separate from “Dragons” ', which sent us into absolute hysterics when the DM shared that.

making it's summer, so i crowdsourced a ratatouille recipe and could not have been happier with the outcome. saving it here for posterity!

working on i was very diligent with RA work this week, since it feels like i always neglect it over the summer for absolutely no reason, especially since it like. pays me. but i also have been using it as productive procrastination since i'm actively dragging my heels in sending the last few students their essay feedback and grade breakdowns from the summer course. it means confronting my judgments and math and possible mistakes from earlier in july, and trying to either defend or amend them as necessary, and i just have been. napping rather than actually do it. which is silly, and also stupid since i have actual work to be doing! just get this over with, and you can be free!

[traeumenvonbuechern]

24 in 2024

Thanks @blueberreads for tagging me!

Most of these are for the "12 books by 12 friends" challenge on Instagram, plus some 2024 releases and books from my TBR:

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

Identitti by Mithu M. Sanyal

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Forever Is Now by Mariama J. Lockington

Beating Heart Baby by Lio Min

Junker Seven by Olive J. Kelley

Into the Light by Mark Oshiro

Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian

We Will Give You Hell by Lina Frisch

The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood

The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany Jackson

Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

Lunar Boy by Jes and Cin Wibowo

The Flicker by H.E. Edgmon

Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse

The Principle of Moments by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen

Tagging: @profiterole-reads @aroaessidhe @alexlikesbooksandtea (no pressure though)

[tunedtostatic]

tagged by @ante--meridiem

Currently reading: I'm on the verge of quitting The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood, not because it's objectively bad but because I'm not enjoying it for reasons I might noodle on about on my book blog. I have a stack of library books so I'm not sure what I'll try next.

Currently watching: @sinceyouaskedme recommended Mic the Snare and I've been watching some of his discography deep dives, which led to a very funny situation where I watched the one about Radiohead and then listened to Ok Computer by Radiohead for the first time (regarded by many as one of the greatest albums of all time), and it was very good, and I was like, I can't go online and be like "Oh my god you guys I'm sure know one else knows this but did you know Ok Computer by Radiohead is good?!"

Currently obsessed with: I looked up what turned out to be The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats on Friday because I was trying to figure out where one of its lines came from, and first of all holy shit I did not realize how much it is to 20th-21th century literature and pop culture as Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen is to ao3. All those are from the same poem? Second of all, it's very good (much like Ok Computer by Radiohead is very good, one could say 🙂). I ended up looking up a list of ultra-famous poems, because I realized that not having taken any lit classes beyond high school means there are many ultra-famous poems that I haven't ever come across. I'm resisting the urge to say something defensive, because not knowing certain poems when you could have Taken The Initiative And Looked Them Up Whenever is something people get so wildly mean about, like hiking, but I didn't and who cares. And now I have! (Did you guys know The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot is also very good?!)

Last song listened to: Silence by Lizz Wright, best known round this blog for being the artist I discovered by getting her 2008 album The Orchard buying thrift store CDs last summer, which I then listened to for months because. I mean. When I went to get that link I paused writing this for two minutes to relisten to the first half of the first track because 😭😭❗❗, 10/10 Ok Computers by Radiohead, source: dude trust me. Also previously seen round this blog for Goodbye on (ironically) the Astrid-Caleb reunion, race you to the top section of my Astrid fanmix ("so you take the high road/and I'll take the low" indeed).

Silence is also from her first 2003 album, and I cagily didn't link it first because I feel like it's a little less overtly knock your socks off, but it too is !! (I feel like it really kicks off at the end of the second verse with the vocals and instrumentals on "that silence is a song.")

tagging with no pressure to do it, @sinceyouaskedme @perpetualnovelboyfriend @smirk47 @cindereleanor

[rockislandadultreads]

LGBTQIA+ Pride Month: Sci-Fi & Fantasy Recommendations

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours, except for its most seminal event: the Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales, and talons; left a trail of fiery destruction in their path; and took to the skies. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex’s beloved aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn’t know. It’s taboo to speak of.

Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of this astonishing event: a mother more protective than ever; an absentee father; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and watching her beloved cousin Bea become dangerously obsessed with the forbidden.

In this timely and timeless speculative novel, award-winning author Kelly Barnhill boldly explores rage, memory, and the tyranny of forced limitations. When Women Were Dragons exposes a world that wants to keep women small—their lives and their prospects—and examines what happens when they rise en masse and take up the space they deserve.

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

If you look hard enough at old photographs, we're there in the background: healers in the trenches; Suffragettes; Bletchley Park oracles; land girls and resistance fighters. Why is it we help in times of crisis? We have a gift. We are stronger than Mundanes, plain and simple.

At the dawn of their adolescence, on the eve of the summer solstice, four young girls--Helena, Leonie, Niamh and Elle--took the oath to join Her Majesty's Royal Coven, established by Queen Elizabeth I as a covert government department. Now, decades later, the witch community is still reeling from a civil war and Helena is now the reigning High Priestess of the organization. Yet Helena is the only one of her friend group still enmeshed in the stale bureaucracy of HMRC. Elle is trying to pretend she's a normal housewife, and Niamh has become a country vet, using her powers to heal sick animals. In what Helena perceives as the deepest betrayal, Leonie has defected to start her own more inclusive and intersectional coven, Diaspora. And now Helena has a bigger problem. A young warlock of extraordinary capabilities has been captured by authorities and seems to threaten the very existence of HMRC. With conflicting beliefs over the best course of action, the four friends must decide where their loyalties lie: with preserving tradition, or doing what is right.

This is the first volume in the “Her Majesty’s Royal Coven” series.

The Thousand Eyes by A.K. Larkwood 

Two years ago, Csorwe and Shuthmili defied the wizard Belthandros Sethennai and stole his gauntlets. The gauntlets have made Shuthmili extraordinarily powerful, but they're beginning to take a sinister toll on her. She and Csorwe travel to a distant world to discover how to use the gauntlets safely, but when an old enemy arrives on the scene, Shuthmili finds herself torn between clinging to her humanity and embracing eldritch power.

Meanwhile, Tal Charossa returns to Tlaanthothe to find that Sethennai has gone missing. As well as being a wizard of unimaginable power, Sethennai is Tal's old boss and former lover, and Tal wants nothing to do with him. When a magical catastrophe befalls the city, Tal tries to run rather than face his past, but soon learns that something even worse may lurk in the future. Throughout the worlds of the Echo Maze, fragments of an undead goddess begin to awaken, and not all confrontations can be put off forever...

This is the second volume in “The Serpent Gates” series.

Màgòdiz by Gabe Calderón

Everything that was green and good is gone, scorched away by a war that no one living remembers. The small surviving human population scavenges to get by; they cannot read or write and lack the tools or knowledge to rebuild. The only ones with any power are the mindless Enforcers, controlled by the Madjideye, a faceless, formless spiritual entity that has infiltrated the world to subjugate the human population.

A’tugwewinu is the last survivor of the Andwànikàdjigan. On the run from the Madjideye with her lover, Bèl, a descendant of the Warrior Nation, they seek to share what the world has forgotten: stories. In Pasakamate, both Shkitagen, the firekeeper of his generation, and his life’s heart, Nitàwesì, whose hands mend bones and cure sickness, attempt to find a home where they can raise children in peace, without fear of slavers or rising waters. In Zhōng yang, Riordan wheels around just fine, leading xir gang of misfits in hopes of surviving until the next meal. However, Elite Enforcer H-09761 (Yun Seo, who was abducted as a child, then tortured and brainwashed into servitude) is determined to arrest Riordan for theft of resources and will stop at nothing to bring xir to the Madjideye. In a ruined world, six people collide, discovering family and foe, navigating friendship and love, and reclaiming the sacredness of the gifts they carry.

[libraryleopard]

Mid-Year Book Freakout 2023

Tagged by @violaeade, thanks Sabrina!

1. Best book you’ve read so far this year

Aaaahh that's so hard, I've had a really good reading year. I finally read She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan and it really blew me away–the characters! the tension! the narrative foils! the revenge! the ambition! the complicated queerness! I absolutely tore through it even though I was busy with school and walked around thinking about the ending for weeks. I can't wait for the sequel this August and also I am terrified to see what will come.

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far this year

THE THOUSAND EYES BY A.K. LARKWOOD!! Fucking fantastic sequel, took some incredible risks that really paid off and did some amazing things with the characters. Caused me exquisite agony in the best ways possible. Shuthmili's character arc in that book lives in my head RENT free.

3. New release you haven’t read yet

I'm hoping to read A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon this summer (it is so long but I am so excited for more dragons and lesbians). Also, When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb because I love their short fiction!

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid (gothic YA fantasy about Welsh mythology and a creepy seaside manor) sounds exactly like my kind of book and I'm quite excited for it.

5. Biggest disappointment

Probably The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas. I've gotten really into gothic literature lately and I was super excited at the idea of a postcolonial gothic set in 1800s Mexico but it just felt kind of like a middling mash-up of Rebecca and Mexican Gothic. Subpar gothic atmosphere, some nonsensical plot points, boring romance, standard prose. Alas!

6. Biggest surprise

I read Little Blue Encyclopedia (For Vivian) by Hazel Jane Plante on kind of a whim because the idea of a novel told in the form of an encyclopedia entry for a fictional TV show sounded interesting (I love stories that experiment with form) and it turned out to be an incredible exploration of grief and friendship and trans community that packed a lot of nuance and emotion into a very short work.

7. Favorite new author (debut or new to you)

Ava Reid! Her debut novel, The Wolf and the Woodsman, was a personally kinda underwhelming to me, but their second novel, Juniper and Thorn, was an incredible gothic fantasy exploration of abuse and I think she really found her authorial voice through it. Super excited for their YA debut coming out this fall, it sounds very up my alley. Also, having read Andrew Joseph White's debut novel Hell Followed With Us, I am absolutely keeping an eye out for his future works.

8. Newest fictional crush/newest favorite character

I'm reading Spindrift by Anna Burke right now and Morgan Donovan I am free to hang out on Thursday when I am free to hang out…

Also, Heather After from G. Willow Wilson's Sandman spin-off comic The Dreaming: The Waking Hours is incredible (trans anarchist sorceress) and I love her.

9. Book that made you cry

I don't really cry over books, but Among Others by Jo Walton made me so unbearably sad as someone who has a twin sister (though I do have some problems with that novel).

10. Book that made you happy

 I read Highly Suspicious & Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert because I enjoyed her adult romance novels and thought it was adorable, absolutely top-notch YA rom-com. (Also, I relate to Brad so much considering he is a teenage boy jock named Brad.)

Tagging uhhhh oh god @kazz-brekker @acewizard @shirleyjacksons @displayheartcode and any other book-inclined people who see this and want to answer? (i'm very bad at remembering mutuals off the top of my head, sorry!)

[laraleecupcake]

Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2023 - 15/50

Read / Currently Reading / To Read

Cannot double up on categories.

A book you meant to read in 2022 - Saga, Volume 4  by Brian K. Vaughn

A book you bought from an independent bookstore

A book about a vacation

A book by a first-time author - "The Infinite Noise (The Bright Sessions, #1)" by Lauren Shippen

A book with mythical creatures - “The Unspoken Name” by A.K. Larkwood

A book about a forbidden romance - “ Saga, Volume 7 “ by Brian K. Vaughn

A book with "Girl" in the title - “The Good Luck Girls" by Charlotte Nicole Davis

A celebrity memoir -  "Still Just a Geek: An Annotated Memoir” by Wil Wheaton

A book with a color in the title - "The White Snake: A TOON Graphic” by Ben Nadler

A romance with a fat lead - Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

A book about or set in Hollywood - “Faith, Vol. 3: Superstar” by Jody Houser

A book published in spring 2023

A book published the year you were born

A modern retelling of a classic

A book with a song lyric as its title

A book where the main character's name is in the title

A book with a love triangle - “Jaws” by Peter Benchley

A book that's been banned or challenged in any state in 2022

A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past challenge - A book that was published anonymously -  “Love Is Not Constantly Wondering If You Are Making the Biggest Mistake of Your Life” by Anonymous, Sarah Miller (Illustrator)

A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2023

A book set in the decade you were born

A book with a queer lead - The Swimming-Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst (read by Samuel West)

A book with a map

A book with a rabbit on the cover

A book with just text on the cover

The shortest book (by pages) on your TBR list

A #BookTok recommendation

A book you bought secondhand

A book your friend recommended - “Die, Vol. 2: Split the Party“ by Kieron Gillen

A book that's on a celebrity book-club list

A book about a family -  "The Inexplicable Logic of My Life” - Benjamin Alire Sáenz

A book that comes out in the second half of 2023

A book about an athlete/sport

A historical-fiction book

A book about divorce

A book you think your best friend would like

A book you should have read in high school

A book you read more than 10 years ago

A book you wish you could read for the first time again

A book by an author with the same initials as you

Advanced

A book written during NaNoWriMo

A book based on a popular movie - Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor by Matthew Woodring Stover

A book that takes place entirely in one day

A book that was self-published

A book that started out as fan fiction

A book with a pet character - Fairy Tale by Stephen King

A book about a holiday that's not Christmas

A book that features two languages

The longest book (by pages) on your TBR list

A book with alliteration in the title - Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

[mermaidsirennikita]

So for vacation I've just been reading books that have *been out* that I haven't been able to get to (on my Kindle because I'm not hauling physical books across the ocean sorry) but as soon as I get back I'm going to be eyeball reading ARCs ARCs ARCs only for a minute because I have.................. 11! Books to review for June and July and I have read (1) of them thus far.

But for me and also for you if you're curious about some of the romance releases in the next couple months...

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall, 6/6--sapphic historical fantasy, so excited for a sapphic romance from Alexis

The Evergreen Heir by A.K. Mulford, 6/13--fantasy romance, mostly picked this up because I believe it's an arranged marriage romance with a NB lead

The Notorious Lord Knightly by Lorraine Heath, 6/27--the only one I've already read lol, will post review about a month out but it's fabulous

Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann, 7/11--a well-known dark romance that's been out a while and is being re-released as trad, picked it up because the hero is the heroine's sister's fiance and he and the heroine are kidnapped by serial killer who forces them to have sex, which is horrible! But.......... I want to know what this story is like

The Duchess Effect by Tracey Livesay, 7/11--sequel to American Royalty, which I loved

Forget Me Not by Julie Soto, 7/11--first Reylo ARC of the year, contemporary second chance enemies to lovers vibes I believe

It Happened One Fight, 7/11 by Maureen Lee Lenker--a historical romance set in Old Hollywood with bickering and a PR relationship, I think? Love this setting for historical romance

The Summer Girl by Elle Kennedy, 7/18--I just wanted to try Elle Kennedy, and I do enjoy a beachside romance

Brutal Prince by Sophie Lark, 7/25--another Sourcebooks trad rerelease, this time of an arranged marriage mafia romance... obviously I'm reading

The Rebel King by Gina L. Maxwell, 7/25--Vegas? Dark Fae? Very down for books about fair folk fucking that aren't YA

How to Tame A Wild Rogue by Julie Anne Long, 7/25--I am.... so very down for Julie Anne Long books, and this one has a privateer, a runaway bride, and only one bed. Sign me tf up

[arwainian]

Reading This Week

I am back home and reading like my life depends on it! I'm going to start working through articles I have saved to my computer bookmarks and such

Abandoned:

Pregnant Butch by A.K. Summers i tried! i've been meaning to try reading this for ages! but i got turned off by goodreads reviews saying theres a transphobic screed in the middle, and then just not clicking with the storytelling style.... oh well...

Finished:

The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel (colored by Holly Rae Taylor) I kinda stayed up later than I technically meant to finish reading this. Bechdel really is a fantastic memoirist

Started & Finished:

As Yet Unsent by Tamsyn Muir tbh, kinda wish i'd read this before Nona so that I would have a tad more context for like the connections between the other House characters. but this was pretty great as a quick read, and really enlightening for the inner life of a character that I never really cared about before

"I wrote a story for a friend" by Julian Gough this is the personal essay by the guy that wrote the Minecraft End Poem about the trouble surrounding its creation and copyright. I find it kinda funny when he's like "the capitalism game makes me sad bc it gets in the way of the art game and the friendship game.... but there's nothing inherently wrong with the capitalism game!" he's got the spirit but ain't quite there yet yknow? anywho. one day I will actually beat Minecraft and read the story in its proper context!

What Did You Eat Yesterday? Vol. 1-5 by Fumi Yoshinaga, translated by Maya Rosewood (1-3) and Yoshito Hinton (4-5) now I did not intend for reading this manga to be a christmas season read, but somewhere in the beginning of vol 2 or 3 it was just christmas season within the manga itself!! anyway this is a pretty chill slice of life manga, half cooking/recipes, half daily life for a middle aged gay couple in 2000s Tokyo, and it's been a fun easy read

Nectar edited by Tab Kimpton & Harry-Anne Bentley most thoughts remain in my private journal for this one, but I can say that kinda like the last one only like 2 or 3 of the stories within actually like. worked for me on an artistic style level. still delighted that this exists

Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 2-3 by Bisco Hatori, translated by Kenichiro Yagi while i'm enjoying the nostalgia of reading the manga version of a childhood anime, i find the panels of this really difficult to read? also this is the last volume available through my library so i probably won't read more for a while

Decolonizing Queer Games and Play from First Person Scholar, edited by Khee Hoon Chan:

Editorial by Khee Hoon Chan A Boy is a Gun: Weaponizing Black Gender in Video Games by Oluwatayo Adewole Unmaking and Undoing: A Trans* Reading of Katamari Damacy by Julie Fukunaga Interviw with Caro Asercion by Olivia Popp

working my way through articles that i've saved to my bookmarks bar! i absolutely want to check out more stuff like this

Masters in this Hall by K.J. Charles now THIS is a deliberate Christmas read for me, as it's the surprise un-advertised Christmas novella from one of my favorite romance authors! it was fun and funnily enough, most of took place in the days following Christmas. it was fun to see Jerry again (this time as a side character), and kinda made me want to go reread Any Old Diamonds since it's been a couple years now

Started:

Secrets Typed in Blood by Stephen Spotswood YES YES YES i am only a few chapters in at time of writing, but i am so happy to be back with my delightful butch private detective duo. i've been waiting for this inpatiently ever since i finished the second book in the series and i'm so glad to be back to get my historical mystery fix

Hen Fever by Olivia Waite

this is another surprise christmas novella from a favorite histrom author and the cover is absolutely Delightful. i'm gonna try and savor it but i make no promises

[bookofmirth]

17 and 24!

thank youuuu sorry this got long, I am enjoying not having a shit ton of grading atm

17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

Yes! Here is my list of books I liked more than I expected to:

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

The Manningtree Witches by A.K. Blakemore

Revelator by Daryl Gregory

Deadline by Mira Grant (I know I like her writing, I just didn't know the series would turn up to 11)

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

Riverine by Angela Palm

Good Morning, Destroyer of Men's Souls by Nina Renata Aron

24. Did you DNF anything? Why?

Yes, I DNF'd a lot more this year than I usually do. I just had no patience for books that I wasn't into, even if I felt like in other circumstances, I would have enjoyed them. I think that was a theme for me personally, this year - I Marie Kondo'd my life.

I'm going to give the reasons I DNF'd because I think that's fun.

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi - I cannot stand her writing style, I wouldn't have bought this book but it was in Illumicrate and I didn't want to skip my first month of my subscription and I thought hey, maybe Past Leslie was wrong. I can give Mafi another chance. Past Leslie was RIGHT.

The Actual Star by Monica Byrne - this gave me "I went on vacation to an 'exotic' locale and connected with 'the natives', these are all the spiritual lessons it taught me, a white woman" vibes.

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin - I hate when books try too hard to be shocking.

Learwife by J.R. Thorpe - I actually might come back to this one, it was just pretty dense and I wasn't in the right space for that style of writing.

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li - 100 pages in I couldn't tell the characters apart :(

Persephone Station by Stina Leicht - I might return to this one also. I couldn't get invested in the characters but then a week or two later I found myself thinking about it. So it's not goodbye forever, just goodbye for now.

Technically I DNF'd Bands of Mourning because I almost threw my book across the room when Wayne thought about someone breasts, again. But I read 250 pages so whatever.

Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo. I just couldn't get into it.

Given to the Sea by Mindy McGinnis. I can't even remember. I usually like her books but this was not it.

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo - much like Manhunt, it was trying too hard.

How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell - so much pretentious blah blah blah.

End of year book ask

[pwblogarchive]

April 2005

April 5, 2005

i've got a flame gun for all the cute ones

so let's start this one out with how great spring is. seriously. we're in love. jay-z called my phone the other day. for real this is how the conversation went:

jayz: yo pete

me: hello

j: this is j

me: jay who

j: jay-z

me: yeah right

j: no. it is. we're gonna let em know right

me: are you fucking serious

j: we're gonna let the world know about fall out boy

me: yeah. we can do whateveer you want

j: aight . ill see you at one of your new york shows

me: are you serious, this is jay-z

j: ::click::

me: man you are so fucking awesome

j: dialtone

total fan moment.

i guess cause he is the president of defjam and we're on island/defjam that's how come he called. uh WTF?

new things on the horizon:

tentatively titled: the boy with the thorn in his side in "i am the dream, you are the dreamer" - me and travis from gym class and a couple of others began working on this. it will be a slightly different format - about 150-200 pages illustration every 5 pages. similiarly styled but trust me the other was simply an introduction. this won't be out till winter probably.

before that: two pack ultra limited "boy with the thorn" and "rattail" broken heart two pack toy. possibly at the end of summer.

and also, tentatively titled: "rainy day kids" - about 130 pages no illustrations. this book comprises writing from the last 5 years - on the directors cut it was mistakingly called "young hearts be free" - these read alot closer to my journal entries. this should be out by fall...

lots of more stuff coming soon: clandestine.buzznet.com... get over to your local hot topic and pick up some gear - so then maybe they'll grab some of this new stuff to sell too!

the tour has been amazing. we are shooting a new video in the next week or so.

patrick: sing-y/stinky

joe: coughy/nakedy

andy: vegany/music-y

pete: sleepy/no-sleepy

korean dan suh: drunky/more drunky

merch jim: angry/too much merchy

dirty: dirty/dirty

truefuckinglove

peter

p.s. thanks for showing me all of those new bands. i liked a bunch of them. if you guys know any bands that kind of sound like hellogoodbye (smaller unsigned ones only cause the bigger ones i have heard)--- lemme know. cause that band rules.

April 5, 2005

dear trophy boys and secrets girls-

welcome to the next phase of our life. we hope we can look at the world in a new way. we're really excited for may 3 and warped tour but until then come on out to the FBR friends and family tour. long live our car crash hearts.

peterabbit

April 13, 2005

hey girls. special post for you. i am looking for a womens blazer that would fit a dude about my size- black or striped or whatever. ill trade you something cool. collar shirts too. im down for whatever. bring it to the show, ill trade you up. love peter

btw- xs in dudes, probably m or l in girls.... aaaaaaannnnd dont feel like you gotta bring anything but your smile- woo.

- petey

April 13, 2005

Love. We got you. Tour has been amazing. Midtown just dropped off, silverstein picked it up. People will be missed, new friends will be made. We got you on the bussiness end of the barrel. Get into it or drop out, hit it or quit it. New record soon. We just shot a new video for "sugar we're going down", its kind of weird. Its definitely the most time and money we have ever spent on a video. We hope you love it. Lets just say there is a fireplace, a bear head, deers and upstate new york outdoors involved. Our friend matt lenski who shot all those cute little baby chick mtv commercials. "We should move somewherer deep in the middle of july" she said. You know how I get down (and out). They say he could have anyone but that just means no one. And I'm foggy like london but without all the class and dignity. More like northern florida in august. I'm getting off(line). Sweating it out in the dark. I am all breaths and heartbeats. Goddamn baby, it not me its you. Or whatever.

Today was a good day.

I didn't have to use my a.k.

Make me electric. Peter

April 14, 2005

the list:

ins/outs of 2005:

in:

snapping bras

panic at the disco

drama and gossip

waking up at 10am

makeup that makes you look like a girl

huge watches make your wrist hurt

lust

"headwalks"

phonecalls home

bunklife

brutal honesty

real life friend cuts

pretending to be girls on myspace and messing with dudes who are creepy

windy city heat

saying you knew fall out boy way back when

out:

wearing underwear

makeup that makes you look goth

going to sleep at 10am

huge belt buckles that make your waist hurt

love

"crowdsurfing"

phonecalls to ______ _____

hotellife

lying

livejournal friend cuts

being a creepy dude on myspace and sending girls messages

being friends with fall out boy now

April 19, 2005

“naked peek a boo what.”

brendanP!ATD: Dude my mouth and mostly my tongue is all leathery from eating too many gobstoppers.

BrendanP!ATD: its so shitty

PeteFOB: hahaha

PeteFOB: thats the price of sweetness

oh yeah. just to ruin your crush on me i went and dyed my hair black and purple. hehe. oh and yes i do have a sister.

i want a girl that doesnt have time to think things through

April 21, 2005

“namedrop it like it’s hot”

sorry cincinatti, we had an early buscall and patricks sick and im sick in the head. i let a ghost catch me.

sometimes its (not) okay to lose your mind.

peter

04/21/05 Q&A

question

pete. brendon urie or ryan ross?

answer

neither. im a spence kind of boy. definitely. cause then his name would be Spence Wentz

question

Pete, Do you ever have any “Wet Dreams”? If so of whom? hmmm…?

answer

once i fell asleep in the van between two dudes and had a crazy wet dream when i woke up they were both looking at me. but not like a “oh boy you rule” look more like a “what just happened” look but oh boy did it rule.

April 24, 2005

guys and stellasssss. this tour is amazing. we are lining up some fun things for may- including a mini-tour and maybe a couple of other suprises for you. i hate to have to bring the drama but.

1. i do not have a girlfriend

2. i do not have a boyfriend

3. lindsey lohan is just a friend

i found this amazing band you'll fall in love with soon.

xxoo peter

April 24, 2005

Okay the last entry was obviously a joke. Pretty much I am in love with being on tour but my private life will always be my private life. The people I date or don't date aren't really worth IMing me about. xxoo peeeeeete.

04/24/05

question

William Beckett vs. Peter Wentz for the title of FBR Sex Symbol… who wins and why?

answer

mike cardin because he just said “butcher tell your dyke ass mom to stop calling my phone”- and thats just insane. besides what me and bill do behind closed doors is our thing not fbrs.

April 26, 2005

Here we are under the radar across the border. I’m sorry I seem to have lost my mind.

Me: how bad did I look on tv?

You: you looked okay

You: would it be gay of my to tell you that the purple brought out you eyes?

Me: hahahaha

Safe.

Patricks birthday is tommorrow. I am in love with him so give him presents.

Still l i/o ving

Xxoo

04/27/05

question

my boyfriend is tall and asian and has a boycrush on pete. if you ever see him would you give him a smooch on the cheek?

answer

i already have one asian boy i’m dating and his name is korean tom cruise.

April 30, 2005

I'm sore throat singing through the curtain at you down the hall in the dark and you're asleep or just a good actor. In my head this is the way we'll always be. Me walking out dripping wet, trailing my finger nails against the picture frames on the walls. Slipping back into whatever and being careful shut the door so I don't wake anyone.

Washington d.c. Has got us under this amazing spell. We are on our way to bamboozle fest, see you in new jersey tommorrow. Ill be up at 9am looking for the sun. Stop by the clandestine booth all weekend, we'll be giving away clandestine slap bracelets (you know like the ones that everyone loved in the 80s).

[junnahphoto101]

ICP Exhibition - 3/24/24

 

The International Center of Photography has a variety of photographs from political views,  historical fashion, to contemporary, and mysterious. There were more than three hundred pictures with different sizes and ways of installation. Every photo had a brief description walking you through the photograph and its meaning and even some of the techniques used. The description also states the photographer (if known) and the year they were born and or deceased, the title of the photo (if known), the year taken or printed, the location of the photograph (if known), and at times, the thoughts of the photographer. They also list how ICP obtained the photograph, whether through purchase, donations, etc.. The atmosphere was quiet, people were taking their time reading descriptions of photos and discussing them through whispers. The lights on the third floor were dim, there were spotlights on the walls, where the photos were displayed.The third floor also held older pictures going back to the 1848, historic pictures, they were mainly black and white photos. The second floor was bright, the lights were on, and most of the pictures were colored. The second floor also held more contemporary, and fashionable photos, as well as hipsters photographs. The newer photos were displayed on the second floor, they were mainly from the 1980's on.

It was so hard to pick only two pictures, but after going through the list a few times, I decided to pick two that are somehow modern. The first photo of my choice was by Ming Smith, born in Detroit in 1947. The photo is called Womb, it was taken in 1992 and printed in 2023. Pigment print was used and it was purchased by funds provided by the acquisition committee of ICP 1/18/2023. Womb is a double exposure photograph. This means the negative in the cameras was exposed twice, where two different pictures are printed on top of each other. The photo is unique when seeing, you can observe the pyramids right away and two young boys in front of them, when you tilt your head to the right you can see a portrait of one of the boys horizontally across the photograph of the pyramids. 

“While Smith has employed a wide range of styles and techniques throughout her career, this work typifies her experimental approach, using intuition and chance to imbue her images with a dreamy, often otherworldly impression. Smith, who made photographs at an early age with her father's Brownie camera, began her professional career as a model. After being photographed by Anthony Barboza, she met other members of the Kamoinge Workshop-a collective of Black photographers founded in 1963 in New York City-and began to forge her own career as an artist. In 1975, a few months after ICP opened to the public, Smith, alongside other members of the Kamoinge group, were exhibited”.

The second photo of my choice was by Carrie Mae Weems, born in Portland, Oregon in 1953. The photo is called Mirror, Mirror and was taken in 1987, and Gelatin silver print was used. ICP obtained the photo as a gift from Julie Ault in 2001. The photograph reads “”LOOKING INTO THE MIRROR, THE BLACK WOMAN ASKED, "MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL, WHO'S THE FINEST OF THEM ALL?" THE MIRROR SAYS, "SNOW WHITE, YOU BLACK BITCH, AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT!!!"”. I sensed the picture having  a dark humor that actually reminded me of Deborah Willis’s article about some blacks believing that whites are more beautiful than blacks. 

The list of photographers is long, in addition of the previous two, so I selected some just as examples:

Mickalene Thamas

A.K Burns

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Carol Summers

Lee Friedlander

Lucas Samaras

Charles E. Stacy

Florence Henri

Custav Klutsis

Lotte Jacobi

Julia Pirotte

Ilse Bing

Nasa

Cornell Capa

Jacob Riis

Daivd Seidner

These photographers are from all over the world.