#i remember reading them at age 10 and thinking 'wow this author hates women and native americans'

[anotherpapercut]

genuinely it will never stop baffling me how people will wear twilight shirts and talk about team Edward vs team Jacob and then the same people will be like "I'm not basing my personality off of a piece of media (harry potter) made by a transphobe 😌" like good that's great! so you can excuse racism but you draw the line at transphobia? good to know

[beautyiisterror]

10 questions tag 📚

Rules: answer 10 questions and ask 10 new ones. Thanks so much @therefugeofbooks for tagging me in this, i’m so excited!!!!!

1. What's your favorite cold drink?

if we are talking about alcoholic drinks, caipirinhas are the utimate cocktail, do not @ me!!!!! all flavors, are just *chef’s kiss*, but like in general i love orange juice and ice tea.

2. What's the first thing you notice about a person?

i honestly don’t know??? i mean, if they are goodlooking and not a bad person??? those are literally my two criteria. i like people who are smart and have pretty smiles and kind eyes, just not to sound shallow (which i kinda am lol)

3. Do you have any pets? What would you name if you had one (more)?

I DO!!!!!!! i have two pets acctually, a cat and a dog and they are EVERYTHING TO ME!!!! their names are jake (the dog) and belo (the cat). if i had one more, i would like to have a black cat named luna, because i’m a sailor moon trash.

4. What was your favorite TV show growing up?

i don’t really remember, but i used to love all shows with girls doing stuff? like winx club and totally spies. i used to love those!!! i still kinda do actually. 

5. What's your ideal vacation?

i love travelling with friends, and unfortunately, i don’t get to do as often. so i think my ideal vacation would be like travel to a really cool, unexpected place, with the biggest number of my friends that we can gather to such adventure. 

6. Is there any book that you want to read but by any reason you keep avoiding it?

you mean like, 70% of my bookshelf/kindle library????? hahahaha honestly, i buy books faster then i can read them so is always a HUGE tbr pile all around my room, i’m a chaotic reader, and i take no pride in that. but usually the books i keep avoinding are the classics, and the bigger ones. specially because, from a little time now i’m trying to add diversity to the cultural stuff that i consume, and it doesn’t help that most of the books i have here are from dead cishet white dudes. but i will get around reading them, even if is just to complain about it. 

7. What book do you hope will be turned into a movie or TV show one day?

one of the best books i’ve read this year was my sister, the serial killer by  oyinkan braithwaite, honestly, this book has everything that i love in fiction: complex women, sibilings relationships, FAMILY DINAMICS TO DIE FOR, pretty women comiting murder, humor... honestly five out of five stars, and i would love to see a movie adaptation of it. i would also love a kyoshi duology adaptation, even if i’ve only read the first book yet, i just love avatar universe so much, and kyoshi is my favorite avatar (ALSO A BISSEXUAL WOMAN OF COLOR IS JUST EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) it would be awesome to see a show about her. bonus points if it is animation, but honestly, there are so many great asian actresses around, i would love anyways.

8. Are there any books that are really popular but you dislike?

i can’t really remember many of those, even if i’m really picky with my readings, i’m quite easy to please. but a recent reading that was ABSOLUTELLY FRUSTRATING because i really wanted to like the book, was hanya yanagihara’s a little life. once again, the book covered subjects that i usually fell really drawn to, such as coming of age, found family, FRIEND GROUPS THAT DON’T FALL APART AFTER ADULTHOOD, non white writer/main characters, lgbtqia+ characters. honestly, a nox’s favorites textbook premise. AND YET, I HATED IT SO MUCH!!!! all the unecessary pain that some of the characters go to, that at one point through my reading i just rolled my eyes when something terrible happened/was revealed about the past of one of the main characters. and the identity of the non white characters wasn’t really explored as they should? it honestly felt like just more excuses to make those characters go through MORE PAIN. it was honestly hard to finish it up. and the more frustrating thing is that so many people seem to think this is a great representative book, just doesn’t sit well with me. i also think is impotant to say that there are SO MANY POSSIBLE TRIGGERS IN THIS BOOK, AND I DIDN’T SEE ANYONE TALKING ABOUT THIS BEFORE I READ IT!!! so i’ll leave a list of the triggers i was abble to notice throught out my reading, in case anyone is thinking about give it a go:

content warnings for a little life by hanya yanagihara: self harm, suicidal ideation, attempted suicide, disordered eating, physical abuse of a minor, domestic abuse, abuse of character with a disability, loss of a child, drug abuse/addiction, sexual assault/rape, pedophilia, ptsd, forced prostitution of a minor 

9. When did you last visit a library?

wow it has been so long... i think it was sometime in march of this year, that i went to my college library to pick up some class readings that i had to do, and then QUARENTINE HAPPENED, and i still am with the books i picked up lol. thank god that they lifted up the tax for late books or else i would have to sell my soul to pay it hahahaha i really miss going to college...

10. Could you recommend me a book that you think is underrated?

THIS IS SUCH A HARD QUESTION!!!!!!!!!! as i’ve said, i’m trying to do more diverse readings, and in this time i have come in contact with celeste ng’s work, and it’s honestly SUCH GREAT STORIES!!! i also love some contemporary brazilian authors like vitor martins and lucas rocha (both were translated to english recently, and i really recomend that if you are a english speaker you check their work), i also loved laura pohl’s debute novel, the last 8, she is brazillian as well, but her work is published in the us so no excuse not to check out. also, if like me you are a big fan of avatar universe you totally should check the kyoshi’s novels by f.c yee!!!! i also been meaning to pick up the trilogy of the poppy war written by r.f kuang and children of blood and bone by tomi adeyemi, simply because: WOMEN OF COLOR WRITTING FANTASY!!!!! but it’s not really a recomendation, as i have not read those books, but i am definetly doing it in a near future. 

(another author that i can’t go without mention is olivia pilar, she is a black bissexual woman who writes love stories between black women, and some of her short stories are available in english as well, and honestly WHOLESOME CONTENT!!!!!)

— Here are my ten questions, i don’t really know who to tag, but if you see that, and want to answer it i would love to see your answers, so feel free to keep on the tag! i had a lot of fun answering it, and i hope you guys do to!!!

what is your top 5 literature characters, and why?

are you a tea, coffee or hot chocolate kind of person?

what is your favorite/chosen aesthetic?

if you were the final girl in a horror movie, which song would you like to play in the soundtrack when you got away?

who are your favorite relationships in fiction (of any kind)? 

how do you feel about villans?

what is your favorite boyband?

do you prefer physical or digital books?

what is your favorite type of story?

what is your favorite season?

Looking forward to see your answers ✨

[valentines-in-london]

I Need Fire (Part 1)

Gif by @classic-rock-roller

The Dirt!Tommy Lee x Original Female Character

Summary:  Rayne moved to LA a few years ago and has never really fit in.  While most of the Sunset Strip girls were movie star beautiful, with thin builds and blonde, Rayne stood at 5′10 in flats, had curves that no diet would make disappear and had big red curly hair.  The only person that ever made her feel normal was her best friend and room mate Jo.  One night Jo talks Rayne into going to a house party on the strip that promises to be a circus.  Rayne never expected to catch the eye of the ringleader himself.

Authors Note:  Hello everyone!  I’ve been so inspired reading so many of the amazing works people have written since The Dirt came out.  I’ve had this story in my head for a little bit and finally got the courage to put it to text and post it.  I’d love to hear any and all feedback anyone has, my asks and inbox will always be open!  It is my first time ever posting a fic, so if I do anything wrong or against the rules please let me know.  I think the community of people writing and reading these Dirt fics are amazing and supportive and I hope you all find some enjoyment in my story!  

I am also extremely inspired by music when I write so I’d be happy to post any and all songs that inspired chapters, or that I use in chapters.  Our first chapter is absolutely inspired by Stranglehold by Ted Nugent.  

On with the god damn show….

Word Count: 1,800

Chapter 1

Rayne looked herself in the mirror one final time before spraying a few more pumps of Flexnet into her voluminous red curly hair that fell down to the small of her back.  Rayne took the teasing comb to her roots one last time before using her hands to fluff her hair into place.  Her eye lids rimmed in black eyeliner smoked out with blacks and browns.  Her makeup was absolutely fitting of the place she was going tonight.  

Her best friend Jo had talked her into going over to a house party on the sunset strip.  Jo had gone to the Whiskey earlier this week to see a band and when she laid eyes on the singer she knew she wanted to fuck him.  Rayne had to give it to her friend, when she had a goal she achieved it no matter what.  As a matter of fact Rayne wasn’t even completely sure they were exactly invited to the party, but that wouldn’t stop Jo from getting what she wanted.  

“Ray!  Are you about ready I want to get over there!” Jo banged on the bedroom door.

Rayne looked over herself one final time in the mirror pulling her leather jacket on.  Rayne didn’t hate her body but she looked very different from most of the women she saw on a regular basis out on the Sunset Strip.  Rayne had curves, major curves, despite going to the gym on an almost daily basis.  She had large hips, a big ass, smaller waist and her boobs we’re much more than a handful.  Rayne also physically stood out on the Strip, standing at 5'10.  Most of the women on the Strip were stick thin, athletic, and flat as pancakes (except the strippers who loved their fake tits).  

Rayne knew she would get stares tonight and probably a few comments.  Tonight she chose leather pants that laced up at the crotch, they didn’t really fit her properly but she masked that with a loose fitted off the shoulder mesh top.  Around her neck was a leather collar with a D ring and her boots also had chains on them and jingled as she walked.

“Ray!  Come on!” Jo shouted once more hitting the door louder.

“Coming!” Rayne huffed opening the door sarcastically asking,  "Well, are you ready to go?“

“Oh Ray!” Jo whistled opening the front door.  "You trying to snatch up a dirty rocker boy tonight too?“

“Last thing I want.” Rayne laughed walking through the door locking it behind her.  "I’m going as moral support and hopefully some decent alcohol.  If they’re in a band they better have some decent booze.“

"Sure, sure.” Jo fiendishly smiled.  “Booze is good for you, it makes you more flirty.  Remember that time you got up on the ba…”

“Yes!”  Rayne raised her voice hushing her friend, “I remember it, although I wish every day that I could forget it.”

It didn’t take them long to walk to the apartment where the party was happening.  They were cat called multiple times on the way there, mostly aimed towards Jo, which she loved. Sometimes Rayne wish she looked like Jo, she was an average height, platinum blonde and a body to kill.  Jo could’ve been a Playboy bunny if she wanted to, but instead was in school to be a dental assistant.  Jo was also so confident, it was like she walked on air.  Where Rayne used her wit and sarcasm to deflect people, Jo used flirtation and charm to draw them in, together the two were ying and yang and had been friends since Rayne moved out to LA three years ago.

“I can hear the music from here, we’re getting close.”  Jo turned toward Rayne.  "We have to use the window, the door is apparently nailed shut from the cops.“

"Oh yeah I’m sure this is a good idea.” Rayne shook her head laughing to herself.

As they approached the apartment was crawling with people around their age.  It was a good mix but definitely leaned towards female.  Not a shock, especially if the rest of the band were as good looking as Jo described the singer to be.

“At least the music is good.”  Rayne complimented while they climbed the stairs and through the window.  Stranglehold by Ted Nugent had just started playing.  Rayne always thought it was a sexy song.  The apartment was small and packed with people, couples making out on the couch, guys puking in trash cans and girls leading men through various doors.

“I’m gonna go find Vince.” Jo purred into my ear, a devilish smile on her face.

“Alright I’ll be around.” Rayne said heading towards what she believed to be the living room.  To say it was sensory overload was an understatement as she looked around trying to take everything in.  Rayne saw one guy lighting himself on fire, and a group of guys doing lines off a plate before her eyes landed on a girl pulling on the arm of a brunette sitting at the table in the center.

“Check this out dude, you’re gonna fuckin freak.” The guy said before dropping to his knees going down on the girl in front of everyone.

Jesus Christ.  Rayne thought to herself before her eyes landed on a counter lined with alcohol bottles.  She took a step towards the counter, basically stepping over the two putting on a show for everyone.

There were plenty of bottles of Jack Daniels, which Rayne always thought tasted like piss.  But at the end of the line was a bottle of Jameson, still not her favorite whiskey, but she would have to make due with it.

The room was now filled with loud moans as everyone’s attention was on the act happening in the middle of the room.  Rayne unscrewed the lid and took a swig from the bottle.  Ah fuck it.  She heard the guy say people were gonna freak so she might as well stay and watch what was going to happen.

“Alright dudes, here it goes!”. The brunette said happily before standing up, looking over the room with pride before his eyes locked on the redhead across the room, the smile dropping slightly from his face.  His hand quickly went up to wipe his mouth of any remnants of cum from the girl.  The woman’s hand went straight to where his mouth had just left continuing to work herself until she screamed and a stream of liquid shot out of her.  Rayne stood there eyes wide she had never seen that outside a porno, and in all honesty didn’t even think it was actually possible.  The blonde woman kept her legs spread sounds of pleasure still coming from her as she came down from her high.

Deciding that she had seen enough, Rayne took the bottle of Jameson and grabbed for her pack of cigarettes.  As she turned to walk towards an outside balcony she saw she noticed the brunette man staring at her from across the room.  Or maybe not her.  Rayne didn’t know why he’d be staring at her when he obviously had a girlfriend.  She put a cigarette between her lips and made her way toward the balcony.  As she got outside Rayne lit her cigarette taking a long drag from it, blowing a steady ream of smoke from her lips.  She placed the bottle of Jameson on the ledge of the balcony and leaned over on her arms bobbing her head and hips to the music.

“Wow.” She heard from behind her, causing her to turn around startled.  Standing behind her was the brunette man from before, she didn’t realize how tall he was.  He towered over her, almost unbelievably so, she was used to standing taller than most men.  He was in a leather jacket and a black and red shirt with leather pants.

Taking another drag from her cigarette Rayne looked questioningly at the man in front of her.

“I haven’t seen you here before.” The man said.  

“Yeah well,” Rayne exhaled smoke.  "My friend is here to fuck your singer.“

The man chuckled, "She’ll have to get in line.”

It was Rayne’s turn to let out a healthy laugh this time, “You’ve never met my friend.”

“What’s your name?” He took a step closer to Rayne.

Rayne smiled up at him leaning in closer to him.  "Shouldn’t you be getting back to your girlfriend?“

"She’s not my…”

“TOMMY!  WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?” A shrill voice shouted for him.  Rayne watched as he closed his eyes and sighed.

Taking a final drag from the cigarette and stubbing it out Rayne said again a smug smile on her face, “You should get back to her, Tommy.”

As she went to step around him to go back into the apartment she felt him gently grab her hand to stop her. “Tell me your name, give me that at least.”

Hm, so this is what Jo must feel like.  "I’ll see you around.“ Rayne said simply before walking back inside the apartment being immediately grabbed by Jo when she got back to the kitchen, Rayne was glad to see her friend it made her forget about the tingling sensation in her hand from Tommy’s touch.

"Oh my god Ray, I haven’t been fucked like that in my entire life.  You ready to go?  I accomplished my mission.” Jo smiled big, hair more messy than before and lipstick smeared.

“Yeah, let’s roll.  I want details.”  Rayne smiled at her best friend.

“Oh and you’ll get them.  Copious details.” Jo giggled happily wrapping her arm around Rayne’s waist.  "Anything of interest happen while I was getting off?“

Rayne looked around the apartment, eyes landing on the man she now knew was named Tommy who had just come in from outside.  His eyes were still locked on Rayne.  "Nope, nothing to report.”

“It’ll happen for you one day Ray.  I know it.” This is why Rayne loved Jo, she had a heart of gold when it came to her friends.  Rayne was a bit of a romantic but had sort of given up on the idea of romance since moving to LA.

“We shall see.”  Rayne looked down smiling softly.  "Come on let’s go home.  I’ll pour us both glasses of actual good whisky.“

Tommy watched the two girls as they exited through the window until they were out of sight.  "Tommy!  My man!  You know I can’t stand Bullwinkle but I’ll never tire of watching her squirt.”

“Nikki, I think I’m in love.”

“What with Bullwinkle?  No you’re in love with her pussy.” Nikki smacked Tommy on his back.

“No not with her.  Someone else.”  Tommy spoke as if in a daze.

“Who?”

“I don’t know.” Tommy stood up straighter, “but I’m gonna find out dude.”

[mautadite]

january book round up

27 books this month! the most i’ve read in a month in quite some time, and a good start to the year. a couple days late because i’ve been feeling a bit meh. i doubt i’ll be able to read this much at any point this year. but it’s nice to get a good strong head-start on my yearly goal. a mix of audiobooks and e-books so far.

a land so wild - elyssa warkentin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ a really lovely epistolary/found media m/m romance story, set during the 1840s, about a ship captain and a naturalist trying to chart a northwest passage in the arctic, and find a ship that was lost five years ago trying to do the same thing. very beautifully told, with lots of emotion that you’d think would be lost because of the mode of storytelling.

how to bang a billionaire - alexis hall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ a re-read. i remember being very sceptical of this when i first read it, but now that i’ve finished the entire series there’s so much i appreciate about it.

trade me - courtney milan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ my first courtney milan book, after hearing a lot of good things about her. the hype was deserved! i like her writing a lot and this book (a romance between a poor chinese-am daughter of immigrants, and a billionaire heir with an eating disorder) touched on a lot of stuff that you don’t typically see in romance novels. particular what it mean and what it feels like to be poor. this was probably my favourite treatment of billionaires in a novel (at least, ones where they don’t get beheaded).

hold me - courtney milan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the second in the series, equally enjoyable. the hero of this novel has to confront and own up to his sexism in ways that a lot of romance novels would simply let men get away with! if i’d known that that’s part of what the book covered i might not have been enthused to read it, because while i genuinely believe bigoted people can change for the better, i’m not super interested in reading about it. but i really enjoyed how milan wrote it, and the romance was lovely. (also the heroine is trans, nice.)

my lady’s lover - nicola davidson ⭐️⭐️⭐️ not a lot of substance, but it’s historical lesbian romance, which is my eternal catnip. a lady’s maid who’s the member of a society for sexual freedom falls in love with her mistress, and happily discovers that the feelings are returned. there’s sex, some angst, and a happy ending,

a lady’s desire - lily maxton ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ another historical f/f romance. pretty low stakes, without much external conflict, but it had good writing and great characters, and i’ll always have a soft spot for childhood friends to lovers. and let’s be real: i mostly picked this up because of the cover. a woman with her head in another lady’s lap, gazing gayly at her? yes, thanks.

rebound remedy - christine d’abo ⭐️⭐️ eh! m/m holiday romance, about a guy who gets dumped before christmas, has a whirlwind rebound romance with his bartender, and then starts falling deeper for him. nothing bad about it, but i just wasn’t feeling the romance. i’ve read shorter stories that had more chemistry and character interaction.

don’t let go - cynthia dane ⭐️ another f/f romance that i got mostly because of the cover, but this one let me down hard. i liked that it was set in taiwan; had a lot of cultural nuance and tidbits that i enjoyed, but everything else, the writing, the editing, and characters, the chemistry... it was a bust. it also had a weird and baffling approach to mental illness, and managed to be yet another book that makes me hate rich people. also... the two authors credited are the pseudonyms of the same person skfjhdfkj ihni why she’s crediting herself twice.

alone - e.j. noyes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ LOVED THIS. f/f mystery/thriller-ish romance, though the mystery aspect is admittedly light. noyes has lovely prose and a good sense of storytelling, but the romance is where this really shone for me. which... idk, i’m aware that it might not be for others who read this book. but something about the way olivia fell so helplessly in love with celeste, everything celeste does to hold on to olivia... it appealed to me on a visceral level.

boystown book 1 - marshall thornton ⭐️⭐️⭐️ three short stories about a gay private eye solving mysteries in the community in the early 1980s. it reminded me of how much i love short form mysteries; there’s just something about stories being told that way that i can’t resist. i was also kind of charmed by the way our main character tripped into bed with a cute twink like every 10 pages. :3

poems i sleep next to - shelby eileen ⭐️⭐️⭐️ a collection of contemporary poems. really enjoyable. nothing wowed me, but several poems moved me.

how to talk to nice english girls - gretchen evans ⭐️⭐️⭐️ early 20th century f/f romance between a spirited american heiress and a nice proper english girl. low stakes, character driven. not really character driven enough actually; i felt like they didn’t get to spend enough time knowing each other. and some more external conflict wouldn’t have hurt. but it was hot and fun and well-written.

by his rules - j.a. rock ⭐️⭐️⭐️ an m/m romance that looks at abuse in bdsm communities, and spends a good long time on recovery, survival, and healthy relationships that involve kink. i really could not get into the discipline stuff, but i really liked that the main characters worked for their HEA; nothing clicked magically into placed for them, and aiden was given space and resources to work out his trauma.

the wolf and the girl - aster glenn gray ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ a retelling of little red riding hood set in early 20th century russia and france that focuses on the friendship between two young women. simple story, very beautifully told.

the secret diaries of anne lister - anne lister ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ i started reading this in the middle of last year, after i finished gentleman jack, and i was basically reading snippets at a time until december, and then by january i was eating it all up. i LOVED this. i loved the diary of this at times manipulative, haughty, but kind-hearted and tender and clever woman, and all of her loves and struggles and observations. there’s just something... very good about knowing and seeing that lesbians have always existed, and hearing her first hand accounts is just... GREAT. really looking forward to the next volume.

oh, earthman! - berlynn wohl ⭐️⭐️⭐️ an anthology of short stories. weird, fun, scifi-flavoured m/m erotica.

emma - jane austen ⭐️⭐️⭐️ took me long enough, i know! but i really really thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book, especially the audiobook, whose narrator i loved. i loved emma: her cleverness and wit and finesse and all her terrible blunders. though i could tell where the story was going, the getting there was really fun, and i super duper enjoyed the romance (though at one point i got seriously squicked out haha). and fight me: i adored miss bates, i thought she was the best character in the book. LOVE a spinster who don’t know when to shut her trap but is earnest and kind and gentle-hearted and GOOD.

«légendaire.» - kai ashante wilson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ kaw, i’m begging you, PLEASE write another fell length novel. or novella. please! i love his writing and world-building so so so much, i flip out thinking about it. until he does, these short stories will have to suffice. this was great: everything i love about his writing, revisiting the world and concepts that we’ve seen in his other books, with mesmerising characters and a tragic, but soulful tale.

a conspiracy of truths - alexandra rowland ⭐️⭐️⭐️ i love stories about stories, and as far as that goes, this a pretty good one! the one way it failed to grasp me was on the character front; i just didn’t enjoy the main character as much as i could, or as much as i was meant to, and i felt at times he was too far removed from the plot. basically, chant is a master storyteller travelling in a foreign land, when he’s falsely accused of witchcraft and spying. the novel details how he uses storytelling to get himself out of the pickle, and all the consequences that follow. there are some amazing side characters in this (esp. his apprentice, who i will definitely read the nest book for).

animal farm - george orwell ⭐️⭐️⭐️ felt like rereading this, so i did. and i mean, it’s animal farm! it holds up.

the overdue life of any byler - kelly harms ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ like i said above, i like books about books, and i got this thinking it would be something like that? but it’s more about a single mother who gets the chance to take some time off from her kids and her life, have fun, find romance, and how she deals with managing that, and the guilt, and all the elements that are introduced/reintroduced to her life. i don’t think this is an amazing book, but it’s a lovely one, and i know there are middle aged mothers out there who would benefit from reading it. it’s not about romance (though there’s a cute romance in it); it’s about motherhood and being there for yourself as much as your kids.

the subs club 1&2 - j.a. rock ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the first two books in an m/m romance series. a group of friends is still reeling after one of them dies at the hands of an irresponsible dom. they decide to form the subs club; a website to review and rate doms, with an eye towards making the community safer for subs, though it doesn’t really work out that way. the first book follows dave, who ends up getting involved with a guy who’s eerily like ron swanson from parks and rec, and the second follows miles, a masochist who gets involved with a guy who likes to pretend to be a vampire (lmao??). i have to tip my hat to j.a. rock, who seems to have a knack for getting me to read things i’d be otherwise sure i wouldn’t be interested in. and i mean, even after reading, i’m pretty sure i don’t want to read other books about domestic discipline or s&m or pretend draculas, but her characters and plots are well written and engaging and i had a really good time. although, i have to mention: the second book dealt with internalised racism in a way that... while well meaning, was definitely not very deftly done.

alice & jean - lily hammond ⭐️⭐️⭐️ post wwii f/f romance set in new zealand. a young widowed mother falls for the dashing woman who delivers her milk every morning. they have to contend with community scrutiny, an old friend of alice’s husband, and her bitter old mother to fight their way to happiness. i enjoyed it; it was simple and the romance was incredibly sweet, though the writing did drag at times.

american dreamer - adriana herrera ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ DELIGHTFUL. the very definition of feel good romance! a young dominican-american man moves to the outskirts of new york to start his food truck, and almost immediately meets a cute librarian who turns his head. i flipping love queer romances with characters from the caribbean; it just feels so good when slang is part of the language of love.

minotaur - j.a. rock ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ i read four books by this author this month, and this is hands down my favourite. i don’t know man, combine girls and monsters and lesbian romance and i”M THERE. thera is a teen orphan sent to a home for girls at the edge of town. there, she makes friends, raises hell, falls in love with the mysterious new girl, and also becomes obsessed with stories of the minotaur, half woman half monster, locked the labyrinth in a cliff not far away. this story appealed to me in so many ways, and i really hope the author writes more f/f in the future.

two dads and three girls - nick (yu) he ⭐️⭐️⭐️ the autobiography of a gay man growing up in china, and the story of how he finds himself, finds love, and becomes a father. very sweet.

whew. that took me a while lol. that’s it for january. i probably (hopefully) will be too busy to read as much this month, but i have some interesting books on my plate. currently listening to an audiobook of beneath a scarlet sky, which is unfortunately underwhelming, and i’ll probably move on with some fun YA.

[callunavulgari]

YEAR-IN-BOOKS | 2019

So. Last year I read 89 books. The year before that I read 39. The year before that I read 23. This year I have (thus far) read 110 books out of my goal of 100 and will likely finish both The Secret Commonwealth and The Library of the Unwritten before the end of the year. I may even finish another depending on which audiobook I go for next. So I’m gonna talk a lot. Again.

1. a book you loved?

Again, I read a lot of books this year. It was a great year for books. I discovered Brandon Sanderson, which has been amazing. I reread at least two different favorite series, some graphic novels, a few books that would ordinarily be outside of my typical genre. But I’m going to pick Red, White, & Royal Blue, which was probably the one I loved the most. Casey McQuiston, for those of you who weren’t in The Social Network fandom, wrote a really fantastic RPF in like 2011 or so. It was gorgeous and while I’m sad that it was never finished, I can still appreciate the crap out of it. RWARB is a story about the son of America’s first female president falling for the Prince of Wales. It is everything I loved about fics like The Student Prince and Drastically Redefining Protocol and more. It’s best universe 100% and I will probably be rereading it within the next few months because I loved it to pieces. Also, it won both best romance and best debut novel on goodreads by a pretty large margin, which is amazing! 

2. a book you hated?

I think the only book that I absolutely hated this year was The Gunslinger. Which sucks because a lot of people recommended that one pretty highly, but I either reluctantly enjoy Stephen King’s books or I outright loathe them. My review, directly from goodreads, with a rare one star rating:  

“Thing number 1: same guy who did the audiobook recording for The Stand did this one as well. Bad enough. Thing number 2: I forgot how badly Stephen King writes women. I got to listen to this narrator read a scene where a woman has an orgasm because the main character is exorcising a lust demon out of her by shoving a gun into her unmentionables, and then I got to hear someone described as "falling whorishly." DNF at 75%. Sorry. I just could not do it. Falling whorishly was the straw that broke the camel's back.”

3. a book that made you cry?

I definitely cried when I finished The Hero of Ages, which is the third of the original Mistborn trilogy by Sanderson. Without spoiling things... I was definitely crying by the end of it. Might have been crying at the end of the first in the series too. The only other ones I can think of that may have made me sniffle are Everything I Never Told You and To Be Taught, If Fortunate. 

The first because it’s a wonderfully crafted little tale about a family getting torn apart when their daughter dies tragically. The whole thing is pulled wonderfully taut with tension, and each of the character’s snippets into Lydia’s life before her death leads you to more and more discoveries until finally everything comes together seamlessly in the end.

The second because it is a little, little book about a big, big universe and is just so achingly beautiful and big inside that it hurts.

4. a book that made you happy?

I mean, I’m tempted to Red, White, and Royal Blue again because it is 100% the one that made me happiest. I was grinning like an idiot half the time I was reading it. But, because answering the same book for two questions seems cheap when I’ve read over 100, so I’m gonna go with King of Scars, which is the sequel to the sequel of the original Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. It took the best things about the original series and combined it with the best parts of Six of Crows and left me with a super riveting, fun read.

5. the best sequel?

Gah, I read so many series this year, so this is kind of hard. I have two answers!

The Well of Ascension, which was the second of the Mistborn novels and probably my favorite and The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, which in my humble opinion was leagues better than The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue. Not that it was bad, I’m just starved for stories about smart sexy ladies who become pirates and flirt with other pretty pirate ladies.

6. most anticipated release for the new year?

Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner is still my answer to this one. The release date got pushed back to August of next year instead of March of this one, so provided it doesn’t get pushed back again - that is 100% my answer. Some others I’m excited about: The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks, which I found out about two minutes ago, the as yet untitled Stormlight Archive #4 which is apparently coming out in November next year, and like six books that don’t have release dates yet so probably won’t come out until 2021. Oh, oh, oh, and The King of Crows, the fourth in The Diviners series, which I forgot was coming out in February!

7. favorite new author?

Easily Brandon Sanderson. Most of my other favorites that I really loved were all authors I’ve read before. Sanderson was my Rothfuss of 2019. Discovering his books changed my whole damn year.

8. favorite book to film adaptation?

I didn’t reread the series this year, but HBO put out their adaptation of His Dark Materials and it has been absolutely amazing so far! I’m blown away by every single episode and can only hope that the second and third seasons will be this good.

9. the most surprising book?

Okay, so there’s this book that I picked up randomly at the library because I liked its cover. It’s called The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard Morais and it’s about an Indian boy who grows up to become a world famous chef. It’s so, so rich. The detail is wonderful. You can taste the food, feel the sun, be a stranger in a market somewhere in France. It was a true delight of a book and definitely one of my favorites. 

10. the most interesting villain?

I read Codename Villanelle shortly after I got into the TV show, and it was actually a surprisingly good book. She’s a great villain. However, I also read Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, which you don’t even realize is about the evil queen until you’re like halfway through the book. That one was really, really well done and I need to get around to reading its sequel.

11. the best makeouts?

I’m tempted to say Chilling Effect because there’s just something about a sassy space pirate making out with her alien crew member whose skin can make her go into anaphylactic  shock that really appeals to the part of me that shipped Sheppard/Garrus from Mass Effect, but there were two really steamy ones in The Hating Game (elevators) and Ninth House (slightly dubcon-y bit because one character is drugged, but super searing anyway?). 

Also the bit in Red, White and Royal Blue where they make out against a painting of Hamilton in the White House will probably get me every time.

12. a book that was super frustrating?

Again, But Better was a pretty decent book over all. But there were slightly too many pop culture references and listening to an audiobook where the characters are signing along to Blink 182 along with several other songs was a little cringey because the narrator did not actually sing, just kind of singsongy shouted. It was weird.

The Alchemist was also really slow going for such a short book but was over all pretty good.

13. a book you texted about, and the text was IN CAPSLOCK?

I have no real life friends who really read and it is fucking tragic, so the closest I got was recommending a bunch of books to my mom and going off on tangents about how good they were. I think I might have ranted to Nick about a couple of them too.

14. a book for the small children in your life?

I reread The Bartimaeus trilogy again this year and it’s a kid’s book series that I would recommend to literally anybody because it might be my favorite series ever? I also read Lockwood & Co, a kid’s series by the same author who did Bartimaeus, which was fantastic because I didn’t even know he’d written anything since Bartimaeus? It didn’t quite compare, mostly because I adore Bartimaeus way too much, but was still highly entertaining. Spooky kid detectives hunt ghosts! 

15. a book you learned from?

While I did not read a single non-fiction book this year (again, whoops), a lot of books are informative even if they’re fiction. Hell, I learned more about cooking from The Hundred Foot Journey than I have in any cookbook out there.

16. a book you wouldn’t normally try?

Maybe Challenger Deep? I’ve been branching out more, so it’s getting harder and harder to tell which books I wouldn’t normally try. I did read like three exclusively romance novels this year, which was a bit odd for me.

17. a book with something magical in it?

I still say all books are magical. And definitely a lot of the books I read were magical, but probably the one with the most magic was The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, which was a meticulously crafted love letter to all stories and fairy tales. It was really magical and definitely lived up to The Night Circus. If she keeps up like this, I won’t even mind the decade between publications, because she has a hell of a way with words.

18. the best clothes?

Maybe either The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (the descriptions of her gorgeous silky green dresses made me deeply envious) or Three Dark Crowns (which had neat food and clothes from what I remember)

19. the most well-rounded characters?

All of Sanderson’s stuff has great characters, but Everything I Never Told You is still probably the one with the best. Celeste Ng is really, really good at making you feel each of her characters down to their marrow.

20. the best world-building?

To Be Taught, If Fortunate was very much wow when it comes to the world building. But so was Ninth Gate and The Alloy Era of the Mistborn novels (sequel series to the original series that takes place hundreds of years after the first series). I also read Saga this year, a graphic novel series about a man and his wife on the run from their governments with their baby daughter because their species are in a long standing war and nobody wants anybody to know that they can procreate. That has some fantastic world building.

21. the worst world-building?

Maybe What If It’s Us? I found that one largely boring.

22. a book with a good sidekick?

Definitely any of the Alloy of Law books. Wayne is a wonderful sidekick and all of the other “side characters” in that series are fantastic.

23. the most insufferable narrator?

Ugh, the Gunslinger. Both the character in the book and the person who narrated the audiobook.

24. a book you were excited to read for months beforehand?

I think the only ones I was really excited for head of time were the two Folk of Air sequels by Holly Black and The Starless Sea. I still need to read Call Down the Hawk, and I’m currently reading The Secret Commonwealth, the sequel to His Dark Materials which I’ve been excited about since I learned that it would be a thing.

25. a book you picked up on a whim?

You already know about The Hundred Foot Journey. We Are Where the Nightmares Go and The Monster of Elendhaven were also both randoms that I picked up during the Halloween season that I really enjoyed.

26. a book that should be read in a foreign country?

The Hundred Foot Journey. 100%

27. a book cassian andor would like?

I still don’t know what to make of this question.

28. a book gina linetti would like?

Probably any of the steamy ones? I honestly don’t know.

29. your favorite cover art?

Probably The Ten Thousand Doors of January. It’s very pretty and flowery and the book itself is fantastic. I also really like the cover of David Mogo, Godhunter.

30. a book you read in translation?

I think The Alchemist was the only book I read that was translated from another language.

31. a book from another century?

Ha! North and South was first published in 1854. Other than that the oldest ones I’ve got were written in the 80s (Shards of Honor, Ender’s Game, and The Alchemist) or the 50s (The Two Towers).

32. a book you reread?

This year I reread the Bartimaeus Trilogy, the Temeraire novels (and then finished the last two I hadn’t read yet), Sabriel, and The King of Attolia.

33. a book you’re dying to talk about, and why?

I have clearly talked enough at this point. I think the only one that I loved that I didn’t get a chance to talk about already was Horrorstor, which is a book about haunted Ikea (basically). It’s fantastic and hilarious and spooky and now that I think about it Gina Linetti would probably like it. Oh, and The Bear and the Nightingale trilogy, which was a retelling of an old Russian tale. It was great. 

TLDR; Read Sanderson’s books, Leigh Bardugo’s books, and whatever Casey McQuiston writes for the next 30 years.

[captainjackspoilers]

One True Way by Shannon Hitchcock Great for: -younger lgbtq+ kids (8-12) (and their parents- it's a brilliant book to read together) -anyone who was struggled with their religion, specifically Christianity and their sexuality. But this is one that I think everyone should read! I think you'll like it if you enjoyed: Read Me Like a Book by Liz Kessler, Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde or anything by Robin Talley, then I think you'll love One True Way. Is there an LGBT couple? : absolutely! 10/10 Wow. I've just finished this book and that's all I can think. I own over 100 queer books and have read and studied over 60 books and no book has affected me this much. This is truly a beautiful story that has the power to do so much for young kids who either know someone who is gay and doesn't understand what that means, and especially kids who are struggling with having feelings towards someone of the same sex for the first time. It's such a cliche in queer book reviews, but I wish that this book had existed when I was younger so that I could have understood my feelings and accepted them without being confused and in denial for years. I am genuinely thankful for this book for two reasons. Firstly, this book is part of trend in queer lit that I absolutely love, which is modern history settings, in this case, the late 70s. I may be the only one who feels like this, but what I discovered with Things a Bright Girl Can Do (by Sally Nicholls) was that seeing queer women in the past and their struggles felt like discovering an ancestor. Even though the characters from these books aren't real, I felt connected to the women who inspired these stories by our experiences. As someone who doesn't really know many other lgbtq+ people, this connection felt very special and comforting and I really hope that there are other readers who felt the same way. The other reason is that, as a Christian woman, my religion and my sexuality have obviously been a concern for me over the years. Long before I knew I was bi I remember being very confused about people saying that God hated gays and that they were evil. I went to a church of England school, and when I started year 10, all of a sudden, all of my friends, bar one, refused to even talk to me and people would shout 'dyke' at me, but I didn't know what it meant, nor did I know that I was queer. One day in r.e., my 'main' bullies were sat on a table behind me and my teacher, a woman very open about her faith (and a bit pious) was sat with them when they started spitting half eaten food at me. I kept on waiting for her to stop them while I kept my head down to try and not cry. If it wasn't for another teacher happening to see and tearing a strip off these girls, I don't think that she ever would have stopped them. I ended up complaining about her and she came to my form one morning to talk to me in tears saying that she was sorry that 'I felt that she had let me down'. She never apologised for letting those girls do that. One true way really does have the potential to change the minds of readers of any age. For any queer Christian, reading Reverend Walker saying that she doesn't believe homosexuality means that a person is 'an abomination' and that they should be true to themselves is incredibly powerful. The romance between Sam and Allie is incredibly sweet and sets a great example for kids exploring feelings for a person of the same sex and especially for parents struggling with a child coming out. This is a book that I would highly recommend that parents and kids read together for this reason and it can be a great starting place for a parent or child who isn't sure how to discuss homosexuality. The adult characters in this book are brilliant, reverend walker and coach Murph in particular, and they show different feelings towards homosexuality really well. But, obviously, the kids are superb and steal the show- Webb is completely adorkable and I totally ship him with Penelope! Sam is so much fun to read and her energy comes through the pages her personality is so infectious- she's the kind of girl everybody wishes could be their best friend. Allie is quieter but utterly endearing and her process of questioning her sexuality and being scared of the repercussions is just beautifully depicted. The two quotes that I have highlighted perfectly sum up why I chose to study queer children's and ya lit, and why I want to spend the rest of my career studying it. Books like these really do have the power to change young people's lives and out of the 60+ authors I have looked at, no-one understands that responsibility more than Shannon Hitchcock. Ribbit ribbit xx

[lifesabe-ch]

hubby - tom h.

author’s note: wow okay I've never written for tom holland before but here goes nothing??? I hope you don’t hate this but on the off chance you do, pls hate silently (read more bar is added because I wrote out what come to mind for Tom’s proposal and it made everything look so much longer lmao) 

Okay but like

Can we all just take a minute to imagine what marrying Thomas Stanley Holland would be like

Just getting engaged to that boy would be magical

He’d have this whole big thing planned

Literally every member of the Holland family plus Harrison would be involved in putting things together because if we’re being honest they all loved you just as much as Tom did

And everything was absolutely perfect, but the most prominent thing in your memory about that day was what he said to you when he proposed

“The amount of nights I spent lying awake, the amount of hours I spent thinking about this could never have prepared me for this exact moment. At first, I struggled with what I would say to you. Winging it sounded too casual, but preparing a full on speech seemed too formal. As a middle ground, I decided to look at some quotes online, see if anything struck up inspiration for how to put my feelings into words. But that was just it. Reading those quotes made me realize that no words could accurately describe how I feel for you. No words could ever describe how perfectly perfect I think you are. Nothing could ever come close to telling you the things you make me feel, but I could at least try. When I picture the rest of my life, all I see is you. It doesn’t matter to me what I’m doing or where I’m living; all that matters is that you’re there. I want to be with you. I want to go house hunting with you. I want to decorate with you. I want to wake up next to you every morning. I want to adopt a sibling for Tessa with you. I want to start a family with you. You are more than I could have ever wished for, and I thank god everyday for bringing you into my life. Without you here with me, I would have no idea what I was doing. You complete me, as cheesy as that sounds. Not only are you the woman of my dreams, you’re the woman who has my heart. So… I have to ask, will you do the honors of making me the happiest man alive and being my wife?”

And you just started crying because oh my fucking god

Tom just kind of scoops you in his arms as you laugh through the tears because of how absurdly amazing this man - who wants to marry you - is

Harrison is just awkwardly still filming like, “if you don’t say yes this could turn really sad, really fast.”

OF COURSE YOU SAY YES

YOU KISS HIM SO MANY TIMES AFTER THAT

AND THEN IT’S JUST  AN ENDLESS CYCLE OF HUGS AND CONGRATULATIONS FROM THE HOLLANDS AND YOUR FAMILY

It was absolutely perfect and you wouldn’t trade it for the world

But now you two were getting married

THE DAY WAS OFFICIALLY HERE KDJFJHKDAFJD

You two literally spent ages planning this wedding (it was like a year, at most)

Whilst your mother and Nikki were constantly stressing over making sure everything was perfect you and tom just really really wanted to be married already

Really

No joke, that boy had already been calling you wifey

As soon as you got engaged

You had woken up that day barely having gotten any sleep without Tom besides you :(

You were immediately rushed to get your hair done by the women in your bridal party

All the while texting Tom

And getting cute texts back

“4 more hours, love :)”

“4 hours too long :(“

“For someone who has not called me hubby once throughout our engagement, I would have thought you could wait.”

“I’ve been saving it for the special day. Think how much better it’ll sound hearing it today.”

“As long as you’re the one saying it, it will sound absolutely perfect any day.”

Needless to say you could not stop smiling 

After what felt like ages it was finally time

Just seeing Tom standing at the end of that aisle made your heart skip a beat

Not to mention how dapper he looked in that suit oh my

And just

Tom’s face when he saw you in your dress

That boy is so head over heels for you it hurts

As soon as  - and I mean as soon as -  you got to the altar, Tom immediately grabbed your hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze

Whilst mouthing something about how beautiful you looked

Honestly most of the ceremony is a blur

You basically just remembers loads of crying

On all ends

Like everyone was crying at both of your vows and the two of you were crying at how cute the other was and just ahkjfkjs

As soon as the words “You may now kiss the bride” were said, Tom immediately swooped you into his arms and kissed you lovingly

The two of you stood there for a solid minute

Eventually you had to pull away to go take photos

Which was an adventure in itself

Literally the most hilarious yet awkward experience you’ve ever had

And then go to the reception

WHICH WAS FUCKING LIT

You’re wedding party was the absolute best

Everyone danced in in such an extra way and you loved them all for it

But your dance topped them all

With Tom literally spinning you out onto the dance floor, dipping you in his arms, and then slipping the two of you into your first dance

Which, btw, was absolutely magical

Imagine some adorable song like Perfect playing

And Tom singing softly to you as he holds you close

And swaying the two of you gently

Everything melts away and it’s like it’s only the two of you out there in each other’s arms

Sadly the song ends sooner than you wished 

And you all take your seats

And normal wedding stuff ensues

Except everything is like 10x better because you’re now a Holland and literally can not wipe the smile off of your face

All of Tom’s brothers tried to give a toast

Each of them failing and ending up cracking jokes

Harrison getting ready to give his and everyone expecting it to be playful and humorous

BUT IT ISN’T

Harrison tried so hard for this and by the time he was done, Tom was literally about to cry

So of course tom goes over and hugs his best friend 

They’re both so pure™ it hurts

After eating it’s time for the  basic ass bouquet and garter toss

Tom was almost a complete gentleman

Ignoring the cheeky kiss he placed on the inside of your thigh, then sure

AND THEN DANCING

The best part of any wedding tbh

You and Tom tore up that dance floor

Seriously, you never sat down

Even if Tom got tired

You danced with Harrison

Patty

Sam

Even Nikki and Dom

Probably everyone there at least once 

Overall your wedding day was a solid 12/10

Nothing could top the fact that you were now Mrs. Y/F/N Holland

But seeing Tom’s face when you called him hubby was a close second

[gratefulslug]

Between the World and Me: Chapter 1 Notes

Opening quote critiques the way we respond to certain deaths, romanticizing the deaths of these kids who are killed. They are not born to die, their purpose was not supposed to be a “martyr”, their purpose should have been their life, not their death.

Portrays living as different races as living in different worlds, I have a feeling this will be an overarching theme (pg. 1)

America has allowed for their own definitions of what “the people” mean (in terms of politics), because of this they have allowed and excused their own violence (pg. 6)

Naming who “the people” are is based on hierarchy because America is based on hierarchy, why do we assign value to physical traits? (pg. 6-7)

“America believes itself exceptional, the greatest and noblest nation ever to exist” (pg. 8). This is how I view “Trump’s America”, but maybe America has always been this way, and I simply just seeing it now. 

“The police departments of your country have been endowed with the authority to destroy your body” (pg. 9) --> clear connections to current day, use of “destruction” over and over again, but America does not deem it as destruction because of what we have determined as “okay” 

I find myself forgetting that this is a letter to his son, when I remember it makes me tear up, I cannot imagine living a life where I would have to write a letter like this to my child. I suppose that is the whole point, as much as I want to and as much as I try, I will never be able to understand. 

Is the America dream just to be white? (pg. 10)

“That this is your country, that this is your world, that this is your body, and you must ind some way to live within the all of it” (pg 11-12). --> this seems to sum of the black experience living in America. They are coping with a world that rejects them. 

“But the black body is the clearest evidence that America is the work of men” (pg 12).

I am reading this book in a cafe, I have started to cry as this subject material is very sad and very necessary. I keep having to put the book down as I read to take a breath. But I noticed that as soon as I began to cry, I reached for my phone to tell my friends “omg I am literally crying in this coffee shop right now”... what does that say about me? I am trying to turn this pain into my own when it is none of the such. I’m embarrassed that this was my initial reaction and embarrassed to be typing this.

I am thinking about the mold black kids are meant to fall into. I am thinking about a boy at my school, he is black and he has gotten himself into a lot of trouble with the law throughout the past year. But, the past few months (after an expulsion) he seriously turned his life around. But, for him that also meant taking the twists out of his hair, changing his style, changing the way he speaks. I wonder how much of that is from internalized racism? or from what the school has projected onto him as being the “ideal student”? (pg 14). 

How much of black culture in America is built out of fear? (pg 14-15)

I imagine the parents beating their children out of fear, they want their kids to be harsh in order to survive, but at the same time they don’t. Do they want to take away their blackness? (pg 15)

“Then she beat your grandmother terrifically, one last time, so that she might remember how easily she could lose her body” (pg 16.) --> This quote really affected me, it seems to perfectly encapsulate the idea of fear manifesting in violence, but the violence doesn't have bad intentions. She was trying to help. 

“Either I can beat him, or the police” (pg 16). 

Is this beating a shared experience for all black kids? Even now? Why are these kids continuing to put themselves into dangerous situations after being beat for it? Or is that too easy of an assumption to make? (pg 17)

Laws are made for “the people”, which has never included black kids. (pg 17)

I will never know what it is like to be a young black kid reading of police brutality, I cannot begin to imagine. I wish I could share their understanding in order to empathize, but I can’t. (pg 19)

“cosmic injustice” and “profound cruelty” (pg 21) used to describe violence toward black bodies, I think those definitions will be the closest I can come to understanding. 

“And that cut me because, for all our differing worlds, at your age my feeling was exactly the same” (pg 21). As much as the world has changed, ex. it is significantly more acceptable to wear natural black hairstyles, not to say that it is fully accepted/gone without judgement in any way, the systems have stayed the same. Black men and women and children are still left with the same unfairness. 

“I recall learning these laws clearer than I recall learning my colors and shapes, because these laws were essential to the security of my  body” (24). I think this is a really good example of how white privilege works. I have never had to worry about the security of my body.

the “need for escape” seems to be why kids are turning to the streets, it is partially because that is where they are told to go, partially because that is how they escape? 

“The world had no time for the childhoods of black and boys and girls” (25). These black kids are forced to learn two lives, both of which are necessary for their survival, the streets are their now, school is their later, Imagine how exhausting that must be, and how stressful it is to quite literally have your life on the line. 

School is made for a certain, white, student. It takes that student and turns them into a uniformed student. They do not learn, they do not grow, them memorize and their curiosity is taken away from them. (26)

He felt like he had two options, the streets or school. But did not fit either mold, he was too “soft” for the streets and too curious for school. (27)

I had always thought that these kids were born into a world too hard to escape, but didn’t necessarily understand that they tried, but it doesn’t matter when the world isn’t built for you. (28)

“I had no sense that any just God was on my side... My understanding of the universe was physical, and its moral arc bent toward chaos then concluded in a box” (28).

New definition of interrogation as “drawing myself into consciousness” (29).

“the month could not pass without a series of films dedicated to the glories of being beaten on camera” (32). Reminds me of modern day police brutality and the videos that are shared. Is showing that graphic footage actually helpful or does it act as “trauma porn” to certain viewers? 

“Why were only our heroes nonviolent? I speak not of the morality of nonviolence, but of the sense that black are in especial need of this morality” (32). Education seems to have this failing view that violence is bad. You cannot always declare violence as bad, especially when the people writing that history are probably white men. This land is acquired “through murder and tamed it under slavery” (32), and now you are going to preach of nonviolence? 

Talking about intentions of individual educators, reminds me of certain arguments about “ACAB”, intentions of the individual are essentially bullshit. They don’t matter. It is the systems that need changing. But what does that really mean? We seem to throw around that idea without really knowing. How should education become more inclusive, how can ALL educators practice this? How can a police force be a positive thing when it was originally made as slave capturers? (33).

Definition of politically conscious: “as much a series of actions as a state of being, a constant questioning, questioning as ritual, questioning as exploration rather than the search for certainty” (34). Also connects back to arguments of rhetoric! 

Knowledge brings hope, or opposite (34)

“Black is beautiful-which is to say that the black body is beautiful...” (34)

THIS is what Malcom X represents, not just unruly violence, that is what I was taught in school. (34-36)

“it was human for the enslaved to hate the enslaver” (36) --> connection to modern day, looting/violence from protesters was criticized but you cannot understand what they have gone to, and why their actions do appear justified

“White America is a syndicate arrayed to protect its exclusive power to dominate and control our bodies” (42). How is this moved past? How do I, as a white person, contribute to this?

I don’t necessarily understand the distinction he seems to be making about being black/ having a black body (pg 44)

He turned to literature for answers on black history, but found differencing opinions are more questions instead. (47-48)

“bound by my ignorance” (48). This is often how I find myself feeling, even while reading this book. 

Writing = thinking, connection to summer assignment 

Trauma passed down in our bodies, he didn’t need to directly experience the things his ancestors went through in order to feel them. (51)

Idea of “intellectual vertigo” (52) piqued my interest. I think I am constantly feeling that, especially surrounding politics. 

Fear seems to be an overall theme of black lives, fear of difference/culture/lack of understanding (57)

Story of the woman eating with her hands reminded me of going to lunch with Apurva and Alex, she felt the need to ask us if it was okay for her to eat with her hands. She said she hadn’t done it with any of her other friends, but because of my and Alex’s perspectives and us going to the temple, she felt more comfortable. It still made me sad that she felt she had to ask, and even as she did it I remember watching her eat. Embarrassment of ignorance. (57)

“... ranged between women and men, asserted this not just with pride but as though it were normal, as though she were normal...” (58)

“But I was from a place -America- where cruelty toward humans who loved as their deepest instincts instructed was a kind of law” (58) !!!!!!!!!!! Wow, what a way to think about this. 

“Hate gives identity” (60).... how exposure changed a person.... I identify as a bisexual woman. 

The way he talks about love on pages 60 and 61 really resonated with me. But I think it is more of a for-me thought than a class thought. 

“And I could no longer predict where I would find my heroes” (61) this is something I also find myself learning more and more. The people around me have changed so much, this seems to be the purpose of him telling these stories of different men and women. 

You control what you can, find comfort in that. (62)

“It was beginning to come together- even if I could not yet see what the ‘it’ was” (63). How this is so much of what I feel, always. 

Black women have “a knowledge of cosmic injustices” and I enjoy that he is able to recognize the different struggles black women will face compared to black men. (65)

The way he talks about his child is not something I have ever heard before, I cannot tell if I find it beautiful or confusing. “you were our ring” “we’d summoned you out of ourselves” “you were the God I’d never had” (67) is this too much for a child ? (66-67)

Perhaps the main theme of the letter: “There was more out there than I had ever hoped for, and I wanted you to have it. I wanted you to know that the world in its entirety could never be found in the schools, alone, nor on the streets, alone, nor in the trophy case.” (68). What a beautiful message and interpretation of his own curiosity, he definitely did not lose it as a child, as many do.

“’Slavery’ is this same woman born in a world that loudly proclaims its love of freedom and inscribes this love in its essential texts, a world in which these same professors hold this woman, a slave, hold her mother a slave, her father a slave, her daughter a slave, and when this woman peers back into the generations all she sees is the enslaved” (70). Relating back to beginning of the letter, there are the people, and slaves do not fit into that group. 

“you are a black boy, and you must be responsible for your body in a way that other boys cannot know” (71) --> this seems to be what he is trying to tell his son.

“You have to make peace with the chaos, but you cannot lie. You cannot forget how much they took from us, and how they transfigured our very bodies into sugar, tobacco, cotton, and gold” (71). This is the line he chooses to end his letter, reminding his son of what his body was. 

[supernatural0224]

J2 fics

1. Mildred: A College AU It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Jared in possession of his heterosexuality will immediately switch teams upon enrollment in college and first contact with Jensen Ackles. [cute, adorable. Long, but really simple.] 2. Disclaimer  Jared and Jensen are willing to do almost anything to help their friends. Almost. But what Chris is asking of them this time? It's the one thing they both swore they'd never do: Grow up.  [I don't know about the individuals in here, but the relationship they have was ah-mazing.]

3.No Codename  Jared's got a brand new show, tons of things to keep him busy, and pretty much the most awesome costar he's ever met. Okay, so maybe he has some less than entirely pure thoughts about said costar sometimes, but he's, like, eighty-three percent sure Jensen thinks impure thoughts about him, too. Sometimes. Possibly. Now he just has to stop being so chicken-shit and actually make a move.   [oh my God! I can't remember when was the last time I had this much fun while reading something! And the best part is that I can imagine our Jared and Jensen being like this, in real life 😍] 4. Operation: Mistletoe  FBI Agent Jensen Ackles is a damn good agent, but his devil-may-care attitude, gut instinct, and sheer dumb luck have finally run out. With his job and reputation on the line, Jensen is assigned to a new partner: the overzealous and overachieving Agent Jared Padalecki.Their mission: Infiltrate a ring of drug dealers hiding out in Suburbia in the midst of the Holiday season.The only catch? They have to pretend to be head-over-heels in love with each other. [cuuute 😍] 5. Project Get Jared Banged Jared's had the best stepbrother in the world in Jensen since the age of five — growing up together and more attached than usual brothers would —, only realizing that he’s in love with Jensen by the time he hits thirteen.After five more years of Jared's impossible crush, he knows his life turns and spins around his brother. Luckily for Jared, he and Jensen have always been closer than other siblings, making his feelings seem a little less hopeless. Or that is until Jensen announces he’s moving to Austin to live with his girlfriend next year, leaving Jared's perfectly built Jensen-centric world crashing to the ground.That’s when Chad and Sandy decide to convince Jared that moving on and letting go of his feelings are the only way to get through his lost love for Jensen. Yet their plan to get Jared out of his shell and over his stepbrother doesn't sit well with one person: Jensen himself, who realizes that the more Jared tries to pull away, the more he wants to get him back closer. [The first time I read the summary, I squirmed away. But then, it turned out to be one of the sweetest, with angst served on side dish I have had in a while ;) ] 6.The Winchester Identity  A tall and handsome doctor is kidnapped by a mysterious green-eyed man who has no memory—but who definitely has a past. The J2 AU version of "The Bourne Identity".   [W-O-W!! This was so freaking amazing and absolutely amazingly written. It had been such a long time since I've read a good thriller - and since I hadn't read or watched the original, so I was totally unspoiled. I loved everything about it. Though it is freakishly long, but it is SO worth it.] 7. A Hole Straight up to the Sky   Captured by scientists determined to save the human race from impending extinction, two weres - seemingly strangers - are caged together in the hopes that they'll mate. What happens between them is unprecedented and changes the course of both their races forever. [I liked it. It was good. Worth a read.] 8. The Gloaming  gloam·ing ˈɡlō miNG/ - the part of the day after the sun has gone down and before the sky is completely dark: dusk Other popular connotations: gloam, glow, glowing, glomming, glommedJared always knew he would one day experience a gloaming and find his soulmate. No one told him, and in fact, no one else in his family that he knew of had ever glommed; but he just knew, and he was willing to wait, despite all the offers thrown his way and all the well-meaning advice by friends and family; Jared waited.After all the tragedy Jensen had endured recently, he was now content to live a simple life taking care of his family and working a job that he loved. He sure never thought he'd ever find love again, let alone a true love; if one were to believe in Gloamings, which Jensen never really did until it happened to him.Jared and Jensen - strangers from seemingly different worlds decide to give love a chance. But will outside forces and unforeseen enemies drive them apart or bring them together forever?They only have 60 days to consummate or the Gloaming will Fade... and they will both lose out on what could possibly be a love for the ages. [pure fluff. Like seriously, even the angst feels fluffy but um, yeah. Go ahead. It is fun. [Sequel awaiting]]

9. The Lost Big screen star Jensen Ackles was on his way to Brazil to continue filming his latest project. He was glad to lose himself in the role and bury the pain of his broken heart by slipping on a stranger’s skin. Because of his manager’s twisted attempt to help, he found himself on a private jet with a high-class rent boy. Before he could figure out what to do with that, a bolt of lightning sent them tumbling into the rain forest. With them believing there were no other survivors, Jensen has to figure how to get them back to civilization. It was a good thing he was as strong and capable as the leading men he portrayed on screen, because how much help could an expensive hooker really be in the middle of the Amazon? [okay? This? This is pretty amazing. (Apart from certain someone being over possessive and protective, but that’s probably just me) And I enjoyed this story more for, well, the story than the fact that I love to read about pairing. So, big kudos to the author. ] 10. Hope You Don't Mind   Jared has no problems being an introvert in a family of extroverted women. He enjoys his alone time as a freshman in high school... that is until signs for prom start showing up. With both his sisters going, he begins to wonder if maybe his time alone is a little lonely. [it is fluffy and funny and fantastical and a pretty decent one.] 11. When You Find Me [You'll Search No More] When Jared unexpectedly finds himself in possession of a stolen jewel that belongs to the mysterious and powerful sorceress who lives in the woods behind his castle, he feels compelled to return the stone right away. The witch surprises him by offering to grant him one wish, and the last thing he expects is to fall in love.  [i probably read an extra zero when I first read the word count so I was so surprised when it was coming to end :P But it is good, very cute :] ] 12. reinventing love 'verse   Coming out to your best friend isn’t easy. But then again, neither is falling in love with him. [okay. This is AMAZING and CUTE and I am a pile of mush which doesn't know what to do with her life anymore. *whispers very, very slowly* I want a love like that... ] 13. Bring Me to Life   Jared’s a shy young man, whose life has never been easy. His father hates him, his mother drinks her sorrows away and his husband Paul treats him like he is nothing more than a beautiful toy. When his husband has to go away on a business trip to Europe for two months, he sends Jared away to a ranch in the middle of nowhere to keep him under control. There, Jared meets people who show him what love, friendship and loyalty mean for the first time in his life. Can he escape his life and finally find some love and happiness for himself? [Oh, Jared! Come, babe. Let me wrap you up in blanket burrito.] 14. Refracted 1. To deflect (light, for example) from a straight path by refraction. 2. To alter by viewing through a medium. 3. BentJared knows exactly what he needs to do: earn a 4.0 grade point average, lead the basketball team to the state championship, nab a spot on the Homecoming Court, and be the best son two Catholic parents could ask for. He should know, this sort of stuff has been his life for the last 17 years, but this is when everything changes.Befriending Jensen Ackles, who everyone knows of but doesn’t really know, opens Jared’s eyes to an array of possibilities he’d never considered. With Jensen in his life, Jared finds the courage to to be his own person, recognize his real feelings, and make his own decisions when it comes to school, friends, and love. [this was nice. Sweet and simple. I liked it.] 15. There's a Hole in Me, Just About the Size of You  [I have already read and listed it, but seriously, it is just so angsty and inevitable and mushy - it is worth reading again] 16.The Doors of Time  About love and Fate and destiny. And Jensen being weird. And piano music. And finding the one person that's made for you in a world that isn't. Something like that. [AMAZING - seriously. There is no other word for this. Just, WOW!] 17. For All Your Days and Nights (I'm Gonna Be There)  Jared returns from a days-long hunting trip to learn that the chieftain of their tribe has passed away and Jensen, his best friend, is to succeed his father. As their new leader, he faces many challenges, including having to find a spouse. But before he settles down, Jensen asks for one night with Jared first. It turns into much more. [OMG this is super sweet! Loved it.] 18. Brand New Start  Jared Padalecki is one messed up kid, after his parent die he his tossed from Foster home to Foster home slowly losing everyone he loves. He's given one last chance with the Ackles. Can he come to peace with his past? Will he admit that he's attracted to Jensen? AU story of a hurt boy who's trying to find some peace and maybe, if he's lucky, love. [A little heartbreaking, a little painful but worth a read.] 19. [Won't Someone Come] Rescue Me   Big things are coming soon to The Wayward Heart Band; then lead singer and guitarist Jensen discovers a box of abandoned kittens, and his personal future starts to look just as bright as his professional one. [aw, so cute 😆] 20. You Came Smiling Softly, Shyly Moving, Into My World   Jensen wants more — wants to know what Jared tastes like in the morning, and after he's had his first cup of coffee of the day, and between takes, sheltered away in their trailers. He wants to explore Jared's body with his hands and mouth, get him to make every sweet noise there is; he wants to be inside him and all around him, until he's everywhere. [I ABSOLUTELY loved it. The author is probably my fav one.]  

[readingactually]

AUTHOR INTERVIEW, GIVEAWAY Shadow Dancing by Julie Mulhern

Author Interview: Welcome Julie Mulhern , I am so happy to have you at Fiction Obsession! 1.Tell us a little about yourself? Perhaps something not many people know? I love coffee, chocolate, and Stiegl Radler (trust me, try it). I’ve reached the age where my arms move in a stiff wind and most days I don’t care. I’d rather walk five miles than run one. I hate drama, snakes, and clogged gutters. I stop talking mid-sentence because my brain is following a bright, shiny idea. I have a patient husband, two daughter who roll their eyes a lot, and a dog so stubborn he could give lessons to mules. 2.What made you want to become a writer? Being a writer has always been my dream. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want write. My younger self thought writing novels was a glamorous job. My younger self was wrong. 3. Million dollar question, are you working on another book? Of course! I’m working on two. I’m editing book eight of the Country Club Murders, Back Stabbers, which will release in October. I’m writing book two of the Poppy Fields Adventures, Fields’ Guide to Money Laundering, which will (God willing and the creek don’t rise) be available late summer. 4. Have you written any other books that are not published? There are two dreadful books hiding in an old hard-drive. 5. What do you think about the e-book revolution? As a writer, I love e-books. It used to be that a book would release, get a few months of shelf-life, then disappear. Now books live forever. 6. What is your advice to Indie Authors? On writing? Marketing? Me? Give advice? I’m the one who’s always asking for advice! My advice? Ask for advice. Lots and lots of advice. 7. Do you still write? If so, what does your typical day look like? I have been getting up early to write for so long, I don’t think I’ll ever stop. Ideally, I hit my word count for the day by lunchtime then spend the afternoon editing. 8. What is your writing style? I like to think I’m funny (my daughters assure me I’m not). 9. Pen or type writer or computer? Pen or computer—it depends on my mood. 10. Do you write Alone or in public? I prefer to write alone. 11. Music or silence Silence is golden. 12. Goals of certain # of words a week or when inspiration strikes? Writing is my job. And, like most jobs, I can’t just show up when I feel like it. There’s a weekly word goal. I don’t always meet it, but it’s always there. 13. What tactics do you have when writing? (For example: outline or just write) I started out writing by the seat of my pants. I am coming to see the value of outlines. 14. What has your experience been like as an new Indie Author? Bruises, Highlights, and lessons? I started my publishing career with Henery Press and I’m still with them. That said, I ventured into indie in May. I guess that makes me a hybrid. A happy hybrid. I value my relationship with my publisher but I love the freedom to do my own thing. As for lessons—I’m sure I’ve made mistakes with my first indie book but it’s so new I don’t know what they are yet. 15. What have you put most of your effort into regarding writing? book, then a less awful book, then a good one. 17. What is/are your book(s) about? The Country Club Murders are about the 1970s and women’s issue and Ellison Russell, a single-mother with a penchant for finding bodies. 18. Does your book have a lesson? Moral? In each of the Country Club Murders, I explore a social issue—trafficking or abortion or domestic abuse. 19. What is your favorite part of the book? The end. 20. If you were running the 100 yard dash with a new writer. What writing, publishing wisdom would you bestow upon him/her before you reached the 100 yards? Assuming I have any wisdom to bestow…wow. Ask for advice. Write the best book you can. Ask for more advice. Find a critique group that works for you. Ask for even more advice. And realize that first drafts are first attempts. 21. Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story? I hold the reins but there is magic in the unexpected. Sometimes the best ideas bubble up from my subconscious. 22. If you could spend time a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do during that day? (PG-13 please :) If I could spend time with Ellison Russell, we’d go shopping on the Country Club Plaza of the 1970s. Remember when cities had their own stores and boutiques (as opposed to national chains)? Ellison and I would shop at Swanson’s and Woolf Brothers and Harzfeld’s (all gone) then have lunch at Nabil’s where I’d order a grilled chicken breast in lemon caper sauce. Then we’d go the club and play bridge and my cards would be fabulous. 23. What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author? I honestly don’t remember. There’s constructive criticism (Julie, you use too many em-dashes) and harsh criticism. So often the harsh criticism is about the critic and not what they’re reading—I block the negative stuff out. 24. What has been the best compliment? The best compliment for a genre writer is when a reader falls in love with a series, zips through the whole thing, then asks when the next book is coming. 25. What is something memorable you have heard from your readers/fans? I received an e-mail from a woman who wrote that everyone getting chemo wanted to know what she was reading because she was laughing so hard. If I can make someone laugh during chemo, I’ve made a difference. Thanks so much for letting us get to know you better! Shadow Dancing (The Country Club Murders) by Julie Mulhern  

Read the full article

[callunavulgari]

YEAR-IN-BOOKS

I’m gonna go ahead and do this again this year, because I really like end of year reflection things and it was fun last year, so hey.

1. a book you loved?

I was fond of most of the books that I read this year and all in different ways. Last year was an absolute goldmine of awesome, amazing love this book forever types. This year I definitely had less of those, but I read more, and what’s maybe even better is that I also read a lot of books that I normally wouldn’t have. I wanna say that my favorites of the ones that I read were either The Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo or Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.

2. a book you hated?

UGH. Artemis by Andy Weir. It is the first book that I have ever given only one star to on goodreads, and was a total waste of time. I’ve read a good half of The Martian, and even though I’ve yet to finish it, I liked what I read well enough. But as I said in my scathing goodreads review, The Martian worked for Weir because it’s one dude alone on Mars. Artemis, unfortunately, requires a full cast of characters and has a female protagonist. Weir does not know how to write women OR realistic dialogue, and following along with middle school grade humor and a woman that is basically a lady-sized cut-and-paste of Weir’s ideal wet dream. Which wouldn’t be bad, necessarily, if she wasn’t so obviously a man’s ‘idea’ of a woman, instead of an actual three dimensional character.

3. a book that made you cry?

There’s a scene at the end of Victoria Schwab’s Our Dark Duet that involves a cat. No, the cat does not die, and I don’t want to get into it because the whole reason the scene is sad is because of spoilery context, but I did end up tearing up because of that damn cat.

4. a book that made you happy?

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers is an absolute delight. It has legitimate funny moments, really well drawn out characters including several species that are so perfectly crafted that you can envision them, right down to the feathers and claws, and the story, while a little meandering, is totally great. 

5. the best sequel?

I read kind of a lot of sequels this year, but then, I also finished a lot of series this year, period. My gut reaction is to say Siege and Storm, because it’s one of the ones that I read the fastest, and the series that sticks out the most. But I’m going to say The Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. And honestly, second up is probably Waking Gods, because holy wow, those books.

6. most anticipated release for the new year?

I’m really looking forward to Only Human, Thunderhead, and Vengeful, which are the sequels and triquels (is that a thing? that word should be a thing) to Sleeping Giants, Scythe, and Vicious, all of which I read this year and adored. The book that isn’t a sequel that I’m most looking forward to is Feeder by Patrick Weekes, which is basically about a lady that hunts monsters. It looks right up my alley and I’m super psyched.

7. favorite new author?

Technically I discover Schwab last year, but I did a lot of exploring of the books that she’s written this year and she is definitely a new favorite of mine. The other one that I’m keeping my eye on is Sylvain Neuvel, who wrote Sleeping Giants and Waking Gods. More on those books later.

8. favorite book to film adaptation?

So, the only reason that I reread A Wrinkle In Time is because of the trailer for the new movie that is coming out in March. I got incredibly excited, and am probably, if I can afford it, flying down south to watch the movie with my mom when it comes out. The Annihilation trailer also looks pretty cool, but I’m anticipating serious changes there. I did end up watching the film adaptation of Me Before You this year, which I’d read last summer. I ended up crying like a baby, and was pleasantly surprised by how much of the book they kept.

9. the most surprising book?

A Natural History of Dragons, by Marie Brennan. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I borrowed the book from the library, but it wasn’t the Pride and Prejudice with dragons that I got, and stupidly delighted by.

10. the most interesting villain?

The Grisha Trilogy, for sure. Honestly, Alina and the Darkling’s relationship was the only thing that kept me reading these books, and I was thrilled by the Darkling from the moment I realized he was the villain in Shadow and Bone all the way to the end. “Make me your villain,” indeed.

11. the best makeouts?

Okay, so Love For the Cold-Blooded was about a million times pornier than I imagined it would be, so that would get my vote for best sex, but there weirdly wasn’t much actual kissing involved. Also the fact that I didn’t like the characters or story very much probably didn’t help things. So honestly? Probably Shadow and Bone. That [SPOILER, though not much of one] scene where Alina and the Darkling make out against a wall was probably the most exhilarating scene of the entire series. Like, trust me. I know he’s the villain, bad wrong, etc. etc. but I shipped them hard. 

12. a book that was super frustrating?

Slaughterhouse Five. I didn’t actually get around to finishing it, because the version that I got was an audio cd narrated by James Franco and I just. Didn’t want to fall asleep in the middle of traffic. I don’t know if it was the story, his voice, or a combination of both but I was super uninterested in the entire situation. I gave up somewhere in the middle of the second cd.

13. a book you texted about, and the text was IN CAPSLOCK?

Okay, so the thing is. I don’t really have any friends. Not ones that I can talk to about books anyway, which is super tragic, because I love books and I miss being able to talk (read: rant) about whatever I’ve just read. I do it with Nick occasionally, but he doesn’t ‘get’ fiction so it’s mostly just me waving my hands a lot and talking rapidly in his direction as he nods and takes a couple steps back so I don’t accidentally smack him in the nose. I did, however, have a conversation with my roommate about Wool, and all the reasons why she should read it.

14. a book for the small children in your life?

Okay, but every kid should read A Wrinkle In Time. The sequels are a little... stranger than I remember, but I loved reading them as a kid, and I really loved rereading the first one as an adult. 

15. a book you learned from?

Spunk & Bite was a guide to ‘punchier’ writing, and while I wouldn’t say that I really learned anything that I didn’t already know, some things were expanded on that I found interesting. I also read some of The Islamic Enlightenment, which was pretty decent from what I read of it but a bit much for my poor ADHD brain. I think I need to stick to fiction.

16. a book you wouldn’t normally try?

A lot of the books that I read this year were things that I wouldn’t normally pick up. I think the ones that were most out of my element were Less by Andrew Sean Greer and Before the Fall by Noah Hawley. The first book is about an aging author who, when upon invited to his ex’s wedding, takes a trip around the globe in order to get out of going. My manager, who I talk to about books a lot, asked about it and was incredibly confused since it’s so far from what I usually read. Despite this, it’s probably the book that I will remember most from this year a decade down the line. Before the Fall is similarly not my usual cup of tea, about a man and a boy who survive an airplane crash. It’s a thriller/mystery, but the characters are so beautifully fleshed out that it hooked me anyway.

17. a book with something magical in it?

Technically a good half of them have magic of some sort, because that is the usual type of book that I read. I’m going to go with All The Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater though, because all of her books are magical.

18. the best clothes?

As much as I would love to get away with wearing the brightly colored reaper’s robes from Scythe, I really, really adored the description of Arthur’s suit in Less. 

19. the most well-rounded characters?

That was a theme of the books that I read this year. They all had really gorgeously well-rounded characters with intricate backstories and relationships. Before the Fall was really, really good about it, as was Station Eleven, and The Secret History, though in the case of that last one you almost don’t want to get to know the characters better by the end of it.

20. the best world-building?

I really liked the world building in A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. I seriously can’t even begin how to describe how cool all the different species and space jargon was in this book. This is the space-faring book that I wanted Artemis to be.

21. the worst world-building?

Love For The Cold-Blooded? It’s a world of superheroes and villains, but it’s so slapstick that it takes away from the book a lot. Like, honestly if it wasn’t for the fact that I was vaguely intrigued by the hero bangs evil minion side of it, I wouldn’t have even kept reading.

22. a book with a good sidekick?

Gut-punch reaction is A Crooked Kingdom, but it’s hard to call any of those characters a sidekick. I’m going to go with The Archived, by Victoria Schwab, because I haven’t talked about the series yet and Roland and Wesley are both fantastic sidekicks. I loved them both immensely, most of the time more than the main character herself. The Unbound, its sequel, made those two even more compelling.

23. the most insufferable narrator?

Ugh, ugh, ugh, definitely Jazz from Artemis. Again, it isn’t her fault, she could have been super cool. Genius, tech-savvy, Muslim girl who lives on the moon and smuggles shit? Definitely could have been a cool character. But seriously, that dude cannot write ladies. She is literally just Mark Watney. 

24. a book you were excited to read for months beforehand?

All The Crooked Saints. But I think I’ll always be excited for Stiefvater books.

25. a book you picked up on a whim?

I picked up almost all of these because they had been recommended to me in some capacity. Spunk & Bite and The Islamic Enlightenment were both books that I picked up in the library because they simply caught my eye. Slaughterhouse Five I actually only grabbed because it was one of the only audiobooks in stock that wasn’t either Danielle Steel or Christian talky shows.

26. a book that should be read in a foreign country?

Less. I read it in a pool in North Carolina this summer and though it scratched the itch, it should entirely be read in a foreign country. 

27. a book cassian andor would like?

Sleeping... Giants? Or A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet?

28. a book gina linetti would like?

I legitimately have no idea what this character is like.

29. your favorite cover art?

A Conjuring of Light or All The Crooked Saints. They’re both very aesthetic™

30. a book you read in translation?

None of them. Clearly I’m not getting diverse enough.

31. a book from another century?

Hah. Haha. Technically A Wrinkle In Time was written last century. Oh god, I’m getting old.

32. a book you reread?

Other than A Wrinkle In Time, which I read so long ago that it shouldn’t even be counted as a reread, I didn’t actually do any full rereads this year. I’ve been itching to reread both The Raven Cycle and Uprooted though, so maybe I’ll do those when I make my way through my library pile.

33. a book you’re dying to talk about, and why?

Okay, but seriously. Less and Station Eleven were fucking phenomenal and should be read even if you’re unsure that you will like them. I loved both of them immensely and again, I can’t rant to any of my friends and work friends about books because they look at me like I’m stupid. Also, Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman. Those were some damn good short stories.