#ONCE IVE READ THE OTHER BOOKS ON MY TBR LIST

[henreyettah]

“There’s a kind of time travel in letters, isn’t there? I imagine you laughing at my small joke; I imagine you groaning; I imagine you throwing my words away. Do I have you still? Do I address empty air and the flies that will eat this carcass? You could leave me for five years, you could return never—and I have to write the rest of this not knowing.”

[cindyss]

Theodore nott × reader (book reader)

They go to the mall together Theodore trying to find ways to spend on his girl because she keeps rejecting everything (growing up her parents didn't have money so she finds buying stuff for no particular reason is unnecessary).

But she's on her phone looking at some books she really wants, she's been saving for them but still doesn't have enough to buy all 5. Theodore looks at her phone wondering what she's so interested in, when he notices that you want the books, he leads you to the book store and buys those books and 4 more. When at the till, you see how expensive it is and try to tell him to not pay he quickly dismissed you

— you know ill do anything to see that pretty smile of yours -theodore nott

- pairing: theodore nott x reader (book)

- word count: 1.08k

- note: absolute cutest idea ever 🥹

you and theodore had hit the three month mark of dating, and to celebrate your anniversary, you decided to go out together to the mall and after it you would go grab lunch together.

you put on a cute yet casual outfit and got picked up by theo. as soon you got in his car he greeted you with a kiss, “hii bella, you look so beautiful”.

you face turned red, your boyfriend not once failing at making you blush, not missing a chance to compliment you. “thank you baby”.

he started the car and drove the both of you to the mall. on the way there, you talked about a few things, exchanging laughs and smiles. suddenly, his phone started ringing, “sorry i have to take this, enzo is staying over at mine and he was trying to cook pasta before i left, so i just wanna make sure he hasn’t burnt my house down already.” you chuckled “of course take your time.”

you opened your phone while he spoke on the phone, scrolling through instagram, you came across a recent reel of your favorite author, talking about the release of her new book. from next to you, theodore took a glance at your phone, wondering what you’re so interested in when he saw a last holding a book.

“berkshire, the cheese is in a white container in the freezer, how many times do i have to tell you that? i have to go now, take care and don’t burn my kitchen”.

With that, he ended the phone call, he turned to look at you before then turning his head to keep his eyes on the road, “isn’t this the book you’ve been telling me you want to read?” he questioned.

“yes it is, she released it a few days ago. ive been saving up for it and a few others im going to buy soon”. to that, the boy nodded before turning the car to the parking lot of the mall.

after a few hours of walking around the mall, you only a bought a small amount of clothes as theo wouldn’t let you pay, your stomach grew more hungry.

“i think its tike to leave, im starving and our reservation is in around 25 minutes” you told him.

“okay, just, one more place, come” he said holding your hand, leading you to a shop. as you got close, you found yourself standing in front of a book store

“oh theo, i’ll come back later, i didn’t save up money for all of them yet” “who said anything about you paying?” he said leading you in.

“oh no, i cant baby, they’re expensive.” “please cara mia let me do these for you”. he smiled at you. “now lets go find these books of yours.” he added as you walked through the shelves.

after finding the correct isle for the genre of your book, you scan the shelves looking for the newly released book. “there it is!” theo exclaims grabbing it. “thank you theo now can we leave”.

he came closer to you taking your hands in his “cara there are 4 more you wanted didn’t you?”

“how did you know?”

“it wasn’t hard to find your good reads tbr list” he said earning a smile from you.

theodore was the most careful and thoughtful boyfriend ever, he could tell when you were uncomfortable just by your behavior, sad just by meeting your eyes.

“thank you but i promise ill have enough money saved for these by the end of the month” “no bella its our anniversary today and so i will buy these for you as a gift”

growing up poor wasn’t exactly a story from a kids book, you didn’t have each and every shoe you’ve ever dreamed off, you didn’t have your own room, bathroom, not even privacy, all had to be shared with your family members.

Therefore, someone spending money on you made you feel so guilty, and especially something like this, your boyfriend wasting money on something for you was unnecessary and unfair as you couldn’t give back something in return.

As you tried to protest, theo just pulled you, leading you everywhere. He managed to find 2 of the books you wanted , however, 1 he couldn’t find, and as you refused to cooperate, he walked up to a worker there, “i’m sorry where can i find the book shadow and bone?” “come with me” the woman led you to one of the isles

“we currently aren’t selling them separately so you’ll have to buy the whole 6 books” “theo no! these are way more than i need right now.”

he turned his face to look at you then turned back to look at the women, “yes ill take these thank you”.

with that, he took the box from her, and went to checkout. as the lady was checking the books, theodore never once bothered to look at you as he knew you were probably fuming by now.

“it’ll be $123”. your boyfriend then pulled out his credit card as you gasped “theo no seriously,” you stated in a serious, angry tone. “this is for my own entertainment and i told you I’m saving money for it, this isn’t any of your business to buy it for me.”

the boy next to you then let out a sarcastic exaggerated sigh “your business is mine okay? you know ill do anything to see that pretty smile of yours principessa”.

your heart absolutely melted at his words, you wanted to cry yet scream at him for not listening to you.

the lady then handed back his credit card and the bag containing your books. “how long have you been married for?” the woman asked, smiling, she looked quite old, early 60s perhaps.

“not yet, no” theodore said “but as soon as we graduate I’m putting a ring on it” he smiled as the lady chuckled. he carried the bag in one hand and held your hand in the other as you walked out,

“thank you so much for all of this seriously, but i am mad at you so dont ever think about doing that again.” “oh i will” he teased,

“lets go eat some food right now before i resort to eating my better option.” he spoke “which is?” you asked

“you.”

cutest request ever, i need a boy like him who will buy all the books on my tbr list fr 🙂‍↕️ .

[sapphosdickandballs]

unexpectedly started listening to a new book!! it was one of the ones i had checked out with libby. accidentally did NOT realize that its "christmas-y" themed, though.

i havent got super far- only about 2hrs in so far but i like it so far. hmmm... anyway im just there for the chaos of it rn. main character feels like SUCH a loser and i love her. she got black out drunk and accidentally got engaged to a rich guy but its gonna be out of convince for his grandfather's will because literally neither of them are interested in one another. shes hung up on a girl from "last christmas" and ooo butch lesbian baker? girl i would be hung up on her too girl i feel it 😭..

SHES SUCH A LOSER. im waiting for the wlw twist. need her to fall stupid in love w a girl. NEED. mental illness and perpetual loser behavior with mommy issues. anyway yippeee...

idk if you have it on ur tbr list but "kiss her once for me" by alison cochrun. if i like it- imma let u know. dunno if its an "add to the tbr list" yet.

its v funny because its literally narrated by THE SAME woman as 99% of the other wlw books ive read 😭. shes carrying the entire wlw audiobook market LMAO.

anyway yippee sorry for rambles but ✨️rambles✨️

That actually is on my (infinitely long) tbr list lmao. You’ll have to lmk if it’s good! It’s funny you didn’t realize it was a Christmas book I feel like that would be very surprising

I don’t listen to audiobooks often but that makes me wanna get all those audiobooks just to hear the lady that’s carrying wlw narroration. I’ll hear her once my Gideon the ninth audiobook comes off hold (it says it’s gonna take like two weeks 😭. Nowhere near as bad as waiting 9 weeks for seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo I guess but)

[sixofravens-reads]

Mini TBR list for the next week or two! Super excited for Iron Widow, but I'm determined to finish The House in the Cerulean Sea and Tempests and Slaughter before I start it. The Chosen and the Beautiful is also in transit to my library, so I'll have that to look forward to as well!

[lovlettres-moved]

earlier today i was thinking about one of the books i read recently (the space between worlds, if you're interested) that basically presented the idea that everyone lives multiple times simultaneously without even knowing and that brought to mind the ocean vuong quote that goes something like "if you must know anything know that the hardest task is to live only once."

for the headache, i usually just turn off all the lights and shut the windows and lay down with an ice pack under my neck, although i have seen certain methods on the internet that claim to get rid of a headache in ten seconds. not sure about how reliable they are, but i guess it could be worth a shot.

i don't read all fanfic either, and if something isn't well-written i don't see why people would want to read it in the first place. why would you subject yourself to something you don't enjoy while partaking in an activity that's meant to be enjoyed? but i don't read very much fanfic to begin with, so maybe it's just me.

hope you're doing well and taking care of yourself! have a wonderful day or night and uh... don't worry about responding to this entire message, it ended up getting a little bit long.

mai! hello :D thank you for sending such a long ask, this was so delightful to answer and ponder over <3

ooh i searched up the book and it's scifi - definitely adding that to my tbr list! thank you :3 now about the multiple times theory - when thinking about parallel universes and how we are the same person making differing choices based on circumstances (that's one of the things i can deduct from living multiple lives simultaneously) it's so interesting to think about how it's very similar to how we proceed with our own lives through the perspectives of others, and even to an extent our own perspective where you're constantly on a day-to-day basis changing where you stand and how you do things, and that one small change can lead to a change on a very large-scale too (that's a very personal thought - im not sure if others experience this). even in this life as ocean vuong says "it's hard to live only once" - it's hard to be a person who only sees life as one continuous path and not look beyond.

i have heard something about holding your breath for ten seconds and the headache goes away but... it's not really effective lmao. ooh ive never thought about using icepacks - i'll definitely give them a try thank you 💕

fanfictions in general are people indulging in what they like themselves rather it being for an audience (at the beginning, i do think when people gain readers what they write changes - not everyone though). and yeah same - i don't read much fanfic except from a very few select authors whose writing style captures my interest (dialogue and prose esp). i also think fics are one of the reason some people have such distorted understanding of any media they consume, so continuously reading fics is kind of - not really good at all

[nyctarian]

I did this last year too but here is a list of best and worst books I read this year--not books that came out this year and not every books I read this year, just ones that I read for the first time

Best:

City of Scoundrels: The 12 Days of Disaster That Gave Birth to Modern Chicago by Gary Krist

Listened to this as an audiobook and it was a really interest screenshot into a specific period of chicago history and the roots and impacts. Similar to bill bryson’s One Summer, this uses a particularly busy period of history to explore various elements of politics and society. (some of the subjects discussed are potentially very triggering--specifically discussions surrounding racism and child abuse)

The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher

This was a really interesting retelling of bluebeard, and explores interesting feats of magic, and has really welldone cast of characters, and ties up every lose end in ways that are unexpected but still fit. A lesser version of this book would have had a the mc find romance somewhere, and this is all the better for not doing that.

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

This was a very well done alternating pov m/f romcom story. it handled the heavy elements of a main character dealing with leaving an abusive relationship well, and

[note from 12/24/2022: was looking at past book lists in anticipation of writing mine this year and noticed for the first time that this entry ends literally mid sentence lmaooo. no clue what i was gonna say but its a good solid read that i rec]

All Systems Red by Martha Wells (murderbot #1)

This is a bit of a stand in for all of the murderbot novella’s ive read so far (im midway through the fourth one rn) and as someone who doesnt like scifi ive been really enjoying these. the main character (murderbot) is really well created with such a strong sense of character, while still being funny in a way that doesnt detract from the narrative.

The Girls at the Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine

This had been on my tbr for ages, since I went through a period of looking for good 12 dancing princesses adaptations. I read this after attempting a few different set-in-the-20s fantasy type stories that all disappointed, but this one was absolutely tremendous. It is completely non-magic, an interesting choice for a fairy tale adaptation like this, but setting it in speakeasies absolutely worked. It had diversity without being a book that was Branding On Representation™, it had an immensely compelling main character who was able to be unlikeable at times in ways you could absoluetly understood. I read a different 12 dancing princesses adaptation this year that kept the magic and it was far less enjoyable. Kingfisher Club absolutely made the best of its setting and the ways it changed the story were great.

An Unauthorised Fan Treatise by Lauren James

This was a serialized story set in the style of an old school LJ-esque fandom drama report--think cassie clare and msscribe--but as a murder mystery. I am the type of person who is really good at guessing the who in a whodunit and it still had me guessing with every update, but never in a way that felt like pointless misdirection, but instead in the way that absolutely clicks once its all settled. I started it at the beginning of the year, and finished it in may, and looking forward to the weekly updates was an absolute highlight of the slow cascade into chaos that the first half of this year became. it hit the exact right note for a story of this nature, and made me excited to check out other works by the author

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Of the books i had been looking forward to reading once they came out (this, if i never met you, and you deserve each other which was too meh to make the list) this one was really soft and enjoyable. while other lesser romcom style books have the sad family background be a weird underwhelming secret the whole time (coughloveletteringcough) this one is very forthright--my dead dad cheated on my mom, and were still coping. and while it was billed as more enemies to lovers, its instead more ‘we sorta knew each other and now were becoming friends whoops emotions) and was a good breezy read--literally perfect for a summer day on the beach (and in a year where i didnt do that, a decent substitute)

From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata

I had a real love-hate relationship with the other zapata book I read, and large chunks of her writing style really grate on me (the type of “calls one of the leads the adjective noun man” all the time in increasingly dumb ways, dumb character nicknames) but this one had a really solid relationship that it spent time to actually build and show you why it worked, and spent a good amount of time on the actual sport side of things

Special mention technically this isn’t the first time I consumed this book but childhood audiobook listening on carrides doesn’t really stick in the noggin’:

The Godwulf Manuscript by Robert B. Parker (spenser #1)

I spent much of my childhood on family carrides listening to robert b parkers spenser series, but this was the first time i’ve read one myself. While there are clear bits that are not in line with who the character becomes, it was still immensely readable, made me appreciate the later-series books we were listening to around the same time i was reading it, and made me excited to revisit more of the series (which i still need to do)

Worst:

In the Woods by Tana French

This is one of those authors that I had heard soooo many people gush about over the years that I was finally like, alright I will give it a shot. Fucking Hated It. the characters were unlikable, the mystery that gets solved was obvious and the one that doesn’t get solved was the only compelling thing. The series focuses on different characters, and this one starts with a character you are supposed to hate and who apparently never reappears, making him a terrible pov. I had to double check multiple times who the author was bc it was deeply misogynistic, but seemingly not in a self-aware decision to make morally grey characters, leading to an unfiltered odiousness for no reason.

Marriage of Unconvenience by Chelsea M. Cameron

I read a fair amount of m/f romcom books, but as a queer person am always trying to expand what I read to more diverse stories, and i had heard good things about this f/f fake dating story. This book was written in a noncompelling way (ie a whole tour of boston condensed into an afternoon, commenting on interesting things that happened offscreen instead of writing those scenes, wasting characters, nonsensical plot decisions) but the moment i had to give up on it was when a character took time to read hillary clintons biography.

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

This is one of the m/f romcoms i attempt a lot (as are the next 3). The first third was stupendous! The romance was more about building friendship, it was slowbuilding and not just about sad lady want love. It could not last. The main character became passive and the big rising action and plot was focused around her love interest doing stuff. There was a lesbian cop who gets compared to olivia benson, real girlboss hours.

If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane

I dnf’d this book at 90%. The issue with a romcom by mhairi mcfarlane, in both books i’ve read by her, is that the LI gets next to no actually screentime to build the romance, and that the focus is on the broken-up-by-ex-cheating previous relationship of the lead. the first book i read by her was able to surpass those flaws and tamp them down. this one could not. This book is about a woman who fake dates a man to get over her ex of over a decade. It spends so much time on the ex and no time on the new guy, makes nonsensical plot decisions, and had no proper pacing. The part i dnf’d at could have been a natural conclusion but it needed to go on another ten percent to just make sure you knew the ex was a skeeze in a way that made no sense.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

I gave up on this one real quick. it also spent no time establishing the supposed romance, had a bunch of unnecessary (parenthetical tee hee clever) asides that absplutely dragged, had no understanding of how bookstores actually work, and it had a main character whose whole deal is being clever and knowing facts say a bunch of dumb shit about adhd, which for obvious personal reasons made me insane. 

[always-evergreen]

I literally want you to answer all the book q list qs. Thx

haide ur a disaster

putting under a read more bc I dont want to clog up ur dashes

1: What book did you last finish? When was that? - I finished 1984 this afternoon!

2: What are you currently reading? - currently reading zodiac unmasked by Robert graysmith

3: What book are you planning to read next? - a confederacy of dunces by john kennedy toole

4: What was the last book you added to your tbr? - the chronicles of Narnia (as a re-read)

5: Which book did you last re-read? - the Christmas mystery by jostein gaarder. I read it every christmas

6: Which book was the last one you really, really loved? - I read the picture of dorian gray last month which I rlly enjoyed

7: What was/were the last book/books you bought? - I bought the whole raven cycle earlier

8: Paperback or hardcover? Why? - paperback bc hardback is rlly unwieldy

9: YA, NA or Adult? Why? - tbh im not overly fussed:/

10: Sci-Fi or fantasy? Why? - fantasy! I think bc I grew up reading harry potter and Narnia and stuff like that im just always gonna have a real love for fantasy stuff

11: Classic or modern? Why? - hmmm I guess classic? but I dont rlly mind

12: Political memoirs or comedic memoirs? - comedic bc I dont understand politics and I like to have fun

13: Name a book with a really bad movie/tv adaption - its not terrible but the first one that comes to mind is the book thief, just bc I love that book sm and the movie didn't quite live up to what I wanted

14: Name a book where the movie/tv adaption actually was better than the original - I cant honestly think of one at the moment

15: What book changed your life? - hmm maybe lord of the rings?

16: If you could bring three books to a deserted island which would you bring and why? - fahrenheit 451 bc its my favourite book, the book thief bc it was my first favourite book, and the statistical probability of love at first sight just bc its sweet and fun and the other books are serious

17: If you owned a bookshop what would you call it? - haven would be cute maybe

18/19: Which character from a book is the most/least like you? - combining these two bc I genuinely cannot think of an answer, ive never really seen a lot of myself in any characters or consciously thought that a character was nothing like me tbh:/

20/21: Best summer/winter read? - also combining these bc I dont change my reading habits based on seasons

22: Pro or anti e-readers? Why? - I dont have anything against them but I dont use them, just bc I prefer physical books

23: Bookdepository or Amazon? - idk what bookdepository is so unfortunately I guess amazon:/

24: Do you prefer to buy books online or in a bookshop? - bookshop all the way! I love bookshops so much!

25: If you could be a character from a book for just one day who would you be and why? (Bonus: any specific day in the story?) - pretty niche and also I cant rmmbr her name but I just spotted the girl who circumnavigated fairyland in a ship of her own making on my shelf and that little girl has a pretty baller life so ill take a day in fairyland please and thank you

26: If you could be a character from a book for their entire life who would you be and why? - no thanks! I feel like that would turn into a massive bummer eventually

27: If you could change one thing about mainstream literature what would you change? (i.e. more diversity, better writing, better plot etc.) - tbh I dont read a lot of modern mainstream books so I dont rlly have an answer to this

28: How many books have you read so far this year? - mmm 11 or 12?

29: How do you sort your shelves? (i.e. by color, author, title etc.) - by author im not a monster

30: Who’s your favorite author? - ray bradbury

31: Who’s your favorite contemporary author? - mmm maybe david levithan?

32: Who’s your favorite fantasy author? - tolkein babyyyy

33: Who’s your favorite Sci-Fi author? - I guess thatll also be Bradbury lol

34: List five OTPs - I would prefer not to I dont rlly have ships anymore

35: Name a book you consider to be terribly underrated - I cant rlly think of anything tbh

36: Name a book you consider to be terribly overrated - lolita suuuuckssss

37: How many books are actually in your bookshelf/shelves right now? - approximately 200, with abt 35-40 in piles on the floor ready to be donated

38: What language do you (most often) read in? - english

39: Name one of your favorite childhood books - just got a sudden vivid memory of the animals of farthing wood which tbh? slapped

40: Name one of your favorite books from your teenage years - ooft uh ill go w the night school series bc I for real fucked w them so much when I was like 15 lmao

41: Do you own a library card? How often do you use it? - I dont think I do

42: Which was the best book you had to read in school? - oh that's gotta be fahrenheit 451 and even though its not technically a book ill put twelfth night up there as well

43: Are you the kind of person who reads several books at once or the kind of person who can only read one book at a time? - I can do either and dont really have a preference

44: Do you like to listen to music when you read? - occasionally, sometimes I find it hard to concentrate w music on but sometimes it doesn't bother me, depends on the mood

45: What is your favorite thing to eat when you read? - something that wont make my fingers greasy lol

46: What is your favorite thing to drink when you read? - I dont normally

47: What do you do to get out of a reading slump? - read a couple of short books just to ease myself back into it

48: Where is your favorite place to read? - my bed, but recently been enjoying the back garden when its sunny

49: When is your favorite time to read? - I like reading at night just before I go to bed

50: Why do you love to read? - it was instilled in me pretty young bc both my parents are big readers and I guess I was kinda shy and awkward when I was a kid (still am actually lol) so it was kind of a shield/escape? also im a fucking nerd

[lalka-laski]

1. Have you ever seen two movies at the theater in a row?   I have at the drive-in. There's always double features.

2. If you were to go to Starbucks right this second, what do you think you’d order? I just tried the funnel cake latte a couple weeks ago and LOVED it, so probably that.

3. Do you own any dice? I don't believe so.

4. Do you like to wear cardigans? I wear them for convenience but honestly I don't look very good in them. I'm broad shouldered but flat chested so wearing cardigans with a low cut top just make me look like a board. LOL

5. If I were to ask you nicely, would you please consider making a survey for me and everyone else? I don't make surveys, just take them.

6. What is the worst thing a child has ever done to you while you were babysitting? The kids I've babysat have all been well-behaved and nothing traumatic comes to mind. Except once when I was putting a girl to bed and she went "are you sure there's nobody in the house?" BITCH WHAT DO YOU MEAN

7. If you wear contacts, do they tend to get really dry after only wearing them for just a couple hours? –

8. Have you ever watched any British television shows? Of course. Britcoms are my favorite!

9. Do you own a nightgown? Actually yes, although they're more like sleep shirts.

10. If you could get any pet right now, what would you? I'm ok not having pets

11. Have you played Grand Theft Auto: IV? If so, what do you think of it? Never

12. How often does your internet disconnect? Kind of often at my apartment. I only connect to the guest wifi as opposed to the wifi for my individual unit because I'm too lazy to type in my long-ass password.

13. Have you ever actually been stuffed into a locker? Uh no.

14. Do you / did you decorate the inside of your locker at school with stuff? I honestly didn't, which is quite unlike me.

15. How many teenagers do you know who have babies? None currently but I knew a few teen moms.

16. Is there a fan in the room you’re in right now? Yep on my desk

17. Do you believe that chivalry is really dead? I guess in the strictest, most traditional sense? But that's not a bad thing.

18. If you have one, what’s your favorite novel by Chuck Palahniuk? I've never read anything by him, surprisingly. I think because I'm so turned off by the type of guys he seems to attract as readers.

19. Do you get your surveys from your subscriptions page or do you actually go to specific sites and search for them? I get most of them from this girl I kind of cyber-stalk. She posts the best surveys! 20. How much is your cell phone bill each month I'm not sure because it's a family plan

22. Have you ever made a house out of a giant cardboard box? Mmm nope

23. Have you ever made a tent out of sheets in your bedroom? Oh yes. I loved making forts!

24. What’s the coolest thing you’ve made with Legos? I've never built anything with legos I don't think. 25. When you make a survey, do you answer your own questions? I don’t make 'em

26. If you could keep your parents or trade them for other parents, which would you pick? God, I wouldn't trade mine for anything! 27. Do kiwis make you think of testicles or is it just me? That's def just you buddy

28. Do you think it’s cool how peroxide gets all fizzy when you put it on a cut? I guess?

29. Is there a piggy bank in the room you’re in? Nope

30. If I had to power to give you one thing right now, what would it be? A fast-forward through this workday so I can get home and get back in bed!

31. Do you want to get pregnant right now? I wouldn't *MIND* it however Glenn & I would like to be officially married first, and I'd like us to be more financially stable. And preferably have a house or townhome.

32. Do you know anyone who doesn’t like the internet? The only person I can think of who doesn't use it is my grandfather.

33. Do your grandparents know how to operate a cell phone? I only have one remaining grandparent and he can barely operate his landline.

34. Have you ever housed a friend for a long period of time because they had no place to live? Nah. A day or two, yeah. But nothing beyond that.

35. If you have a favorite comedian, have they ever been in a movie? I like Jim Gaffigan stand-up a lot, and a few other comedians who's names escape me.

36. How many sets of twins do you know? Several

37. Has anyone ever made fun of you for using proper grammar? I've actually been ridiculed for using "big" words. The same guy also made fun of me for being a college graduate so, not really sure what those insults were about ha.

38. Do you own any hemp jewelry? Nope

39. Have you ever cut carpet with a carpet cutter? Uh no.

40. Are there any books you want to read? I have a few on my TBR list but that won't happen 'til I finish the one I'm currently reading. It's taking me forever because the writing is so dry and boring.

41. Is it before of after 3 pm? Way way before

42. If you have younger siblings, are you very protective of them? Yeah but I don't need to be. She has a good head on her shoulders.

43. If you have older siblings, are they very protective of you? She is, yeah. And she's scary too!

44. What are your plans for New Year’s Eve? Glenn & I usually have a cozy night at home with champagne and homemade appetizers. I have so much fun cooking up a whole spread and then relaxing for the evening. It's way more my speed than the rowdy NYE parties of my early years...

45. Would you like a beer? I mean I'd love one but it's 8 am and I'm at work so

[soulariumrx]

Photo not mine. Credits to the rightful owner.

THE POPPY WAR

By: RF Kuang

NON-SPOILER REVIEW

Just want to let you know that this book has been on my TBR list for an amount of time already, Ive heard and watched reviews about this and they all say interesting things about it so i gave it a go, once i had my 3-days off from work.

I am not a professional writer nor a professional book reviewer, i simply write my heart out. relax.

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A warning: This book is based on the events that’s happened in the past, specifically, the sino-japanese war, and because of that, there are chapters that showed abuse as in historic wars, such as rape, inhumane acts, animal cruelty, self sterilization, graphic abuse of women, pregnant women, drugs, etc. But these aren’t displayed to create shock among readers but to impose and emphasize that these things are real and they happened during the war.

The story begins with our main character, Rin, who is struggling to get out of a life built for her by her opium-induced foster parents. She will take her chance to ace the keju test, necessary to enter the most prestigious military school in Nikara, that means, she had to top everyone from her city to enter the academy, and when she did, her life will never be the same again.

The poppy war discussed real and serious issues occurring even now in the modern days. The main character herself is dressed with bravery, instilled in her the qualities of a modern woman who is able to do things in her own judgment, breaking the stigma by fighting for what she think is right. In the story, Rin fought so hard to get everything she deserved, in exchange for her own sanity, and I respect her for that. The other characters as well, made the story a whole, i am so in love with the Cike, a group which i wont talk about anymore, and their commander. They delivered their roles so well that even they dont have that much of exposure, i feel like i know them so well. The friendship among these characters were so real and so genuine. The book also discussed about power and authority and how bad governance will eliminate trust from your people and how badly it would affect the next generations. The poppy war emphasized on having choices in life, that wherever we are now is because of the choices we made, that our own will has the capacity to create a future.

All in all, it was a great read. I enjoyed every chapter. Rin wasnt rushed, I feel like I know her entire being just by reading the first book. I gave it 5 stars on goodreads.

I hope you stumble into this review and give this book a shot. it’s worth it.

[defeateddetectives]

10 bookish questions or: plot twist! i actually finish a meme @rinkafushi tags me in for once! i swear it's not personal lmao i'm just sorry for who i am as a person :(

1. What is your favorite book of all time?

whitechurch by chris lynch. it's like. hard to explain since it is by no means a work of high art and terrifyingly sparse and simple but i'm still starry-eyed at the alternating chapters of poetry and prose, how deeply unsettling it was in its mundanity, and the character voices were so hugely formative and will haunt me for the rest of my days. sadly, it's also obscure af. 2. What are you currently reading? balefully echoing the 'nothing rly but also have started 5 different things and gotten distracted' :( 3. Have you ever thought about writing a book? i've flirted with the idea as a farfetched bad joke on and off but my commitment issues/attention span make the possibility of it ever actually happening highly improbable 4. What’s your favorite series? sorry rinka i'm ripping off all your answers but yeah probably the bartimaeus sequence 5. What is a book you want to read? tell me everything about ptolemy in another prequel jstroud!!! if that's not an option though then the full seven carry on simon snow books would also be nice! at least we're getting an ari and dante sequel which was confirmed. 6. What’s in your TBR list? /stares longingly at imperial radch (which ive always just been tempted to call 'imperial radish') and the six of crows series (although now everytime i look at the beautifully constructed cover all i can think of is kay telling me about all of its butchered russian lmao), which have been sitting on my shelf for...a...millennia. i also need to crack open that beautiful brick ie. the gray house at some point courtesy of consta. there are also a lot of things to finish. i bought a book the other day that looked cute called beastkeeper by cat hellisen which i still haven't gotten to :/ and that's not even counting all the poetry and manga on the to-read list 7. Who are your favourite fictional characters? yo i'm sorry this meme is becoming so one-track-minded but bart is just magicking his way up the ranks over the years. i would also say ~god ur so predictable mirai in how rapidly u latched on to ronan fucking lynch but the heart wants what it wants. to be fair, i'm rly fond of all the trc kids and think they were all written with a great deal of charm. lizzie bennett is also a classic. amy dunne is a modern classic, as is crowley from good omens. sirius and remus were the reasons i delved into harry potter...there are certainly others i'm gonna beat myself up for forgetting later but yeah 8. What is your favourite ship?  "eight world empires have risen and fallen away since that day, and i still carry his face. who do you think is the lucky one?" 9. Open the first page of the book closest to you and write down the first paragraph. 

alas i'm on a train and had to pack super light so the only thing i have is the boring magazine from amtrak :( 10. What’s the first fandom you were in? i think the first fandom i ever consumed material of was digimon. the first i contributed to -- i suppose that's what this question is asking? -- was probably harry potter