#author: richard holmes

[bookstofilms]

“Show me a balloon and I’ll show you a story; quite often a tall one.”

THE AERONAUTS 2019 | dir. Tom Harper Adapted from the novel, Falling Upwards: How We Took to the Air, by Richard Holmes

[shadowflamekitty]

I have a feeling I know who’s gonna win…

[fantastic-nonsense]

As one of the few DC people on here I trust to read good fanfic, do you have any fanfic recs centered around Dick, Cass and/or Damian?

I'm super flattered you trust my fic taste and would like to assure you that while I've read a LOT of questionable fics in pursuit of scratching a particular plot or character dynamics itch, I refuse to rec fics to people that I don't consider good.

That being said: yes, I do. The short answer is that I keep an ongoing DC/Batfam fics recs list here (for those interested in the rest of my fic recs lists, you can find my recs list masterpost here. Word of caution for the Sherlock Holmes, Tolkien, and Doctor Who lists; I can’t necessarily vouch for their quality due to having not read the majority of the fics on the list in 7+ years, but all other lists should be good). I've also done a Cass recs list before here.

Now, picking out a few specifically that focus on one or more of those characters:

3:16: The knife pushes thin along Dick’s carotid artery, cupping the indent between neck and jawline—forcing him to angle his chin. The metal is warm, pulled with execution speed from under Damian’s pillow. “Okay,” Dick says quietly, tracking the intricacies of his own heartbeat—counting the space between breaths. “Guess I did need a shave.” (With faltering steps, Dick and Damian become Batman and Robin.) 

[60k, WIP. Originally written as a 'filling in the spaces between canon' fic, has now evolved into a 'rewriting canon but slightly to the left because Bruce actually died in this verse' fic. General warning for Morrison-era!Talia due to the canon being worked with]

bad signal: The rescue mission went well. Nightwing is safe. Everything should be alright. Right? 

[Note: explaining what this fic is actually about would lowkey ruin the excellent suspense and tension that the author builds up, but it can basically be summed up as "the Dick Grayson the Batfam rescues is not, in fact, alright, and that becomes A Problem for everyone else."]

do I dare disturb the universe?: Cassandra Cain was falling, and there were stars. When she landed, she found herself stranded in a universe where there never was a Batman. Good thing that she’s a detective.

Dragon and Daughter: Cassandra Cain isn't in Gotham during No Man's Land. She's in Canada five years earlier, and Richard Dragon is the one to stumble across her instead.

exactly how this grace thing works: Dick gets de-aged. You'd think this would be a routine thing.

if you just call me: “Dick.” She squeezed his shoulder. “Dick, look at me.” Slowly, as if he were pushing against a terrible force, he lifted his head. “I have known you since I was thirteen years old, and I have known you in a dozen other lifetimes, so I need you to believe me when I say that there is nothing you could do that would make me stop loving you.” Dick held her gaze. He looked like he was searching for something in her eyes, so Donna held still and hoped he found it. “Did you really know me in other lives?” he asked. Dick and Donna, after the action, through the years.

Making Time: Bruce does not remember anything leading up to this moment. He does not remember teaming up with Superman recently, nor does he remember being anywhere but Gotham proper. He does remember having Robin at his side. Robin, it turns out, is not there any longer. God does he hate magic. [Temporary Amnesia]

no matter how far you unbend: Laying there in bed, letting Catalina take what she wanted to take, an idea had occurred to Dick. This, he had thought, is an unhealthy relationship. In the weeks after Blockbuster's murder, Dick is trapped in a toxic relationship with Catalina. His family will do anything to rescue him.

[Note: deals with the events of Nightwing (1996) #93-95. TW for rape and abusive relationships. Heavy fic]

the city without stars in its skies: “Gotham is filthy,” Damian says flatly, honestly. “I understand now why Mother sent me here instead of coming herself.” Nightwing’s face is turned to the left, but the smile on his lips is audible. “It’s not all bad,” he says.

Damian thinks of Grayson, and the too-sweet donut he had given him, and the Chinese restaurant with the nice Asian lady and the park and the stray cat that had crossed through the grass in the darkness. “No,” he admits grudgingly, “I suppose not.”

(Or, in a world where he was never sent to live with his father, Damian al Ghul is contracted to assassinate one Dick Grayson.)

The R Stands for –: Damian pretends to focus on lacing up his boots as his father tugs Drake to his side, plants a gruff, casual kiss in his hair. Drake's lips curl into a pleased smile, and Damian yanks the strings so hard his palms burn.

[Note: incredible Damian-centric oneshot, focusing on his character growth from his time with the League through Batman and Robin era. Plays with both canon and fanon concepts in interesting ways]

the space between: What kind of parent forgets their own kid? Or: Ric, Damian, and some old forgotten adoption paperwork.

[Note: In which The Devil (DC) works hard, but the fans work harder to make the devil’s work bearable]

-----

Hope you enjoy reading!

[justforbooks]

A farce, for heaven’s sake! Everyone knows farce is dead.” When a character says these lines on page eight of Janice Hallett’s latest whodunnit, The Christmas Appeal, we can practically see the author tipping us an outsized wink. Hallett, after all, is one of today’s foremost exponents of cerebral, knowing crime. A swift 180 pages later, Hallett has slain another victim and shown that farce was never really dead in the first place. Literary murder – especially the cosy sort – has always been comic. The real mystery is: why is it so popular now?

Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series, in which laughs, foibles and irony figure far more prominently than bloody murder, has topped the charts for four years running. The Crime Writers’ Association has just launched a new Whodunnit Dagger to honour the year’s best cosy, classic or quirky mystery. This Christmas, production company Mammoth Screen will bring us its latest Agatha Christie for BBC One, a reworking of Murder Is Easy that, like its predecessor Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?, plays up the love and laughs – moving away from the grittier cynicism of its earlier adaptations.

But then, this is the production company that made Blandings – based on the PG Wodehouse Blandings Castle stories – and Agatha Raisin. The latter, an affectionate rendering of MC Beaton’s none-more-cosy crime capers, is a reminder that the genre has always been popular. Trace it back from SJ Bennett, whose sleuth of choice is Queen Elizabeth II, and Hallett, through Beaton and Simon Brett, with his wisecracking Charles Paris mysteries, and you find an unbroken link to the golden age of comic crime.

Christie herself wrote laughs aplenty, especially when it came to Poirot; her contemporary and fellow queen of crime, Ngaio Marsh, excelled at badinage. GK Chesterton’s Father Brown stories, written in the early 20th century, have a profound and gentle humour – or not so gentle in the barbed parody The Absence of Mr Glass, which pokes fun at Sherlock Holmes. Arthur Conan Doyle also made space for jokes amid the pea-soupers and arch villainy, not just in surreal escapades such as The Red-Headed League, but in the everyday interactions of Holmes and Watson. And there are links between the generations: as a producer on Radio 4’s classic adaptation of Dorothy L Sayers’s Lord Peter Wimsey series, Brett revisited the pinnacle of comic crime from the 1920s and 30s.

In Evelyn Waugh’s 1945 novel Brideshead Revisited, the aristocratic Catholic family at its centre turns in times of crisis, not to sermons, but to Father Brown stories. Read aloud by the matriarch, the scene is at once absurd, touching and completely understandable. Part of the solace stems from the benign humour of the tales, and that explains why comic crime is resurgent today – amid planetary and economic crises, that promise of escapism is more beguiling than ever. Especially at this time of year. From Hercule Poirot’s Christmas to PD James’s Mistletoe Murders, authors as well as readers have been drawn to fatal festivities.

We’re all familiar with gallows humour, the need to find laughter in the grimmest places. Yet the appeal of truly comic crime is less about professional detectives doing a grisly job than dilettantes playing a game. Literature has few laughing policemen, but an awful lot of quipping amateurs. Even Marsh gave her best one-liners not to handsome Inspector Alleyn but to her Watson figure, the journalist Nigel Bathgate.

Games, puzzles and mysteries are by definition playful. And it’s not just the sleuths who are playing. Reader is always pitted against author in a test of wits – can we solve the crime before the detective? Like every game, there are clear rules: detective author Ronald Knox set out his not entirely serious 10 commandments of fair play in 1929. This is what makes these stories such perfect escapism today: readers can lose themselves in the contest. Every true whodunnit is a work of metafiction, as the reader flits in and out of the story, constantly trying to estimate the author’s intelligence or honesty in setting trails and leaving clues.

For my money, today’s greatest exponent of playful detective fiction is Alex Pavesi, whose Eight Detectives is a gloriously original, intricate and often very funny series of practical jokes played on the reader. Dann McDorman’s new novel, West Heart Kill, as tricksy as they come, uses a jigsaw puzzle as cover art, while the cover of my own Helle & Death tips its hat to Cluedo. This playfulness puts us in the right mood, but the classic whodunnit has other weapons, many of which it shares with farce: plots like clockwork, exquisite choreography and perfect timing. Sayers’s Peter Wimsey has been called “Bertie Wooster with Jeeves’s brain”.

The most important comic quality of both murder mystery and farce, however, is the meticulous arranging of cause, effect and misunderstanding. The detection of a murderer involves paying minute attention to what people say and do. The reader is given privileged access into the lives of others, replete with dramatic irony and a degree of omniscience. And what could possibly be funnier than the everyday idiosyncrasies of human beings?

The Christmas Appeal is packed with hypocrites and exhibitionists. Mrs Ruddle, in Sayers’s Busman’s Honeymoon, is a world-class gossip. As for the sleuths themselves, from Holmes, to Poirot, to Torben Helle, the more seriously they take themselves, the sillier they become. Snoop on anyone for long enough, and their habits, sayings, priorities start to become hilarious.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[verticalmomentum1]

Is Capitalism Dead?

On This Episode Of The Vertical Momentum Resiliency Podcast With Host Richard Kaufman Veteran-Keynote speaker-Comeback Coach We Talk All Things #capitalism & #businesssuccess

Join us in this enlightening conversation with Author Dale Newton as we dive deep into the essence of capitalism 🏦, explore the reality of entrepreneurial ventures 🚀, and unravel the future of finance and real estate 🏠.

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Don't miss out on this essential guide to navigating today's financial and entrepreneurial landscape. Tune in now! 🎧"

"Ready to redefine your financial and entrepreneurial mindset?

🤔 Listen to our latest episode with Dale Newton to unlock the secrets of successful capitalism in today's world 🌎.

Link In Bio Subscribe, share, and leave your thoughts in the comments!

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[whisperstemptations]

formerly, kiissme. penned by, Y V E. 30s. she/her. SMUT CENTRIC but not exclusively. low activity. semi-selective. most muses are 30+. no minors engage and will be blocked on sight. no personals, pls. discord on request. under construction.

wanna interact? opens ! — memes ! — muse list ! — wanted plots ! — wanted opposites !

be sure to read the rules. ( when I write them )

Where in the world is (👉ﾟヮﾟ)👉 y v e ?

@whisperstemptations ( fandomless multimuse - you are here! ) @ofashesandthorns ( got / historical - margaery tyrell ) @qveenofnoise ( stranger things / fandom based - jane bardot ) @quinntessentialmuses ( joe quinn muses, wip. ) @corrodedmaster ( stranger things based - eddie munson, wip. )

IN QUEUE — 8 / 26

mobile muse list under the cut !

💋 — FAYE BROOKES, OG, 36, bisexual, journalist, karen gillan fc. 💋 — FAYE BROOKES, CEO, 46, bisexual, publisher, lotte verbeek fc. 💋 — FAYE BROOKES, 30s, bisexual, historical lady, eleanor tomlinson fc. 💋 — FAYE BROOKES, 40s, bisexual, historical countess, lotte verbeek fc. 💋 — SHEILA BROOKES, 59, hetero, english teacher, michelle fairley fc. 💋 — PATRICK BROOKES, 64, hetero, construction foreman, gary lewis fc. 💋 — JERRY BROOKES, 60, hetero, pub owner, john hannah fc.

💋 — ALYSSA MITCHELL, 30s, bisexual, criminal lawyer, amy manson fc. 💋 — KEITH MITCHELL, 30s, hetero, detective, sam heughan fc.

💋 — LYDIA COLLINS, 40s, bisexual, bookshop owner / author, laura fraser fc.

💋 — CHARLIE CLARK, 30s, hetero, music journalist, matt smith fc. 💋 — NATHAN COLE, 30s, hetero, craftsman, joseph quinn fc.

💋 — ELLIE MATTHEWS, 30s, bisexual, graphic designer, felicity jones fc. 💋 — LIAM JACKSON, 40s, hetero, CEO of family oil, josh henderson fc. 💋 — JADE HART, 30s, bisexual, assistant to FAYE BROOKES, kat dennings fc.

💋 — FELICITY HARRINGTON, 40s, bisexual, actress, natalie dormer fc. 💋 — ALISHA KNIGHT, 40s, bisexual, heart surgeon, freema agyeman fc. 💋 — JEONG-EUN KWON, 40s, hetero, CEO of father's company, hyun bin fc. 💋 — BRYAN ALEXANDER, 40s, hetero, college professor, chris evans fc. 💋 — SANTIAGO BARRERA, 40s, hetero, artist and professor, diego luna fc. 💋 — RICHARD LIVINGSTON, 40s, hetero, duke / royal, henry cavill fc. 💋 — KURT BAKER, 40s, hetero, private investigator, dan stevens fc. 💋 — CHERYL ABBOTT, 20s, bisexual, young actress, sydney sweeney fc. 💋 — SCOTT WEST, 40s, hetero, talent turned talent manager, idris elba fc. 💋 — ABIGAIL CHAMBERLAIN, 20s, bisexual, preacher's daughter, lili reinhart fc.

💋 — CARVER ASHFORD, 50s, hetero, architect, timothy olyphant fc. 💋 — JASON ASHFORD, 30s, hetero, chef, joe keery fc.

💋 — ALICE ASHE, 40s, bisexual, brothel madame, natalie portman fc. 💋 — VIOLET DARLING, 30s, bisexual, escort, lily james fc.

💋 — TRIXIE HOLMES, 40s, bisexual, corporate lawyer, january jones fc. 💋 — ROXY WRIGHT, 20s, bisexual, OF content creator, josephine langford fc.

💋 — JOHNNY BARRETT, 50s, hetero, rock legend, jeffrey dean morgan fc. 💋 — JOY BARDOT, 30s, bisexual, law secretary, brianna howey fc. 💋 — JANE BARDOT, 20s, bisexual, aspiring singer, danielle campbell fc.

💋 — LUISA GUERRA, 30s, bisexual, influencer / business owner, melissa barrera fc. 💋 — DANIELA GUERRA, 20s, bisexual, investor, camila mendes fc.

[kalitera-stin-erimia]

Short reviews of Lovecraft RPF

One of the subsets of my Lovecraft obsession is finding and exploring fiction about Lovecraft, and I finally wrote up my short impressions of most fiction works about Lovecraft that I read/watched. Some of these definitely need larger reviews, and maybe will get them in the future, but one has to start from somewhere and these writings can at least make a foundation for them.

So, let's start. Some mild spoilers may appear.

Shadows Bend by David Barbour and Richard Raleigh: Lovecraft and Robert Howard travel the West of the USA during the Dust Bowl, persued by monsters. I'm surprised that these two meet so rarely in fiction - I mean, they never did in real life, but it still sounds like an obvious idea. Clark Ashton Smith also makes an appearence. I enjoyed the "road movie" feel of the book, and it seemed like the author tried to weave in some lore from the Bishop collaborations, which is the thing I'd love to see more often; however, the book was too plotless and the characterizations too exaggerated, too reliant on the out of date scholarship.

Gilgamesh at the Outback by Robert Silverberg: Another one about HPL and REH meeting, this time in hell. I skimmed this one, reading only the parts about them. Lovecraft is rather bland here, while REH is just bizarre. He has an over-the-top crush on Gilgamesh. WTF was going on in the Robert Howard scholarship in the eighties???

The Planet of Tastless Pleasure by Harry Harrison: One scene parodies Gilgamesh at the Outback. I enjoyed this one more than the Silverberg's book. I like Harrison's humor, what else to say?

Marblehead by Richard Lupoff: I already wrote a large review of this one. Well-researched and I guess well-characterized, but so dry that I'm afraid it doesn't live to the fullest potential. Everything just ends up feeling strangely muted, which is especially jarring in combination with the sensationalist plot and very pulp culmination.

Pages Torn from a Travel Journal by Edward Lee: Ooooof. Lee is not a bad writer, and unlike many others writing about Lovecraft, he clearly knows a lot about him and likes him very much. The other things he likes are (1) rednecks, (2) gore, (3) rape porn. The book is full of all these things and you can make a guess about how well they mix with Lovecraft. In spite of how gleefully campy the book is, the treatment of redneck characters is more sympathetic than I usually see in redneck horror, which is a plus, I guess? On the other hand, Lovecraft getting into an adventure during one of his bus travels seems such an obvious idea for a story, I'm surprised it doesn't get used often.

Trolley 1852 by Edward Lee: I liked this one less than the previous one. It's more creative though, and closer to Lovecraft's kind of horror - which is not surprising, considering that the major part of the book is supposed to be "written" by him as a book within a book (while Pages was rather, ehhh, "historical fiction".)

Pulptime by Peter Cannon: New York period Lovecraft meets aged Sharlock Holmes. Hijinks predictably ensue. A cute calm story which is probably good for removing unpleasant aftertaste of Lee's books (that's how it worked for me, anyway.) What bugged me was that the plot felt too thin for a mystery, and the author seemingly treated the anti-immigrant sentiment of The Horror at Red Hook too uncritically. Lovecraft's characterization was okay, Cannon is better at it than most, but in this book it relied on quoting too much.

The Lovecraft Chronicles by Peter Cannon: Definitely a better book than Pulptime, and the best exploration of the question "What if Lovecraft lived longer?" so far. May get too farcical at places, but I think Cannon finds a good balance between crackfic and seriousness.

The Night Ocean by Paul La Farge: A Very Intellectual postmodernist book which is also a kinda shitposty Lovecraft/Barlow slashfic. Absolutely not worth the hype it had been met with in some mainstream big journals. As far as Lovecraft's characterization goes, I'd say the author tried, however, it's still weirdly superficial and subtly mean-spirited. The treatment of Barlow is even more dissappointing - he was meant to be the center of the book, but the author seems strangely dismissive of his literary and scholarly work and desinterested in his personality. Besides, the majority of the book is not even about them, but about the dull original characters and endless cameos of other historical characters.

Night Gaunts by Brett Rutherford: The play is written by a fan from the zine fandom, and it shows: both in solid characterizations and in bad poetry. I liked this one.

The Lamp of Alhazred by August Derleth: A sentimental story about Lovecraft's legacy. One of the better Lovecraftian works by Derleth, and certainly the one with most feeling.

Balsamo's Mirror by L. Sprague de Camp: Good old "but you probably wouldn't be priviledged in your favorite historical period, gotcha". I've seen better works that poked fun at Lovecraft.

When Death Wakes Me Up to Myself by John Shirley: I was so impressed with this one that I've already reviewed it. What I like the most about it is that it's catches the cosmic wonder aspect of Lovecraft's personality, which was just as important for his life and work as cosmic horror, yet gets written about so less often.

HPL by Gahan Wilson: A story by Gahan Wilson about Lovecraft being a brain in a jar could have been more entertaining.

The Lurker in the Shadows by Nathan Carson: It starts as a very indulgent story about correspondence between the elderly Lovecraft and Stephen King in the 1970s, and then takes an unexpected turn into dark comedy about body switching. Simultaneously one of the least racist portrayals of Lovecraft and one of the most villainous ones, though I'm afraid the author didn't think it through. On the other hand, it's not often that you read about Lovecraft marrying Beyonce.

Lovecraft in Heaven by Grant Morrison: Bad trip.

Night-Gaunts by Joyce Carol Oates: An examination of Lovecraft's life, or, rather, an alternative Lovecraft. Unfortunately, it's one of these tiring takes that talk about how Unhappy, Troubled and Neurotic Lovecraft was, and how Gothic and Gloomy his life was. As far as Oates stories go, this one is far from her best, very slow-going and hard to follow at times. More could have been done with the possibility of Lovecraft's father living longer than he did, though I agree he would probably leave less favorable impression on Lovecraft in such case.

The Premature Death of H.P. Lovecraft, Oldest Man in New England by Thomas Ligotti: Seems to be an another take on body hopping, but subtly so? Very short. Well-written, but I'd expect more from a Ligotti story about Lovecraft.

The Exiles by Ray Bradbury: Lovecraft appears in one version of the story, sitting near the fireplace and eating ice cream. Everyone in this story is benevolently caricatured, so I'm fine with it.

Letters from an Old Gent by W.H. Pugmire: The style reads nothing like Lovecraft (but I think it wasn't really the intention, anyway) yet it still works, somehow. Pugmire's case is similar to Lee's, that is, their fondness for Lovecraft is such that it actually improves the quality of their writing. His emotional intellect also appears to be more developed than in most other Lovecraftian writers.

Lovecraft by Hans Rodionoff and Enrique Breccia: A mix of Lovecraft's biography (in the out of date interpretation) and the usual "but what if what he wrote was real???" I heard there were plans to make a Hollywood adaptation of it, and it certainly felt like one at times. The art was great, but the story was way too visceral and hysterical for either Lovecraft's biography or Lovecraftian horror.

Providence by Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows: Well-researched and well-thought out. Moore definitely cleaned out his Lovecraft game after the dissappointing Neonomicon. The comic is more about Lovecraft's characters, Lovecraft himself appears only in one issue, but plays an important role in the entire story (well, duh). His characterization is satisfying both as realism and as metafiction, though the usual Moore bullshit is still present in small amounts. Not a huge fan of art, and Lovecraft gets black hair yet another time (and looks like in his forties at 1919).

The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft by Mac Carter: I don't remember this one well, but I remember that Lovecraft here doesn't have much in common with the real one neither in personality, nor in biography, nor in looks. Some things are done with the "underappreciated artist" part of his life, but without the context of his life, they don't amount to much.

H.P. Lovecraft: He who Wrote in the Darkness by Alex Nikolavitch and Gervasio-Aon-Lee: Well, this one is a straightforward biography of Lovecraft, or, rather, his life from 1925 on. As such, it was alright. I liked the way the artist used colors, and that some people from Lovecraft's life like Loveman got more attention than they usually do.

One Night with Lovecraft (Une nuit avec Lovecraft) by Philippe Marcele and Rodolphe: A fan from the future gets a chance to hang out with Lovecraft in the 1930s. Not bad, but had too much padding at times - do we really need shortened adaptations of some Lovecraft's (and one Poe's!) stories within such kind of comic? The artist was great at drawing urban landscapes, but much worse at drawing people.

R.H.B. by Andreas and Riviere: An old French comic about Barlow, his time with Lovecraft and later life. This one would have been better if the artist knew what Barlow looked like. His real appearence would go well with the artist's style.

Rough Riders: Ride or Die by Adam Glass: Lovecraft briefly joins the main team as someone who can see ghosts. I liked the main characters, who were also historical personalities, but Lovecraft himself was super bland. At least the art was decent (and he didn't look grotesque like he often does in the comics.)

Out of Mind: The Stories of HPL: This one is memorable, but mostly because of the actor's performance. The plot is a mess.

[mycrofts-sword-gunbrella]

Mycroft's Harrow School Tie

A tasty tip from Rectorredux: Mycroft went to Harrow! Her reply on seeing the tie in my other post:

rectorredux

"Mycroft is wearing the Harrow school tie. Only Harrovian alumni are entitled to wear it."

Also interesting is Ben C. went there too, so of course the Holmes boys did as well. Here's an article of Harrow school and some of the alumni that went there (haha figures British PM's are included as well as other heads of state! Totally Mycroftian.)

""Harrow is best known for the private boarding school that’s located there. The school was founded in 1572, under a Royal Charter of Queen Elizabeth I. The boys’ school has educated many men of note, including politicians, authors and poets, businessmen, and sportsmen. Alumni are known as Old Harrovians and include seven former British prime ministers, including Winston Churchill and Robert Peel, and several Nobel laureates. Other notable men to have been educated at Harrow include the poet Lord Byron, screenwriter Richard Curtis, actor Benedict Cumberbatch, and singer James Blunt."

Wonder if the writer's of the show knew this? Gives another interesting clue as to the brother's background!

link to article: https://yescandomoney.com/5-things-harrow-is-famous-for/

Thanks again to Rector for the tip!

Oh, and that tie is £75.00!!! Again, so Mycroft.

https://bensonandclegg.com/products/oldharrowsilk

[jeanmoreaux]

Poetry anon here, thank you so much for your reply, please never feel like you should limit yourself, I love reading your essay replies (and would honestly also be interested in anti-recommendations if you want to rant for a bit), but just thank you, I can't wait to read some of these when I get the chance (I love elizabeth acevedo, have already read and loved some ocean vuong and richard siken is an author I've been meening to read for ages, so I'm sure your other recommendations will also be amazing), wishing you a lovely day💖

oh, well i really hope the recs will work out for you and that you‘ll enjoy these collections as much as i did! and if you ever stumble across a good collection PLS let me know <3

sjdjsjsjjs i always feel a little weird when i post these super long answers but i just have a lot to say apparently lmao. or at least the personal need to do so 🙈 i‘ll keep my anti-recs short bc i feel bad complaining about strangers‘ poetry when i know i am not The Expert on poetry. but some poets i didn’t vibe with are lang leav, rupi kaur, edgar holmes, and michael faudet. i have read two or more collections from all of them and didn’t find any of them worthwhile. they all just too simple and on the nose for me…. there is nothing to surprise you, no new words for a familiar feeling or nothing that sounds great spoken out loud. idk i just couldn’t get anything out of them. if you want to read a collection that’s more about idea, closer to prose and less about poetry as an art form i’d say go for amanda lovelace. she‘s not my fav either, but she has some more complexity and nuance in her approach while keeping things simple & prose-adjacent.

[msclaritea]

Did you ever post your expose on Wanda's family

Yes. Now. Isaac Hurst. Everyone else we can nearly account for but not him. We're not the only ones. Someone else was looking for information, years ago:

Now, there's a number of Hurst, Hirst, Herst but a lot of them can be accounted for. While looking around, I happened across another Hurst with a vague biography. William Hurst, an architect in Doncaster, born 1787-1844. He was the one who earlier worked on Firbeck Hall in 1820 for Henry Galley Knight, who legend has it helped Walter Scott with local information when the author wrote Ivanhoe. The sun, featured below was likely added at a later date, as the place was refurbished in Art Deco and turned into a club. Not that it matters. Buildings in Britain tend to retain their lineage from the first stone laid.

There are two remarkable things about William Hurst. At one point, he rebuilt the stand at Doncaster Racecourse, which later is immortalized in The Six Napoleons by ACD:

"You remember when the stand fell at Doncaster? Well, I was the only journalist in the stand, and my journal the only one that had no account of it, for I was too shaken to write it." Horace Harker

The other thing? Richard Birkin lived in Nottingham, born 1805-1870. It's only 49 miles away. A lace manufacturer, he later became Mayor. So was Hurst in Doncaster. The only personal thing they say about him besides being an apprentice to William Lindley, who learned under John Carr of York, was that his father was the landlord of the Salutation Inn, which I almost mixed up with the one in Nottingham, which is way cooler. The entire area has a ton of Roman history but Nottingham especially is full of caves, the biggest under Ye Old Salutation Inn.

So, we have a Hurst with a fuzzy background, who lives not far from the Birkins, a piece of architecture he worked on mentioned in a Sherlock Holmes story. Then we have the other Hurst, another fuzzy background, who's descendants would go on to be related to Arthur Conan Doyle through the Cumberbatches and embroiled in stupid nonsense with the same Birkin family. In the middle of all this, that sun symbol.

[thornfield13713]

Oh, I really want to stay friends with Miss Chandler.

And once again, I’d like to note that this is an author who knows her material. Mary Morstan in The Sign of Four is notable for having a turn for detection herself, and being almost part of the team with Holmes and Watson for much of the story - it really is a great disservice that Doyle never wanted to engage with her character again after that particular story, because she was intelligent, resourceful and competent, which is more than can be said for some recurring characters. 

For this version of the story...again, Richard is going to try and save as many lives as he can, and that means not starting a panic that might disrupt the lifeboat-loading...but he wants Grace Chandler to live too. He’s developed quite a high opinion of her over the course of this case, and also he’s just...uncomfortable with the idea of not preventing a death if he can. So, he’s doing his best to do both at once and...maybe not doing too brilliantly at it.

[manleycollins]

Journal Entry #78 - First Deposition…Costing People Their Careers, Police Certifications, and Bar Licenses By Sending It Directly Back…My Balls and Spine (Backbone) Are Attached to Me!

JOURNAL ENTRY #78 Name: Manley M Collins Social Security Number: 5 7 9 – * * – 6 5 4 1 Date of Birth: 06/21 Place of Birth: Washington, District of Columbia Country of Birth: United States of America Date: April 6, 2024

TOPIC: First Deposition…Costing People Their Careers, Police Certifications, and Bar Licenses By Sending It Directly Back…My Balls and Spine (Backbone) Are Attached to Me!

I made my first deposition with Federal Express was on January 24, 2024. It was recorded by a court reporter and videographer. I met the corporate attorney Charles V. "Bud" Holmes for the first time unexpectedly. The conversation lasted for eight (8) hours with break. I did get my corporate lunch at Tatte with Bud paid by Federal Express. My application for criminal complaints were heard. Growing up, I was shielded too long from lying. All six out of fourteen defendants lied on March 27, 2024 and March 29, 2024. The Clerk-Magistrate for the Boston Municipal Court - East Boston dismissed their cases based on the length of time and the assumption Federal Express security camera system was working. This is how Massachusetts talk - First sentence is half truth. Second sentence is alternative truth. Third sentence is a butt-face lie. The bookstore books support the same ecosystem from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Boston, Massachusetts.

Massachusetts chose to do blind and blond scenario on me. "Blind" means do not look up his information in the hardwire systems people use everyday or internet because it is a lie. "Blond" means just dumb do him anyway. Yes, I made all my court dates for the charge "Threat to commit a crime." I filed with the civil cases to courts so fast, sent it to the American Bar Association, Boston Bar Association, Mayor and Governor, and Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination so fast that they regret the day they filed the charge by Massachusetts State Trooper Joseph A. Middleton (white male cop). I am on Pre-Trial Probation (90 days was completed), then a white male judge Richard Sinnott decides to extend it to year until 3/15/2025. If I got to behave, the legal community surrounding the charge have to behave too and remove all the UNETHICAL sht. The legal community tried to go for immunity for the sht they do. My civil case is being heard April 2024 at the John Moakley Courthouse in Courtroom 18 in United States District Court. Please do not think the charge is going to prevent me from defending myself. I always show up for my fights. Legal community did three major mistakes and errors - Maryland, New York, and now Massachusetts. Systemic racism at its best. Telling is my best friend and schizophrenia will get the rest.

I am a PHOENIX! (Firebird reducing everything to atoms)

Boston Housing Authority tried to get updated information with a new interviewer. I kept telling them that they did the wire from Citibank that caused the Citibank-NYPD-New York situation. Instead, they withdrew me from all the public housing list and subdized housing lists. I sent in two appeals to Boston Housing Authority to request to see the information system and information security that they are putting this information in. Guess what? No response.

I got my Massachusetts FlexCard on behalf of Blue Cross Blue Shield. I rejoined Planet Fitness. I had to downgrade first, then upgrade to the Black Card. I joined Weight Watchers too, and it was good to see some of my social networking community mainly women were on the program. I am still a group fitness instructor, doing Zumba, and track and field athlete.

I cooked so much food at my AirBnb. I gained a little weight, but since leaving the AirBnb, body is working to get the weight back down. The Boston Medical Center food pantry was giving me new foods I never seen before. My host educated me on how to do extensions in AirBnb.

I still was speaking with Coach Tommy at BCBS Learn to Live Programs. I completed the Resilience Program, went through the Depression program, and now working on Stress, Anxiety and Worry program. I have been 107 days enrolled in the CBT Learn to Live Programs.

I taught Zumba - My First Class routine. I subbed for several gym classes. My second routine is ready. I am moving forward with Zumba Core, Zumba Glutes, Zumba World Africa. I attended Beto's Livestream Zumba on February 3, 2024. It was fun and hilarious. I started my own Total Body Conditioning class. All my previous instructors and various sports were channeling through me. I have three different formats - running, stationary, and circuit. It is pretty fun and well attended. I registered for an upcoming Zumba Rhythms 2 session and Les Mills Initial Training. These are my four focus and core competencies in the sports and fitness world: Zumba (dance), Les Mills (athletic conditioning), Spinning/Cycling (bicycling), and Personal Training/Coaching/Athlete (bodybuilding/running). I am not going to do crazy like I did in the business and technology world.

I attended Epsilon Gamma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity MLK Event at Boston University Computer Science Building. It was well attended on Saturday, January 13, 2024. I made some new friends. Never got a response from the chapter members via email or phone, but did meet some members during the event.

I met a new friend from one of the social media apps and we ate at The Blarney Stone in Dorchester / Fields Corner neighborhood. It was lunch time and it was a quiet environment. The food was good portions.

I attended Greater Boston Track Club Invitational at Harvard University Athletics Complex on January 21, 2024. It was a USATF sanctioned meet. It was packed with 900+ athletes and the stadium was full. I sat in the midst of the University of Massachusetts Boston track team coaches and parents.

I secured a new therapist who was a psychologist and accepted with BCBS. He is really good.

I missed the Boston Athletic Association 5K Registration.

I met my first application for criminal complaint - Collins v. Kyambade. I told my story. Kyambade's attorney and he lied about hitting me with his SUV stating I stopped, turned around, and jumped in front of his SUV while using a smartphone and waving him back and forth. The Clerk-Magistrate stated he was going to hold his decision until later. The decision came in the mail and the Clerk-Magistrate found no probable cause so no criminal complaint will be pursued. Progressive the insurance company is processing the insurance claim.

POST Commission still sending me letters stating my complaints against police officers are closed. I sent some of the complaints back through the courts.

Collins v SplitSpot - Case Management Conference was scheduled for Wednesday, February 7, 2024, but the courts entire information system were down at Edward W. Brooke Courthouse. However, I met Gillian Rose Crossman's attorney and I have never seen an attorney beg or argue without a judge to be let out a case. That was a first and he did get what he wanted because the Judge sent a handwritten decision through the mail restating what the attorney said. The next case management conference is scheduled in April 2024. I only have two defendants left.

I attended an ProQuest and Clarivate Web Science presentation. It was more awareness about the Clarivate project for ProQuest.

I attended the USATF Open New England Indoor Championships on February 18, 2024. I met some more athletes. It was a packed house of spectators and supporters at Harvard University Athletic Complex. My track team, Potomac Valley Track Club, went to Chicago, Illinois and won 1st place in combined points, 2nd place for the men, and 3rd place for the women.

I kept filling out McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts surveys. The NewtonX Community does send me some interesting surveys that gets me thinking about my own company initiatives. I got Google paid surveys late after it met its quota. I had to stop in the middle of the YouTube survey because I really was not getting any benefit from it.

I have Clover's Slice (Wells Fargo financial network) company interested in me for Outside Sales Representative. The opportunity sounds too good to be real, but I am thinking about my mental health on whether I want to take on the stress.

Collins v Piersanti application for criminal complaint was rescheduled because Piersanti's mail was returned from his attorney's office. I gave them his last Connecticut mailing address and it has been scheduled for April 2024.

I saw my primary care physician at Boston Medical Center for a follow up since I was taking PrEP. He did some additional physical techniques that have not been done in years. He also mentioned he rarely or never had a super healthy patient. My HIV test results came back NEGATIVE.

I met with Boston Medical Center Bridge Clinic again and we talked about all the current happenings. It was very interesting that the medication Latuda came up. I was able to get it. I told the nurse practioner that Caplyta was not going to approved by the insurance company. It took a minute to adjust to Latuda…however, waking up at 3am to 4am hungry is not a good sign, body temperature varies, and emotional rollercoaster. On the flip side, my Massachusetts General Hospital psychiatrist cancelled his appointment that was scheduled the next day.

I signed up for BCBS GeoBlue for international travel health insurance. It is expensive. I watched my Joel Osteen ministries. I also watched a fellow SCSU bulldog, Lowell James, preach the word. Social media unexpectedly bringing people I have not seen in decades across my feed. March Madness got me hyped in just watching the games and the upsets in men and women basketball. I did not make a March Madness bracket this year.

I stayed on Windows 10 operating system for a while because Windows 11 with bitlocker crashed my system. I upgraded to Windows 11 and the system build was without bitlocker. My applications and everything still works. I am still researching systems to host my enterprise and corporate applications and software plus electronic commerce.

I am still working with Massachusetts Vocational Rehabilitation Commission. I sent them the jobs I applied for USAJOBS - Federal Government IT Project Manager with CDC Program Manager with DHS Economist with FAA Computer Investigative Forensic Specialist with IRS Supervisory Health System Specialist with VHA Field Representative with US Census Bureau Research Engineer/Research Physical Scientist with USDA Remote Internship with Library of Congress

MassCareers - State Government Strategy Analyst Integrated Care Operations Manager Health Safety Net Policy Manager Project Manager 1 - Feasibility and Schematic Design IT Support Technician

City of Boston Careers - ICIMS - City Government Deputy Director of State Relations Career Counselor Community Relations Specialist Community Outreach Specialist

Corporate America Outside Sales Representative - Slice President/CEO - Salt Creek Capital

Independent Contractor Six months contract to hire Senior Sharepoint Developer with government contractors (SAIC and Fortitude Systems) for US Department of Transportation. Please note all government or corporate contract to hire positions, I was never hired, but let go or laidoff at the end of every term.

[cyarskaren52]

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globalgrind

“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” celebrates 25 seasons with a fabulous Entertainment Weekly spread, featuring the drama series’ stars #MariskaHargitay and #IceT. The series has captivated viewers since 1999. Let’s celebrate with a walk down memory lane, exploring the “Law & Order: SVU” episodes inspired by true pop culture events.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Celebrating 25 Seasons Of ‘Law & Order: SVU’ With Pop Culture Inspired Episodes [Gallery]

Written byEditor at Global Grind

Published onFebruary 7, 2024

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“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” celebrates 25 seasons with a fabulous Entertainment Weekly spread, featuring the drama series’ stars Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T. The series has captivated viewers since 1999. Let’s celebrate with a walk down memory lane, exploring the “Law & Order: SVU” episodes inspired by true pop culture events.

Actors Hargitay and Ice-T stun the cover story of Entertainment Weekly as they reminisce on the long-time running NBC drama series, “Law & Order: SVU.” The pair talk through their stories of partnership, heartbreak and healing, history, spinoffs, and their personal journeys.

The 25 season series created by Dick Wolf follows detectives that are part of the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit, who investigate crimes of sexual nature. While the focus of the other shows in the “Law & Order” franchise largely deal with murder cases, the SVU detectives frequently deal with crimes, such as rapes, in which the victim survives and assists authorities in the investigation. The series features a cast of veteran actors, including Hargitay, Ice-T, Richard Belzer, and Dann Florek. There are occasional crossover episodes, featuring detectives from other series in the franchise.

The show has featured countless guest stars like Snoop Dogg, Mahershala Ali, Meagan Good, Sarah Paulson and more. The series is also notable for using real-life stories and events as inspiration for the show. Though dramatized, the series has covered many pop culture moments from the Bill Cosby case to Chris Brown and Rihanna.

Check out a list of “Law & Order: SVU” episodes inspired by these historic pop culture moments below:

1. Blood Brothers (S13, Episode 3)

Source:tkr2000

This episode follows a 13-year-old girl, whon ends up pregnant at a Catholic high school, and the “SVU” detectives are called in to investigate. While the girl’s best friend is a Hispanic boy named Arturo, his mother works as a maid for a politician, and it turns out that the politician’s son is who impregnated her. Not only that, but it turned out that the politician himself is Arturo’s father due to an affair with Arturo’s mother, who has been in his employment for many years. Sadly, Arturo killed his half-brother because he was angry about the pregnancy and felt he would never help his child.

However, the real story behind this episode has nothing to do with murder. Instead, the basis for this story was about Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had an affair with one of his maids in 1996 which he later confessed to wife Maria Schriver couples counseling sessions according to People. The episode takes considerable dramatic liberties with its source material, both with the homicide, underage pregnancy, and incestuous elements, and the general animosity of all involved toward one another.

2. Entitled (S1, Episode 15)

Source:YouTube

This isn’t directly linked to one particular true story or the other, but the first season has references to many famous cases. Some include the Son of Sam killer and the Zodiac killer, as well as the conspiracies surrounding these. It also references the 1969 Chappaquiddick incident involving the Kennedy family.

The “Entitled” episode based on a true story borrows from real life to construct its narrative, which centers on a wealthy and influential family — similar to the Kennedy’s — and looks into long-unsolved cases that authorities worry might see the same killer return despite decades passing.

3. Star-Struck Victims (S17, Episode 16)

Source:YouTube

In this episode, Barba is made to drop rape charges leveled against a well-known actor due to a lack of evidence. Rollins also goes rogue and tries to get a video confession, not realizing the suspect has lawyered up and this could hurt the entire department. This is another episode based on a true story of how easily the rich and powerful can defend themselves from the law.  

“Star-Struck Victims” is a loose adaptation of the real-world sex abuse scandal involving famed actor and comedian Bill Cosby. The episode makes these drastic crimes seem very personal, and part of that stems from the terrifyingly convincing turn from recurring cast member Delaney Williams.

4. Spousal Privilege (S16, Episode 8)

Source:YouTube

This episode involved a high-profile celebrity that made headlines when a video surfaced online. Detective Tutuola discovers security cam footage of a famous sportscaster having a physical altercation with his girlfriend. Footage showed him hitting her, knocking her unconscious, and dragging her body to the car.

Another story “ripped from the headlines,” the case for this episode was inspired by the Ray Rice scandal in 2014. Rice was arrested after a video surfaced of him assaulting his fiancé in an elevator of a New Jersey casino. She was knocked unconscious, and the video showed Rice dragging her body out of the elevator. The charges were later dropped.

5. Scorched Earth (S13, Episode 1)

Source:YouTube

The detectives of “SVU” are called in on a case when a hotel maid reports being assaulted by an Italian diplomat. The team finds more than enough evidence of assault, but, as the investigation continues, the maid’s credibility starts to fall apart. In 2011, a hotel maid accused French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault.

The episode follows the real case closely as the maid in real life began to lose credibility as a victim. The prosecution also stated the inconclusive physical evidence of the crime. A judge later dismissed the case. However, further sexual assault accusations arose against him, forcing him to drop out of future elections.

It was also sadly the episode where Benson finds out Elliott will be leaving the squad. 

6. Sick (S5, Episode 19)

Source:YouTube

A troubled youth’s online activities lead investigators to the home of a billionaire toy manufacturer by the name of Billy Tripley. Billy is suspected of molesting children in one of his stores, but, after a lengthy judicial process, he beats the charges. This 2004 SVU installment took influence from the allegations of sexual misconduct that surrounded pop star Michael Jackson at the time.

Suspicions surrounding Jackson’s dealings with minors haunted his later career, and these issues once again surfaced posthumously following the release of the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland. This episode based on a true story is a unfortunate reminder that justice isn’t always served.

7. Pathological (S19, Episode 10)

Source:YouTube

This notable episode is based on a real murder that was widely publicized. The real-life case gained immense media coverage and was covered by the show and later made into a limited Hulu series titled, “The Act.”

In the episode, the “SVU” team is called to investigate the sexual assault of two disabled children, but soon realize their illnesses were induced by their mother. Things get even more complex when the mother is found murdered.

The episode was inspired by the 2015 Dee Dee Blanchard murder case. Blanchard convinced the world that her daughter, Gypsy, was severely ill. Gypsy slowly learned that her mother was manipulating her and making her sick with medication. Her mother subjected her to physical abuse and unnecessary medical procedures. Blanchard was found murdered in her home, and Gypsy and her boyfriend were later convicted of first-degree murder, although Gypsy only served part of a 10-year sentence.

8. Funny Valentine (S14, Episode 16)

Source:YouTube

The show used the unfortunate events that took place between singers Chris Brown and Rihanna as the source material for an episode titled “Funny Valentine.” Some fans loved the real-life parallels. But others felt the storyline went too far.

The episode featured a sequence of events easily recognizable to any pop culture fan. It featured two young singers, Caleb and Micha, pursuing their individual careers while fostering their romantic relationship. When Micha confronts Caleb over his flirtations with a background singer, Caleb becomes enraged and violentyly attacks Micha.

News of the fictious characters goes public, which leads to a media circus with fans and news outlets reporting on the situation. The episode ultimately ends with even more violence, with a nightclub fight that results in more injuries for Micha. While Caleb is tagged for his role in the tragic event, Micha lies under oath to protect her boyfriend. At the end of the episode, Caleb kills Micha when she questions his fidelity.

RELATED TAGSCELEBRITY NEWSLAW & ORDER: SVUNEWSLETTER

#LawandOrderSVU

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[princessalmost]

Books Read in 2023

Before I say anything else, this list does not include ebooks, comics, or fanfiction. While those are all valid forms of reading and I love them all (never let anyone tell you that listening to an audiobook isn't really reading!), I just didn't happen to record them. Most of these are books I checked out from my local library. I love libraries, and encourage anyone who wants to read a book but is low on money or unsure how much they will actually like it to check if their library system has it. Libraries also provide far more than just books, like movies, magazines, music, online subscriptions, research tools, etc. In case you can't tell, I love libraries.

I know reading can be a challenge for some people, but I've never wanted to become someone who reads less than a book per year. Some of these books I loved, some I did not. Some books were by the same author, and I did not enjoy them all equally, but I DID enjoy them enough to read them through before returning them. Some I picked up because I read the author before or were recommended to me, and some I liked the title or cover. Regardless, I met my goal of averaging two books per month.

These books are listed in the order I completed them this year, so fiction and nonfiction are mixed together.

A Treacherous Curse, Deanna Raybourne

Tracers in the Dark, Andy Greenburg

Sully, Chelsey B. "Sully" Sullenburger III with Jeffrey Zaslow

The Shore Road Mystery, Franklin W. Dixon

The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman

All Things Wise and Wonderful, James Harriot

Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt

The Soviet Sisters, Anika Scott

The Man Who Died Twice, Richard Osman

Whose Body, Dorothy, L. Sayers

Run, Rose, Run, Dolly Parton and James Patterson

The Godmother, Barbie Latza Nadeau

The Bullet that Missed, Richard Osman

The Splendid and the Vile, Erik Larson

Brotherband: Return of the Temujai, John Flanagan

In the Garden of Beasts, Erik Larson

Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything, Lydia Kang, M.D., and Nate Pedersen

City of Dreams: The 400-Year Epic History of Immigrant New York, Tyler Anbinder

Finlay Donovan is Killing It, Elle Cosimano

The Confidence Men: How Two Prisoners of War Engineered the Most Remarkable Escape in History, Margalit Fox

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Brandon Sanderson

Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead, Elle Cosimano

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, Elle Cosimano

The Last Devil to Die, Richard Osman

Murder Your Employer, Rupert Holmes

Conan Doyle for the Defense: The True Story of a Sensational British Murder, a Quest for Justice, and the World's Most Famous Detective Writer, Margalit Fox

To finish, something a librarian told me once that stayed with me is this: Every book has it's reader, and every reader has their book. You don't have to like or dislike a book just because someone else does. Find your books, and just enjoy them like mad!

Happy New Year!

[megsbooklr]

End of the year book-reading ask game

(Part 2)

6. Any new favorite authors?

青色羽翼 (Cyan Wings) - for Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know which is an amazing meta xianxia danmei with body horror written in the style of Frieren story xD

Nanako Tsujimura - for The Case Files of Jeweler Richard and the emotional damage I suffered while reading :D

7. Any old favorites let you down?

A little bit... Holly Black with The Book of Night (but again this is rather a case of personal preferences - I just didn't like the MC and her world that much...) and Nghi Vo with Into the Riverlands, but only because it was good but not as amazing as The Empress of Salt and Fortune :)

8. If someone were to ask you what your top ten books for this year were, which would you choose?

These are more or less in order from the most favourite ones:

Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know by Cyan Wings

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard by Nanako Tsujimura (I read volumes 1-6)

The Hound of Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

Liu Yao: The Revitalization of the Fuyao Sect by priest

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Holmes of Kyoto by Mai Mochizuki (I read volumes 1-3)

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

9. What book(s) had the biggest influence over your life this year?

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard have ruined relationships for me... because nobody does it like Richard and Seigi (and nobody makes me scream into the void as much as they do :D)

10. Any books you hate-read this year?

Not really... I forced myself to finish The Book of Night, Heir of Uncertain Magic by Charlie N. Holmberg and In the Dark by Jin Shisi Chai instead of dropping them, but I still retained some warm feelings towards them :)