#c.a. castle

[transbookoftheday]

Books To Read For Genderfluid Visibility Week

Happy Genderfluid Visibility Week! Here are some books with genderfluid main characters you should read and/or preorder:

Book titles:

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

Dragonfall by L.R. Lam

Something Spectacular by Alexis Hall

Salt the Water by Candice Iloh

Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore

Valerin the Fair by Rien Gray

Nine of Swords, Reversed by Xan West

Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller

The Manor House Governess by C.A. Castle (comes out November 7, 2023)

A River of Golden Bones by A.K. Mulford (comes out December 5, 2023)

[society1989]

the manor house governess - c.a. castle | BOOK REVIEW

🗓️ DATE RELEASED;

NOVEMBER 2023

📚 GENRE;

CONTEMPORARY/GOTHIC MYSTERY/ROMANCE

⭐️ PERSONAL RATING;

DECENT READ, BUT WAS PERSONALLY NOT FOR ME. EXTRA THOUGHTS (SPOILER & NON-SPOILER) BELOW THE CUT.

💭 thoughts (non-spoiler edition);

i found this book in my library by complete accident but really liked the cover and premise so i took it home. for future reference, main character bron uses he/him pronouns but identifies as nonbinary/genderqueer.

bron is an orphan and was brought up in a boys only boarding school and ,with that, carries some trauma that slowly gets revealed to the reader. he signs up to be the tutor of ada, the granddaughter of mr. edwards, who owns the manor. the idea of a genderqueer person being brought to work in a old fashioned english manor, surrounded by eccentric characters and getting to explore this new life in the city was really interesting to me.

unfortunately, this book really isn’t for me. i don’t mind a slow or nonexistent plot if the characters are enjoyable, but events happened at a snails pace with not much to work off of - very few conversations or changes happen until suddenly called for it, making the drama seem… almost out of place? the dialogue didn’t work well in my opinion; too heavy handed and while each character had their own voice most of the time, the long conversations about gender and sexuality blend together and make identifying who’s speaking really difficult. these parts also felt separate from the overarching story, and could’ve been put to better use in an academic essay or something more analytical because they really threw off the flow.

the characters were fine. not particularly memorable if im being honest, but fine. bron makes an interesting protagonist and in a more revised story, could’ve been a more complex heroine. ill say more in my spoiler thoughts, but his love of history, female protagonists of regency era romances like jane eyre and elizabeth bennet, and his own complicated relationship with gender and his upbringing, laid the groundwork for a hard hitting storyline that never really happened. ada is a child character and as you can expect, was overall written decently (though she had moments where she was a little annoying. but little kids are usually annoying so it made sense). mr. edwards was a character. he existed. moving onto darcy.. he also existed and was a character. yep. i think it’s time to actually get into spoilers because wooh boy

💬 thoughts (spoiler edition, be warned!);

the first 50 pages were so promising. and then darcy shows up. darcy is supposed to be a complex character, he’s meant to be someone we are conflicted about. one second we feel for him the next we can’t stand him. and i get that. but for him to be a good complex character im supposed to like him.. if not just a little bit… or find him charming. and he’s none of those. like at all. only in the last 80 pages of the books when we learn the family secret do i actually care for him. even then im just hoping bron rips off the rose-tinted glasses and gets out of the house (which he does! good job bron). bron and darcy’s relationship feels very unbalanced. not because of the employer-worker dynamic or their age gap, but the lack of respect between them and how darcy talks down to bron made their relationship unbearably hard to read. at the end, i was pleasantly surprised by the open ending. i think this regency inspired romance novel ending in bron leaving the mansion, thus ending him and darcy’s tumultuous relationship, and discovering himself was a great statement about bron maturing from his imagined reality. while he does visit ada and darcy, im still glad it was left open ended and didn’t end in him returning to the mansion itself. i also enjoyed the conversation bron and harry had. after years of regret and pining, they’ve both grown, they can finally talk about the past now. it’s realistically awkward and clunky, but there’s a real connection that still shines in their dialogue. it felt like the perfect climax to bron’s character journey and was great closure for the audience. the mystery was simple but i found the dynamics between the four core characters (toni, darcy, giovanni, and mr edwards) much more compelling than anything that happened in the book.

🖋️analysis;

bron is a young person who’s view on life has been shaped by books and movies. he’s projected this many times onto the people in his life; harry was his hero, a knight in shining armor. darcy is the elusive romantic interest, he’s a mr darcy. clarence the maid is a potential murder suspect, planning revenge for decades. the world contorts into heightened reality and this ultimately hurts bron in the long run. his expectations too high, placing people into archetypes that they aren’t, he always seems to get it wrong. but he cannot stop, because what if life was like pride and prejudice? what if this moment felt just as it looked in cinema? this part was so captivating to read about, and wish this aspect of bron was highlighted.

📝favorite quotes (spoilers yet again);

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🌈 Queer Books Coming Out in October 2024 🌈

🌈 Good afternoon, my bookish bats! Here are a FEW of the stunning, diverse queer books you can add to your TBR before the year is over. Happy reading!

❓What was the last queer book you read?

[ Release dates may have changed. List below! ]

❤️ Back in the Hunt - K. Sterling 🧡 The Connoisseur's Christmas Courtship - L.M. Bennett 💛 Shoestring Theory - Mariana Costa 💚 The Black Hunger - Nicholas Pullen 💙 Wild Fire - Radclyffe 💜 Because Fat Girl - Lauren Marie Fleming ❤️ The Ace and Aro Relationship Guide - Cody Daigle-Orians 🧡 Soul Survivors - River Kai 💛 Stolen Hearts - Michele Castleman 💙 Reverence - Milena McKay 💜 Love Immortal - Kit Vincent

❤️ Take a Sad Song - Ona Gritz 🧡 Showmance - Chad Beguelin 💛 Redundancies & Potentials - Dominique Dickey 💚 Alexander - Karla Nikole 💙 Rest in Peaches - Alex Brown 💜 Rise of the Wrecking Crew - Kalynn Bayron ❤️ Language Lessons - Sage Donnell 🧡 Legend of the White Snake - Sher Lee 💛 Sorcery and Small Magis - Maiga Doocy 💙 Cried Out - Kate Hawthorne 💜 Skysong - C.A. Wright 🌈 No Rules Tonight - Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada

❤️ My Mother's Ridiculous Rules for Dating - Philip William Stover 🧡 I Shall Never Fall in Love - Hari Conner 💛 Castle Swimmer - Wendy Martin 🧡 The Hollow and the Haunted - Camilla Raines 💙 How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? - Anna Montague 💜 The Arizona Triangle - Sydney Graves ❤️ Every Rule Undone - Nancy S.M. Waldman 🧡 Mister Nice - Jamie Jennings 💛 Under the Mistletoe with You - Lizzie Huxley-Jones 💙 How to Fall in Love in a Time of Unnameable Disaster - Muriel Leung 💜 The Snowball Effect - Haley Cass 🌈 This Will Be Fun - E.B. Asher

❤️ Our Evenings - Alan Hollinghurst 🧡 Don't Let the Forest In - C.G. Drews 💛 Finding Delaware - Bree Wiley 💚 The Reeds - Arjun Basu 💙 The Bloodless Princes - Charlotte Bond 💜 Women's Hotel - Daniel M. Lavery ❤️ Alex McKenna and the Academy of Souls - Vicki-Ann Bush 🧡 A Vile Season - David Ferraro 💛 Synchronicity - J.J. Hale 💙 Writ of Love - Cassidy Crane 💜 Di-Curious - Erin Branch 🌈 Swordcrossed - Freya Marske

❤️ Stand Up! - Tori Sharp 🧡 Haunt Me, Baby - Rose Santoriello 💚 Planet Drag: Uncover the Global Herstory - Various 💙 Until We Shatter - Kate Dylan 💜 Metal from Heaven - August Clarke ❤️ Vicious Fates and Vast Futures - Tilly Bramley 🧡 The Daughter of Danray - Natalia Hernandez 💛 If I Stopped Haunting You - Colby Wilkens 💙 The Darkness Behind The Door - Mira Gonzalez 💜 Hunt Monsters, Do Magic, and Fall in Love - A.M. Weald 🌈 Jasmine Is Haunted - Mark Oshiro

❤️ Model Home - Rivers Solomon 🧡 Haunting Melody - Chloe Spencer 💛 The Door in Lake Mallion - S.M. Beiko 💚 The City in Glass - Nghi Vo 💙 Fang Fiction - Kate Stayman-London 💜 The Merriest Misters - Timothy Janovsky ❤️ Make the Season Bright - Ashley Herring Blake 🧡 My Kind of Trouble - L.A. Schwartz 💛 To Become A Flower - CEON 💙 What Was Lost - Melissa Connelly 💜 The Forbidden Book - Sacha Lamb 🌈 This Dark Paradise - Erin Luken

❤️ The Sound of Storms - Anya Keeler 🧡 Country Queers - Rae Garringer 💛 A Spell for Heartsickness - Alistair Reeves 💚 The Stars Inside Us - Kristy Gardner 💙 October's Ocean - Delaine Coppock 💜 Haunt Your Heart Out - Amber Roberts ❤️ The Dark Becomes Her - Judy I. Lin 🧡 Power Pose - Emily Silver 💛 The Magic You Make - Jason June 💙 House of Elephants - Claribel A. Ortega 💜 Tegan and Sara: Crush - Tegan Quin, Sara Quin, Tillie Walden 🌈 The Brightness Between Us - Eliot Schrefer

❤️ The Spring before Obergefell - Benjamin S. Grossberg 🧡 Pray For Him - Tyler Battaglia 💛 Coup de Grâce - Sofia Ajram 💚 Coal Gets In Your Veins - Cat Rector 💙 He Who Bleeds - Dorian Valentine 💜 The Revenge of Captain Vessia - Leslie Allen ❤️ Camelot's Tower - Brooke Matthews 🧡 The Manor - Tiffany E. Taylor 💛 Arcanum - Ashlyn Drewek 💙 Strange Beasts - Susan J. Morris 💜 On Vicious Worlds - Bethany Jacobs 🌈 Death Song - B. Ripley

❤️ Best Hex Ever - Nadia El-Fassi 🧡 I'll Be Gone for Christmas - Georgia K. Boone 💛 Make My Wish Come True - Rachael Lippincott, Alyson Derrick 💚 Gentlest of Wild Things - Sarah Underwood 💙 Troth - E.H. Lupton 💜 Solis - Paola Mendoza & Abby Sher ❤️ Lucy, Uncensored - Mel Hammond, Teghan Hammond 🧡 Mama - Nikkya Hargrove 💛 Under All the Lights - Maya Ameyaw 💙 Reclaimed - Seth Haddon 💜 The Devil's Dilemma - Alex J. Adams 🌈 The Jovian Madrigals - Janneke de Beer

❤️ Blood Price - Nicole Evans 🧡 Worship Me - K.C. Blume 💛 All the Hearts You Eat - Hailey Piper 💚 The Nightmare Before Kissmas - Sara Raasch 💙 Rogue Community College - David R. Slayton 💜 Mistress of Hours - Emma Elizabeth ❤️ The Dog Trainer's Secret - Sav Uong 🧡 Most Wonderful - Georgia Clark 💛 Antenora - Dori Lumpkin 💙 House of Frank - Kay Synclaire 💜 Sir Callie and the Witch's War - Esme Symes-Smith 🌈 Prince of Fortune - Lisa Tirreno

[athena-xox]

Edit: you can ignore this post if you’d like. An updated post can be found here.

All the eah diaries posted on tumblr (that I can find)

I recently fell down the rabbit hole of reading all the eah diaries since I didn’t know they existed so I figured I’d make a page with all the links so people can read them knowing that it’s unedited unlike the wiki

If someone knows where more are please tell me

Signature diaries:

Alistair Liddel

Apple White

Ashlynn Ella

Blondie Lockes

Briar Beauty

Bunny Blanc

C.A Cupid

Cedar wood

Cerise Hood

Darling Charming

Dexter Charming

Duchess Swan

Farrah Goodfairy

Faybelle Thorn

Ginger Breadhouse

Holly O’Hair

Hunter Huntsman

Justine Dancer

Kitty Cheshire

Lizzie Hearts

Maddie Hatter

Melody Piper

Mira Shards (EQ)

Poppy O’Hair

Raven Queen

Rosabella Beauty

Cards:

Jillian, Meeshell, Nina

Others:

Date night

Dragon Games

Epic Winter

Fairytale pride (it’s not about gay people 😔)

Heart struck

Just Sweat

Royally Ever After

Spring Unsprung

Thronecoming

Tri-Castle-On

Way Too Wonderland

Monster high fairytales:

Little Dead Riding Wolf

Snow Bite

Threadarella

Edit: I literally spent hours searching for all the different diaries when @everafterhigharchive has all of them and more. Seriously check out their acc it’s so helpful

[theangelsshoulderdevil]

TEEHEE FOR MY ASK GAME

🦢swan lake, castle, rose garden and tulip 💕💕💕💕

🦢: Colors I associate you with are pink, yellow, and orange. You give me a warm feeling and those colors give off warm and cozy feelings. 💕

As for characters I'd say Princess Bubblegum, C.A Cupid(both monster high and eah.), Flora from Winx Club, My Melody, Columbina and Navia from genshin, Robin from Honkai starrail, and Starfire from Teen Titans. For songs, they're all in the playlist I made for you. Although the two I think of you the most with are Once upon a dream and Ma belle Evangeline. And for aesthetics I think it's obvious, but royal core and princess core.

🏰: I'd much prefer you close to me sweetheart, away from everyone and everything. That way you would be nice and safe and away from anyone who would hurt you.

🥀: I'm a bit of both, although I have a huge lean towards being protective and giving. There are times where I feel more vulnerable and do desire to be looked after.

🌷: I love you so so much my sweet princess. I'd let you do absolutely anything to me. You're my everything and I will always and forever love you with my whole being.

[squalodinoappreciationsquad]

Headcanons: Dino Cavallone's entire family tree - Pt. 1

Because I can and I will.

Ofc this is ALL headcanons and also I have ADHD, pls don't take this too seriously.

So, because of several conversations I had with beloved anons, I am going to do this at best of my ability, because I am very hyped.

Let's start this one. Under cut pls :D

PART ONE!!!

The Cavallone Family Ancestor

Well, all families have a start and sometimes the start is not as glorious as one might think.

The first was Bencivenni lo Caballone. He was a knight who rersponded to Pope Innocent III's call for crusades. He participated to the Fourth Crusade (1202-1204), sacked Costantinople (1204) bringing home some souvenirs, let's call the loot like that.

The Pope ofc granted him a piece of land on the Romagnan coast, a small castle, a noble title and the forgiveness for all of his sins, because that's what the Pope had for people who could not pay actual cash money to have their sins forgiven.

Also "lo Caballone" was originally just a nickname, but that is how the 60% of Italian surnames were born.

We now have several centuries of relative anonymity, during which the family formally established their name as Cavallone and expanded their influence through strategic alliances and marriages and whatnot.

Most notably, the firstborn daughter of Marquis Duccio Cavallone, Gemma, was sent to be married into the D'Este family, a most notable noble family (c.a. 1400s) and a couple of centuries later the second born son of Marquis Petronio Cavallone, Ambrogio Cavallone, became a quite influential cardinal at the Vatican (c.a. 1600s).

This of course granted the family quite the fortune, and also granted their survival amongst the various wars among who should rule the Sacred Roman Empire, who had to be Pope and who should survive Plague 1.0 (1300s) and Plague 2.0 (1600s).

But then we arrive at the 1700s.

The Austrian Wars and the birth of Cavallone the 1st

This will be the summary of the summary of the summary historically speaking.

The 1700s are interesting years for the peninsula. Italy will only fully reunite only in 1871, so there is still a long way to go. Historically speaking the Spanish who had invaded the peninsula and took possession of it started to lose their grip, also because King Charles II of Ausburg dies with no heir, thus beginning a war lasting for 13 years, they therefore sign first the Peace of Utrecht in 1713, the Treaty of Rastatt in 1714 and finally the Treaty of Aja in 1720, thus ending their domination in the peninsula.

The peninsula is not free, but becomes property to be sold and divided among the powerful dynasties. It is a mess and by 1748 the geopolitical panorama has completely changed.

This includes also the Romagnan territory, which is now half under the Medici's dominion and half under the Pope's dominion. Which means that all of the small families were very limited. However the Romagnan people were rioting and this is definitely fertile soil for ANY sort of change.

Now, up until that moment the Cavallone family has been fairly quiet, but all of this happening in their area is worrying, so Duke Domenico Cavallone has to do some damage control.

It's the period where the Illuminists really take on Italy, so there are newspapers, magazines for men and for women, cafes, places where people can debate and talk about phylosophy et cetera.

So Domenico Cavallone invests some cash money and becomes the patron and founder of several cafes and promotes several magazines and newspapers.

He also pours some other cash money in creating his own personal army, which will later become the foundation of the future bosses body of subordinates.

This is because he is secretly financing the riots against the Pope/the Medici and he is expecting an attack at any moment.

And the attack arrives.

Duke Domenico Cavallone is in the front line, ready to defend his turf. There is also his army behind him and the Pope has sent his army to quiet down, quote, "the dirt and the plebs", but the pope was expecting barely armed populace, NOT a full army and the Duke Cavallone.

Chronicles report that the Commander in charge of the Pope's army told Duke Cavallone that he would be in trouble, and that the Duke replied with a "we will talk after I win".

And the Duke won. Chronicles report that a white flame engulfed him as he charged to defend his city and his land and defeated the Pope's army. Ever since a flame mark appeared on his left arm.

In any case after the defeat the Pope retreated and left the Duke and his territory alone. The Duke however was excommunicated, and the excommunication has not yet been lifted.

None of the Cavallone has had any interest in having that lifted yet though.

Duke Domenico and his wife Bice Ricciardelli went on and prospered. They had four children who lived after infancy. The second born and first son, Alvise Cavallone, inherited the will and the assets of Duke Domenico Cavallone.

Lo and behold the family tree part 1

***

NEXT GENERATION ON A DIFFERENT POST!

[fictionophile]

"The Traitors" by C.A. Lynch - Book Review @0neMoreChapter_ @HarperCollinsUK #TheTraitors #BookReview #NetGalley @carissaannlynch

Six people walk into the house. One of them is an imposter, all of them are traitors, which of them will survive the night? In Southern Indiana, lies Beechwood Castle – a derelict manor on forty acres of woodland. The ‘Castle’ has had a macabre and gruesome history going back centuries… Six local people receive the following invitation: “You are cordially invited to Beechwood Castle on November…

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC Review: The Manor House Governess by C.A. Castle

3.25/5. Releases 11/7/2023 (audiobook).

*I read an audio ARC.

Vibes: Jane Austen meets Charlotte Bronte, fuck gender norms, and a modern approach to the Gothic.

After leaving his boarding school, orphaned Bronte ("Bron") Ellis takes up a position as a governess at Greenwood Manor, caring for Ada Edwards. The family welcomes him with open arms, save chilly oldest son Darcy. Following a mysterious fire, Bron takes a cue from his beloved Gothic heroines and begins searching for the truth--with his ever-growing attraction to Darcy never far from mind.

This book is a really ambitious, really interesting homage, mixing both Austen and Bronte with an approach I appreciated as an admirer of both writers. And I think Literary Types will absolutely get into this (or, like, hate it if you're a purist... but if you're a purist, what are you doing here). The writing style wasn't quite for me, but I do respect this book, and would recommend it to the target audience any day.

Quick Takes:

--Want to get this out of the way: Bron is gender nonconforming and uses he/him pronouns. I believe the implication is that he's non-binary, but the novel doesn't get overly specific. I found this interesting and refreshing. While it's a totally, absolutely queer book, you get the impression that in some ways Bron is still figuring shit out, and it's valid, and he's in no hurry to figure it out. It's a part of him; it's not torturing him internally; some people are assholes about it.

The Edwards family are not assholes about it, and are in fact super welcoming and warm. I loved that. Darcy is gay, upfront about it, and unashamed.

--Obviously... He is Darcy. Obviously, Bron is Bronte. We know there's a merge here. And I would call it a true merge. There's a Gothic sensibility and vibe throughout the story, but it's not quite as intense as what you'd find in a true Gothic novel, and it's cut throughout by a sparkly Austenian wit and the flirty, quippy vibes between Darcy and Bron (which are strong once Darcy gets over himself). To me, this blend never felt clunky or weird. It won't work for everyone, but it's definitely a big swing.

--Netgalley has this under Romance (the publisher probably categorized it as such). It's not a romance. That doesn't mean there isn't an HEA; but it does mean that Darcy and Bron's romance is a subplot, not the main plot. It's a strong subplot, it's good and I liked it. But if you're a romance reader, this may not satisfy your craving for a love story.

--It is a bit slow, which does fit the tone of the inspirations (especially Bronte). And it's not unjustified. The story unfolds over time, the prose lovely and the details creating a distinct and interesting world.

I appreciate the novel approach to this, well, novel. And it's a take I think will work for many readers, and provoke some into exploring the classics. It's not speedy, but it's quality.

Thanks to Dreamscape and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[lgbtqreads]

Exclusive Cover+Excerpt Reveal: The Manor House Governess by C.A. Castle

Today on the site we’re revealing the cover of The Manor House Governess by C.A. Castle, a classics-inspired literary novel with a genderfluid protagonist set amid Cambridge high society, releasing November 7, 2023 from Alcove Press! (The book even includes five period-inspired illustrations, which are certain to be gorgeous.) Here’s the story: Orphaned young and raised with chilly indifference…

[pa-tr0-clus]

LGBTQ+ book recc master-list:

(Cause the last time I did this was in 2018 and a LOT of great queer books have been published since then)

Lesbian:

1) The lies we tell ourselves by Robin Talley

2) Girl <3 Girl by Lucy Sutcliffe

3) As I descended by Robin Talley

4) Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson

5) Our own private universe by Robin Talley

6) Paper Girls by Brian K Vaughan

7) Giant days by Allison, Sarin, Fleming, and Cogar

8) Princess Princess by Katie O’Neill

9) Goldie Vance by Hope Larson

10) CREMA by Johnnie Christmas

11) High class homos by Momozerii

12) You should see me in a crown by Leah Johnson

14) Laura Dean keeps breaking up with me by Mariko Tamaki

15) Love Frankie by Jacqueline Wilson

16) Girl from the sea by Molly Ostertag

17) Hani and Ishu’s guide to fake dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

18) The good girls by Claire Eliza Bartlett

19) The love curse of Melody McIntyre

20) Always human by Ari North

21) Afterlove by Tanya Byrne

22) I think I love you by Audriane Desombre

23) Tell me again how a crush should feel by Sara Farizan

24) Who I was with her by Nita Tyndall

25) She drives me crazy by Kelly Quindlen

26) Some girls do by Jennifer Dugan

27) Trouble girls by Julia Lynn Rubin

28) Royals duology by Rachel Hawkins

29) Patience and Esther by Sarah Winifred Searle

30) Margot & me by Juno Dawson

31) The henna wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

Gay:

1) Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

2) Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

3) Simon VS the homosapiens agenda by Becky Allbertalli

4) Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green

5) I’ll give you the sun by Jandy Nelson

6) Hold me closer by David Levithan

7) Two boys kissing by David Levithan

8) Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe (+ unreleased sequel) by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

9) Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan

10) The raven king by Maggie Stiefvater

11) Blood bank by Silb

12) Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman

13) Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman

14) Openly Straight by Bill Konisberg

15) Honestly Ben by Bill Konisberg

16) The perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

17) Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

18) Any way the wind blows by Rainbow Rowell

19) Date me, Bryson Keller by Kevin van Whye

20) Sonnet by Emily Cheeseman

21) Castle Swimmer by Wendy Lian Martin

22) Tripping over you by Owen White

23) Starfighter by Hamlet Machine

24) Long Exposure by Kam Heyward

25) Obliviously in love by Jiaoski

26) I’ll be home for Christmas by Mason Denver

27) Liebestrasse by Greg Lockard

28) Check, Please! By Ngozi Ukazu

29) Always raining here by Bell

30) I was born for this by Alice Oseman

31) Red white and royal blue by Casey McQuiston

32) The gravity of us by Phil Stamper

33) They both die at the end by Adam Silvera

34) Dreamer trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater

35) If this gets out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich

36) Fifteen hundred miles from the sun by Jonny Garza Villa

37) You spin me right round by David Valdes

38) As far as you’ll take me by Phil Stamper

39) Darius the great is not okay (+ sequel) by Adib Khorram

Bi:

1) Leah on the offbeat by Becky Albertalli

2) Odd one out by Nic Stone

3) We are young by Cat Clarke

4) Brightsiders by Jen Wilde

5) Everyday by David Levithan

6) Paris Syndrome by Lisa Walker

7) Beneath the citadel by Destiny Soria

8) Ship it by Britta Lundin

9) Home and away by Candice Montgomery

10) Ink Mistress by Audrey Coulthurst

11) Reign of the fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh

12) The Gentleman’s guide to vice and virtue by Mackenzi Lee

13) The gentleman’s guide to getting lucky by Mackenzi Lee

14) The doctors are out by Blauerozen

15) Fence by C. S. Pacat

16) Be more chill by Joe Tracz

Trans:

1) George by Alex Gino

2) The art of being normal by Lisa Williamson

3) The Magnus Chase series by Rick Riordan

4) What we left behind by Robin Talley

5) Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky

6) If I was your girl by Meredith Russo

7) Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart

8) I am J by Cris Beam

9) Symtoms of being human by Jeff Garvin

10) A + E 4ever by I. Merey

11) All I am by Chaaistheanswer

12) The weight of them by Noelle Stevenson

13) Dream Daddy vol 2 by Lee C.A.

14) Fluidum by Layla E.

15) Magical boy by The Kao

16) The passing playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons

17) Sasha Masha by Agnes Borinsky

18) The deep and dark blue by Niki Smith

19) Cemetary boys by Aiden Thomas

20) All boys arent blue by George M. Johnson

21) Detransition, baby by Torrey Peters

22) Felix ever after by Kacen Callender

Other/ambiguous:

1) Dear Evan Hansen the novel by Val Emmich (Connor describes his sexuality as something fluid)

2) The lady’s guide to petticoats and piracy by Mackenzi Lee (Felicity is implied aro/ace) (sequel to the gentleman’s guide but I’m not sure it can be read as a stand-alone)

3) The Magnus Chase series by Rick Riordan

4) The Trials Of Apollo series by Rick Riordan

5) How they met and other stories by David Levithan

6) Deadpool comics (pansexual)

7) Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

8) Final Draft by Riley Redgate (pansexual)

9) Lets talk about love by Claire Kahn (ace/biromantic)

10) Lost on plant earth by Magdalene Visaggio

11) Youth by Curt Pires

12) The backstagers by James Tynion IV

13) Loveless by Alice Oseman (aro/ace)

14) Six of crows (+sequel) by Leigh Bardugo

15) Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

16) How they met and other stories by David Levithan

17) Rock and riot by Chelsey Furedi

18) Kiss number 8 by Colleen A.F. Venable

19) This is how you lose the time war

20) Upright women wanted by Sarah Gailey

21) The wicker king by K. Ancrum

[trihardent]

SO OBSESSED with how if we define honour as A) a willingness to go into battle, B) being honest and C) keeping to your word/ obligations that it perfectly maps onto The Red Army, who have honour, and their enemies, who don't.

FURTHER MORE

IF WE VIEW THE ENTIRE TEXT THROUGH THE LENS OF HONOUR VS DISHONOUR, IMPULSES BETRAYAL IS MORE CLEARLY FORESHADOWED, THE REASON WHY THE RED ARMY MADE SO MANY ENEMIES IS THEMATICALLY EXPLAINED, AND IT EVEN ADDS ANOTHER ELEMENT OF GREATNESS TO THE RENCHANTING DUOS CHARACTER GROWTH.

OK. First off. Renchanting Duo. Because its super quickneasy to explain, & I'm trying rlly hard to keep interest for as long as possible b4 ppls eyes glaze over at the wall of text.

Ren and Martyn's character arcs are to respectively, A) learn to be willing to stick up for your self, & B) learning to dedicate yourself* to others. So, they both become more honourable. And, as A DIRECT RESULT of BECOMING MORE HONOURABLE, REN MAKES SCAR HIS ENEMY. LEADING TO THE RED ARMY, THE ORGANIZATION REPRESENTING HONOUR, FORMING.

SO, WE LITERALLY SEE THEIR CHARACTER GROWTH CREATE THE SERVERS BIGGEST FACTION, WHICH IS BASED ON THE VALUES THEY HELPED EACH OTHER LEARN.

*screams*

*Dedicating oneself to others is not necessarily an inherent gain of honour like Ren's Arc is, but the looking at Martyn's behaviour we see how dedicating himself to Renchanting stopped him from really falling into dishonourable behaviour [see: his early penchant for heists]

OK. Second. Impulse's betrayal. There are a lot of moments where Impulse is shown to be less honourable than the others, him saying he'd give his life for Ren and then backing away the moment an actual arrow is shot, all the half truthing and dodging blame and sucking up to everyone.

As the thesis states, Red Army = Honour. If you're honourable, youre in, if youre dishonourable, youre out. So if you're skirting the line of dishonour, yet claiming to be honourable.......... You're foreshadowing :)

But. MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE MOMENT. What could be called the actual betrayal, Impulse leading the Red Army away from Dogwarts so the Crastle can trap it.

OK LIKE. Impulse has already been shown to be semi-dishonourable, and because the Red Army stand for honour, thats already foreshadowing that he's a traitor when he joins up. But. BUT. THE WAY HE BETRAYS THEM is one of THE MOST DISHONOURABLE THINGS HE COULD DO. LET'S TALLY UP MY MOST RECENT INVENTION, THE HONOUR POINTS SHALL WE?

He makes a secret (-1) plan with the Crastle folks to betray the Red Army (-1) so he can prove his loyalty to them (+1). Impulse is to lure them away(-1) so Tango can set a trap(-1). When he gets there, he convinces the Red Army INSTEAD of going into battle (-2) that THEY SHOULD START LYING (-2) and SPREADING FAKE NEWS (-2) across the server. Before having an absolute spy moment where he gives the secret go signal (-1) for the Crastle to, need I remind you, do something very dishonourable. Which! He manages to lie (-1) about after so he can get his stuff!!!!!!!!

-11 honour points!

So. His first explicit mission to betray the Red Army has him not only flagrantly breaking every ideal they stand for at least twice over, but ALSO CORRUPTING the Red Army into going against their own principles.

cool.

Finally. Their Enemies. Strategically, making so many enemies was pretty failcringe. THEMATICALLY though, THEMATICALLY. Good stuff. basically just a list of all the ways you could consider their enemies dishounarble by the criteria I laid out in the beginning. I've officially talked about all the Very important stuff so formatting is minimal from here on out.

Desert Duo: Scar's literal defining trait throughout the series was being seen as untrustworthy and exactly 0 people believing he was gonna follow through on any deal he made ever. Also, cue @/red-rose-gown's post about most of Scar's kills being while his enemies were facing away and the one that wasn't was because he was backing away. Scar basically never took an honest fight with anyone until the final duel w/ Grian, it was all running away and traps and hiding and distractions for him. Speaking of Grian, the trap king himself. Need I say anymore? Probably, but this has been sitting in my drafts for a month now.

Flower Husbands: Scott "Well He Doesn't Know I'm a Liar Yet" Smajor who just wanted to retire, and not go into battle. Not an honour move bro. Shout outs to the Daisy fiasco*, dishonour on you, dishonour on your husband, dishonour on your cow. Obviously Mr. "I don't wanna kill anyone" Gaming, who was planning on hiding the entire rest of the game also does not count as honourable.

ALSO the thing that made them official enemies was not wanting to go into possible danger ala Jimmy being freaked out over the idea of a sacrifice.

Crastle: A)Their whole thing was combat avoidance by hiding in the castle. 2.1) Bdubs hiding from the red army after they killed Cleo and Tango, 2.2) Bdubs disavowing Cleo after she was permakilled in front of him because he was scared of the red army, C.a) llama thievery C.b) roof burnage, no matter its target, is lowkey dishonourable, 4) the helmet stunt was literally a way for Bdubs to kill Etho without having to actually fight him.

Joel: See, the Daisy fiasco, the wall burning, the missile launch, the betrayal of the Red Army, I feel like this ones pretty self explanatory.

Tango: Double agentry, and The lava game was a way to murder people without combat, so dishonour. dishonourrrr. that not a real word to me rn thanks for reading this entire thing <3

[transbookoftheday]

The Manor House Governess by C. A. Castle

This spirited debut pays homage to the British classics—with a genderfluid protagonist and 21st-century twist—perfect for fans of Emily M. Danforth, Torrey Peters, and Andrew Sean Greer.

Set against the rarefied backdrop of high society, this one-of-a-kind, queer novel features 5 stunning illustrations of modern-day Cambridge.

Orphaned young and raised with chilly indifference at an all-boys boarding school, Brontë Ellis has grown up stifled by rigid rules and social “norms,” forbidden from expressing his gender identity. His beloved novels and period films lend an escape, until a position as a live-in tutor provides him with a chance to leave St. Mary’s behind.

Greenwood Manor is the kind of elegant country house Bron has only read about, and amid lavish parties and cricket matches the Edwards family welcomes him into the household with true warmth. Mr. Edwards and the young Ada, Bron’s pupil, accept without question that Bron’s gender presentation is not traditionally masculine. Only Darcy, the eldest son, seems uncomfortable with Bron—the two of them couldn’t be more opposite.

When a tragic fire blazes through the estate’s idyllic peace, Bron begins to sense dark secrets smoldering beneath Greenwood Manor’s surface. Channeling the heroines of his cherished paperbacks, he begins to sift through the wreckage. Soon, he’s not sure what to believe, especially with his increasing attraction to Darcy clouding his vision.

Drawing energy and inspiration from Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, E.M. Forster, and more, while bowing to popular fiction such as Plain Bad Heroines and Red, White, and Royal Blue, The Manor House Governess is a smart, sublimely charming novel destined to become a modern classic.

[noctechoro-a]

So um....I actually finished all my drafts save for one starter...anyway. As per usual this is not meant to rush replies, merely serve for organization purposes/reminders about threads.

Lemme know everything looks good by hitting the ♥ or let me know if you would like to drop anything!

Docs Version

Waiting On: 23

My Turn: 0

On Hold: 4

Dropping: 0

Questioning: 0

Starter Pending: 1

Wrapping Up: 0

Total: 27

@amorevoices​ - 3

A Solution w/Ilias & Ursula - Waiting On

Fill the Silence w/Myron & C.A. Cupid - Waiting On

Mermaid Tail w/Naoko & Ariel - Waiting On

@burglarlotus - 3

TBA w/Enea & Nevra - Waiting On

TBA w/Enea & Bloom - Waiting On

Another Morning w/Seraphina & Deuce - On Hold

@derreisende - 1

Lyric Starter w/Sarvesh - Waiting On

@diiscordandstriife​ - 7

Wrong Castle w/Seraphina & Daniela - On Hold

Lost Dollie w/Anada, Sakda, & Angie - Waiting On

Mocking w/Seraphina & Angie - Waiting On

Moral High Ground w/Hywel & Corvidae - On Hold

Insufferable w/Mylo & Arlana - Waiting On

Help of Flowers w/Sylvan & Zagreus - Waiting On

What Are You Doing? w/Marden & Mai - Waiting On

@elfaeba​ - 1

Collecting Herbs w/Marden - Waiting On

@katebaikiru​ - 1

Jumping In w/Émilien & Cater - Waiting On

@ncophyte​ - 1

Forget the Homework w/Mylo - Waiting On

@magiclcss​ - 1

Not Supposed to be Here w/Sylvan - Waiting On

Returning a Lost Item w/Ilias - Waiting On

@malibvnghts​ - 1

Lyric Starter w/Hywel & Kyung - On Hold

@magatsunohana​ - 1

New Plaything w/Saul - Waiting On

@multiicolor​ - 2

Can’t Be Serious w/Malleus & Kalim - Waiting On

No Killing w/Naoko & Kalim - Waiting On

@pomfiores​ - 2

Stowaway w/Seraphina - Waiting On

Make Me w/Naoko - Waiting On

@soulsxunbound​ - 1

TBD w/Émilien & Prompto - Starter Pending

@xxyumeno​ - 1

Crash w/Whitney & Ventus - Waiting On

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

Queer Books November 2023

🌈 Good afternoon, my bookish bats! Struggling to keep up with all the amazing queer books coming out this month? Here are a FEW of the stunning, diverse queer books you can add to your TBR before the year is over. Remember to #readqueerallyear! Happy reading!

❤️ The Pirate and the Porcelain Girl by Emily Riesbeck 🧡 Heading North by Holly M. Wendt 💛 The Wisdom of Bug by Alyson Root 💚 Trick Shot by Kayla Grosse 💙 A Holly Jolly Christmas by Emily Wright 💜 Outdrawn by Deanna Grey ❤️ Yours Celestially by Al Hess 🧡 The Christmas Memory by Barbara Winkes 💛 Violet Moon by Mel E. Lemon 💙 The Santa Pageant by Lillian Barry 💜 Only for the Holidays by Shannon O’Connor 🌈 Homestead for the Holidays by Wren Taylor

❤️ You Can Count on Me by Fae Quin 🧡 No One Left But You by Tash McAdam 💛 The Worst Thing of All is the Light by José Luis Serrano, Lawrence Schimel 💚 Today Tonight Forever by Madeline Kay Sneed 💙 Wren Martin Ruins It All by Amanda DeWitt 💜 Emmett by L. C. Rosen ❤️ Finding My Elf by David Valdes 🧡 Tonight, I Burn by Katharine J. Adams 💛 Gorgeous Gruesome Faces by Linda Cheng 💙 Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree 💜 A Power Unbound by Freya Marske 🌈 We Are the Crisis by Cadwell Turnbull

❤️ The Manor House Governess by C.A. Castle 🧡 You Owe Me One, Universe by Chad Lucas 💛 Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen by Sarah James 💚 Skip!: A Graphic Novel by Rebecca Burgess 💙 Something About Her by Clementine Taylor 💜 Touching the Art by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore ❤️ A Nearby Country Called Love by Salar Abdoh 🧡 Normporn: Queer Viewers and the TV That Soothes Us by Karen Tongson 💛 Sir Callie and the Dragon’s Roost by Esme Symes-Smith 💙 The Order of the Banshee by Robyn Singer 💜 Once Upon My Dads’ Divorce by Seamus Kirst, Noémie Gionet Landry 🌈 Forsooth by Jimmy Matejek-Morris

❤️ A Common Bond by T.M. Kuta 🧡 Risk the Fall by Riley Hart 💛 Just a Little Snack by Yah-Yah Scholfield 💚 Home for the Holidays by Erin Zak 💙 NeurodiVeRse by MJ James 💜 Dark Heir (Dark Rise #2) by C.S. Pacat ❤️ sub/Dom by Rab Green 🧡 Bitten by the Bond by Elaine White 💛 Heir to Frost and Storm by Ben Alderson 💙 The Sea of Stars by Gwenhyver 💜 Bad Beat by L.M. Bennett 🌈 Idol Moves by K.T. Salvo

❤️ Plot Twist by Erin La Rosa 🧡 In the Pines by Mariah Stillbrook 💛 The Crimson Fortress (The Ivory Key #2) by Akshaya Raman 💚 Only She Came Back by Margot Harrison 💙 Megumi & Tsugumi, Vol. 4 by Mitsuru Si 💜 Pritty by Keith F. Miller Jr. ❤️ Just Lizzie by Karen Wilfrid 🧡 An Atlas to Forever by Krystina Rivers 💛 Come Find Me in the Midnight Sun by Bailey Bridgewater 💙 Bait and Witch by Clifford Mae Henderson 💜 Shadow Baron by Davinia Evans 🌈 Day by Michael Cunningham

❤️ Livingston Girls by Briana Morgan 🧡 Delay of the Game by Ari Baran 💛 The Nanny with the Nice List by K. Sterling 💚 A Talent Ignited by Suzanne Lenoir 💙 A Kiss of the Siren’s Song by E.A.M. Trofimenkoff 💜 Rivals for Love by Ali Vali ❤️ Whiskey & Wine by Kelly Fireside, Tana Fireside 🧡 Buried Secrets by Sheri Lewis Wohl 💛 Ride with Me by Jenna Jarvis 💙 Living for You by Jenny Frame 💜 Death on the Water by CJ Birch 🌈 Merciless Waters by Rae Knowles

❤️ Vicarious by Chloe Spencer 🧡 Sapling’s Depths by Spencer Rose 💛 That French Summer by Sienna Waters 💚 System Overload by Saxon James 💙 King of Death by Lily Mayne 💜 Warts and All by Ashley Bennett ❤️ Principle Decisions by Thea Belmont 🧡 The Best Mistake by Emily O’Beirne 💛 Sugar and Ice by Eule Grey 💙 Until The Blood Runs Dry by MC Johnson 💜 Splinter : A Diverse Sleepy Hollow Retelling by Jasper Hyde 🌈 The Mischievous Letters of the Marquise de Q by Felicia Davin

❤️ The Queer Girl is Going to be Okay by Dale Walls 🧡 Til Death Do Us Bard by Rose Black 💛 Leverage by E.J. Noyes 💚 Alice Sadie Celine by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright 💙 Godly Heathens by H.E. Edgmon 💜 Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher ❤️ To Kill a Shadow by Katherine Quinn 🧡 Warrior of the Wind by Suyi Davies Okungbowa 💛 For Never & Always by Helena Greer 💙 A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sally Hawley 💜 Heaven Official’s Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu Vol. 8 by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù 🌈 A Carol for Karol by Ann Roberts

[newstfionline]

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Pair of studies confirm there is water on the moon (Washington Post) There is water on the moon’s surface, and ice may be widespread in its many shadows, according to a pair of studies published Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy. The research confirms long-standing theories about the existence of lunar water that could someday enable astronauts to live there for extended periods. One scientific team found the telltale sign of water molecules, perhaps bound up in glass, in a sunlit region. Another group estimated the widespread prevalence of tiny shadowed pockmarks on the lunar landscape, possible shelter for water ice over an area of 15,000 square miles. Moon water has been eyed as a potential resource by NASA, which created a program named Artemis in 2019 to send American astronauts back to the moon this decade. Launching water to space costs thousands of dollars per gallon.

Colleges Slash Budgets in the Pandemic, With ‘Nothing Off-Limits’ (NYT) Ohio Wesleyan University is eliminating 18 majors. The University of Florida’s trustees this month took the first steps toward letting the school furlough faculty. The University of California, Berkeley, has paused admissions to its Ph.D. programs in anthropology, sociology and art history. As it resurges across the country, the coronavirus is forcing universities large and small to make deep and possibly lasting cuts to close widening budget shortfalls. By one estimate, the pandemic has cost colleges at least $120 billion, with even Harvard University, despite its $41.9 billion endowment, reporting a $10 million deficit that has prompted belt tightening. Though many colleges imposed stopgap measures such as hiring freezes and early retirements to save money in the spring, the persistence of the economic downturn is taking a devastating financial toll, pushing many to lay off or furlough employees, delay graduate admissions and even cut or consolidate core programs like liberal arts departments. “We haven’t seen a budget crisis like this in a generation,” said Robert Kelchen, a Seton Hall University associate professor of higher education who has been tracking the administrative response to the pandemic. “There’s nothing off-limits at this point.”

Thousands Forced to Evacuate From California Fires (NYT) Two firefighters were gravely injured and tens of thousands of Californians were forced to flee their homes on Monday as two new fires ripped through Orange County. About 90,800 residents in Irvine were put under mandatory evacuation orders because of the Silverado Fire and the smaller Blue Ridge Fire, said Shane Sherwood, a division chief for the Orange County Fire Authority. High winds and low humidity fueled the fires’ rapid growth. About 4,000 firefighters were fighting 22 wildfires across the state on Monday, according to Cal Fire, the state’s fire agency. As evening approached, the Silverado Fire had burned about 7,200 acres and the Blue Ridge Fire 3,000 acres. Later Monday night, the Orange County Fire Authority said that the Blue Ridge Fire had grown to 6,600 acres

Why N.Y.C.’s Economic Recovery May Lag the Rest of the Country’s (NYT) New York, whose diversified economy had fueled unparalleled job growth in recent years, is now facing a bigger challenge in recovering from the pandemic than almost any other major city in the country. More than one million residents are out of work, and the unemployment rate is nearly double the national average. The city had tried to insulate itself from major downturns by shifting from tying its fortunes to the rise and fall of Wall Street. A thriving tech sector, a booming real estate industry and waves of international tourists had helped Broadway, hotels and restaurants prosper. But now, as the virus surges again in the region, tourists are still staying away and any hope that workers would refill the city’s office towers and support its businesses before the end of the year is fading. As a result, New York’s recovery is very likely to be slow and protracted, economists said. “This is an event that struck right at the heart of New York’s comparative advantages,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics, a Wall Street research firm. “Being globally oriented, being stacked up in skyscrapers and packed together in stadiums: The very thing that made New York New York was undermined by the pandemic, was upended by it.”

Asylum-Seekers Face Violent ICE Coercion (Foreign Policy) U.S. immigration officers have threatened, pepper-sprayed, beaten, and choked asylum-seekers from Cameroon to coerce them to sign their own deportation orders, the Guardian reports. A coalition of advocacy groups, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, filed a complaint earlier this month describing a “pattern of coercion” by ICE agents at a Mississippi detention center that it called “tantamount to torture.” According to multiple accounts in the complaint, immigration officials used the coercive tactics to compel detainees to sign documents that would waive their rights to further immigration hearings. At least one individual was hospitalized as a result. One man, identified by the initials C.A., described how officers broke his fingers as they sought to force his fingerprint onto a document. “Officers grabbed me, forced me on the ground, and pepper-sprayed my eyes. … I was crying, ‘I can’t breathe,’ because they were forcefully on top of me pressing their body weight on top of me. My eyes were so hot. They dragged me outside by both hands,” said the individual, who was prevented from speaking to his lawyer before signing the document. C.A. was placed on a deportation flight on Oct. 13 but was one of two Cameroonians pulled off the plane moments before takeoff, as an investigation had begun into the allegations of abuse. At least 100 asylum-seekers, including many from Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, were deported on the same flight. For two consecutive years, the Norwegian Refugee Council has deemed Cameroon the world’s most neglected displacement crisis due to an insurgency in the north and a brutal government crackdown on two English-speaking separatist regions. Since 2016, the two conflicts have killed over 3,000 people and displaced more than 700,000.

Belgium’s former King meets estranged daughter for first time (Reuters) Belgium’s former King Albert has met his daughter Delphine for the first time, after she won a seven-year legal battle to prove that he is her father, earning recognition as a princess. The two met Albert’s wife, Queen Paola, last Sunday at their royal residence, the Belvedere castle, in the Brussels suburb of Laeken, the royal household said on Tuesday. “This Sunday October 25, a new chapter has opened, filled with emotions, calm, understanding and also hope,” the king, the queen and Delphine said in a statement. “Our meeting took place at the Belvedere Castle, a meeting during which each of us was able to express, calmly and with empathy, our feelings and our experiences.” “After the turmoil, the wounds and the suffering, comes the time for forgiveness, healing and reconciliation. This is the path, patient and at times difficult, that we have decided to take resolutely together.” Delphine Boel, 52, a Belgian artist, fought a seven-year legal battle to prove that the former king is her father. After a DNA test confirmed that, a court granted her the title of princess earlier this month. Albert, 86, who abdicated six years ago in favour of his son Philippe, had long contested Boel’s claim.

Germany cautions Thai king (Foreign Policy) Pro-democracy protesters in Thailand marched on the German Embassy in Bangkok to deliver a letter asking German authorities to investigate whether King Maha Vajiralongkorn “has conducted Thai politics using his royal prerogative from German soil or not.” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, speaking from Berlin, said the German government was “examining” the issue “and if there are things we feel to be unlawful, then that will have immediate consequences.”

Belarus Opposition Calls General Strike, as Protesters Gird for Long Fight (NYT) When Belarusians took to the streets in the hundreds of thousands in August, after Mr. Lukashenko claimed a re-election victory that was widely seen as fraudulent, many predicted that it was only a matter of days or weeks until the longtime authoritarian leader stepped down. Instead, Mr. Lukashenko and the large swath of the public that is arrayed against him have settled into a drawn-out test of wills, with their country’s future on the line. Protesters continue to turn out in the tens of thousands every Sunday, chanting “Go away!” and waving the white-red-white flag of the opposition. Mr. Lukashenko responds with waves of crackdowns by the police and, backed by Russia, appears determined to wait the protests out. “In such a tense situation, absolutely anything could turn out to be the trigger that topples the system,” said Artyom Shraibman, a Minsk-based nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Moscow Center. “It could end in the course of a week, or it might not die for a year. No revolution has ever gone according to plan.” The authorities’ use of violence to try to put down the protests appears to be escalating, further feeding the anger in Belarusian society. It was a bout of severe police violence early in the uprising that supercharged the protests.

World’s largest IPO shows power of mobile payments in China (Washington Post) Go to a store, hop in a taxi, or even stop by a street peddler’s cart in China, and you will see QR codes strung up on colorful laminated squares. These mobile payment codes are the default way money changes hands in China these days, and the reason Ant Group’s initial public offering is set to be the world’s largest. China’s Ant Group—the Alibaba spinoff behind the ubiquitous blue QR payment codes across the world’s second-largest economy—announced plans on Monday to raise more than $34 billion in a joint listing across Shanghai and Hong Kong. This would trounce last year’s listing of oil titan Saudi Aramco, the reigning IPO champion. Mobile payments have replaced cash and credit cards in China as the preferred payment method, thanks to easy-to-use apps made by Ant Group and its closest rival Tencent. Ant Group’s Alipay and Tencent’s WeChat Pay are similar in spirit to wildly popular U.S. stock trading app Robinhood, in that they are user-friendly enough that anyone with a smartphone and bank account can make complicated financial transactions with a click or swipe.

China sanctions U.S. weapons manufacturers (Foreign Policy) China will impose sanctions on three U.S.-based weapons manufacturers after the U.S. State Department approved the sale of $1.8 billion worth of weapons and equipment to Taiwan last Wednesday. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the sanctions were necessary “in order to uphold national interests.” It’s not yet clear what form the sanctions will take. More sanctions could soon be on the way, as the State Department approved a further $2.37 billion in weapons sales to Taiwan on Monday.

Vietnam evacuating low-lying areas as strong typhoon nears (AP) Vietnam scrambled Tuesday to evacuate more than a million people in its central lowlands as a strong typhoon approached while some regions are still dealing with the aftermath of recent killer floods, state media said. Typhoon Molave is forecast to slam into Vietnam’s south central coast with sustained winds of up to 135 kilometers (84 miles) per hour on Wednesday morning, according to the official Vietnam News Agency. The typhoon left at least 3 people dead and 13 missing and displaced more than 120,000 villagers in the Philippines before blowing toward Vietnam. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered provincial authorities late Monday to prepare to evacuate about 1.3 million people in regions lying on the typhoon’s path. Phuc expressed fears that Molave, the latest disturbance to threaten Vietnam this month, could be as deadly as Typhoon Damrey, which battered the country’s central region in 2017 and left more than a hundred people dead.

Vaccines, not spy planes: U.S. misfires in Southeast Asia For months, by Zoom calls and then by jet, Indonesian ministers and officials scoured the world for access to a vaccine for the coronavirus that Southeast Asia’s biggest country is struggling to control. This month, their campaign paid off. Three Chinese companies committed 250 million doses of vaccines to the archipelago of 270 million people. A letter of intent was signed with a UK-based company for another 100 million. Absent from these pledges: the United States. Not only was it not promising any vaccine, but months earlier the United States shocked Indonesian officials by asking to land and refuel its spy planes in the territory, four senior Indonesian officials told Reuters. This would reverse a decades-long policy of strategic neutrality in the country. Washington’s campaign to buttress its influence in the region—part of its escalating global rivalry with China—has been misfiring, say government officials and analysts.

Bomb at seminary in Pakistan kills 8 students, wounds 136 (AP) A powerful bomb blast ripped through an Islamic seminary on the outskirts of the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday morning, killing at least eight students and wounding 136 others, police and a hospital spokesman said. The bombing happened as a prominent religious scholar during a special class was delivering a lecture about the teachings of Islam at the main hall of the Jamia Zubairia madrassa, said police officer Waqar Azim. The attack comes days after Pakistani intelligence alerted that militants could target public places and important buildings, including seminaries and mosques across Pakistan, including Peshawar.

Hopes for peace in Libya (Foreign Policy) The two main factions in Libya’s civil war agreed to a nationwide cease-fire at U.N.-backed talks in Geneva on Friday. Previous attempts to broker an end to the yearslong conflict have failed, but the new agreement has cautiously raised hopes that it will lay the groundwork for a peace deal. The cease-fire, signed by the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord and Gen. Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army, calls for all front-line forces to return to their bases and all mercenaries and foreign troops to withdraw within three months. The Libyan conflict has drawn in a multitude of international players, including Russia, Turkey, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. Their actions in the coming months could make or break the cease-fire.

[the-deeds-to-shibden]

Sunday 25 August 1839

[Ann braves a painful neck, and the cold, to be driven by Anne to Uppsala, where they visit the largest cathedral in all of Scandinavia. Anne is for once impressed with a sermon, although it probably helps that it’s in a language she doesn’t understand. Tantalisingly, their guide had just recently been employed by a traveller in Persia and the Caucasus. There are no oranges in the orangery and the museum could be better, but all in all it’s rather nice and livable here, plus the food is good. And oh, mines will be visited in the next few days! Do ladies do that? Only if English.]

[up at] 3 1/2

[to bed at] 10 3/4

fine morning Ann’s neck poorly off from Stockholm at 5 1/2 in little carriage and 2 horses – no forbud – at Rottebro (single house) at 7 13/” – terrible boulder stone pave in Stockholm and terrible and many deep channels there – good road nice drive – about 3/4 of the way very pretty wooded lake – Rottebro one story red smeared wood house – not good to sleep at – sun now at 7 1/2  a.m. it peeped out about 7 – very fine morning – off in 13 minutes – good road – nice drive – nice good country for Sweden – peeps now and then of pretty wooded lake (right) Maista single farm house not good to sleep at –  Ann very cold – very good road – forest with mossgrown rocks as in Norway but no large old trees – then open country – less encumbered with rock and boulder than in the other parts of Sweden that we have seen – better farming? and better crops? corn in stook and to cut – peas drying on poles reared in a circle and meeting at top like a Lapland hut – hops. very fine morning – Alisk single house – better than the 2 last –  perhaps one might sleep here? Hamlets and villages and farms thinly scattered today – wondered at their being so thinly scattered close to the capital – the country here seems better peopled than just out of the gates of Stockholm – Snow-ploughs lying at the road side here as everywhere From Alisk to Upsāla very pretty drive – excellent road – open country – at 11 40/” good wood bridge over broadish stream and then fine vista view thro’ forest by and by seen to terminate in the huge brick chateau built on a hill qui domine the 2 steepled cathedral and the city – arrived at 12 20/” – Hotel de la poste – ordered dinner at 2 – changed our dress – out at 1 40/” – to the cathedral – large handsome, clean, whitewashed church – a large crucifix over the altar – beneath the pedestal of the crucifix a cross over which hung a serpent – the altar in decoration like a Roman Catholic altar the congregation was assembled at 2 and the organ played and the people sang psalms till 2 20/”  the preacher began the Epistle at 2 20/” and we staid 10 minutes longer – his manner perfectly quiet, but he spoke clearly and impressively – home at 2 40/” dinner at 2 3/4 in 35 minutes –  then I dozed on the sofa till near 4 – up so early – and driving all the way, (Ann and I in front – John Winter our new courier and the peasant behind) and having nothing to eat but a little gingerbread with Ann between 10 and 11 as we sat in the carriage at Alisk (from 10 27/” to 11 10/” one of the horses being shod in the meantime) i.e. little to eat from 4 p.m. yesterday to 2 3/4 today, made me feel sleepy – out at 4 to the botanic garden – our courier did not know Linnaeus by name – but he native of Hamburg was courier to prince Oscar 3 years – then set up at Stockholm as correur de voitures – failed recently and now gets his living as well as he can – was with Captain Wilbraham of the 7th regiment a fortnight ago for 4 days –  went to Dannemora – not time for Falun – off to Saint Petersburg –  Captain Wilbraham asked if ladies descended at Danemora – no! none but English ladies and several of those had been down! – a civil intelligent garçon gardener shewed us the Serres and orangery and garden ground immediately around them – the building called orangery handsome but no orange trees to be seen there or near there, a few in the serres the man said and the tubs outside filled with our common and Portugal laurels – ivy in pots outside – will no do well out of doors! yet common sorts of palmiers seemed healthy in the orangery larger and healthier than what we saw in the serres – a thing very common hereabouts and forming a low hedge at the botanic garden is Spiraea calcifolia, flowerlike sweet stock 

Spruce firs planted at 2 foots, hedgewise –  and others cut into cones or looked better as obelisks or a parcel of 2 rows of them just below the chateau (in the part of the botanic garden between the museum and chateau) – these spruces looked just as well as if they had been yews and might be got up in 1/2  the time – the museum Thunberg’s collection a poor concern – birds etc. ill stuffed and not in the best preservation – the specimens (an infinity of supports) in spirits locked up in dark cupboards – many duplicates and bad arrangement – the statue of Linneaus sitting – book in his hand – contemplating his favourite flower, Linnaea borealis, not a chef-d’oeuvre, but interesting –  2 or 3 specimens of gigantic elk – caught near here 6 or 7 years ago as I understood – but one of John’s (Winter) friends shot one last winter about 1 1/2 mile from here – salted it – the meat a delicacy – some left –  we are to taste it – this animal in all the forests here – the horns covered with a sort of down – as  also the horns of the rein-deer. Can buy here the salted tongues and hams of rein deer – Fringa, several species of, found in the isle of Gothland sur le bord de la mer – curious sort of ruff round its neck do not recollect having seen this bird anywhere before –  Platalea pygmaea     caught near here      pigmy spoonbill said to be the only specimen of the kind to be found in any museum –  Tetrao generic name of moor game common barn-door fowl classed Phasianus gallus. Heron, genus ardea. from the musée sauntered to the chateau – the governor resides in one part – prisoners before the trial are confined in another part – many rooms unfurnished – the 3 or 4 towers (one at each corner) look well – but the modern parts – one front with a pediment, are terrible –  fine commanding situation – the views from it have excused us the trouble of going to the top of the cathedral – Old Upsāla full in view from the chateau – nothing worth seeing says our courier John at Mora – merely a few stones with no inscriptions at all – then walked down thro’ the town to the Steamer that plies daily between Stockholm and here in 5 hours – deck passengers 2 dollars rigs – salon double that John thinks –  nice vessel enough – deck covered with awning as usual –  Upsāla a nice town – the most livable we have seen – not so low and water girt as the towns in Sweden in general in which one fancies one could not breathe for damp and fog – the castle cathedral university buildings library etc. on high ground – fine fresh air, and agreeable –  our Inn comfortable – the first house just below the new library and nicely situated – a drop or 2 of rain about between 4 and 5 and afterwards but held off till we came in at 7 1/2 – then a shower – till then very fine day –  no supper – no wish for anything since dinner excellent veal cutlets, carbonnade, and preserved gooseberries and fried morsel of potato – then Soup – then fritters – such is the order here –  all good – had just written so far (inked all over accounts and all) now at 10 p.m. at which hour Fahrenheit 60 1/2º –

Anne’s marginal notes:

off from Stockholm to the mines.

Upsala

only English ladies see Dannemora

no fire in the hot houses

Ivy a greenhouse plant here

Spiraea calcifolia

Spruces cut in shapes, yew-wise

gigantic elk.

Fringa Platalea

Swedish towns low and water-girt

WYAS Catalogue:  SH:7/ML/TR/13/0007    SH:7/ML/TR/13/0008

View of Uppsala, by Elias Martin:

Uppsala Botanical Garden (around 1770):

View of Uppsala Castle and Cathedral, by C.A. von Scheele (1797-1873):