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My 2023 in books. Part IV
October
Big Swiss - Jen Beagin ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5
It is a witty, funny, very clever novel. It gives us the troop of messed-up female protagonists and I think it is very important to be able to empathize and love this type of protagonists. It is a book that you have to pick up and read at specific moments in life.
 “It takes an enormous amount of energy—and courage—to free yourself, to follow the path of transformation without abandoning yourself, without fleeing from your pain and all the loss you’ve experienced.” 
A visit from the goon squad- Jennifer Egan  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5   
I liked. It has a strange structure. It's not exactly a novel, it's several stories intertwined with each other. You live, you get old and you die. It breaks your heart a little but at the same time it's beautiful. If you like music you will also enjoy it.
“There's a fine line between thinking about somebody and thinking about not thinking about somebody, but I have the patience and the self-control to walk that line for hours - days, if I have to.”
The Candy House - Jennifer Egan ⭐⭐⭐⭐4/5
It's a difficult book to describe, it's good. They are intertwined stories. It's about technology, very black mirror. It serves as a sequel to “A visit from the goon squad” but can be read on its own. What I like about Egan is that she takes the time to give each of his characters independence. This book shows that as humans we have the need to connect with each other and I think that is beautiful.
“Who could resist the chance to revisit our memories, the majority of which we’d forgotten so completely that they seemed to belong to someone else?”
Bakkhai - Translation Anne Carson - Euripides - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  5/5    
I'm going to say it again... Anne Carson was born to translate Euripides. I read in a review “Anne Carson and Euripides where born for eachother” I love it. The Bacchae is a beautiful tragedy, even subversive I would say.
“Beginnings are special because most of them are fake”
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories -Howard Phillips Lovecraft ⭐⭐⭐  3/5 
It's a reread, spooky october. Love it. I don't have much to say about it, I read it little by little before going to sleep every day to get in the mood. I would like to say that it was more transcendental for my life.
Orpheus & Eurydice: A Lyric Sequence - Gregory Orr ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  5/5 
A beautiful collection of poems. It destroyed my soul. It is the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. I know the story by heart, even so every word hurt me. I loved it. I don't really read poetry, but this was a nice surprise.
“To guide someone through the halls of hell is not the same as love”
Electra- Other Version Translation by Anne Carson -  Sophocles  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  5/5 
Lines above I already declared my love for Anne Carson. I will declare my love for Electra by Sophocles. It is a wonderful tragedy. It shows that when injustice persists, when the laws do not work, there, within one, the most human thing that exists is born: resentment.
“As for me- what harm can do it do to die in words?”
“I live in a place of tears”
November
We Paint - Chloe Ashby ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5   
So sad. Written in a very beautiful way, another book about grief. But this time it is the grief of having lost a best friend. Somehow it brought back memories of the past. Heartbreaking.
“Better to be strangers for life, she must have thought, than to pick each other apart, one long, slow day at a time.” 
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous- Ocean Vuong ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  5/5 
Another of my favorite books I read this year. Damn Vuong writes with immeasurable talent. Gentle but strong. At times raw but at others soft. With such detail that each word is well calculated. I shed tears all the time. It is a perfect book.
“Sometimes being offered tenderness feels like the very proof that you've been ruined.” 
“When does a war end? When can I say your name and have it mean only your name and not what you left behind?”
“I'm sorry I keep saying How are you? when I really mean Are you happy?”
Lanny - Max Porter ⭐⭐⭐⭐  4/5 
A fucking weird story. But I liked it. Max Porter has that power to leave me surprised every time. It was a quick read, I enjoyed it. It's like a fable. It reminded me of Latin American magical realism.
“False things, endings. Sustenance for fools and never what they claim to be.”
All the light we cannot see - Anthony Doerr ⭐⭐⭐  3/5
When I read it I gave it 4 stars, in retrospect I give it 3. I did enjoy it a lot. I think it does a lot, it says a lot and it's a nice story, very sad tho. But I was left with a strange feeling, as if a piece was missing. It has very descriptive and beautiful prose. 
“You know the greatest lesson of history? It’s that history is whatever the victors say it is. That’s the lesson. Whoever wins, that’s who decides the history. We act in our own self-interest. Of course we do. Name me a person or a nation who does not. The trick is figuring out where your interests are.” 
When all is said - Anne Griffin⭐⭐⭐⭐  4/5 
Another sad but intricate book. Precious. It is narrated by a dying man who decides to talk to five important people in his life. Full of regrets and reproaches, the book presents a nostalgic story. I cried. I felt it very close to my heart.
“I’m here to remember – all that I have been and all that I will never be again.”
A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - Suzanne Collins ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  5/5  
Is it really any surprise that this book gets a 5/5? It's Suzanne Collins, it's THG. I think Collins knows how to write about his characters very well and knows how to write what is precise. That's why there are 4 books and no more. This book is exactly what it should be, the villain origin story.
“You’ve no right to starve people, to punish them for no reason. No right to take away their life and freedom. Those are things everyone is born with, and they’re not yours for the taking. Winning a war doesn’t give you that right. Having more weapons doesn’t give you that right. Being from the Capitol doesn’t give you that right. Nothing does.” 
White nights- Fyodor Dostoevsky⭐⭐⭐⭐  4/5 
Did i had to do this to myself? No. But I did it. Depressant. It's so…heavy. White Nights is a short story, quick to read but damn it leaves you paralyzed.
“I don’t know how to be silent when my heart is speaking.” 
December
A Pale View Of The Hills - Kazuo Ishiguro ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  5/5
Beautiful story by Ishiguro. Again, Ishiguro knows how to write stories that break your heart. It is the story of a mother and her youngest daughter who talk about the suicide of their eldest daughter. A beautiful text. Worthy of shedding tears.  
“As with a wound on one's own body, it is possible to develop an intimacy with the most disturbing of things”
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love- Raymond Carver  
Raymond Carver, terrible human being. There is no review about it for that reason. But good stories.
Cathedral-Raymond Carver  
Raymond Carver, terrible human being. There is no review about it for that reason. But good stories.
The Burning God- R.F. Kuang ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  5/5 
The end. It destroyed me, there are no words. I closed the year with this book. It's a strange mix of relief and sadness. It is the devastation left by the acts of war but also the self-realization of what one has done. How are actions justified? It was a great closure to the saga.
“Take what you want. I’ll hate you for it. But I’ll love you forever. I can’t help but love you.” 
“It doesn’t go away. It never will. But when it hurts, lean into it. It’s so much harder to stay alive. That doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to live. It means you’re brave.” 
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illustration-alcove · 10 months
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Emiliano Ponzi’s illustrated book cover for Anne Griffin’s Listening Still.
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belle-annd-the-book · 2 years
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Adult Fantasy Reading Wrap-Up
Previously, I used to write reading wrap-ups monthly, but since that hasn’t happened since March (at the time of writing this, it is July 2022), I decided I would do mini wrap-ups by genre while I catch up. (Here are links to my previous wrap-ups: middle grade/ya sff & non-fiction/general fiction & adult romances that I later realized were all queer)
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia — This Aztec mythology inspired, somewhat romantic fantasy was absolutely fantastic! I really enjoyed learning about Aztec mythology, which previously I had known almost nothing about other than the stereotypical “they sacrificed people on altars.” The ending of this book will really stick with me in a good way, but I didn’t enjoy a lot of the tropes along the way. (3.5/5 stars)
The Sharing Knife Series by Lois McMaster Bujold — This series is fantasy romance, but I didn’t particularly like the main relationship due to an age gap and power imbalance. That being said, the fantasy aspects kept me interested, and Bujold’s philosophical writing, which largely centered around taboo education like magic and sex-ed, kept me invested. Beguilement (4/5 stars) Legacy (3/5 stars) Passage (3.5/5 stars) Horizon (4/5 stars) Knife Children (4/5 stars)
Listening Still by Anne Griffin — The premise of this book follows a mortician who is able to speak to the dead for a short period of time. The plot of the book centers around the life changes that the main character is going through because her parents are deciding to retire and move away, leaving her the burden to speak to the dead alone. It feels a bit more contemporary than fantasy, but I think there is an audience for that nonetheless. (3.5/5 stars)
Realm of the Elderlings Series by Robin Hobb — I have basically been obsessed with Robin Hobb since I picked up Assassin’s Apprentice last November, and I spent a lot of this year finishing the series off. I would pitch her writing as very character and theme driven epic fantasy. I absolutely loved and had a fun time reading every single book! I will (eventually) be doing a “Should I Read This Series” post to break down my ratings of the five series totaling at a sixteen+ book commitment if you are going to read every book set in this world.
[edited 9/16/22 to update broken link]
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earnestlyeccentric · 4 months
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When All Is Said
Author: Anne Griffin Rating: 5/5 84-year-old Maurice Hannigan, an Irish farmer, reflects on his life over five toasts. Spoilers ahead. Continue reading Untitled
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bshocommons · 1 year
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But her story is like the wind under the front door, whistling its way through the crevices, getting through the cracks in my skin.
Anne Griffin, When All Is Said
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poorly-drawn-mdzs · 1 month
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Horse Meshi. Delicious, in Horse.
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fuzzyghost · 2 months
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Anything For Joe - Ann Griffin (1974)
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saccharineomens · 24 days
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You know, watching the anime made me realize something, so I went looking.
We (manga readers, anime-onlies beware spoilers later on) already know Senshi’s tragic backstory and that the reason why he stays in the dungeon is to take care of it.
Early on in the manga, Senshi behaved with a complete disregard to Chilchuck’s orders to keep them safe. It’s possible Senshi behaved this way because he didn’t respect Chilchuck’s skills, or he thought that none of the traps would be able to harm him (due to being a dwarf). When he offered up his life to the orcs (before his vegetables, even), maybe he was simply trusting that Zon wasn’t actually going to kill them (despite them brutally murdering an entire pub in front of their eyes). But what if he simply…doesn’t care whether he lives or dies?
Senshi shows no interest in returning to society, preferring to keep to himself. He lives only for tending to the dungeon and cooking his next meal. He behaves recklessly with his own safety, and he hasn’t moved on from the trauma he experienced almost eighty years prior. He also believes that resurrection is unnatural, and accepts his own death with relative ease.
I think his survivor’s guilt left him passively suicidal, just waiting for his inevitable death to come to him, and holds fiercely onto Gillin’s final wishes that Senshi lives on as a reason to not seek it out.
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spotinthespiral · 4 months
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Ryan-Posting again! ♡
Otherwise Titled: a stressed Orphan and her protective Guardians.
Ryan gets her Found Family .2 seconds after entering the Armada Ship. Subodai watches her back from the start, and his take is basically: That's a child. She's capable, yeah, and a great leader, but she's a child. I'm protecting her with my life. He effectively becomes her Dad. (As well as her First-Mate)
And then, of course, there's Dead Mike. He's like her uncle. He was the one person who didn't ever abandon her or her parents (willingly) and he swore his afterlife to avenge her family, and now to care for her. He's a big softy, and the moment he realized Ryan was still alive, he swore to be there for her till his second death.
And, as it goes, I also love the concept that Ryan is generally pretty harmless-looking when she first starts her adventures. No name for herself, she doesn't speak, and her actions are sneaky so people rarely know it was her who hit them. Until she becomes more infamous, Dead Mike and Subodai act as her big scary goons. They hit hard and w/o hesitation if Ryan orders it.
(Also picturing Ryan ready to tear someone to pieces, but she's already low on health, and Ratbeard or Steele holding Ryan back with Subodai and Mike roll up their sleeves and go demolish the enemy. And/or Armada coming by in a town, and Ryan ducking behind Subodai and clinging to his hand (hoof?) As she uses him as a wall between her fear and herself.)
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oswinian · 9 months
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wlwsource pride event // favorite characters
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Meg Griffin submission
Stephanie Brown submission
Ann Takamaki submission
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rachelspoetrycorner · 8 months
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Apostle Town (1996) by Anne Carson
In Episode 196, Rachel brings a more enigmatic and mystifying poem than usual.
Rachel: They asked Anne Carson, "Your work extends our idea of poetry. Do you have a personal definition of what poetry is?" And she said, "If prose is a house, poetry is a man on fire running quite fast through it." [...] She's just very mysterious. It's like, the kind of person, or a, if after a reading, she disappeared while exiting the stage, you would be like, "Yeah."
Griffin: Yeah. That's right.
Rachel: That's right.
Griffin: "Where's my wallet?"
Rachel: [laughs]
Griffin: "What the fuck?"
This is definetly one of those poems where I basically still have no idea what it's about; and that's exactly what's great about it. If you'd like to hear more wild Anne Carson quotes, you can do so here: That’s Stinkin’ Thinkin’, from 4:20 - 15:15
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belle-annd-the-book · 2 years
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Non-Fiction & General Fiction Reading Wrap Up
Previously, I used to write reading wrap-ups monthly, but since that hasn’t happened since March (at the time of writing this, it is June 2022), I decided I would do mini wrap-ups by genre while I catch up. (Here is a link to my first wrap-up, which was middle grade/ya sff.)
The following are a random collection of non-fiction and things that could be termed general fiction (as opposed to sci-fi, fantasy, or romance). 
I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches that Changed the World by Martin Luther King Jr. — If you’ve been fed the pacifist, apolitical view of MLK that I was fed growing up, I would highly recommend reading this. I actually studied a few of these writings for uni, so I wasn’t necessarily surprised this time around; however, I think this edition does a good job of showing how MLK’s views changed through his life and along with historical events at the time. 
And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman tr. by Alice Menzies — This was a short, poignant novella that portrays dementia. (4/5 stars)
Listening Still by Anne Griffin — The premise of this book follows a mortician who is able to speak to the dead for a short period of time. The plot of the book centers around the life changes that the main character is going through because her parents are deciding to retire and move away, leaving her the burden to speak to the dead alone. (3.5/5 stars)
World Without End by Ken Follet — This is the sequel to Pillars of the Earth, and if you read the original, you have already met all of the characters and read the plot of this book. Oh wait, sorry, it took place 200 years later. I did find the mask debates surrounding the bubonic plague interesting, good to know politics haven’t changed since medieval times. (For me, the first book is 5 stars, but this one was just too much of the same thing.) (3/5 stars)
The Diamond Cat by Marian Babson— I think this book was supposed to be a cozy mystery. It was cozy (the cats were my favorite characters!) However, I think it’s a stretch to call this book a mystery because even when mysterious things happened, the main character never ceased to make them less mysterious by doing nothing and incessantly complaining about her mother. (1/5 stars)
Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole — This book is hilarious. Every single character is for some reason unlikable (to me), but it is an absolutely hilarious exploration of New Orleans in the 1960’s regardless! (4/5 stars)
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oldshowbiz · 1 year
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The underrated comedy written and directed by Anne Bancroft
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bshocommons · 1 year
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No one, no one really knows loss until it's someone you love. The deep-down kind of love that holds on to your bones and digs itself right in under your fingernails, as hard to budge as the years of compacted earth.
Anne Griffin, When All Is Said
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blade-liger-4ever · 2 months
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Review: Jade Torch: The Killing Thought, by Anne Marie Wells, otherwise known as @dragonanne!
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First of all, let me just praise Miss Wells' artstyle. It's beautiful, and captures the reader's attention, instantly giving them a greater scope of the characters and their world.
As for the story, Jade Torch presents itself as a medieval fantasy world, and as a huge dragon nerd and admirer of the High Middle Ages, I can tell you that The Killing Thought does not disappoint in it's setting! You have dragons and their riders protecting their large kingdom, a neighboring monarchy with a tainted history, a bloodthirsty nation in the north, and unknown islands far away from the continent, all of which take place while the author plants the seeds for a deeper, magic-filled history that feels organic and richer than the Lonely Mountain of Erebor (Tolkien fans, I apologize for any misspells/offense.)
The plot is superbly written, with the unsavory medieval politics and conniving aristocrats presented within the world in such a way that it instantly feels like cracking open a door to look into the distant past of Western Europe. The characters have various personalities that don't overlap with each other, with the possible exception of two (and given that both these characters took on paternal roles to young future rulers, it's a given that they'd have similar approaches to life. Not to worry, they still retain their unique individuality!) They are also all written competently: the men are allowed to be manly defenders/protectors/rulers, and the women are allowed to kick butt without dragging down their male counterparts, something that greatly pleased me.
The heroes are heroes and the villains are villains, an old style of writing I have dearly missed in modern media. Furthermore, there is only one - ONE - character death on the heroes' side, and while it did break my heart, I instantly realized it was a necessary decision and felt that it was not out of place. And while said character's murderer was not killed, another, equally despicable villain was permanently dispatched, something that literally had me cheering in my seat as I read, so enraptured was I by the story unfolding in my hands. I tell you, that is an uncommon occurrence in my reading experience!
And the ending presents a perfect opening for a second installment, with it's ominous atmosphere and the fragile peace left in the plot's wake gripping the reader's attention with a degree of fear for the heroes. I must say, I simply itch to see what happens next, and the path that awaits the protagonists!
I would be remiss, however, if I did not voice one, albeit small, complaint. The naming conventions in the story, while enjoyable, were a bit odd when it came to a select few others. For example, you have the crown princess, whose name is Lunerata Bridth, and yet her father's given name is Kent. There is only one other "ordinary" name such as Kent in the novel, and while it did not take away my love of the story, it did strike me as odd quite a few times. Regardless, I still reveled in reading the book, and happily give it eleven out of ten stars.
Now enough of my rambling! I gave a simple, relatively spoiler free review of this novel. Now, I task all who read through this post: go out and buy a copy of Jade Torch: The Killing Thought. It's a fun read, and will captivate your mind and imagination for a long time!
Fly high, my fellow readers and dragon riders!
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