#bookish soundtracks

[milkywaiiiss]

One of my favourite moments in Heartstopper S2 was when Elle and Tao kissed in the Louvre and had their first authentic romantic moment together and 'Fall In Love With A Girl' (by Cavetown ft. Orla Gartland) began to play- it felt so right and its such a perfect song to play in such a beautiful moment 💕

[eachpage]

Flashback: Songs inspired by GOT and ASOIAF

Hi, dearies! 🎧 I suppose you have seen or rather heard some songs that remind you of Game of Thrones, and did you think, hey, was this song written or inspired by GOT? I sure did a couple of times. This post will also act as a Friday Flashback because well, it is Game of Thrones we are talking about after all. And A Song of Ice and Fire, which is not over yet but let’s face it, we have been…

[polaesims]

📖Hermione and Haisley🏵️

Hermione and Haisley are an intriguing pair of twins with distinct personalities that complement each other in delightful ways. Hermione, the elder of the two, is a brilliant mind wrapped in a bookish charm. Her love for reading extends beyond mere enjoyment; it's a passion that fuels her work in the realm of science. Whether she's immersed in a classic novel or conducting experiments in her laboratory, Hermione's intellect is a beacon that guides her through the wonders of knowledge. In contrast, Haisley is the embodiment of a free spirit, radiating positivity and embracing a hippie lifestyle. Her vegetarianism is not just a dietary choice but a reflection of her deep connection with nature and all living beings. Haisley's world is adorned with colorful tapestries, crystals, and a constant soundtrack of soothing melodies. Her heart beats in rhythm with the Earth, and she exudes a calming aura that draws people into her orbit.

Twins from one of my Legacy playthroughs. I gave them a little makeover 💕

[monbons]

WIP Wednesday

Thanks for the tag @thewholelemon! Your snippet looks hilarious!!! I need more details (Baz, you’re a killjoy!)

Today's post is dedicated to @cutestkilla, who is determined to figure out all my secrets when it comes to The Eternal Life of Baz Pitch. So here is a DELUGE of clues to put up on your murder wall and connect with pins and string. MWAHAHA!

A fabulous playlist. You know what goes well with the angst buffet I'm serving up on AO3? An epic soundtrack. Do the songs match up to specific chapters? Do the lyrics mean anything? Is it just vibes? Who knows. Enjoy. (Spotify Link)

Tidbits from my Dead Darlings doc. No spoilers here. All tidbits are from an entire subplot that I cut very early and all names and identifying details have been redacted.

Apparently, such were the times in which [redacted] was living. People kept all manner of useless things in their homes. Shelves with books they didn’t read. Baskets whose sole purpose was to display knick-knacks. And, apparently, time pieces that did not actually keep time.

Or this little bit of dialogue:

“[Redacted]! How can you not know this?!” [Redacted does a highly specific motion I cannot include]. [Redacted] groans. “[Redacted pet name that should not be a pet name but for some reason is and must also be scratched], what am I going to do with you?” “Love me anyway, I imagine.” [Everything after this point definitely needs to be redacted...]

3. A couple beta comments from @thewholelemon. Have I mentioned she's the best beta in the world? Seriously, all the kudos for this fic should be sent directly to Jenny.

happy kitten or grumpy kitten? lol

HORRIFYING. like something out of a scary movie.

LOL braden!!! polycule!!! this is so funny!

Side note: fuck this guy

Have fun unraveling that knot of nonsense, Dre. [Cackles like the dark and disappears in a cloud of smoke.]

For everyone else, if you got this far, thank you. Have a little chapter 3 snippet under the cut, this time featuring current Baz.

Baz could make this difficult. He could wait for the boy to hit on him some more. To ask him his name or if he’d like to have dinner. But, Baz is feeling rather lonely after his unsuccessful hunt for a one-night stand yesterday and this boy can be good enough. So, he takes a step closer and lifts the boy’s chin with a careful finger instead. The boy’s eyes meet his immediately, which is precisely what Baz wanted. The whole scene sets off another round of barking from the tiny dog. “Take me home with you,” Baz whispers.

Hellos and high-fives. Tag, you're it.

@thewholelemon, @roomwithanopenfire, @noblecorgi, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @youarenevertooold, @cutestkilla, @bookish-bogwitch, @emeryhall, @valeffelees, @beastmonstertitan, @raenestee, @arthurkko, @iamamythologicalcreature, @hushed-chorus, @rimeswithpurple, @aristocratic-otter, @cattocavo, @larkral, @drowninginships, @artsyunderstudy, @whatevertheweather, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @comesitintheclover, @shrekgogurt

[maraschino-girl]

➳❥ Patrick Bateman Misc. Headcanons !!

✘ content warning: patrick being patrick !! ✘ 𖦹 had a morbidly obsessive interest in the human skin bound book, Des destinées de l'âme, in the Harvard University library. he couldn't read it, of course, but that didn't stop him from admiring it. 𖦹 he's extremely pissed he never had the chance to get into Studio 54 during its heyday. he tries for the successors, although they're not as iconic and void of all the genuine debauchery of the OG. 𖦹 adding onto the 'Kimball reflects light in his eyes' test theory, he also doesn't yawn when others do. slightly backed up by the novel only ever having him yawn first and never in response to others. 𖦹 he doesn't mention it, huge shocker, but we all know he loves the song 'Psycho Killer' by Talking Heads. 𖦹 watching Evil Dead 2 gave him some mighty fine inspiration for what to do with decapitated heads! 𖦹 movies he would adore: Slumber Party Massacre (1982), Videodrome (1983), Re-Animator (1985), Sorority House Massacre (1986), Prom Night (1980), Faces of Death (1978), Hud (1963), & Scarface (1983). 𖦹 he's the type to call a hue 'blood orange', 'evian blue', 'royal gold'--- you get the picture. 𖦹 favorite perfumes are fruity floral ones; especially cherry scents that have a sickening sweet aroma! akin to the high sweet scent of formaldehyde and rot! 𖦹 ate $2 pizza at a hole-in-the-wall during one of his 'episodes' and wanted to puke! just kidding, he did. nothing should ever have that much grease and marinara, goddammit! 𖦹 considering he's canonically a microwave cook, I'm sure he's destroyed any attempts of a romantic dinner in. a 'water caught on fire' kind of cook. 𖦹 his Aiwa stereo does have a turntable so I imagine he has a vast collection of vinyl records of not only his favourite albums but of classical music, film and musical soundtracks. 𖦹 had an incident at a drive-in theatre when he was in college. luckily it wasn't his car, and luckily it was some bookish bitch who wouldn't be missed! let's just say, she too, was gone with the wind. 𖦹 we already knew, but he's a massive voyeur. but expanding on that, I don't think he would mind watching certain men coughPrice bump uglies with a woman of his choice. this all due to his reactions and thoughts when watching his 'best friend' nearly have foreplay with his girlfriend right in the bedroom with him. 𖦹 y'know that porno that people joked about? the one where a woman calls out "Oh God! Oh God!" and the dude's like "There are no Gods here"? yeah, that's him.

𖦹 there's contradicting comments about how he was a child-- his mother states he was a nice boy, but that's a biased POV. regarding his confession about what he did to a maid on Christmas Eve at age 14, he definitely seemed like a creepy kid. y'know, those rich boys with the too gelled hair, big ol' eyes that stare right through you, and their lil pastel cardigan tied around their shoulders. he was like an oil painting whose eyes follow you everywhere you went. I don't see him as a 'I stuck the neighbours' dog's head on a stick' type, more of a 'I watch you sleep and shit talk you so everyone hates you' type !

[prettygoododds]

Getting to Know You Better Tag Game

Thank you @rimeswithpurple for the tag. I love these!

getting to know you better game

Thanks for the tag @bookish-bogwitch !

last song: "Thank You For the Music" by ABBA but the Mama Mia soundtrack version. Teenage Odds has been obsessed with Mama Mia lately and has been blasting the soundtrack giving us all a free concert when she's doing chores

favourite colour: Mint

currently watching: The Gentleman. I needed something to be background noise, but I actually ended up getting hooked.

sweet/savoury/spicy: sweet and savory, but not spicy. It really depends on my mood which one I want.

relationship status: married for 20 years this June (together for 23 years)

current obsession: I'm kinda in limbo right now. No obsession, but it's not going to take much to tip me over into the deep dive, must know everything mindset. Beware!

last thing I googled: "what were the event in a medieval tournament" for no reason what so ever.

No pressure tags: @noblecorgi @youarenevertooold @roomwithanopenfire @hushed-chorus @thewholelemon @aristocratic-otter

[veronicaleighauthor]

The Heroine After My Own Heart

For awhile now, I have wanted to write a post on Jo March and the whole Should She Have Married Laurie, or Was She Right in Marrying Friedrich Bhaer? We all have different opinions and mine actually varies depending on the source. If I’m reading the book, I kind of wish Jo had remained single as Alcott originally intended. If I’m watching the 1994 or 2019 adaptations, I’m Team Bhaer all the way. If I’m watching the 2017 adaptation, I’m Team Laurie. I’ve come to realize I have nothing really new or enlightening to say on the subject of Jo’s romantic prospects or marriage. I also realized the whole Laurie versus Bhaer doesn’t even matter. In the end, what’s important is that I’m Team Jo and I should be grateful Alcott created such a fantastic heroine. Is she hetero, part of the LGBT community, Asexual? Who knows? She’s open for interpretation – and I love that. There’s no single way to view her because Jo defied societal norms from beginning to end.

This post will rather be about my love for Jo, how I was introduced to her, and the impact she’s made on my life.

I was fourteen and I had agreed to help with a church yard sale and I did. It wasn’t super busy, so I wandered about and stumbled upon a VHS copy of “Little Women” 1994 for sale. Louisa May Alcott‘s autobiographical account of her life with her three sisters in Concord, Massachusetts in the 1860s. With their father fighting in the American Civil War, sisters Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth are at home with their mother, a very outspoken woman for her time. The story tells of how the sisters grow up, find love, and find their place in the world. Intrigued by the cover and the description on the back, I bought it. When I watched it, Jo March became The Heroine After My Own Heart. I had been writing seriously for three years and was astonished that I had yet to be published (I was convinced I was going to be a best-selling author before I was out of my teens, lol!). Throughout the movie, Jo’s single-minded ambition to be a writer and published and make money, resonated with me. I wanted that. I wanted to write myself into money.

I went to my Home Away From Home, BooksAMillion, and bought a copy of “Little Women.” The movie was different from the book in many ways, but it captured its spirit. I devoured the book, a couple of series connected to it, written by modern authors. I bought the soundtrack, other books by and about Alcott, and watched other adaptations. Jo – tomboyish, odd, comical, bookish, klutzy, weird Jo – was my literary idol. She was one of the first literary She’s not like other girls. I mimicked Jo in many ways, adopted her beliefs, borrowed from her story for my juvenilia, and wanted to be her more than anything. I was much shyer than Jo and didn’t really struggle with a bad temper, but Jo made it okay for me to embrace my own interests and weirdness. Others may not understand, others may laugh, others may criticize – but there’s nothing wrong with being different.

Years passed and I met other literary heroines who I fell in love with…but Jo was still The Heroine After My Own Heart. I return to her time and time again, for inspiration and hope for my own brilliant literary career. Unfortunately for me, it took a little longer to figure out my writing niche, than it took Jo. I’m getting there. I’ve also accepted that I’m shy and an introvert and I don’t have to mimic my favorite heroine. My personality, beliefs, mannerisms, quirks, etc are fine. One of Jo’s best qualities is that she always remained true to herself, and we should too.

So, check out “Little Women” 1994, I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it.

Until next time.

[saint-starflicker]

Spring Awakening Fandom Tag

(By @winter-asleepening )

1. How were you introduced to the show?

2007(?) OBC sountrack on compact disk gift from a friend.

2. Seen a production live?

My honest answer is going to get me in trouble around Question 17, isn't it.

3. Dream role/character you relate to most

Ilse Neumann.

4. Favorite male character

Moritz.

5. Favorite female character

Ilse. Is that redundant with Question 3? Martha, then.

6. Deaf West Revival or Original Broadway Cast?

The OBC soundtrack got me through a very rough time in my life, but as far as the cast goes I'm going to say the Deaf West revival cast. I'm glad it was revived, I'm glad that cast is cast in that cast, and I'm glad they're the introduction for a new generation of Guilty Ones.

7. Favorite song

I love them all equally.

8. Least favorite song

...I don't care for Mirror Blue Night.

9. Favorite quote/line

I'm more of a melody person than a lyrics person.

10. Favorite TV performance

Deaf West Touch Me THEY TURNED INTO A BOAT

11. Favorite cast member(s)

I don't really play favorites with cast members, I just try to find what each new actor brings into the role.

12. Favorite cast member moment

I don't really follow the behind the scenes anecdotes either, but Jonathan Groff forgetting the lyrics to Left Behind except for "all things" is as inspirational as it is horrific to imagine going through. If he can get through that and live to tell the tale, then I can get through a bad day.

Also every time Michael Arden says, "All my best ideas come from [ Andy Mientus ]" is like d'aww they're cute together.

13. Do you write fan fiction?

In this fandom, no, I'm more of a reader.

14. Do you make fan art?

I could.

15. Do you cosplay?

Not really...I don't like the late 19th century fashions? I'm more of a Merveilleuse type (no bra no corset just Spirit Halloween chiton).

16. Don’t do Sadness or Blue Wind?

Those are two halves of a whole song!

17. Word of your body or the Reprise?

OBC I did not like the Reprise because even through the Discman (... that's a Walkman for CD's) I had the sense that it was a "comic relief" moment that relied on the existence of gay boys as the joke.

The Deaf West production kept a sense of respite and relief, and some comedy in the relationship dynamic between Ernst and Hanschen rather than playing on preexisting stereotypes...even though it didn't change a word of the script in that scene, which is amazing on a text analysis level like what happened who used the Captain Planet power ring with the power of heart in this scene, what sorcery is this?

So it depends, because the non-reprise Word of Your Body does a narrative job—Melchior haters can feel free to hate, but I can understand what the musical version was trying to go for with his character, and Word of Your Body was part of that.

Groff's Melchior came off more smarter-and-better-than-you but sort of giving up his pretensions in the process of seduction, and I can understand why that aspect might look appealing.

Doyle's Melchior doesn't have that "he's a ruthless boy but maybe i can change him"—I think he plays Melchior as more sad and desperate, and putting that energy into studying is how his Melchior thinks he gets a handle on his own feelings.

McKenzie's Melchior is an oafish, bookish 14-year-old boy trying to act smooth as he condescends to a Deaf girl. He has as much primal sexual energy as a newborn beagle puppy, which to be clear is none at all. I think that can be endearing, that he doesn't really know what he's blathering about in terms of life experience.

Wendla's a consistent constant performance-wise, all three versions I think balance out to a constant average...so it's really the Reprise that determines which one I like better.

OBC Reprise was very much worse than OBC Word of Your Body...but, Deaf West Reprise was a little better than Deaf West Word of Your Body and a lot better than the OBC Reprise. But I like the OBC Word of Your Body better than the Deaf West Reprise, at the same time that I like the Deaf West Word of Your Body an equal amount as the OBC Word of Your Body, contextualized comparatively being different than the chronological context that defines its vibe in an individual show's run time.

18. Touch Me or My Junk?

My Junk as a tune — but the Deaf West Touch Me did turn everybody into a boat, that was kinda cool.

19. Explain the song of purple summer.

Ilse recovered from her trauma and now owns her sexual identity, despite the history of everyone in her home and community doing their worst to her in ways that directly targeted that very intimate part of her. Her story is not the main plot of the show, but the fact that she survived and found personal definition means she now has her own voice on which to carry the wisdom of her life. That will be what heals and inspires others. Red or pink sunsets plus blue evenings make the sky in summer purple. At the end of the day, there still is beauty in living.

20. Explain the song of purple summer (wrong answers only)

Butterflies scatter ergot fungus while they fly around, so everybody thinks that everything looks purple this summer. The sky is purple. The rain is purple. The corn is purple. The horses are purple. The fungus is eating everybody's brains. They're all going to die.

[azurecanary]

Tag nine people you want to catch up with/get to know better

tagged by @thiamsxbitch (thanks for the tag!!)

Last Song: 30/90 from the tick, tick... BOOM! soundtrack

Last movie: In from the Side. It's a fantastic movie about a gay rugby team

Currently reading/last read: Quite a few of these. I'm rereading Pages I Never Wrote by Marco Donati (a book about a gay dyspraxic college student). And I'm currently reading through The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro and Legionnaires Book 2 for the first time.

Currently watching: Also quite a few things lol. Watching Ahsoka, Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, and Only Murders in the Building. And I'm rewatching How to Get Away with Murder and 911 Lone Star.

Current obsession: Obviously Ahsoka Tano. Also my PSP, Adam Silvera books, etc. Also Rockadam.

tagging: @rhyslahey @ksbbb @solarisone @spill-that-anxietea @mmoosen @gamer-kai @bookish-bi-mormon @delayshay @ryder616

[annwrites]

Your nate jacobs fic is so good!

Can i ask what kind of style does the reader have?

Also what would be in her Spotify playlist?

(i love asking questions about fics that i adore, sorry if i am being annoying 💀)

Kisses 💋

Tysm! 😭

For her style, I kind of tried to describe it a little in the first post to envoke the image of like...light academia, I suppose? She's bookish and conservative in regards to how she dresses and acts (quiet, observant, etc).

As for her playlist, I'd say, just to give a few examples to help build a general idea of her tastes/personality (the lyrics of the chosen songs hold 0 significance toward why she listens to them—I actually had to go through my own music player & pick out songs that I feel have a general sound that she would enjoy):

lots of lofi

A Heavy Abacus by The Joy Formidable

Here We Go by Mat Kearney

All I Want by Kodaline

Let Me In by Group Love

No Way Out by Rie Sinclair

I could find more songs, but then we'd be here all night lol (honestly, bc they had sm good music in it, almost anything from The Vampire Diaries soundtrack I could see her getting into).

And not annoying at all! Receiving an ask at all, and especially one that shows how passionate you are about something that I posted & expected to get very little attention means so much to me (pls feel free to send more). 🩷

[sub-at-omicsteminist]

I got tagged by @pions for this game

Tag 10 people you want to know better @that-bitttch @bookish-tardigrade @limits-and-derivatives @aurorasoleil @cyeayt @idesinfection (No pressure tags <3 )

favourite colour: Yellows and Greens there’s something just so joyous about those colours

Song stuck in your head: giving into the love by aurora, I enjoy the part where she goes laaa la laa la la la laaaaaa and it’s always in my head

Last song you listened to: Possession of a weapon by Ashnikko, I’ve been working through some stuff that makes me feel angry and upset and turns out Ashnikko is providing the soundtrack for this stage of my life.

3 favourite foods: The lasagna my dad makes, any type of pasta salad and my great aunts potatoes

Last thing I googled: Computational Complexity, I was making a post about Dorit Aharanov. before that the last thing I googled was “is 8 pints a lot”, I know nothing about alcohol and I was trying to figure out how much my boyfriend drank at a folk festival.

Dream Trip: literally anywhere, I’ve never left the UK which is depressing but due to life circumstances I’ve never been able to. I know id like to go to Cyprus since my family is from there.

Anything I want rn: a full night of decent sleep.

[a-ramblinrose]

A Weekly Reading Journal 2.4.24

How is it February already??? Well, screaming about time passing later, bookish nonsense now!

Currently Reading:

Poetry:

The Book of Songs translated by Arthur Waley

The Collected Poems of Sara Teasdale

Rilke: Poems by Rainer Maria Rilke

Marriage Poems edited by John Hollander

The Sonnets of William Shakespeare [RR]

Nonfiction:

Eros The Bittersweet by Anne Carson

Fiction:

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin [RR]

The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley

Complete Shorter Fiction by Oscar Wilde

Graphic Novels:

Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Vol. 6 by Naoko Takeuchi

Just Finished:

Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono ★★★

The Iliad by Homer translated by Emily Wilson ★★★★

General Reading Thoughts:

I fully admit to being distracted by fanfiction and non-bookish doings this last week. The rain has been a delightful soundtrack to what reading I have enjoyed though!

Happy Reading!!!

Current Reading Tag || General Original Content || 2024 Reading Page

[myclutteredbookshelf]

📚1, 📙1, 📖2? (Bookish asks)

I didn't notice the duplicate emojis when I first shared the post, so thank you for being specific!

📚Do you have a go-to reading spot or do you read everywhere?

At the moment, my go-to spot in the corner of my couch, right next to the coffee table. If I'm reading somewhere outside of my house, I try to find a quiet corner to tuck into.

📙What’s your favorite genre to read, and do you have any recommendations within that genre?

I'm a sucker for magical realism. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez has been on my TBR list since I read his short story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" in high school. Hopefully, I'll get around to reading it soon.

As for books that I have read, I'd recommend the following:

Beloved by Toni Morrison

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

📖What is your favorite book-to-movie adaptation, and why?

Probably Agnieszka Holland's The Secret Garden (1993). The three child actors all give great performances, the soundtrack is a seamless blend of mystery and whimsy, and I appreciate that the film ends with a monologue from Mary. It always bothered me that the novel focused more on Colin towards the end since Mary's the one who found the garden and brought life back to Misselthwaite.

[devitalise]

IMO CHEESEHAIR I still need to sit with my roundup but lest I make you wait any longer — January reads pls!!! 🤲 did you set out to read the specific books you read, or did it just kinda end up that way? & do you have a plan for this month's reads? 💭

CAS DJSERVO you'd think i'd be even a little bit prepped to do a book wrap up, but january was so long and so short! i didn't go in with any specifics, i went away on a work trip and was kind of just left with my kindle picks. got to say, can't do back to back to back kindle reads, i like to break it up with a physical book just for the act of reading but anyways here's my

january book wrap up

fight club by chuck palahniuk

entered the fight club universe. i still haven't watched the movie, so i was able to go into this completely unaware of anything to do with the plot. it was actually quite easy to get into this independent of the cult-classic-coming-of-age-must-watch surrounding the book and movie. palahniuk is a decent writer, the snapshot jumpiness of the prose paid off. neat.

podcasts: bookwasted. music: fight club original score

checkout 19 by claire-louise bennett

i almost put this one down due to a mix of me not being in the right headspace to really get into the book, and the rhythm of the book not fully settling for me until around the 30% mark. but i got through it, and once i got into it, i was in. stream of consciousness with a twist, as the narrator makes sense of her own memory through remembering reading, relationships, class and money. a lot of meat for a concept that seems pretty threadbare.

podcasts: shakespeare and company music: severance soundtrack

please look after mother by shin kyung-sook

not liking a book written in second person feels blasphemous for me, i love second person sooo much! but there was a real disconnect for me here. definitely in the story. struggled to stay engaged with this book, the realisations the characters were having felt so juvenile and very early-adulthood. some of the perspective and time changes were a bit confusing too.

couldn't find a podcast for this. music: pachinko soundtrack

just by looking at him by ryan o'connell

this book was just so raunchy and fun! one of my aims for the year is to seek out more disabled representation in the books i read, and this book was just so perfect. elliot is infallible, he's real, and being in his head and his world was so dramatic and true to life i feel. a time capsule of a read, so present without being cringy.

review: bookish magazine music: good with any kind of pop

their eyes were watching god by zora neale hurston

yeah. i haven't written a review on goodreads yet, just because i want to sit with this book for a bit longer. this is an incredible book, and i don't think i could have read it at any other time in my life. this is so ahead of its time, i can't believe it was published in the 30s. all it has to say on love and community and hurston's ability to capture a time on paper is so inspiring. i love janie as a heroine, as a woman, as someone who allows herself to change in her circumstances but always know who she is at heart. one of my top of the year (no it's not too early to say that!)

podcasts: novel pairings and black chick lit music: reader made playlist

feb reads: i have another country by james baldwin picked out as my next read! i'm honestly not too sure what's after that. my book ban is still going strong, i have 47 titles to pick from so i'll see where i end up!

[shadowflorecita]

HELLO! Today I gave myself a quest: spreading positivity.

So my darling: what is a bookish thing you love? (ship, character, favorite book, whatever bookish thing you wanna talk about)

Hi there! 😊 what a noble quest you are on! Thank you so much for spreading positivity ✨ that endeavor is much appreciated!

One of my favorite books right now is Under The Oak Tree. It's a Korean novel by author Suji Kim.

((TW in the plot summmary + photos for PA)) The story is a fantasy romance about a heroic and devastatingly handsome knight named Riftan Calypse who is forced to marry beautiful Maximillian Croyso, the daughter of a duke. Little does anyone know, Maxi was harshly abused by her father because she has a terrible stutter and therefore really bad insecurities. Riftan however, worships her and her stutter doesn't bother him one bit. Little does anyone know that HE'S been in love with her since they were kids (& she didn't know him then).

Anyway their story is much like a miscommunication trope which I don't usually go for but it's been enjoyable to see their individual healing, their character growth, and the solidarity of their love for each other. All whilst navigating wizard magic, monster attacks, wars, Maxi's lying scheming ass hat of a dad, and a freakin dragon!!

There are two books available* and the author is still writing book 2. She releases 2 chapters a week online (through ridibooks) which has been really fun to experience because my online book club stays up late waiting for the chapters, discussing our theories and hopes, simping over Riftan + his innercourt of Remdragon knights, and sharing fanfics & art. Once the chapter is available, we use machine translations to figure out what's going on b/c it's posted in Korean (-there are parts of book one available on Amazon for mobile devices that are "officially translated" and divided into "seasons"). *There is actually another "book" called Riftan's POV but it's much shorter so I don't know if it's considered an actual book but it's so so important in regards to the story as a whole and the reveal of Riftan's inner emotions towards Maxi.

It may seem kinda silly but I love it so much because I find common ground with Maxi and her journey. The fantasy world building is amazing! Riftan is the "touch her and you die" kinda man, and pretty cold towards everyone else and she is his sunshine and she is so passionate about helping others at any cost. And there are lots of great spicy moments 😏

Under The Oak Tree is also an Manhwa (Korean Manga), which is releasing chapters at a much slower rate (on the Manta app) but I think the artist is absolutely incredible!!

Anyway I'm rambling.. I do that when I talk about books I love ha ha but I hope someone gets turned on to Under the Oak Tree! There is even an official soundtrack (both Korean & English) on Spotify. & Manta made an animated video here.

Thank you again for your ask, anon! It's one of the first I've ever received so its awesome that its about bookish things 🧡

[partoftheairforce]

thank you so much to @bookish-strawberry for tagging me‼️ (fangirling very hard rn) i have been given ILIWYS 😼

Album: I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It

Fav songs: Loving Someone, UGH!, The Ballad Of Me And My Brain, and She Lays Down ❤️

Underrated song: Please Be Naked (i fall asleep to it all the time, and ambient music will forever have my heart)

Overrated song: She's American (i broke my arm while dancing to it in 2017 so i have an intense love/hate relationship with it 🙄)

Fav mv: Love Me (matty is just too slimy and therefore hot to handle 😩💋)

Skip: NONE (though if i was reaching i'd say This Must Be My Dream)

Rating: 10/10 (it's half of the soundtrack to my teen years so anything less would be untrue xxx)

i will be tagging... (sorry if i'm annoying btw‼️)

@ohcaroline ABIIOR

@freebarthatsthepoint The 1975

@nothingrevealedeverythingdenied BFIAFL

and anybody else who would like to have a go! 💋💋