#jandy's library of favourites

[hsika92]

10 books to know me📚

Thank you @rays-of-raven for the tag!! I’m also going to ramble and quote some stuff from the books 🥰

1. If We Were Villains by M.L Rio- I dont even remember why I bought this book but all I can say is that it has me in a chokehold. I love it more than anything. Also I’m having a very difficult time picking a single favourite quote, but this is the most relatable one for me.

“For someone who loved words as much as I did, it was amazing how often they failed me.”

2. The perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - I borrowed this from my school’s library and I’ve never been the same person since. The movie did the book kinda dirty but I still loved every second of it. I can’t pick one quote so here are my two favourites.

“We accept the love we think we deserve.”

“We are infinite.”

3. The Secret History by Donna Tartt- I have a lot of feelings about this book, mostly positive ones but the incest obviously threw me off a bit. Overall the story was very good and after reading the restaurant scene I could definitely understand why they killed Bunny. Also, again I can’t pick one quote.

“Cubitum eamus?”

“Forgive me for the things I did, but mostly for the ones I did not do.”

4. I’ll give you the sun by Jandy Nelson- I know exactly why I bought this book, I remember watching a vid about it and seeing that there are twins and I’m a twin, so I immediately bought it. This quote represents me and my twin brother pretty well.

“I love you” I say to him, only it comes out as, “hey”

“So damn much” he says back, only it comes out as, “dude.”

5. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller- This book had me crying for hours, im still inconsolable. Can we talk about the fact that Achilles tried to slit his throat after seeing Patroclus’ corpse???

“I am made of memories.”

“What has Hector ever done to me?”

6. The outsiders by S.E Hinton- I actually watched the movie first but god the brainrot immediately made me buy the book.

“Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold.”

“Dally didn’t die a hero. He died violent and young and desperate, just like we all knew he’d die someday.”

7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K Rowling- No explanation needed.

“Lupin was lowering his wand. Next moment, he had walked to Black’s side, seized his hand, pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black like a brother.”

“I would have died before I betrayed them.”

8. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger- I only bought this book because of an anime I watched and after reading it I definitely understood why that character in the anime loved it. I still associate it with him to this day.

“I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.”

9. Alas: Apollo and Hyacinthus by Richard C Gray- I was looking for a retelling of their story and coincidentally found this one. Its a really nice and short read.

“To have met you in my mere mortal life has been my privilege but to have been loved by you has become my immortality.”

10. Lottie and Lisa/ Das doppelte Lottchen- It was gifted to me by a friend of my mum, I adore this book. I used to read it every single night before going to sleep. I only have the original/German version so there won’t be a quote.

Hmmm, I think everyone I know has been tagged so far, but there’s one more person I need to do this. @neaverse (no pressure if you don’t want to!!)

[jandjsalmon]

Favorite story from jugandbettsdetectiveagency, believe-that-you-can-my-friend, bughead4days, gay-for-rey1999, bugheadotp, betsforsythetrash, xxbettysgirlxx and bettyjonescooper?

I was wondering if I’d lost my random fic requester Anon. Glad to see you still here. This is quite the list - and I’ve answered a couple of them already - but I’ll do the rest for you. This really just over emphasizes how much I actually read. lol. Thanks for the ask, Grayface.

@jugandbettsdetectiveagency - I answered Here.

@bughead4days - I answered Here.

@gay-for-rey1999 (aka @juglovesbetty) - I answered Here.

@believe-that-you-can-my-friend is a goddess and I love SO many of her fics (like La Petite Mort was one of my very first absolute faves) - but I personally believe she wrote this particular fic FOR me (even though she’s never said that - let a girl dream, dude!) - this one is my favourite Vera!fic: Fruit Punch Lips & Leather Jacket Dreams (2/2 - M)

@bugheadotp - She’s written a lot but I really like Jones Industries (5/? - M)

@betsforsythetrash - this was tough because I really love KCB - but I think my favourite of her fics is: Jughead’s New Neighbor (1/1 - T)

@xxbettysgirlxx - I have a soft spot for Everything We’re Not (6/? - E) even though I’m beta reading her brand new fic… I’m sure that one will eventually overcome my EwN love - but not yet. ;)

@bettyjonescooper - You’d make me choose which one of my girls Sez’s fics I like best? That’s like choosing a child! Um. I’m completely unbiased here - even though I’m betareaing it - but my favourite has gotta be What Fools These Mortals Be - Shakespeare and Bughead = Perfection.

[notabled-noodle]

do you have a favourite author? if so, who?

I don’t like to be held to a single favourite of anything, but right now I’m really into L.M Montgomery’s Anne books (Anne of Green Gables etc). I also tend like the work of Adam Silvera, Patrick Ness, and Jandy Nelson.

other than that, I try not to get too attached to individual authors and read as wide a variety of books as possible. I live near a library so sometimes it’s just a matter of picking up a random book with a pretty cover and seeing if I like it :)

[peachcitt]

Hi! You've mentioned on Discord that you read a lot of books, and I was wondering if you could rec some? Either your favourites, or ones that had a big impact on you/your writing 🥺

yes!!! all my favorite books generally affect my writing style, and often after ive finished reading a really good book, i'll write something and end up emulating that book's style (either on accident or on purpose haha). sometimes on my ao3 you'll find in my author's notes me saying what book i just finished, and if you read or know those books, you'll probably see me mimicking certain aspects of style

for other reccommendations/more in depth descriptions of book plots, i also have a reading list that i posted this past winter on my writing blog that you can check out, and im planning on posting another one at the end of the summer!! (in fact ive already started the list lmao)

the list will be structured as follows: book or series name, author, and a couple reasons why i like it. in addition to this, i will put stars by author's names if i have read other books by them and greatly enjoyed them.

without further ado:

The Grishaverse by Leigh Bardugo*

this has got to be my favorite series of all time. i love bardugo's capability to write complex characters and complicated plots, and i really like the way she structures her books. the series is just so artfully done and when i finished it i was so perfectly satisfied and so perfectly sad because i mourned the fact that it was over

I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak*

literally my favorite book. this is the book i tell people is my favorite if anyone asks. i love zusak's casual humor alongside his ability to write such heartbreaking and heavy moments in just little scraps of images. it's a romantic book without being about romance - it's about love and kindness and how powerful those things can be be, and that shit gets me every time. i have reread this book so many times - yearly since i got it, i think, and i got in middle school, i think. im in college now. and every time i reread it, i get something different out of it

The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness*

i think about these books constantly. these were the first books i read by patrick ness, and, now that ive read some of his other books, i know in classic patrick ness fashion, these books haunt me. patrick ness has this uncanny ability to take genres you think you know and twist and warp them until you're on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what will happen next without the safety net of genre supporting the story. in addition to that, his characters are always wonderfully flawed - he puts real people into fantastical situations, and it's fascinating and always an emotional and satisfying read

The Alex Crow by Andrew Smith*

dude i think about the alex crow so much. i said i normally call i am in the messenger my favorite book, but every so often i'll say this one is because i just love it so much. the alex crow is just so bafflingly weird but the teenage boy main characters are so real and gross and hilarious. andrew smith has the amazing knack for writing weird as hell plot lines and telling stories that are about everything, all at once, while still making it about one thing. that doesn't make sense, but if you read the alex crow (or his other book i've read called Grasshopper Jungle that is actually on my summer list) then you will know what i mean. the alex crow is so many things, and i love all of them

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson*

i used to read a lot of ya romance and, to be honest, the stuff i used to read was not all great, but this book absolutely changed the game and probably made me raise my standards exponentially. the timeline of this book is so creative, and it's done in such a way that it leaves you wondering how the timelines will reconcile. in addition to this, both romances in the book are so interesting and loveable, and the relationship between the two main characters (who are twins) is an amazing thing to see unfold. this is a peak ya romance book, and i can't recommend it enough

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven*

another ya romance, and i have to say the romance in this book is so beautifully done. generally, this is just a really sweet book that gave me butterflies, to be quite honest. i think niven has a really good knack for writing characters that are diverse and a little strange but all have their own distinct personalities that mingle really interestingly with each other.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe By Benjamin Alire Sáenz

this one is an obvious choice, and for good reason. aristotle and dante is just a classic queer novel, and it's earned its place as such. it's a poetic sort of book, and i love the voices of the characters, as well as the pictures of the world we get through ari's voice. this is a visual book written in text - i think a lot about the steady, careful romance of the book and the way sáenz makes ari an unreliable narrator by artfully excluding his feelings from scene descriptions and dialogue tags. it's such a creative and heartbreaking technique that i often find myself wanting to do

The Leviathan Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld

oooohh this trilogy changed me. for starters its such a weird, creative concept - alternate history steampunk and biopunk world war I. like doesn't that sound so interesting?? and this trilogy's main characters are so easy to love - and watching their relationship unfold and develop is so endearing. also, my copies include these wonderful illustrations (which i think might be in all copies?) that really let you put images to the weird fantastical things westerfeld included into the world.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

this book was actually on my winter book list, and i read it so fast and so obsessively because i wanted so badly to know what was going to happen. the plot absolutely pulled me in, and the first line - "I forgot everything between footsteps" - stuck with me because just look at the way that's written!! it's so artful and intriguing, i was just dying to know what would happen next. the timeline is this amazing maze that as i read i couldn't help but admire how long or how much turton had to plan in order to make everything line up in just the right way. it was a fascinating book with so much to say - im really looking forward to reading it again

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

this book was also on my winter book list, and it just absolutely enraptured me. its witty, quiet sort of voice was amazing to read, and the imagery instilled into every scene made it seem like everything was so real, just right there for me to touch or smell or taste. the plot of a secret huge magic library really roped me in, and i think this is a love story for people who read, people who love stories, people who love the magic of a library.

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero*

cantero's works are just so creatively written - not just by plot or character standards, but by style standards, too. meddling kids is great not just for its complex, loveable characters or for its fantastical, dark, and mysterious plot, but also for the weird and intriguing liberties cantero makes with style. in his other books, too, is the switch between snarkily written prose to stage directions to video or audio transcripts, and it makes for such a visual sort of book - i mean, i could easily see any of cantero's books being made into a film or series because all the material is right there. cantero's creativity with style is so intriguing to me, and because of him, i've become more familiar with playing around in style in an attempt to create something as interesting as his novels

and that's all i'll put down here now!

i mentioned it a little, but probably my biggest style references are leigh bardugo, markus zusak, edgar cantero, and andrew smith for various reasons that i am more than willing to talk more in depth about if anyone is wondering<3

thank you for asking im always willing to talk books :')

[blueandgoldoffice]

Hi! I lost a fic where Betty and Jughead didn’t know about each other until their late 20’s and Kevin and Betty where in some investigation duo in high school and solved a drug mystery and Betty likes cars and races for fun.

Hope you can help me find this one😊💕

YES I CAN HELP! It’s no secret - this author is one of my favourite people in the fandom - my favourite writers anywhere in any fandom - and one of the main reasons I still hang out in the Bughead fandom because I’ll reread her stories a million times before I deal with the end of Season 4 of canon or most of the fics based around it. So here you are. ENJOY! And Happy Reading!! 🧡 Jandy

Drive by @writeradamanteve (20/20 - M)

Summary: College AU. When Betty escapes into the Blossom private library during a party, she meets tall, dark, and broody Jughead Jones. She projects a typical neurotic college student persona, but Jughead doesn’t buy it. He knew in his bones that there was more to her than meets the eye. When they share each other’s secrets, it’s electric and they have no idea where it's going to take them.

[ingrid-marie]

I love your rainbow book shelf!! As someone who also mainly borrows from the library, and pretty much only buys a book if I really loved it I was wondering what books you have on your shelf?? :)

OMG thank you!!! Thats so sweet. People think I'm weird for never buying a book without reading it first but why waste money on a book I might not like and won't like to reread? Idk in my head it makes perfect sense to borrow it first. The library owns my heart <3 And I'm so glad you agree!!

Idk if you want the whole list but I'll gladly give it you you lmao. Some titles are in swedish tho but I will try to find the english titles. I'll put my favourite ones in bold (I love this ask ty so much <3)

Okay so I have - The Sun And Her Flowers (Rupi Kaur) - Gatukatten Bob (James Bowen, eng. title: A Streetcat named Bob) - Mitt liv med Bob (James Bowen) - Dagboksanteckningar från ett källarhål (David Wiberg) - Nästan Hemma (Jean Kwok, eng. title: Girl in Translation) - How to Love (Katie Cotugno) - Body Positive Power (Megan Jayne Crabbe) - Sommar i New York (Candace Bushnell, eng. title: Summer in New York) - How to Find Love in a Bookshop (Veronica Henry) - Marley och jag (John Grogan, eng title: Marley and Me) - The Hate U Give (Angie Thomas) - En dag (David Nicholls, eng. title: One Day) - Jag, en (David Levithan, eng. title: Every day) - Mycket mer än så (Sarah Dessen, eng. title: Along for the ride) - I'll Give You The Sun (Jandy Nelson, this is my favourite book of all time omg) - The Carrie Diaries (Candace Bushnell) - Det krävs tusen vackra ord (Rose Marie Bouw) - Since You've Been Gone (Morgan Matson) - Where'd You Go, Bernadette? (Maria Semple) - Little Fires Everywhere (Celeste Ng) - Du glömde säga hejdå (Sarah Dessen, eng. title: What Happened To Goodbye?) - My Heart and Other Black Holes (Jasmine Warga) - Ursäkta att man vill bli lite älskad (Johanna Thydell) - The Fault in Our Stars (John Green, I keep this for nostalgic purposes ok) - The Upside of Unrequited (Becky Albertalli) - Nalas värld (Dean Nicholson, eng. title: Nalas World) - Vivian versus the Apocalypse (Katie Coyle) - The Moon and More (Sarah Dessen) - I was Here (Gayle Forman) - Fans of the Impossible Life (Kate Scelsa) - The Rest of Us Just Live Here (Patrick Ness) - Emergency Contact (Mary H.K Choi) - Milk and Honey (Rupi Kaur) -The Long Way To a Small, Angry Planet (Becky Chambers) - A Closed and Common Orbit (Becky Chambers) - The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky)

You probably didn't ask for a list this long but I got excited lmao, thank you for this ask <3

[once-adaydream]

2020 / 24 of 40 / I’ll Give You The Sun

Review: I’m making the most of the library’s e-book collection to re-read books that are back home in England (how typical that I feel like re-reading loads of books that I own but are half way around world), so of course I’ll Give You the Sun was top of my list, being my absolute favourite book ever. I love Jude and Noah, I love their romances, I love their rollercoaster relationship, I love the way art is portrayed, and how their love of art (in Noah’s case) and love of their grandma (in Jude’s case) defines how they see the world. I love Jandy Nelson’s writing style, and the way she can turn her characters’ thoughts and feelings into imagery that jumps from the page. Everyone should go read this one. Like, right now. You can thank me later.

[yioh]

Who are your favourite writers and why? Can be both published authors or ones here on tumblr! I just love hearing about the kind of writing people like, feel like it’s insightful lol (wishing all the sunlight for u!)

heyo nonnie :)🌸🍨🐰🌸🍨🐰🌸

ok to be fair ...... im Really bad at reading, im much more of a visual person and prefer to watch stuff over reading (unless im in the zone.... fnfmcjdk) so i dont reeeeeaally have a wide variety to choose from but some authors that actually managed to grip my brain which is usually in lala land are

benjamin alire sáenz ( pretty words i lik)

jandy nelson ( i'll give you the sun was incredible and broke my heart and im like 3/4 through the book but it broke me so hard and beautifully i have yet to pick it back up but .... soon )

ok im gonna sound pretentious snobby with this one but haruki murakami ... my friend used to really like his books when i was younger and she was very into literature and i loved talking to her so i decided to read some of his books and half the time i had no idea what was going on ???? i was like 15 lol but theres just certain scened that have forever stayed in my mind ? like kafka in the bus to the library after running away from home, i imagine the sun to be leaking in and him looking into the distance of his not-home home fades smaller, or in after dark when mc lady stayed up all night at a coffee shop with a massive book reading and talking about life to random people because she didn't want to go home ... idk theres just certain images that stuck with me ...

@gaysarawat rahul's writing is honestly....... healing, his jc fic REVIVED me as i read it at 7am in the morning, freshly bitter after finishing mdzs because i wanted more jc and wy lol it was so beautiful... also his POEMS ???? ive never been a poem person i never rly got it lol it just usually felt like lots of words in a hard-to-understand format but jesus rahul's poems are BEAUTIFUL, the story they tell is ... just .... ahhhh indescribable PLEASE check them out it at @uprootedgods made me cry lol

@florbexter flor's ficlets are So GOOD i love it when we are in the same fandom and i get to read ur lobely writing :^)

i rly need to start reading more lol

anonymously (or not) ask me any question you’d like to know about me

[flamingmirrorbookish]

11 Questions

Thanks for tagging me @storytime-reviews!

What is your favourite 2019 read so far? It's a tie between Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick and The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis (Trigger Warnings: Rape culture, rape, animal cruelty)

Books, movies or TV shows? Books first, Netflix later

Dream holiday destination? I always say this but I really do love them - a vineyard in France or Italy. Spain is good, too

Favourite author and why? That's difficult. I have many favorites and I like them for different reasons. I think Victoria Schwab's stories are interesting and original. Every one offers something new

Are you an introvert or extrovert? Leaning towards introversion

If you could one day wake up and completely master one of your hobbies, what would it be? When I was little, I used to dream that I suddenly became a really talented artist. Drawing. Esp. charcoal

Have you ever written fanfiction? Well, I didn't post it... I didn't even finish writing it. It was about Lauren Oliver's Delirium

If you could pick any career in the world to succeed at, what would it be? writing

Bookstore or library? Ebooks or physical books? Ebooks make more sense in my life right now. It's easier for me to read digital text because of my bad eyesight. And since libraries, especially in this city, don't even have the kind of books I want, I'm going to say bookstore (there's not a wide selection there, either. It’s slightly better with Ebooks)

What was your favourite(s) book of 2018? I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson and The Martian by Andy Weir

What are some of your goals for 2019? not just read but also reread old favorites. Nothing else, really

[the-owleryreader]

I finally finished the 2018 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge!

REFLECTIONS

I found out about this challenge in December 2017 and quickly decided I wanted to try it. I spent days coming up with books to read for each prompt, though I’m quite sure each one has changed multiple times over the year. I was half-way through my final year of university when I really properly started the challenge, so the first five months were spent reading assigned books and trying to fit them into a prompt. By the time I’d finished university this year, I’d read a lot of books but not many towards the list, so I had a lot of catching up to do. For the last three or so months of 2018, I pretty much solely read books that would fit my remaining prompts. I really enjoyed doing the challenge, it definitely pushed me to read things I may not have normally picked up before, but I also found it quite limiting and felt like I couldn’t read other books I really wanted to because I felt the pressure to finish before the year was up! I probably wouldn’t have felt like this if I didn’t have to do so much catch up in the second half of the year, but I don’t think I’d do a year-long challenge again!

Anyone else does the challenge this year? Or any other year-long challenge? I’d love to know how you got on with it!

STATS

5 STAR READS: 20 4 STAR READS: 10 3 STAR READS: 8 2 STAR READS: 2 1 STAR READS: 0

NON-FICTION: 7 FICTION: 33

That’s a lot of 5 star books and I’m not sure whether it means I’m too generous with my ratings or whether I’m just really good at picking books I know I’ll like... Also around half of these were interspersed between required reading whilst I was still at university, some of which I hated, so maybe I was rating relative to the terribleness of other books I’d forced myself through for class. I’ve really enjoyed reading non-fiction this year but it definitely wasn’t easy to fit many non-fic books into these prompts.

THE LIST

I didn’t start this blog until June, so I’ve only reviewed some of the books I read for this challenge. I’ve included links to my reviews where I did so.

1 - A book made into a movie you’ve already seen

Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín (Review) - 5 STARS

2 - True crime

The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir by Alexandra Marzano-Lesnevich - 5 STARS

3 - The next book in a series you started

A Murder of Magpies by Mark Edwards - 4 STARS

4 - A book involving a heist

The Man Who Lived Underground by Richard Wright - 3 STARS

5 - Nordic noir

Roseanna by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö - 4 STARS

6 - A novel based on a real person

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (Review) - 5 STARS

7 - A book set in a country that fascinates you

Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Idridason (set in Iceland) - 5 STARS

8 - A book with a time of day in the title

4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie (Review) - 3 STARS

9 - A book about a villain or antihero

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks - 4 STARS

10 - A book about death or grief

Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward - 5 STARS

11 - A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (pseudonym of J. K. Rowling) (Review) - 2 STARS

12 - A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist

The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall - 5 STARS

13 - A book that is also a stage play or musical

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry - 5 STARS

14 -  A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston - 5 STARS

15 - A book about feminism

Women and Power by Mary Beard - 4 STARS

16 - A book about mental health

Hunger by Roxane Gay - 4 STARS

17 - A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift

Becoming by Michelle Obama (Review) - 4 STARS

18 - A book by two authors

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett - 5 STARS

19 - A book about or involving a sport

Beartown by Fredrik Backman (Review) - 3 STARS

20 - A book by a local author

The Word for Woman is Wilderness by Abi Andrews (Review) - 5 STARS

21 - A book with your favourite colour in the title

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison - 3 STARS

22 - A book with alliteration in the title

After Leaving Mr. MacKenzie by Jean Rhys - 3 STARS

23 - A book about time travel

The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas (Review)  - 5 STARS

24 - A book with a weather element in the title

Strange as This Weather Has Been by Ann Pancake (Review)  - 3 STARS

25 - A book set at sea

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware (Review) - 3 STARS

26 - A book with an animal in the title

History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund (Review) - 4 STARS

27 - A book set on a different planet

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (Review) - 5 STARS

28 - A book with song lyrics in the title

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson (song by Roy Smiles) (Review)  - 3 STARS

29 - A book about or set on Halloween

The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury (Review) - 2 STARS

30 - A book with characters who are twins

The Secret History by Donna Tartt (Review) - 5 STARS

31 - A book mentioned in another book

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling  (mentioned in Harry Potter) - 5 STARS

32 - A book from a celebrity book club

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (SJP book club and recommended by Barack Obama) - 5 STARS

33 - A childhood classic you’ve never read

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - 5 STARS

34 - A book that’s published in 2018

Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss (Review) - 5 STARS

35 - A past Goodreads Choice Awards winner

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (Non-fiction, 2010) (Review) - 5 STARS

36 - A book set in the decade you were born

Forgive Me If I've Told You This Before by Karelia Stetz-Waters (‘89-’93) (Review) - 4 STARS

37 - A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn’t get to

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski - 5 STARS

38 - A book with an ugly cover

Trumpet by Jackie Kay - 4 STARS

39 - A book that involves a bookstore or library

Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks by Annie Spence (Review) - 4 STARS

40 - Your favourite prompt from a previous POPSUGAR challenge

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer (prompt was a book that’s becoming a movie this year) - 5 STARS

[jandjsalmon]

What's your favorite juglovesbetty and bughead4days fic??

I’m glad you asked, Grayface.

Okay - so choosing a favourite of Erin’s fics was easy because as soon as I read this one I really really loved it. The deleted scene where Juggie was invited to move in with the Coopers brought about a lot of really great fic - but this one was one of my faves:  In the Night by @juglovesbetty (1/1 - G)

but then seriously - you had to make me choose my favourite one of Erika’s?! She’s one of my most favourite humans on the planet.This is an insanely difficult choice. I literally will read every single thing she writes because every single thing she writes legitimately makes me happy. They are always fluffy with happy endings and there is such a dire need for that kind of fluffy in my life. In recent months I’ve sincerely gained an appreciation for angst and there are some amazingly talented angsty writers - but when I want happy, I go to @bughead4days and read ANYTHING that she’s written. Even trying to find one to share here took me like an hour and a half because I had to whittle it down from like six very very favourites.

*deep sigh* If I had to choose a MOST favourite it would be her series of Betty and Juggie growing up together. I first read it on her blog - but then she moved it to Ao3 (and the text for the first couple chapters didn’t move well… it’s kinda smushy) - but read it on mobile and then bask in it’s wonderfulness. I adore it.

Growing up and Loving You by @bughead4days (5/?)

[stardustreviews]

Blog All Day, Meme All Night

over a month ago, actual ray of sunshine @lynchmatthew​ tagged me in this and uhh i finally finished tweaking this blog so why not do it now!!

tagging @the-little-witches-books, @jostenne, @wylans, @pynchvinsky, and uhh anyone else who wants to!

╰☆╮1. YEET – which book would you yeet out of existence?

Highkey? A Court of Wings And Ruin. That was the book that made me realize that I just couldn’t read anymore Maas. I hated the way she wrote romance, how all her male characters were possessive, the half-hearted attempt at “representation”.

╰☆╮2. CRYING KIM K – which book gives you lots of feelings?

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust. I need to write a review for this at some point, but basically-- it’s an absolutely beautiful book, a feminist retelling of Snow White, and the mother-daughter relationship between Mina (the Wicked Queen character) and Lynet (the Snow White character) is meticulously, wonderfully crafted. I cannot recommend this book enough!

╰☆╮3. AMERICA, EXPLAIN – favourite book set outside the us?

The creator of this tag, @meriknihar​ definitely intended this to be an In-Unvierse question, so uhh,, Illuminae definitely counts, right? It takes place in our cosmos, just very far away in both time and distance. I just love how tight and unexpected the plots were, and the format they chose was so interesting

Otherwise, I’d say The Book Thief, which is set in Germany and made me cry my heart out.

╰☆╮4. RIP VINE – your saddest character death?

MAJOR ACOL SPOILERS AHEAD!!

A Darker Shade of Magic’s Holland Vosijk. V. E. Schwab created a beautiful, tragic character, and even thinking about him makes me sad again. He deserved the absolute fucking world, man.

╰☆╮5. WHAT ARE THOSE? – a book that left you confused?

Caraval by Stephanie Garber. It wasn’t that I didn’t get what was going on, but it was just too disorienting. The reader never really finds their footing in her story, and even at the end I was still not sure what was real and what was part of the performance. I don’t know, I guess I just felt like the protagonist’s agency didn’t mean anything when the rug was being pulled out from under everyone’s feet each chapter, and each twist seemed to negate the last. It was just too much.

╰☆╮6. BIG DICK ENERGY – favourite character with BDE?

It took me a while to figure this one out, but probably The Cruel Prince’s Jude Duarte. She will do whatever the fuck she can to get ahead, she refuses to be intimidated, and she’s an amazing Slytherin queen who is more than welcome to murder me if she wants.

╰☆╮7. I WON’T HESITATE BITCH – favourite book with a morally grey protagonist?

Vicious by V. E. Schwab. I read this the summer of my junior year and I fell in love with the story. She’s just,,, so good at crafting characters, and I need Vengeful now that it’s out.

╰☆╮8. MOVE, I’M GAY – favourite book featuring a lgbp+ romance?

Anyone who’s been around me for more than 2.3 seconds knows I am a weakass hoe for Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova. It’s a fun yet dark adventure novel featuring Latina witches, realistic and loving families, lots of magic, and the softest wlw couple I know. My heart belongs to Alex and Rishi.

╰☆╮9. STREET SMARTS – favourite book featuring a protagonist whose strength is their intelligence?

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore! Bitterblue is a puzzle of a book about mysteries and healing, and unlike the warrior Katsa, the titular protagonist doesn’t have strength or survival instincts. Instead, she has a deep desire to do good, and the brains needed to get to the bottom of the wound her father left on her country. (A close second is An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson; it’s a delightful story about a painter spirited away to Fae territories, and she survives largely due to her cleverness. Plus the book has some wonderful reflections of stagnation vs progress and the price of immortality,,, would highly recommend.)

╰☆╮10. ALEXA PLAY DESPACITO – character death you were happy about?

Severus Snape from Harry Potter. I don’t care that he was on The Good Side, and I really don’t care that He Will Always Love Lily. Severus Tobias Snape is a toxic slimebag, and when he joined the Wizard Nazis and called his best friend/crush a fucking slur, got butthurt that she didn’t want to hang with him anymore. He was willing to let an innocent man and a fucking baby be brutally murdered to save Lily, and even after she clearly rejected him, refused to get over her and let it become creepy and borderline-obsessive. The whole thing where he tore a photo of the Potter family so he could have Lily’s picture and no one else’s? And where he tore off her signature too? What the fuck. Also he has the emotional maturity of a 12 year-old, taking his anger out on two innocent and already traumatized children, to the point where he was one of those children’s greatest fear that is not okay. Anyways he can choke.

╰☆╮11. THEN PERISH – a book you DNFed?

Snow Like Ashes. I didn’t get very far into it, but I remember the premise not really grabbing me, and then it was due back to the library and I didn’t really care enough to get it ever again.

☆╮12. KERMIT SIPPING TEA – a book that makes a statement?

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness is a great one. It’s a story about being the side characters, the ones who aren’t the Chosen Ones who get sent on an epic quest against evil. They’re just people, dealing with real problems, mental health issues and conflict with friends, and Ness handles the subject with a deft sort of beauty.

The Twelve Little Cakes also qualifies, too. It’s a memoir of a woman’s childhood in a post-Stalinist USSR-era Czech Republic. Despite the depressing setting, Dery manages to write a book bursting with optimism, with belief in the goodness of people and a better world, and that persepctive is as refreshing s it necessary in this modern age.

╰☆╮13. SAME HAT – the character you relate to the most?

I had,,, a lot of trouble with this one, so I’m going to say that Lara Jean from To All the Boys Ive Loved Before really reminds me of my high school self. She daydreams a lot, loves The Aesthetic, is not very grounded in reality, Is Soft And Kinda Anxious. Sure, let’s say that.

╰☆╮14. OH WORM – a book you didn’t expect to love?

I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson. I’m not normally a contemporary person, but I finished this book sobbing instead of working on a health essay. Books that have conflicts shaped like mysteries and puzzles, where personalities and situations clash in a way that looks a little bit like tragedy? Those are books are automatic favorites.

╰☆╮15. SHREK – favourite book featuring mythical creatures?

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater revolves around the capaill uisce (aka kelpies). Stiefvater is brilliant with characters and atmosphere, so even though her books are more slow-paced, I was still absolutely enchanted.

[blueandgoldoffice]

Hey there’s a fic where Betty is secretly a drag racer. And she’s only been one like one date with Jughead. He’s not a serpent because he left but later on Toni and sweet pea come to him. They end up needing to defeat Malachi. Sorry I don’t remember much from it I’d really appreciate if you could help me out. Thank you

This is a forever favourite by one of my favourite people in the fandom and on the planet (not in that order). Enjoy! 💗 Jandy

Drive by @writeradamanteve ​ (20/20 - M)

Summary: College AU. When Betty escapes into the Blossom private library during a party, she meets tall, dark, and broody Jughead Jones. She projects a typical neurotic college student persona, but Jughead doesn’t buy it. He knew in his bones that there was more to her than meets the eye.

When they share each other’s secrets, it’s electric and they have no idea where it’s going to take them.

[wefallintobookland]

Book Asks!

CHOOSE BETWEEN:

1. Libraries or bookstores?

I like to have my own collection so definitely bookstores.

2. Hardcover or paperback?

Paperback, especially the floppy kind. 

3. Hard copies or ereaders?

I have an ereader that I sometimes use but I would rather have a hard copy.

4. Bookmarks or dogears?

I don’t judge but I would never dogear a book. I have a small bookmark collection or will use random pieces of paper. 

5. New books or worn books?

I would rather a new book but I also love used bookstores.

FAVOURITE:

1. Genre?

Young adult fantasy

2. Author?

There are so many authors I love but right now it might be Rick Riordan.

3. Series?

I love the Sarah J. Maas books but I haven’t finished one of her series yet so probably The Mortal Instruments series.

4. Individual book?

Dragonfly by Julia Golding is still a favourite of mine.

5. Classic book?

It’s a tie between Macbeth or Hamlet by Shakespeare.

ENVIRONMENT:

1. Favorite time of day to read?

If I can read from morning to night than I’ll be happy.

2. Favorite place to read?

I have a reading nook in my room and I love it.

3. Silence or background noise?

Silence but sometimes if I have a song stuck in my head I’ll put on some instrumental music to drown it out.

4. Preferred weather for reading?

Snow storm all the way.

5. Favorite reading-time snack?

Anything that I can eat without getting a stain on my book.

PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE:

1. Favorite childhood book?

Amanda Greenleaf by Ed Kavangh

2. Currently reading?

Nothing right now but there are so many good new releases that come out in the beginning of May that I can’t wait for.

3. Book you want to read most?

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

4. Reading goals?

My goodreads goal is 100 books this year.

5. Book you could read forever?

Either A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas or The Host by Stephenie Meyer. I’ve read them both so many times and I love them.

ANTI-FAVORITES:

1. Worst book you’ve read?

I know I’m repeating myself but Me and Earl and The Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews makes me angry it was so bad.

2. Book you couldn’t even finish?

I bought Betwixt by Tara Bray Smith recently and thought I was really going to like it but one of the pov’s was so bad that I didn’t even care what happened to the other characters.

3. Book you didn’t understand?

After I thought about it a little bit I vaguely got the ending but I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak was good but so confusing. 

4. Most overrated book?

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green was a good book but it was way over hyped, especially when the movie came out.

5. Problematic book?

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon kind of romanticized illness and the twist ending made it even more apparent.

AESTHETIC: (feel free to include pictures)

1. Prettiest cover?

It looks better in person and has gold edged pages.

2. Best illustrations?

An Illustrated History Of Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld illustrated by Cassandra Jean is so, so beautiful.

3. Favorite map in a book?

The map in the Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is totally my favourite.

4. Best overall book aesthetic?

The Mortal Instruments series and The Infernal Devices series booth have these special edition spines that are amazingly illustrated.

5. Ugliest book?

The Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor is a good series but the covers are just so bad. 

GENRE:

1. Scariest book?

In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters was super creepy and there was this one scene that haunted me for weeks afterwards.

2. Best fantasy world?

The Shadowhunter world made by Cassandra Clare has a couple great series in it that I love.

3. Funniest book?

The sarcastic humor in Rick Riordan’s books is so funny to me. 

4. Saddest book?

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins made me cry so hard with that heart wrenching ending.

5. Book you would never want to read?

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson sounds like a good book but it is going to be at 2 different times and show how these twins relationship was damaged. I don’t like that writing style. 

CHARACTERS:

1. Character you wish to be friends with?

I would love to be Rowan Whitethorn, first seen in Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas, is amazing and I love him and Celaena together. Even hanging out with him a day would be cool.

2. Favorite antagonist?

So even though he was literally the worst and such a bad guy, I thought Sebastian from The Mortal Instruments series was such a good bad guy. 

3. Favorite protag?

Katy Swartz from the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout is someone I relate to so much and I found her perspective refreshing.

4. Favorite supporting?

Nico di Angelo in The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan is a perfect little baby who I must protect at all costs. He is adorable! 

5. Most-hated character?

Maybe not the most hated but I found Colin Singleton, from An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, to be kind of a pretentious character.  

[jinandtonics]

YA Book Recs

@evens-naesheims​ wanted some YA book recommendations, and I’ve read a lot of them, as well as a few essays on them too. So these are just some of the ones that I’ve read over the years that I liked. I’ve also included links to free ebooks. Don’t click on the big ads though, there are text links that are smaller!

Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

This is a pretty popular book, but for a reason. It handles mental illness as well as normal teenage stresses pretty well, in my opinion. The film is also very good! “The critically acclaimed debut novel from Stephen Chbosky, Perks follows observant “wallflower” Charlie as he charts a course through the strange world between adolescence and adulthood. First dates, family drama, and new friends. Sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Devastating loss, young love, and life on the fringes. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie must learn to navigate those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.”

Noughts and Crosses (series) - Malorie Blackman

This is one of my favourite book series of all time, and is what got me into reading to start with. One literature degree later, and I still adore it. The first book works perfectly as a standalone story in my opinion, but I do really like the others too. There’s also a BBC miniseries in the works, and I’m excited.

“Two young people are forced to make a stand in this thought-provoking look at racism and prejudice in an alternate society. Sephy is a Cross - a member of the dark-skinned ruling class. Callum is a Nought - a “colourless” member of the underclass who were once slaves to the Crosses. The two have been friends since early childhood, but that’s as far as it can go. In their world, Noughts and Crosses simply don’t mix. Against a background of prejudice and distrust, intensely highlighted by violent terrorist activity, a romance builds between Sephy and Callum - a romance that is to lead both of them into terrible danger. Can they possibly find a way to be together?”

Two Boys Kissing - David Levithan

David Levithan writes a lot of stories about gay boys, but this is one of my favourite ones because it has a little diversity. Though the emphasis is on little, because most of the characters are white expect one black minor character and one that is ever-so vaguely hinted at being Korean. And bisexuality isn’t mentioned once. But apart from that, it’s very good and deals with a lot of different aspects of being a gay teenager.

“New York Times  bestselling author David Levithan tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS.

While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites—all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other.”

I’ll Give You the Sun - Jandy Nelson

I read this book a little while ago. It does fall into some stereotypes at times, but overall it’s a nice read and it deals with a lot of different aspects of growing up.

“Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah’s story to tell. The later years are Jude’s. What the twins don’t realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.”

Annie on my Mind - Nancy Garden

This is one of the best books that deals with queer female teenagers, and it does it really well. It was written in 1987, so it was pretty groundbreaking for the time (no dead gays!) and has a genuine and believable relationship between the two main characters. I’ve been struggling to find good YA literature that has queer girls in it, so please let me know if you come across any! “This groundbreaking book is the story of two teenage girls whose friendship blossoms into love and who, despite pressures from family and school that threaten their relationship, promise to be true to each other and their feelings. The book has been banned from many school libraries and publicly burned in Kansas City.”

Slated (series) - Terri Terry

This suffers a little from Dystopia Trilogy Syndrome (I’m looking at you The Hunger Games and Divergent) as in the last book was a bit of a let down, but I remember really enjoying it when I read it a few years ago. I would recommend it to British readers. It’s set in the UK, and deals with the way that teenagers are punished by the UK justice system which is a large issue in the UK, less so now.

“Kyla’s memory has been erased, her personality wiped blank, her memories lost for ever. She’s been Slated.

The government claims she was a terrorist and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?”

Books I’ve yet to read, but have been highly recommended: - Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli  - Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz - It’s Kind of a Funny Story - Ned Vizzini 

I hope this helps people and pls let me know if you have recommendations because I always need more books.

[mistressziggy]

I finished Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs. This is the third and final instalment in the Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children series. I asked Hubby to pick a book from my 52 books shelves as I had choice paralysis and this is the one I picked. I loved the first two books of the series and fully expected to love the third. It was a bit slow to start and I began to get worried but as it picked up I fell into the story. I’m sad that the series is finished but, if Twitter is to be believed, there’s another series on the horizon which makes me happy!

Last Sunday, hubby and his friend Danger used a voucher we were given for Christmas and went to one of the BrewDog bars near us for a beer and cheese tasting. The gift was for the two of us, but considering that one of us still had to be able to drive home, Danger went instead. I used my time in town to go to Waterstones and use my stamped up ‘free money’ cards as I had £20 to spend. Waterstones do a loyalty scheme where every time you spend £10 they stamp a card, 10 stamps gets you £10 credit to spend in store. I had 2 and a half complete cards meaning I’ve spent something in the region of £250 in Waterstones, a fact I’m not looking at too closely. I spent more time than I usually do browsing and deciding as I was on my own and had free reign. I ended up buying the illustrated American Gods by Neil Gaiman, The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris and Woman and Power by Mary Beard. I pretty much got the Neil Gaiman book for free with my £20 credit (although, as Hubby points out, it’s not free, look how much money was spent to get that ‘free’ book!) so all in all, I’m quite pleased. I also got the chance to go to my second most favourite shop in the world, Lush. I procured a few bath bombs and melts then happily went on my way to the pub to get some food and wait for Hubby. I should probably explain that Hubby and I have a deal, we set aside a little of the disposable income we have every month to spend on non-essentials, books and Lush in my case, bitcoins in Hubby’s.

It’s also been an exciting week for the post. I received the latest Fall Out Boy album that I’ve had on pre-order for a while. It’s really really good. I also ordered a couple of books from Amazon thanks to their 3 paperbacks for £10 deal. I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson which was recommended to me by my friend Etoile Filante, 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher which I bought as I have the series on my Netflix watchlist and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood as I’ve had it on my wishlist for a while and it was part of the deal. Finally, there was From Here to Eternity: Travelling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty which I’ve had on pre-order for nearly a year. I read her first novel after it was given to me by a colleague who thought I might find it interesting and I’ve been watching her YouTube channel ever since. I was so excited when she announced she was releasing a new book that I immediately put it on order. I’m about halfway through it now.

This weekend was spent doing a months worth of cooking and filling up the freezer. Hubby has promised me faithfully that we’ll be going to the gym again and I wanted to get ahead of the cooking that needs to be done while we work through the week. All the food prep means that when I get home at night it’s a case of heat and eat. I’m not sure how well it will work but I guess we’ll see.

Library of Souls – Ransom Riggs I finished Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs. This is the third and final instalment in the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children series.