#her style reminds me of Austen

[fairwellersmustache]

I get such imposter syndrome as a recovering English major when I sit down to read something written more than a hundred years ago, worried that I won’t understand it and that all of my expertise was being told what to think by my professors, etc. but I just started The Age of Innocence and….

On the second page, I see a sentence so comprehensible and perfectly aimed that Edith Wharton is still striking her target 100 years in the future.

[heyidkyay]

10 Things Y/n Can't Live Without | GQ

Got to watching Matty's old one of these and just decided to try and write one for reader, it's silly and short but if it might be something you're into then I hope you enjoy x

“Hi GQ, I’m Y/n, and you might’ve heard a couple of my songs if you’re stuck watching this- if not, then boo, you suck.”

She pauses, thinking on it, then winces slightly and looks straight past the cameras at one of the shoot’s directors. 

“Can I say that? Is that too mean?” Before anyone can actually answer though, she waves a hand, “Ah fuck it, I don’t care. If Matty can act like a twat on his one, then so can I.” She bears a giant grin and then the lens closes in, switching from frame to frame to capture the few items she’s brought in. 

“Why are you here then today?”

She blinks and then exaggerates her eyes at the sudden reminder, “Not even five minutes in and I’ve already messed this up. But yeah, sorry! Today, I’ve brought in my ten essential items, and I guess you’re wanting to see them.” 

Wiggling her fingers, the scene then changes. 

1 - “A Lighter.”

She hums in reply to the voice, looking down at the item and then back up again. “I bet, like, if you had Harry Styles on here, his first thing would be something really nice and lovely, like Emma by Jane Austen. Seems the type, right?”

Scratches her nose in thought, “But no, you’ve just got me.”

“And what a privilege it is.”

She laughs and gives a mock bow.

“Anyway, yeah.” She continues on, fiddling with the clunky silver antique in her hand, “Not much to say about it, really. If you need a light, I’m your gal. Always prepped for arson or the odd joint.”

“Okay, probably shouldn’t say that.”

“Right, yeah ‘course, sorry. Um, don’t smoke weed then, kids?” She points at the camera with a mocking salute before the scene then changes again and she’s asked to flick open the lighter for a different shot. 

There’s a click and then the flame dies.

2 - A ziplock bag sits on top of the table. A basic run of the mill seal-again with a fading Tesco’s branded on one side.

“Ah, this is probably my most prized possession, I reckon.” Her eyes dance under the studio lights and a few chuckles can be heard from behind the camera.

“What are we looking at here?”

She drags the plastic baggy in closer and unzips it, taking a sniff of the strong scent that escapes. “Tea bags.”

“Tea bags? What kind?”

“Yorkshire through and through. Here in the states it’s so hard to find even a basic PG pyramid, let alone one of these babies.” She cradles it close to her chest, “Honestly would kill for a brew right now. But these things help me whenever I get a little too homesick- both on tour and when I’m just travelling.”

“Very lovely.”

“Very British.” She corrects with a wide grin.

3 - “I honestly want to meet the person who first invented headphones, because? Wow. What a man.” She sighs, almost reverently, opening up the AirPods case she holds with a single hand, one which seems to be covered in tiny stickers and a difficult to read engraving. 

“Reckon they had to have been the world's biggest introvert at the time. I mean, just imagine shoving shit into your ears trying to escape the idiots sat ‘round you, but then doing one better and deciding that you’d much rather prefer to listen to something sick.”

“How are they essential to you?”

“It'll sound dramatic. But I actually feel like I’d be lost without them? In a sad way. They let me disconnect when I need to, and with a job like mine that’s really hard to do at times.”

“And the last song you listened to?”

She smirks, eyes squinting at the question as she glances into camera one. “A demo.”

“One of yours?”

She merely laughs, and the joyful sound of it echoing around the studio space. “No, I wish! We’ll be waiting on that one for a while longer still.”

4 - The next item is slid into shot.

“Ah, my phone.” She clutches it in one hand but looks down at it, almost saddened. 

“It feels so stupid to say it’s an essential, because I miss the old days when we were all forced to go outside and knock about. But it really is. It has everything I need to keep me safe stored on there and also keeps me updated on things happening back home, just stuff like that. Plus, it really helps to keep my brain occupied on long flights and during meetings. So there’s always an upside.”

“What kind of case do you have on it?”

Her nose wrinkles as she glances down at the battered protecting she’s had since she first got the phone, and hums, “Just one of them hardshell ones- that what they're called? But yeah, it was a present- very much me, or so I’ve been told- and I was grateful for it. It’s scratched to bits now though, but my screen has yet to break!”

She winces, “I say that, but that’s it now. The next time it drops it’ll shatter, won’t it?”

5 - We watch as she sits a clunky old disposable before herself. It’s black and yellow, and slightly scuffed, but looks very well loved.

“Pretty self-explanatory. Just a camera, I take pictures, these things pair well together.” She turns it on and an unexpected flash goes off, “The price to print film is fucking extortionate though. So, don’t expect a copy of that.” She chuckles, alongside a couple of the camera crew and then slides the camera further down the table. 

“If anyone were to get hold of it though, they’d have a proper field day- but alas, what happens on tour, stays on tour.”

6 - The next item is one she toys with for a long moment, looking down at its yellowed pages before settling it down gently before her so that the camera can get a close up.

“A novel?”

She shakes her head, wearing the beginnings of a fond smile.

“No, this little beauty is my first child.” She states, splaying a hand over the cover of a leatherbound journal. Which earns her a few raised brows that she just laughs at before picking the thing up to flick through. “It is! But it’s also your quintessential songbook. Packed full of stories and lyrics and messy scrawl. I’ve got things sellotaped in there too, just as reminders or for when I lack inspiration.”

“What sort of things?”

With a hum, she thinks about it. “Bottlecaps? Um, a couple polaroids... Think there’s a seashell or two in there as well, from the time I was visiting a friend of mine in Barbados. So yeah, I’ve had it for years, just keep adding pages in. Need a new one though. Desperately.”

“Can we have a look inside?”

She peers down the book, hands cradling it almost protectively now, then chews on her lower lip.

“You can say no.”

Her eyes dart upwards again, “No, you’re all good. It’s just personal, you know? But yeah, I can show you the first page or so.”

Slipping off the elastic binding it altogether, the book practically bursts open on its own. She’s quick to flick to the very first page, which sports a couple of film pictures as well as the odd sticker, but is mainly just filled with miniscule scribbles.

The camera zooms in for a closer shot.

“So, all the doodles and wobbly words are just from friends or other writers I’ve worked with.” She points to a little drawing of a t-rex in the corner, “This here, was my mate George’s work. He’s vandalised quite a bit of this book, I can’t lie. But we’ve known each other for ages, and he’s produced and worked on most of my music.”

Then she trails her finger lower and across a couple of names, “There, Lewis Capaldi wrote that I’ve got a great arse, and then Noel Gallager graced a corner with his scribbled signature- still aiming to get Liam’s somehow. But I’m working on it.” 

She peers a little closer, looking for another story or detail to mention, “Oh, down here you can see a bit of blood! Like two or three splatters that stain the page.” She grins wickedly and glances back up at the camera, “That was from a time I tagged along to a Bring Me The Horizon tour, way back when. Oli sliced his hand on a guitar string and it was a proper mess. Bit mad looking back on it actually.

“What can you tell us about that main photo?”

She practically beams at the question, her gaze immediately shooting back towards the picture sat in the page’s very centre. It’s square and has its own doodled frame.

“That’s me and a couple of very good friends of mine. Bit of a difficult picture to make out, but only because it was taken with a flash and it’s about a decade old now.” She relays, dropping the notebook down on her forearm so that the camera guy can get a better look. “That’s Hann and Ross, and there’s G’s big smile. My oldest mate, Vin, is the idiot leaning over the shoulder of my cousin, Lol, in that very top corner, and then at the bottom there is Matty and I.”

“Very cosy.”

She smirks.

7 - “Number seven, what have you got for us?”

She huffs around an amused smile, “Do you know how hard it was to think of ten items? Like, if I was back home I’d’ve probably brought my mum’s dog along- or my settee. But I’m not, so I got stuck and as I was thinking about it I figured that these had to be an essential of mine. ‘Cause when I’m with the guys I’m sort of known for always having some sort of sweet treat on me.”

A pack of Haribo is placed down onto the table, alongside a red and yellow wrapped lollipop and a single bar of chocolate.

“So, you lot haven’t got any Tangfastics here- which is, I can’t even begin to fathom how you survive. Someone start a petition, please. But anyway, instead I’ve got these Zing things? Which are similar but not as good, no hate! Just the truth.”

She shrugs gently before opening the packet up and nicking one, then offers the rest of the packet outwards, smiling as a few step forward. 

“These two… these are from back home.” She claims as she drags the remaining two items nearer, “The lolly is a drumstick, don’t know if you have them here, or have even heard of them, but we typically get them in mixed or party bags back home. They’re a favourite, but I reckon that’s just mainly down to my mum’s love of them. And then this,” She moves swiftly on, twirling a wrapped chocolate bar between her fingers whilst she smiles, “This is one item I can't live without. They’re the messiest things, but taste so fucking good.”

“What’s it called?”

“A flake? Usually we get them on a 99, but they do them in multipacks and in like your local.”

“A 99?”

Her eyes widen theatrically before she drops her head into her hands, “I can’t do this today. Do you really not know what I’m on about?”

8 - A blue passport is chucked up in the air and she almost topples out of her chair to catch it.

“Ha!” She grins, waving the thing about smugly before dropping it down again. “This felt so stupid to include, but I couldn’t not. I need this for most places I go; hotels, airports… sometimes even a club if I’ve forgotten or lost my ID. But yeah, I couldn't just show you a pack of Haribo and then not include my passport.”

9 - A clinking breaks up the quiet filming they’ve been wrapped up in as they move onto the next item.

“House keys!” She exclaims happily, rattling the horde of keys she now carries.

“To how many houses?”

She rolls her eyes, not unkindly, and then smiles, wrapping the keys up in between her palms. “Three. But don’t worry, they’re not all mine!” She feels the ridiculous need to make known, but she only receives a few curious glances in return.

Taking the first set between her forefinger and thumb, a silver key and brass chub, she shows them off to the camera lens, “These are to my mum and dad’s house, they let me in through the front door whenever I want. Although I guess they're more so for emergencies, ‘cause I still like to knock when I turn up.” She shrugs a single shoulder, swiping through the keys again, “Also have the one to their garage on here somewhere as well- see, it’s that small one right there.”

Next, she dangles a single fob key and another silver cut in view. “These are mine. They let me past the front gate and the other one opens the majority of whatever else. Probably shouldn't be letting the world know that.” She snorts, but ultimately shrugs before moving onto the last of the three.

“And these,” She says as she rattles the chain to reveal a rather large horde of other keys, “Are to my very first flat. I shared it with a mate at first then things evolved and changed, so we moved onto something bigger.”

“Why do you keep them?”

“Why not?” She quips, grinning down at the set, “I mean, they hold a lot of sentimental value to me. Not just in the sense that they belonged to my very first place, but the memories I made there.”

She smiles back up at the camera a second later, now holding a little lego person that had been dangling from one of the many rings, “And there’s this little guy, too. Never had the heart to get rid of him or separate him from the others, so he just stays there. He’s beyond recognition now and definitely seen some shit, I can’t lie- actually, you can barely even make out his face or the shirt he’s wearing. See?”

She holds the yellow figure further outwards. She’s right about how disfigured the thing is, but there’s a slight mohawk to be seen and a faded outline of what once would’ve been its shirt.

“Can you remember where it came from?”

“‘Course! A friend, at the time, gave it to me. I got proper jealous of the one he’d been given at some wedding or other, like, just loved playing with it whenever we were driving and stuff. I did end up forgetting I had them at times though, so he got me one of my own just so that he could finally have his keys back.”

Her laughter is contagious, and she looks to be caught up in the memory of it.

10 - “I haven’t really got a tenth one!”

Her claim is met with quiet protests to which she mirthfully shakes her head at, “Honest! I was really stressing about it on the way over here.” She chuckles before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Have you got a special mention then? Something you’d like to claim your tenth spot?”

She gives a wily little smile, as though she’s just thought of something but can’t say it. “I do.”

A silence settles, and they’re waiting for her to continue on so they can wrap up the shoot, but she doesn’t say anything.

“Well?” One of the directors asks with an intrigued chuckle, wanting to know now.

That smirk of hers doesn’t dim and so she just shrugs, “I can’t say, but they’ll know. And they’ll be so miffed they didn’t think of it first.” She almost cackles at the thought but just shakes her head instead, grinning away happily.

“They?”

“Uhuh,” She agrees and then sits up further in her chair, a sudden realisation hitting her, “You know what? I think this essentially is my ‘get away’ bag.”

“Pretty sure Matty said something of a similar degree.”

A scowl etches into her features at that and she rolls her eyes, “Oh my God. He’s such a copycat-”

…

“You have your ten essentials now.”

“I do! I have my ten essentials.” She smiles into the lens, eyes skimming over the people laid out beyond it, “Honestly thank you all so much for having me, this has actually been pretty fun. Like, sort of got to go down memory lane and whatnot.”

“Glad to have had you.”

“So, I guess the question now is, who’s on next?”

Comments:

@/user actually obsessed w her @/user so many questions 😭😭 @/user Swear I’ve seen that lighter before ⤷ @/user :link to an old instagram picture on @/the1975 account: @/user anyone see what was engraved on the airpods case? @/user A demo?? I swear if it’s one of the bands I’ll sob. @/user HER SONGBOOK. THAT PICTURE. THE FACT THAT SHE HAS OLI’S DNA JUST ON HAND ⤷ @/user They’re so cute. It hurts. @/user i want Lewis to look at my ass:/ @/user George’s lil dino kills me off 😭 @/user ‘What happens on tour, stays on tour.’ WHAT HAPPENS ON TOUR Y/N? ⤷ @/user THE WAY SHE JUST SMIRKS TOO @/user What this video’s taught me, if you need an arson accomplice yn is your gal x @/user The lego man’s shirt!! Definitely a box there. ⤷ @/user And the mohawk too?? Dead giveaway. @/user Her tenth has got to be Matty no? @/user THE WHOLE HOUSE KEYS BIT? WHAT?? Didn’t she share a flat with Matty at one point? ⤷ @/user No, they did. But also “..things evolved and changed, so we moved onto something bigger.” So WE moved… WE 🙂  ⤷⤷ @/user We’re really just skipping over “a friend, at the time” then.. Okay! @/user 6:12 That bit at the end?! They?? This has to be about Matty, right? He’s the only one who’s been on before! @/user Have they always been together? This has me so confused rn 😭 ⤷ @/user Welcome to the club lovely!:) ⤷⤷ @/user At this point I’m actually scared we’ll never know ngl ⤷⤷⤷ @/user They are my roman empire @/user Can we get one of the Derry Girls on please! It’s not a want, but a need.

[bethanydelleman]

Northanger Abbey Readthrough, Ch 4

Catherine is fully prepared to meet Mr. Tilney again but he is nowhere to be found! Disaster!

However, good is on the horizon, Mrs. Allen finally finds a friend, Mrs. Thorpe, an old schoolfellow. Austen throws in a great joke:

Their joy on this meeting was very great, as well it might, since they had been contented to know nothing of each other for the last fifteen years.

Austen brings up this again in Mansfield Park, where for all her sisterly love, Mrs. Norris will not put herself in any expense to see her sister:

It had, in fact, occurred to her, that though taken to Portsmouth for nothing, it would be hardly possible for her to avoid paying her own expenses back again. So her poor dear sister Price was left to all the disappointment of her missing such an opportunity, and another twenty years’ absence, perhaps, begun. (Ch 37)

It is such a true thing, a sad thing, that we claim to love people and yet are content to never see them... (Or even write) This is clearly performative friendship, but it happens with real ones too.

I love the "friendship" between Mrs. Allen and Mrs. Thorpe because it is so true to life, they both talk about themselves and really don't listen to the other:

they proceeded to make inquiries and give intelligence as to their families, sisters, and cousins, talking both together, far more ready to give than to receive information, and each hearing very little of what the other said.

Also, Mrs. Allen unable to brag about children contents herself by knowing she has more handsome lace!

So I have heard theories that this whole meeting was planned by the Thorpes, but honestly, the Thorpes are not that good at planning. Also, the childhood acquaintance is real. It seems likely to me that the Thorpes were already going to Bath to husband hunt and John Thorpe planned to bring James, but everything else was a "happy" coincidence.

We meet the three Thorpe sisters:

Her eldest daughter had great personal beauty, and the younger ones, by pretending to be as handsome as their sister, imitating her air, and dressing in the same style, did very well.

This comes much later, but the younger Thorpe sisters are basically clones of Isabella. We hear them talk and it's identical to Isabella. I cannot imagine spending time with this family! I would explode.

Miss Thorpe, however, being four years older than Miss Morland, and at least four years better informed, had a very decided advantage in discussing such points; she could compare the balls of Bath with those of Tunbridge, its fashions with the fashions of London; could rectify the opinions of her new friend in many articles of tasteful attire; could discover a flirtation between any gentleman and lady who only smiled on each other; and point out a quiz through the thickness of a crowd.

Quiz does not mean "a short test" until the 1850s. The word quiz is used a lot in Northanger Abbey and it's current meaning is, "odd person, person or thing deemed ridiculous".

This passage reminds me a lot of a section from Austen's Love and Freindship:

Isabel had seen the World. She had passed 2 Years at one of the first Boarding-schools in London; had spent a fortnight in Bath and had supped one night in Southampton. “Beware my Laura (she would often say) Beware of the insipid Vanities and idle Dissipations of the Metropolis of England; Beware of the unmeaning Luxuries of Bath and of the stinking fish of Southampton.”

In both passages, I believe we are meant to understand that the informant is not actually that informed, they just look worldly to our poor naive heroine.

This passage is a jab at the novel style of the era:

This brief account of the family is intended to supersede the necessity of a long and minute detail from Mrs. Thorpe herself, of her past adventures and sufferings, which might otherwise be expected to occupy the three or four following chapters; in which the worthlessness of lords and attorneys might be set forth, and conversations, which had passed twenty years before, be minutely repeated.

I didn't really understand the reference until I read Belinda by Maria Edgeworth, wherein a character gave a 36 PAGE history of herself. It was very strange to read and not very natural. So good on Austen for realizing that style was terrible.

Also, this much loved quote is so sarcastic:

Catherine was delighted with this extension of her Bath acquaintance, and almost forgot Mr. Tilney while she talked to Miss Thorpe. Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.

Ah yes, her disappointed love of not seeing the guy she danced with for one evening! And her friendship of about 10 minutes.

[teabunnee]

Submas reaction to a very romantic S/O

From the look of things, I didn’t have any saved version of this one, which is sad. I had to rewrite stuff from memory. Original requester! If you have it saved somewhere, let me know! 

Ingo

Oh he is swooning, he is swooning like a Victorian woman in a Jane Austen novel. Only on the inside though. Outside He’s blushing a storm. He murmurs a thanks, stunned almost speechless. Whatever you bring him, if the thought is there, his heart flutters. He deserves to swoon, as a treat. He always thought he would be the giver of the relationship, be the gentleman. This was…unexpected! He’s the sort to at least try and reciprocate in some way. The gifts will be small and thoughtful. 

It’s a sign that you were thinking of him, after all. 

Flowers

The bushels of flowers are pressed to his chest as he lowers his hat over his face. His bright red, blushy face. 

He finds a space either at home or in his office. He changes the water regularly and keeps at least one bloom pressed. It always makes him think of you. 

He’s a rose lover (cliched I know), but he has a fondness for purple and blue flowers, it reminds him of his ace. 

If you tell him the meaning of the flowers he’s practically swaying, he’s a sucker for thoughtful gifts. 

He smiles every time he sees the bouquet, it’s a little unnerving for his employees actually. Until they ask and he babbles about his s/o for a good ten minutes, then it gets disgustingly sweet. 

You might get a small, tasteful bouquet later, filled with your favourite flowers in an elegant style, and tied with a pretty red or purple ribbon. 

Romantic Dinner 

Ingo is usually quite tired after a day at the subway, he loves his job, sure! He just works hard and sometimes overdoes it. 

He is surprised to see the house lights are off, and has to check his watch again to make sure he hadn’t worked overtime again. 

The man is gobsmacked when he opens the door to find you, the scent of roses in the air, rose petals on the ground, you, surrounded by candlelight. A full meal on the dining table?! Chandelure pops out of her poke ball and hums in approval, then with a coax from you, hovers over the table and sings. Ingo stares in surprise at the display. When did you have time to teach her this?!

Ingo is a sucker for the domestic and the romantic, and this hits him directly in the heart. 

He will eat anything you made him, this man, even if it tastes disgusting and he is visibly grimacing. You cannot stop him. 

This man will sing your praises for the rest of the night. He plans on making dinner for you next time, or even taking you out for his favourite restaurant. 

Emmet 

This is definitely a new feeling for him. Emmet doesn’t quite know what to do with himself at first, to be honest. He wants to stim, to jump and hug and kiss you, but for some reason he’s frozen in place. His eyes go wide, and his smile trembles visibly. He’s always been the active one, so someone else taking the initiative is very new to him. Once he’s more adjusted to it, this is going to become a competition. A sickeningly sweet one. 

Flowers 

As you give him the bouquet of flowers. He stares at you long enough to make you think you either offended him or broke him. 

Then he scoops you up and gives you a beeg hug, enough to pop your back. The flowers might get crushed. He giggles and plants a big kiss on your face. 

He feels like a schoolboy as you explain why you brought him those flowers. 

Emmet has never gotten the point of flowers before, but even he is touched by your gesture. He does his best to keep the blooms fresh, and presses all of them once he figures out how to preserve them. 

He finds baby breaths cute, and daisies. He also likes dandelions and chrysthanthemums (because they look like joltiks). He teases you if they are roses, as if he isn’t blushing a storm. 

Every time he sees the bouquet, his smile gets bigger, which is a little freaky for people out of context. 

You are getting a big bouquet at some point, fun, pretty flowers with a big white and green bow. 

Romantic Dinner

Emmet is also quite tired after his job, customer service is harrrrd. He just wants to cuddle with you, take care of his pokemon, and sleep until morning. 

He tilts his head as he sees the lights are off. Perhaps you went to bed early? Understandable. 

As he opens the door, he’s surprised to see red spots on the ground…rose petals? A joltik pops up from a small pile of them in the corner. 

Then he looks up at sees you! With dinner ready! Candlelight all around. oh. Oh! Oh darrrling! He hides his face in his hands, all of his exhaustion is suddenly gone. 

Emmet swoops in and kisses you. This is amazing! His heart feels so warm. 

As you tuck in to eat, you notice him saving parts of his food. He wants to be able to eat this tomorrow too. 

Next week, you might come in and see Joltiks wander around, lighting up the room like candles. A full feast of all of your favourite foods are on the table.  Emmet in a full butler outfit, a bottle of wine in his hands. He smiles at you, a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

[literatureismyentirepersonality]

Hello! Just wanted to say I enjoy your tumblr. Seeing your posts on the Brontes, Austen, Keats and Hamlet remind me of the time when I was obsessed with literature and specifically these works/authors. One of my underrated favourites is Villette by Charlotte Bronte (though Jane Eyre was my first Bronte love.) And Mansfield Park awakened me to Austen's depths. What are your favourite Bronte novel and Austen novel?

Halloo!

I LOVE Villette. It is Charlotte Brontë's best work in my eyes, showing her real development as a writer. I've always found it confusing/sad that Jane Eyre is the most well known of the Brontë ouvre because although it's good and I enjoy it, it is the weakest link. Charlotte Brontë got SO much better. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is my favourite Brontë novel, partly because I lean more towards Anne's cleaner style, partly because the subject matter is very dear to me. Wuthering Heights was my first love, though. My grandma took me to visit the parsonage having read only bits of Jane Eyre and I took home a copy of Wuthering Heights and devoured it in one night. It's a really magical whirlwind on your first read.

I really need to appreciate Mansfield Park more and do a re-read— I know I saw much more in Emma as an adult and I may well see more there too. Northanger Abbey was my favourite for a while as the most cheerful and fun (and my first Austen novel) but Persuasion has my heart.

Also Keats! Keats! Do you have a favourite piece? A gripe against The Eve of St Agnes? (I do) Please talk to me about Keats because Tumblr has not yet scratched that itch for me.

[permanently-stressed]

do you feel like your outside appearance is a fair representation of the “real you”?

five most influential books over your lifetime

I've been told that I look stoic, cold, serious and uninterested a lot. But I've also been told I look sweet and blissful. I personally would like to think I'm on the latter end of that spectrum lol

Ok so last time I answered Five Most Influential Books I thought it was meant to be popular/impactful books released over my lifetime, but I think that might've been a mistake.

Maybe the question was meant to be Five books that impacted you over your life time?? in that case, I'd say:

The Anne Of Green Gables series, specifically Rilla of Ingleside. I read them when I was eleven, and the feel and atmosphere paired with the valuable thematic core was just everything to me. It truly changed the way I look at life. (I should write an essay omg–)

1001 Arabian Nights. This is the first book that made me cry, and also one of the first books I read in English

Heidi. My copy was a gift from my dad after I played Heidi in a musical, and it was the First book I read completely in English!

Pride And Prejudice. It was my first look into Jane Austen, and her writing style and quick sense of humor will always hold a special place in my heart.

The Winds in The Willows. First book that had me ugly sobbing. Like, actually can't even breathe sobs. It was a silly reason but I always get reminded of it when I'm homesick :D

Thanks for the ask!!

[tortoisesshells]

3, 6, and 13 please!

3. ... that encompasses my style:

It's got marine ooze, it's got something wrong going on in the background, and it's meandering through thoughts without much dialogue. From One's A'self encounter - In lonesome place.

Maura Franklin found that she did not like the Prometheus any better on second acquaintance than she had at the first: the deck was cold underfoot – slick, too, but not only with the marine damp she had accustomed herself to. If she were to bend down, she was sure she would find some silty, primordial ooze, as though the Prometheus had been slumbering at Captain Larsen’s four thousand meters, and only lately returned to the surface. It was not only her vocational hatred of dirt that made her loathe to check her guess. That was not to say it didn’t tempt – the ragged swathes of some kind of sea-weed that almost remind her of something, the glittering of sediment within the muck. There was something terrible to it – too much discordant information, pointing to wild impossibilities. A sunken ship could not be raised four thousand meters, unless by a miracle, or something like it; it seemed impossible to her eye that the Prometheus could get into such a state without going beneath the waves, somehow. What little she understood of these matters – an item in the papers, now and again, glimpsed under a mug of coffee at her desk – an Irishman turned American named Holland, how could she forget something like that –

6. ... that I struggled with, but triumphed over:

There's a passage in Customs, ch. 25, that took three or four drafts to get the infodump-iness to a manageable size, by way of trying to weld potc into reality.

Lieutenant Gillette did not say where he expected Britain to enter such a conflict, which made Theo assume – with a kind of superiority he admitted was unwarranted – that Lieutenant Gillette was not privy to such knowledge, either. So much for Commodore Clinton’s flag lieutenant, he thought snidely. “It was this Charles who had claimed Spain’s throne in 1701,” said Norrington, by way of speculating where Gillette’s knowledge had fallen short, speaking of the war they had both been born into, “Though he driven off by his cousin, the current Philip.” “Has this Philip a claim on the Austrian throne?” “I doubt it. He was made to relinquish his claim on the French throne as a condition of the end of the late wars; I cannot imagine any power would consent to such a consolidation now. But he is still French.” Calling this the late war was eliding several smaller wars, but it was not worth belaboring the point: Britain was poised to fight Spain over several slights (imagined or otherwise), its right to sell slaves in Spanish territory, and to suit the humors of bullish braggarts in Parliament; wherever Spain went, then Britain would likely be opposite, and France and Spain had far more in common than they had with Britain, anyway. This was to be the shape of things, then – little wars strung together into a great strand of blood – Theo was conscious of wrinkling his nose at this, the wine muddling his metaphors. Thank God Norrington couldn’t hear his thoughts! The many sources of such conflict, on an imagined globe, bled outward, like wine dropped on white linen, leaving precious little space unblemished.

13. ... that helped me understand a character better:

I think she feels a little too Austen-y, but I liked writing Elizabeth in the vain title take Of lord of thee, and arbiter of war -; sorting through what she knows and what she feels, before weighing her instinct a little heavier than the incomplete evidence she has.

And what was a wife but an ornament? On the infrequent occasions he hosted gatherings, Elizabeth and all of Port Royal society could wander past the blades of vanquished opponents as regularly as the more fashionable curios and shelves; Elizabeth could not help but think of the two crossed swords of the French and Dutch garrison commanders of Saint Martin, and how six years ago her father and all of Port Royal society had fallen over their own shoes to compliment young Captain Norrington on so great an accomplishment at so young an age and with so few men under his command – and how that had mirrored so exactly what he had said to her this morning – What I have not yet achieved. As if marriage were simply one more item on a list, a hedge to be hurdled as he sprinted towards his inevitable promotion to Admiral, and very likely eventually a seat on the Board of Admiralty – Though what he needed the Swann influence for there – with his late cousin Byng for many years the senior Naval Lord – There was something in that, Elizabeth thought, though she was reluctant to pull at the loose end of thought; it seemed nearly kind to attribute Commodore Norrington’s conduct to the workings of the human heart, and – life-debt or no – Elizabeth was not feeling kindly inclined. She was feeling cornered – again, as though this had all been fore-ordained, and she was being yanked along through her paces, like a puppet. As though no matter what she said or did, she would always be returned to the same well-rutted path that wealthy, well-bred women trod between the cradle and the grave.

Send me a number and I'll share an excerpt of my writing!

[cartograffiti]

February '24 reading diary

I finished 19 books in February, which sounded like a mistake until I realized I read most of them as audiobooks while doing manual tasks. It's always nice when my ears are on my side (says someone with a hearing disorder).

I like poetry, but I don't read enough to feel knowledgeable about it. I've been trying to read a bit from various countries, and after I enjoyed the Pablo Neruda collection so much in January, I went on to read three other poetry books.

Khalil Gibran's The Prophet is one of those works that I've seen quoted out of context so much that I was shocked to discover I didn't actually know what it's about. It's a series of prose poetry fables with a linking plot in which the titular prophet converses with the people of a city he is departing about different aspects of life. A lot of it is really beautiful and thought-provoking, and I thought it was great. It's become a popular source of quotes for weddings and inspirational goods, but I was surprised and moved to find it's also a text about multi-faith unity; Gibran was Lebanese, and Lebanon had and has striking diversity of religions.

I also really enjoyed The Poetess Counts to 100 and Bows Out, a collection by the important Venezuelan poet Ana Enriqueta Terán. I find her wordplay unusual and her subjects interesting, and even in translation, I found her work to give a powerful sense of humor and hopefulness, and a gift for creating a scene.

I did not enjoy Rupi Kaur's Milk and Honey. Kaur is one of the most famous living poets, and I had read so much praise and disdain for her work that I wanted to form my own opinion. There are turns of phrase I really liked, and it is laid out in an interesting way that means some related poems could be read either distinctly or as sections of a longer thought, which I found neat. But I found myself so grumpy the more I read of it that I ended up also reading a lot about Kaur and other people's analysis of her work, trying to contextualize why I bounced so hard off it. Many critics wrote about trying to separate her style from her content, and chose to praise just one or the other, but I am critical of both. Her style lacks personality that would tell me it was her work as opposed to any other poet's, and her content is full of basic, played-out sentiments of popular feminism and bathetic viral posts. Being reminded of "take me to a museum and then make out with me," "but they said not to touch the masterpieces," is not what I'd hoped for out of this. I do think it's a good thing and a strength of Kaur's that she is able to speak to so many people's common experiences through her clarity and intimate tone; it's a shame it didn't click with me. And unlike several professional opinions I read, I think she's completely entitled to write poetry that is not all self-revealing confessional pieces; that should not be something we demand of any art form. But it's a shame some of her verses suggest that certain kinds of shame and violence are a collective and integral part of womanhood and South Asian identity. She's only a little older than I am, and we were both students when she wrote these. I wonder whether her recent work is more sophisticated. I'm not motivated to find out.

The title of the Kaur book reminded me of some enthusiastic praise I'd read for Mary Robinette Kowal's Regency fantasy romance Shades of Milk and Honey, and I found that disappointing, too. I almost liked it; there's some great bits about making art with magic, and it's a good little world. The most interesting character doesn't get enough page time, a lot of secondary characters feel like flat loans from Austen, and the late-book resolution was forced and rushed.

In the Emelan group read, we finished! We read Melting Stones, an Evvy-centered book that I really enjoyed until it became repetitive in the second half, and feel pretty mild about, and The Will of the Empress, reuniting all the original kids as older teens, which I thought was just great. Pierce in top form, and one of the best of this setting.

Lois McMaster Bujold has a new Penric & Desdemona novella out that I haven't been able to borrow yet, but in the meantime I discovered there was one I missed. Penric is a physician mage devoted to an unusual god, which means he's benignly possessed by his demon friend Desdemona, and they have adventures and solve mysteries. This one was Knot of Shadows, about a puzzling corpse and curses. Great fun. Don't start here.

In the land of romance, I've been really enjoying Mimi Matthews's Belles of London series, about a friend group of interesting Victorian horse girls, so I read The Lily of Ludgate Hill as soon as I could. These are no-sex but sexy books with a lot of skill. I've been easily invested in each couple so far, the friends are well integrated into each other's lives even after resolving their own storylines, and their new beaus are introduced smoothly. More than that, there is a lot of consideration for the social issues and new ideas of the period. My favorite is still the first, but Anne and Felix have a strong second chance romance backstory and they're fun to see squabble and cooperate.

More romance: I finished another Gail Carriger novella, this time Defy or Defend. Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott in the Finishing School series was only learning to be a spy because her evil genius parents wanted it. Her actual dream was to marry a nice politician of not too much importance and be a domestic goddess and social power. Now an adult working for the government, her professional partner is also her perfect man, and she hopes he'll admit to mutual feelings while they're on a mission to rescue a vampire hive from dangerous disintegration. It's very much a Cold Comfort Farm or The Grand Sophy plot of a cheerful girl solving everyone's problems, which is perfect for Dimity: I love her and I love this premise. Felix's internal conflict is a bit of a nonentity, but I don't care, he's too busy adoring Dimity and taking the trans vampire to buy new clothes.

And the last romance for the month, The Companion by E.E. Ottoman. An extraordinarily efficient novella about Madeline, a writer whose spirit has been crushed by trying to break into the industry in NYC in the 1940s. A friend arranges for her to go stay with Victor, a successful author lonely in a too-big inherited house upstate. She is quickly attracted to both him and his artist neighbor Audrey, and they adore her. All three are trans, and the core of the plot is Madeline navigating these new relationships while settling into the unfamiliar safety and encouragement offered to her. In Madeline's POV, Ottoman very much treats the poly triangle as two distinct romances and a third observed at a close distance, which means doing about 2.5 times the work of most. I went wild for the execution, which felt like magic. You do have to like reading about people trying to write and cooking, which fortunately I do. Highly recommended.

A very different book about a writer that I was impressed with this month is Malice by Higashino Keigo. In translation, this is the "first" of a longer detective series that I can't remember where I heard about. That was to my advantage, because I wasn't primed for the premise, alternating between the deductions of Detective Kaga and witness statements. It quickly becomes apparent who did it, fitting best into the why-dunnit class, and using my expectations as a mystery fan against me. Higashino does not idly use an author as one of the POV characters; his profession creates a surprise that taught me something about how writing works mechanically. Very cool.

Also a book about books: Sunyi Dean's The Book Eaters. My oldest friend and I both listened to this as the audiobook wonderfully read by Katie Erich, and we both complained that the interview in the bonus material killed a little of the mystery for us. Despite that, we loved the main character, Devon, and it's full of interesting ideas. It's about a group of families who eat information instead of food. It's about...fairy tales and it has a unique form of dragon and vampire myths and a slow-burn escape from Christian cults. It's about figuring out you're gay when you're already a parent. It's weird and fascinating and upsetting. I think Dean made very smart choices about when to reveal information through flashbacks, and I think Dean sometimes over-explains things to the reader in the narration that would have been stronger if I was left to interpret them myself. L and I both think we'd be interested in another Sunyi Dean book, but not a sequel to this one. It is a complete concept.

I feel that way about Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi, too. This one is a fantasy heist with lots of backstory starring Shigidi, who is a kind of minor nightmare god, and Nnemoa, who is a kind of succubus. They have gone freelance, breaking from the corporation of Orisha and taking their own jobs through the living and spirit worlds. I particularly like Nnemoa's backstory chapters and the heist, but Aleister Crowley is involved for some reason and much less repulsive than in real life, and I was disappointed the heist is a pretty brief element. I'd like to read another Talabi book, though, and this was the first adult book I've read that features the orishas of the Yoruba religion which have been a welcome part of several recent YA fantasy books.

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water is not the Zen Cho book I thought it was when I checked it out, but I'm glad to have read it. It's a wuxia novella about a nun and some bandits involved in rebellion, told with a lot of humor and thoughtfulness about the role of holy objects through the POV of a trans bandit with his own history with the nun's order. I love Cho's style!

That was a one-sitting project audiobook, as was a full-cast play recording of The Importance of Being Earnest. This is a sensational play that I had put off reading because I thought it had probably been overhyped. It hadn't. This is the source of a lot of Oscar Wilde's best quotes, and it's a jewel of drawing-room comedy and dialogue that operates on multiple levels of significance. I'm glad I happened to listen to actors doing it, which I wasn't expecting when I tapped on the first audiobook that came up.

More old books: I found an Agatha Christie mystery I didn't like! How sad! This was The Big Four, a series of spy short stories starring Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings, compiled together into a loose novel. The effect is somewhat disjointed, and not every story shows her ingenuity. It's full of 20th century political paranoia of conspiracies and spies, with anti-Asian racism and antisemitic tropes I can often count on Christie to avoid or subvert.

And Steppenwolf, by Herman Hesse, which is a very strange and influential work of literary fiction about a man who believes--not to minimize it by putting it this way--that he has a secret wolf-self inside him, much like certain middle schoolers of my acquaintance. The edition I listened to opens with a letter from Hesse in which he remarks that this book is frequently misunderstood, which I will admit put my back up. Maybe there's stuff in your book you didn't intend, Herman! I enjoyed its vagueness, I adored the complexity embodied by Harry Haller's friend/alter-ego/mother/girlfriend/boyfriend Hermine, and I got a lot out of reading literary analysis that gave me better context for the transmigration of souls and Jungian theory. It also suffers from didactic passages, racism and antisemitism, and dogmatism about artistic quality. Very worth reading, difficult to say whether I "liked" the book.

Carrying on with Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond books, I went straight from GK into Queens' Play, which I loved every moment of. It's easier to read than the first book, as she pulled back on stylized spellings and puzzling quotations, without losing any sparkle or punch. It's sooo fun. It's sooo distressing. Spies! Plots! Assassins! Disguises! Escapes! Messy bisexuals! I told my Lymond friends this book was funnier, but that feels like the wrong word for some of the things that happen in it. Giggling and kicking my feet and crying.

And a book I am very solidly neutral on: The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros, full of vibrant personality and a great premise, but the plot gets in its own way in complexity and the pacing was a real struggle for my taste. The core cast is really strongly varied Jewish immigrant characters in Chicago in the 1890s, some teens have been murdered, there's a dybbuk, and gay kissing. I think I would have enjoyed it more when I was a teen; some YA takes me that way.

[youremyonlyhope]

Hallmark’s Sense and Sensibility

Yes. YES. All I've ever wanted was an adaptation of Sense and Sensibility where Mr. Dashwood is white, Mary Dashwood is Black (or another race), so that the sisters are mixed and it causes even more tension between their older white half-brother and his wife.

As a mixed girl, I’ve been begging for this version of the story to be told.

I can't believe Hallmark is the one to do it, but I am ready and excited to watch.

Hmm... is Fanny mixed... is internalized racism going to be an issue for her too? If so, I am here for that.

Edward is Fanny's stepbrother... I don't think that was the case in the book. But I infamously hate Edward so maybe I just didn't pay close enough attention to him. (It's a change)

BONNETS. They have bonnets! They have natural hair (probably wigs but still, natural textures), and bonnets. I am actually super happy about the costuming so far.

Ok I might like this Edward... We'll see. We're not at the part where he makes me mad. But right now... he's ok.

"Right kind of woman" ok girl. Sure.

I really liked that scene between Mrs. Dashwood and Elinor, while Margaret played the pianoforte.

Oh Col. Brandon. Already smitten. I do have one complaint though: Mrs. Dashwood is supposed to be about 40, to make it so Col. Brandon being 35 offputs Marianne even more that he's close to her mother's age. But this Mrs. Dashwood (who I really really like so far) is being played as much older than 40.

YES CURLING RAGS. And am I crazy but are some of Marianne's clothes kind of leaning to wards 1820s transitionary styles? I sorta love that if that's the case.

OK Willoughby... ok. You cute. I love this "Who are you?" thing we got going on.

That painting of a Black man in Georgian-ish clothing. Someone remind me to look it up. I love the framing of this shot with Brandon and Willoughby, and the painting between them.

God I adore Mrs. Jennings. In generally but I really like this one.

God, fuck Willoughby. I always forget how much I hate him.

"A daughter." No no no you're supposed to say "natural daughter." Come on.

Oh poor Willoughby, what a coincidence he's called to London, while Brandon's already in London, dealing with an issue involving his "natural daughter." Such unlucky timing...

I can't wait to see Steele sisters. I hope their hair is blonde, so there's no doubt that the hair Edward has is NOT Elinor's. God. This is what I wanted from a S&S adaptation.

OOH the Miss Steeles are Black too! Ok. Ok. Fanny you absolute hypocrite.

OH MY GOD. THE PAINTING OF DIDO ELIZABETH BELLE IS IN THE BACKGROUND. Oh my god. I literally just squeaked. No random family would have that painting hanging, especially with the cousin cut out only showing Dido but STILL. And adding the fact that I once found an Amazon listing for an Austen novel using the cousin Elizabeth as the portrait and cutting out Dido (and also that the portrait is from 50 years earlier) made me so mad. This little easter egg of including Dido's portrait in this movie is like HEALING that specific moment's pain for me. Oh my god.

This adaptation, is far too good. It's so much better than I thought it would be.

Ah yes, the constant talk of "beau"s from Anne.

YES THE LOOP ON THE TRAIN.

This Lucy is diabolical. I don't think I remember her being so... almost mean. Annoying yes, but mean? Hmm...

Love all these Black paintings. I wonder if Juan will show up, though that's a Spanish painting not English.

Miss Jennings has white servants. Love it.

I think they made Robert worse.

"And I always keep my promises." You tell him. I thought I was going crazy earlier, that a song sounded kind of pop-ish. But they're playing Kiss From a Rose right now on a string quartet, so they're going full Bridgerton with this. I didn't want to accuse it earlier, but now I must.

Ugh. Willoughby.

MRS. FERRARS IS BLACK. FANNY YOU SUCK. You're giving us light skinned mixed girls a bad name.

Edward didn't want to be in the same room as his main and his side chick. I forgot about the Mortons. He's got 3 girls. This is why I dislike him. And I really think this movie ended up playing up Robert Ferrars' personality in a way I'm not sure I liked, he was always charming but I don't think he was this rude.

Ok Marianne. You're not wrong. But I don't remember that. It's been over a year since I last read S&S, I really need to brush up on it I guess.

Wasn't Eliza married to Brandon's brother and then cast aside? I really need to brush up. However, god I'm reminded of how much I love Austen.

Well I enjoy this Edward's embarrassment a lot.

Ooh Fanny. I don't like Lucy but do not call her a peasant.

Ok fine, point to Edward. I will concede that this adaptation is doing a good job of making the watcher feel for Edward. I still dislike him the most of all Austen husbands.

This is truly a great Elinor.

They've been so careful with having everyone in gloves. And now Edward is thanking Elinor, taking her hand, and no one is in gloves. I see you costume department, I see you.

Yessss loose hair moment.

Oh my god, I always love Col Brandon when he says he won't rest until he brings Mrs. Dashwood and Margaret. Every single adaptation. It makes me so emotional.

Wow ok. This version is a very good Edward, a very good Elinor, a very good Marianne, a very good Brandon. Even a very good Willoughby. I can't believe they really made me actually want to forgive Edward. I usually still am salty towards him by the end. That alone makes this pretty amazing.

Costumes were fun. A little bit crazy but honestly sometimes Austen adaptations don't go crazy enough with the costumes. Minus some fit issues with the empire waists (same issues that Bridgerton is plagued by) and some weird closures in the backs of some dresses, it was really well done costume wise.

And I was surprised that race was not as much of an issue as wealth, though I still think that Fanny and Mrs. Ferrars had some colorism issues in there.

Really my only issue with the movie is that they didn't make clear how old Brandon was compared to Marianne. And I have some concerns about Robert's characterization. That's really all I can complain about though.

Dare I say... that Hallmark somehow created... my new favorite Sense and Sensibility adaptation...

[akallabeth-joie]

Les Mis 1.2.2

Following up from Pilf’s post, because clothing is the topic I have stuff to say about. [Also the rest of the action feels very natural follow ups from the previous 15 chapters: the people and house we met in 1.1.1-14 are about to encounter the guy having an awful day in 1.2.1, and this is Hugo’s set up for that.]

Caveat: my main research area is the mid-19th century (right around the time Hugo was finishing Les Mis, not the years it is set), and my working language is English. The US in 1860 is not France in 1815-1832, but I think some elements here do transfer over, or at least offer insight into how Hugo’s readers might have interpreted the text.

Main observations re: Baptistine Myriel’s clothing:

9 years is a very long time for a dress in active use. Washing and non-washing dresses will have different trajectories, but in contemporary non-fiction, making a silk dress last 7 years is a feat of clever planning and care. Five years is noteworthy. One to two years is more typical, and 3 months isn’t necessarily a frivolous waste (wearing a silk dress only once would be). Much like with the soup thing, the Myriel household is taking ‘practicing good economy’ to an extreme, almost absurd degree.

Also, the fact that Mlle Baptistine is still wearing her silk dress “in the style of 1806″ in 1815 is notably weird. Fiction and non-fiction sources of the 1850s/60s show economically-minded women remodeling their silks every season in order to keep up to date. Magazine articles give instructions for turning last year’s flounced skirts into gored ones, or adding puffed overskirts to update narrow gored skirts. Advice books recommend getting an extra yard or two of fabric so that you can update the sleeves of your dress when it’s taken apart for washing. Trousseaus should have some of the dresses left “unmade” (as lengths of fabrics) in case fashions change over the year. A missionary woman writing from not-yet-Seattle in the mid-1850s opines that the dresses she made for her wedding less than a year earlier are too “rusty” to be worn at home (in New York) but are sufficient for living in the woods.

So my impression of Baptistine is that she’s meant to be The Superlatively Economical gentlewoman, and also Not At All Vain About Clothes. She’s not spending her time or money on fashion, but the fact that she is still bothering to wear a silk gown for dinner is signalling that she’s still performing (her class’s) respectability. From this, and her letter about re-doing her room, I expect that her whole wardrobe and all the house’s domestic interiors are scrupulously clean and mended, but also old and likely inharmonious. The two women will do the work to live respectably, but will not spend any unnecessary money on their own comfort or aesthetics.

Hugo taking the trouble to describe Baptistine’s dress (”short waist, a narrow, sheath-like skirt, puffed sleeves, with flaps and buttons”) just reminds me of how much crinoline-era Victorians do not like the Neoclassical look. All of these specific elements are basically the opposite of early 1860s fashion--waists are worn just at/above the natural waist, skirts are about as wide as they can get, more fitted coat sleeves are replacing the wide-open sleeves of the late 1850s. It’s a bit different from how most modern folks seem to view the 1810s style (Austen! Romance! Bridgerton?): I’ll need to dig through my notes, but there’s at least one 1850/60s cartoon and one article I recall which amount to ‘yikes, the fashions of 50 years ago were awful’, and another article from the late 1860s which holds that the crinoline is a great improvement on the raised-waistline silhouette. I think we all prefer to ignore the weirdness of the c.1865-9 Second Empire style, but there were absolutely pairing high waistlines with fitted sleeves and trained skirts over elliptical or half-hoops (transitioning from the rounder cages of the late 1850s and early 1860s into the bustles of the early 1870s).

[edwinspaynes]

(totally skip some if you want to) 4, 10, 14, 37, 55, 69, 70, 94 for the unusual asks? sorry if it's a lot, there were too many good ones😅

4. do you like your name? why? -> My name's Healy, and I like it very much! I like how it sounds, and it's a unique name that makes me feel like I stand out, lol.

10. how would you describe your style? -> Ha. This is fun. I'd definitely say I opt for casual-cute. In the summer, this usually means a well-fitting tank and cute shorts with sandals... or a sundress. In the winter, I wear a lot of long-sleeved v-necks, jeans, and boots/ankle boots. I also wear the same necklace every day, a replica of Cordelia Carstairs' globe necklace (that James gave her when they got married) in The Last Hours books! Pairs well with some cute bracelets and earrings.

14. if you can live anywhere in the world where would it be? why? -> Already answered - Canterbury!

37. do you read a lot? whats your favorite book? -> I read every day. It's my passion, along with writing. My favourite book is Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare, the last book in The Last Hours trilogy. It makes me feel so warm and hopeful, and I love that for me. Besides the three Last Hours books and its prequel The Infernal Devices, my faves are anything by Jane Austen or Charles Dickens. Also a massive fan of KJ Charles's books.

55. what is your dream job? -> Novelist! I love writing, and I've written a couple of books before. I specifically write queer stories in the romance and fantasy genres. Now it's just a matter of publishing.

69. do you play an instrument? -> Yep! Cello.

70. what was the last concert you saw? -> I went to Eras last year in Foxborough, MA! Had a really wonderful time. I got the lower bowl seats of my DREAMS for a really low price within an hour. Which was insane considering all the Ticketmaster bullshit. I am BLESSED to have gotten the LoverFest boost.

94. favorite lyrics right now? -> And no matter what I've done it wouldn't matter anyway / Ain't no way I'm gonna screw up now that I know what's at stake / here / at the park where we used to sit on children's swings / wearing imaginary rings / but it's gonna be alright / I did my time... (Do I like this because it reminds me of Payneland and how absolutely perfect they are together? Yes. Yes, I do.)

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🦇 Don't Want You Like a Best Friend Book Review 🦇

❝ She thinks about her a lot, of course. And the days are better when they get to be together. And when she's dressing for balls now she thinks more of what Beth might think of her gown than what any of the young men might. And holding Beth's hand today made her feel more than she's ever felt dancing with anyone...They're friends. Shouldn't she love her friend? ❞

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite Bridgerton pairing? ❓ 🦇 Anxious debutante Beth has just one season to snag a wealthy husband, while Gwen is on her fourth season with no intention of finding a husband. Unknown to them both, their single parents seem to have a history. Getting them married could save all their problems. Only one hitch: they seem to hate each other. Can Beth and Gwen bring their parents together...all while ignoring the budding feelings they seem to have for each other?

💜 I'll admit it: the tagline "a swoon-worthy debut queer Victorian romance" and promise of a "lesbian Bridgerton/Parent Trap" caught my eye. Gwen is a firecracker from her introduction, while Beth is everything you would expect from a demure debut searching for a husband. There's an instant spark from the moment they meet; a subtle yet undeniable chemistry many of us have experienced after meeting our (platonic or romantic) soulmates. Every scene between them is full of energy. They're each other's ideal halves: Gwen is bold, energetic, and as charming as her father, while Beth is sweet, amiable, and reserved. They get into Parent-Trap-style shenanigans with one another while simultaneously bringing out the best in each other. We see Beth's character growth through her time with Gwen as much as we see Gwen grow after meeting Beth.

🦇 It's funny but before reading the plot, both the title and cover reminded me of The Fiancee Farce, which led me to expect something more modern. Despite the story's setting in the Regency period, the writing (everything from the prose and exposition to jokes and attitudes) seems more modern than expected. The only aspect that reminded me of any classic story (like Jane Austen) or recent Regency novel (like Bridgerton) was the pacing. The first 30% of the story drags without the type of messy antics or conflicts that would have driven the story forward. It felt like a modern story dressed up as a Regency period tale. The overlapping plots (the sapphic relationship, Beth searching for a husband, and the Parent-Trapping) aren't weaved together with cohesion that would have helped the pacing. Because of the uneven pacing, the transition from friends to more comes off as sudden instead of a natural progression. The dual third-person limited, present-tense POV was also a strange choice, which made the prose awkward at times.

🦇 Recommended for fans of Bridgerton, Parent Trap, and Victorian romances. There are also a few Swiftie references (for those of you who feel compelled to read a book for that sort of thing).

✨ The Vibes ✨ 🩷 Victorian Era Romance 🩷 Sapphic Romance 🩷 Forbidden Romance 🩷 Friends to Lovers 🩷 Dual POV

⚠️ Content Warnings: Domestic, Emotional, and Physical Abuse; Sexual Content; Sexism; Death of a Parent

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

[firsttraintovictoriaville]

Just Leave a Comment Winter 2023 Totals

two days late but better than never!

Total comments left: 55

Fandoms read from (in no particular order): Merlin, MyScene Dolls, Harry Potter, Miss USA (Webseries), Avatar: The Last Airbender, Ted Lasso, Winx Club, Xmen Evolution, Succession, Sense and Sensibility, Law and Order: SVU, The Vampire Diaries-TV, The Vampire Diaries- Books, Justice League Unlimited, Smallville, Hawaii 5-0, Yugioh, Littlewood, Rise of the Guardians/Frozen, School 2013, Romance Is A Bonus Book, Aggretsuko, Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food, Teen Titans

Now for some fanfic recs for every day of the fest (disclaimer: I truly loved every single fic I read for the fest and if asked, I am more than happy to give out links to every single one of them)

Day 1: First Fandoms: Dedicated To... by MissHyperbole (MyScene Dolls, G, 1,173 words, Barbie/River)

"The bass player dedicated a song to me! But then we saw him giving his number to another girl."

Barbie and River have a moment at the 11c gig.

I adored this fic so much, it felt exactly like reading a MyScene webisode. The River/Barbie plotline was also my fave from the CD-ROM game and this just brought me back to that game quest with Barbie tying that red string around her finger and tracking down dog tags.

Day 2: Bookmark Day: The Poet's House by spacewitchbot (Romance Is A Bonus Book, E, 4,467 words, Cha Eunho/Kang Dani)

Cha Eun-ho slid a tiny piece of paper across the table to Dan-i. She unfolded it and read the note. “Marry me, Kang Dan-i,” he’d written.

She looked up at him with a smirk and shook her head, just enough for him to see. Nearly everyone had filed out of the room. He smiled and turned away, saying nothing more. But, he noticed as he glanced back, she hadn’t crumpled the paper. She folded the note neatly and tucked it in her notebook.

This fic felt so much like watching the drama. If you finished the drama and wanted to settle into the post canon world a bit before re-watching then this is the fic for you. The first chapter especially!! All of the Gyeroo employees together was just ahhh!!! so so so much like their interactions on screen

Day 3: Old Favorites: An Unexpected Attachment by umbrafix (Sense and Sensibility, G, 11,532 words, Colonel Brandon/Elinor Dashwood)

While Marianne was ill at Cleveland, Colonel Brandon was everything that was kind and attentive to Elinor.

Re-reading this fic (and commenting on it finally after reading it two years ago at least when I first finished S&S, eek!) reminded me of how much I loved Colonel Brandon and Elinor and how much I need more of them all the damn time. umbrafix's writing style pairs perfectly with Austen's and this fic was so good and scratched all the right places in my brain that if S&S had played out like this fic then maybe it would top Northanger Abbey as my fave Austen

Day 4: Fandom Curiosity: Dark But Just A Game by linnycarol (Succession, E, 3,952 words, Gerri Kellman/Roman "Romulus" Roy)

Gerri spends Fourth of July weekend with the Roy family and sparks fly between her and Roman.

This fic accomplished the goal of fandom curiosity and seeing Succession on my dash and making me finally want to watch the show. It was such a well done fic with spice and tenderness and realism. I can't wait to watch Succession, finish Succession, and then go back and read this fic with the knowledge of the canon

Day 5: Rec A Fic aka I Used This As A Free Day: party of one (party of none) by uncut (deadwine) (Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food, G, 540 words, Yoon Jinah)

Jinah searches for everything the day takes away from her in the night.

This fic was a treat for the senses. Every detail brought me into Jinah's world alongside her. It was an excellent character introspection that was so beautiful and poignant to read. If you have yet to watch Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food AKA Something In The Rain if you're searching for it on Netflix, I highly highly recommend reading this fic before watching because it captures Jinah's feelings at the start of the show so well.

[hamstringy]

Books of 2023

this is mostly for me to yell at my lawn about books i want more people to read. my faves are highlighted in purple and have a star (☆) next to them. if anyone wants to suggest books at me........ <3

i did not think i was going to make my goal of 26 books, but then i got put on desk duty at work and discovered audiobooks!

The Traitor Baru Comorant - Seth Dickinson gah!!! Builds methodically and slowly but crumbles apart and hits you on the dick over and over. Cannot believe a guy named Seth Dickinson wrote this (affectionate).

The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addison Classic feel-good whump, but don't think too hard about the politics. I would have been obsessed with this as a kid.

☆ Babel - R.F. Kuang ☆ A capital-T Tragedy that made me physically cry! RF Kuang is incredible at writing about colonialism and situations that go horribly wrong.

A Lady for a Duke - Alexis Hall Generally cathartic romance about a trans woman who fakes her death at Waterloo to live as a woman and falls in love with her childhood best friend. I think I am not entirely a romance girlie but definitely a solid book.

Sorrowland - Rivers Solomon Oh baby let's get weird and talk about politics! Contains a mycelium-fueled gay ghost orgy and some very good body horror.

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy - Becky Chambers The Monk and Robot duology keeps hitting me over the head with ruminations on all the coming-of-age questions but it offers me tea and a listening ear so I quite love it.

The Stars and the Blackness Between Them - Junauda Petrus I think the prose is well written, but I was definitely left wanting more regarding the magical realism.

Feed Them Silence - Lee Mandelo Again with the slacking on the magical realism. Frighteningly contemporary crumbling relationship and not nearly enough weird bullshit for me.

The Future of Another Timeline - Annalee Newitz I hated this book so much. I really think you could pass it off as the product of a corporate man, that's how shallow it is. It has mega commitment issues with the themes it tries to tackle. Also, if you're going to write a time traveling book you NEED to do at least cursory research???? Women in the 1890s did not wear bras????

No One is Talking About This - Patricia Lockwood A fun and brutal investigation of being chronically online and dealing with personal tragedies. Bonus points for being written by Miette the cat's owner.

☆ Greenwood - Michael Cristie ☆ Incredible multi-generational epic. Cristie knows the story he wants to tell and he executes it near-flawlessly. I didn't love the ending but the rest of the book makes up for it.

Rabid - Monica Murphy, Bill Wasik Definitely an interesting look a the cultural side of rabies, but I wish they had maybe not gone with such a wide array of subjects.

The Lucky Red - Claudia Cravens A queer (minor homophobia) Western in the spirit of all the good female country singers.

Persuasion - Jane Austen Oh baby. I get it now.

Ancillary Justice - Ann Leckie An unfortunate choice of media means I can't rate this higher. I think it's too hard sci-fi for me to listen to it, so I need to reread it in physical form.

Deaf Republic - Ilya Kaminsky Brutal. Kaminsky is really fucking good at writing about war in a pretty minimalist style.

Small Things Like These - Claire Keegan A book that reminds you about the point of choosing to do something right. Also has the added benefit of teaching me about something I didn't know about (The Magdalene Laundries).

Eartheater - Dolores Reyes Another victim of the audiobook medium. I'm not sure if this is because it was translated or because I was expecting something a bit different, but I didn't really jive with this.

☆ Islands of Abandonment - Cal Flyn ☆ Absolute banger. Beautiful prose, concept that makes me go a bit feral. I want to tattoo this on my brain.

Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yarros This is not a fair review--I read this because my friend hated it. A deeply unserious and superficial book to me as an avid fantasy person and not a romance person. I wish Yarros had actually gone full hog and actually included disability in the sex scenes at the very least.

The Vanished Birds - Simon Jimenez Genuinely not sure how to feel about this? Sprawling space opera with purposefully unfinished ties. It does make me excited to read A Spear Cuts Through Water though.

Kindred - Olivia E. Butler I get the Butler hype now! Read it.

Flux - Jinwoo Chong A lukewarm positive review here? Very much a deep dive on grief, tech politics, and fandom. Has some weird timeline stuff so I was definitely confused.

Upright Women Wanted - Sarah Gailey Reads like that one ao3 excerpt of Sasuke learning about gay people. It feels like there's next to no world-building or character development. The characters are incredibly juvenile and all the changes happening are spelled out.

The Dragon Republic - R.F. Kuang Lord, this was a deeply intricate trainwreck of a book. Deeply uncomfortable and yet incredibly gripping.

Rereads:

Nona the Ninth, Harrow the Ninth, and Gideon the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir Decided I needed to listen to the audiobooks of these to inflict maximum damage. Good lord, I am still insane about these books.

Graceling - Kristen Cashore I was obsessed with these books as a 10 year old, and this one still mostly holds up. A good example of romances for little girls who aren't convinced by romance.

[fionamccall]

Pride and Prejudice - in many flavours

Tickled to see this version of Pride and Prejudice at Jane Austen's House. This was the first one I read, aged about thirteen, and I can well remember my sudden inkling that this unpleasant character Mr Darcy might actually turn out to be the hero. You can never recapture that first discovery again. My sister tells me that she was enjoying the 1967 version aged 9, so my Dad bought it for her, which is quite sweet. She still has it. We've been watching it again on Youtube - quite good, with Vivian Pickles as Mrs Bennett, and focusing on the gossip between the older ladies in a style perhaps influenced by Coronation Street. Mr Darcy not as handsome as Colin Firth, but at least he's not as stiff as the 1980 version. But sometimes, despite being told that Jane is the most beautiful Bennett sister, they can't resist making Elizabeth the more attractive.

In the cover on the right, amusingly, Mr Darcy is just a puppet in the background. According to the exhibition, this was the start of the period in which Austen's books started to be exclusively targeted at women, which was not the case before. She was read by soldiers in WWI, seen as a gentle reminder of home, as described by Rudyard Kipling in the 'Janeites'. Kipling was a fan, as also was Disraeli, in a period after her death when Austen was not as renowned as today. He liked curling up in country houses with one of her novels. But then he was a novelist himself.

Also available on Youtube are a 1957 Italian version which starts with a duel (where was that in the book?) and the men wear very tight trousers, and a 1961 Dutch version which starts with Elizabeth Bennett giving a monologue on women's rights. I think I'll give that one a miss.

[leer-reading-lire]

Last read:

Title: Sense and Sensibility

Author: Jane Austen

Translator: Ana María Rodríguez

Number of Pages: 303

Rating: ★★★★★

First published: 1811

Read: 10 September 2022 - 27 October 2022

Thoughts:

Finally, I’ve finished this Jane Austen’s book! It was the only one of her six novels that I had yet to read.

It reminded me of her style in Juvenilia, although the improvement is evident.

My favorite character is Elinor, but she can be judgmental and that bothered me sometimes.

The narrator wanted to convey the idea that Elinor and Marianne were the most intelligent, well-educated, and superior characters. Nonetheless, their behavior suggested otherwise, specially, and noticeably in Marianne’s case.

Colonel Brandon is my favorite male character from this novel. Edward Ferrars was hardly around, and John Willoughby was the worst.

I actually liked Mrs. Jennings. I understand how people like her can seem obnoxious, but, in her favor, I have to say she didn’t act out of malice, she was friendly and kind (in her way) and truly and selflessly cared for the Dashwoods.

It was difficult for me to sympathize with Mrs. Dashwood. She didn’t parent Elinor or Marianne very well. She was loving, but thoughtless.

I feel that Margaret deserved better, and in my imagination she will prove to be the smartest of the miss Dashwoods.

In my opinion, Colonel Brandon and Elinor would have been a way better couple. They had interests and their temperaments in common.

Adding to that, on one hand, I didn’t see what the big deal about Edward was. On the other hand, Marianne still needed to remain on her own for a while to discover her true self and grow up. I don’t mean that she was immature in a derogatory way, but literally very young. She needed time and not to be married off right away.

John and Fanny Dashwood were awful.

Lucy Steele was something to behold. She is an immensely more interesting and complex character than the adaptations make her out to be.

I love Jane Austen’s writing. She was genius at observing and describing human behavior. Her wit was delightful as always.