#joan samson

[acrookedbookshelf]

The Auctioneer - Joan Samson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am so glad to have picked up this book. This is not my usual style, but I ended loving this twisted tale with a disgusting antagonist who embodies everything that I hate in humanity.

If you love thriller-like book into small setting I'm sure you'll like it !

[thewarmestplacetohide]

[very-grownup]

Book 27, 2023

I'm easily scared (I watched the original INVASION OF THE BODY-SNATCHERS as a teenager at my mommo's house and was so scared that night my mum had to sleep with me), so horror is a genre I approach with care. I might grab a random fantasy or science fiction novel, but horror is another thing entirely.

Joan Samson's "The Auctioneer" is perfect horror for me.

I went through a period of a few years ago where I slammed back as much Shirley Jackson as I could, fulling submersing myself in horror so quiet you can feel it in your stomach from the beginning, long before anything happens (if anything explicitly happens). "The Auctioneer" is like that. It's not even rural idyll, but rural mundane, rural simplicity, quiet and slow and dusty when it starts. Things are imperfect, the main family is imperfect, with the implication of a complicated history, a sometimes bumpy marriage, a difficulty conceiving their single child.

When things start to change, with the arrival of a helpful auctioneer who is ready to help you clear our your barn and your attic of all that old, broken junk you've been meaning to get rid of, you know this is the start of something really wrong. But it's slow, the actual horror creeping in on the characters and town, frog in boiling water where you can understand how things escalate and darken even as the reader has been feeling that sense of horror from the beginning, so you understand our protagonists' inaction.

A point is hit where the implicit becomes explicit and perhaps when the novel was originally published an audience might say 'that's a bit much' but in 2023 you find yourself going 'yes, I can see someone saying that, and if they said it while wearing a nice suit and with confidence in a private-ish gathering, everyone present would probably agree that the antecedents of an adopted child, including racially, are important'.

Samson puts together a horror novel about an outsider coming to an insular community where the outsider is bringing dark things in, but the titular auctioneer is only able to get as far as he does because of self-sufficient rural virtues. It's not 'this pastoral life is hiding a dark secret' and it's not 'behold the dark underbelly of this slice of America', it's something more complicated and somber, asking for reflection on community and the individual in conjunction with one another.

This is the good, haunting stuff.

[pagingdrmusic]

Hello Barnes and Nobles purchases of July!

[onebluebookworm]

April 2024 Book Club

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi: In 1979, Marjane Satrapi turned ten years old, living in Tehran. The same year, the Iranian revolution swept through the country, installing a new ultra-conservative government that clashed with Satrapi's loving, progressive family. As Satrapi chafed under the regime, her parents realized that the country was no longer safe for her and send her to Austria, where she must deal with the culture shock and the trauma of what she experienced on her own.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo: Edward Tulane is a china rabbit, of fine craftsmanship and quality, and he knows it. There's not much Edward loves than himself, not even his loving owner. But when Edward is separated from her during a family trip, he's taken on a whirlwind adventure to understand what love really means.

The Auctioneer by Joan Samson: Harlowe, New Hampshire is a town that seems forgotten by the ever-changing world around it, and its residents like that just fine. After all, the world outside Harlowe is dangerous and cruel. Not like the wholesome peace they have. So when a smooth-talking auctioneer named Perly Dinsmore proposes an auction to benefit the police force that keep Harlowe safe from that dangerous outside world, they're more than happy to contribute. But then Perly asks for more. Each week, Perly comes by again to solicit donations, and things slowly and insidiously begin to change. And when the citizens of Harlowe have nothing material left to give, Perly will find other things they can contribute. "Whatever I've done, you let me do."

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote: On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues. Hundreds of miles away, recently paroled convicts Dick Hickock and Perry Smith made their way towards Mexico, certain that the terrible crime they committed would never be linked to them. As evidence comes to light and the police start closing in, Capote chronicles the details of the lives of the victims, their murderers, and their neighbors as the quintessential story of American violence unfolds and comes to a stormy head.

Praisesong for the Widow by Paula Marshall: In the dead of night Avey Johnson - a black, middle-aged widow given to hats, gloves, and pearls - leaves a cruise she was on with two friends, determined to get home again after a troubling dream. She's left her childhood of Harlem and Gullah songs behind her, and she longs to get back to the world that makes her feel secure. But when she disembarks on the island of Grenada, she finds herself swept up in a homecoming festival for the people of Curacao, where she will discover what coming home really means.

[straightmenobsession]

IFBB Pro Joan Pradells (with Samson Dauda).

“Hold on, curves are coming.”

[tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors]

If laoft characters hadn't already had names, what names would you have chosen?

ooooooh okay so ironically. they did almost, technically, kind of, have different names

in my VERY first notes reference for laoft, literally written in my phone the day after CLBG aired and i desperately wanted to make a really cool role for what i thought was the series newly introduced antagonist, was a list of characters "true names"

basically, i was going to take the idea of being careful with your true name to the maximal extreme, to the point that your "true name" in wickhills wasnt even your legal name, but a completely secret name that only you and your parents knew. Logan, Patton, Virgil, Roman were all going to be "outer names" and these new names i wrote would be the true ones.

and also that these names got little add ons as you aged and met certain milestones, developed certain traits. i dont know if any of you have read eragon (and i dont reccommend you do) but it had a similar system

so Patton was going to be born "Adal" (righteous, sincere, noble), and then sometime in toddlerhood gain become "Adalwin" (Win meaning friend. He gained Eulalos (which i later reused the feminine form for Eulalia the parakeet!) when he got his gift, and "Clement" (Gentle) when he befriended Logan.

Roman was born "Wynne" (friend), which became "Hartwin" as a toddler ("hart" meaning brave, or a male deer). around the time he started hunting fae he gained the second name "Kemp" (warrior) and after the deal gained "Alcaeus" meaning "strength"

Logan i never settled on, but the top contenders were "Mattan" (gift), "Epiphanes" (appearing) and "Irenaeus" (peaceful). i also played around with the idea of matching twinny names for Logan and Thomas. Samson and Jericho (sun and moon), Florus and Thales (flower and blossom), Artemidoros and Apollodoros (gifts of the moon and sun, respectively).

And you've actually already seen what Virgil's was going to be, or at least part of it. "Brennus" the name of Virgil's character in the Fair Folk and Fortresses universe, was my pick for his first name, and the full thing was going to be "Brennus Aelfric Sitheach"

Brennus can mean king/prince or raven, Aelfric means elf-king, and Sitheach means fairy-like. i also had this idea i thought was clever that the reason the curse worked so well was because it changed his true name from "Aelfric" to "Aelfstan" (Elf Stone) ie froze him to stone

like i said this was literally my very first laoft document, so none of this really survived once i started worldbuilding in earnest, mostly because as you can see it would have been really just wildly impractical.

its so old that it still has the name of Thomas's IRL friends as classmates (joan valerie talyn etc) from before i decided i wanted to use cartoon therapy characters instead and save the fictionalized real friends for thomas to meet in college AND from when i was still assuming it was going to be moxiety and logince.

changing the two separate romantic plots in The Darkest Part Of The Forest to one poly love "triangle" was the point where i really started to diverge from "making a one-to-one DPOTF au" to making something that was more personal to me. im not even entirely sure if i'd call this particular document LAOFT LoreTM but its definitely a step in the process i think is kinda neat!

[sgiandubh]

Sunday sounds: Baroque jewels

As we're slowly preparing for Advent (playlist is ready for each and every Sunday), I thought it was the best moment to share with you this gem:

Aksel Rykkvin was only 13 and a boy treble in Oslo's Cathedral Choir, when he recorded this well-known aria of Haendel's Samson oratorio. I am not very sure he is aware of what is happening to him here (something that happens all the time with writers, singers, actors, etc), but the result is simply spectacular. So spectacular, in fact, that you'd quickly forget and forgive a light falsetto and the understandable lack of depth.

For those keen enough to compare, the best rendition is Dame Joan Sutherland's, of course. A wonderful, mature, supremely mastered voice. But we're talking about something completely different, here. This is pure grace and there wasn't a single dry eye in that Oslo concert hall by the end of that concert.

Spectacular and fragile. Almost immediately after this recording, his voice changed. He is now a very good barytone I am closely following on socials (oh, yes, there isn't only OL in this life!).

Onwards to packing my suitcase for what is going to be the craziest week of this year. Off to Cyprus tomorrow morning until Wednesday, on a business trip, so scarce online presence. But I will probably post something before leaving, at any rate and will comment, too.

[fixated-on-something]

heres another (hopefully daily) magicians question!! this one isn't really a question but uh just go with it-

assign a song to each of the magicians main characters, like a song that fits them and could be their 'theme song' of sorts

Oooooo shit… ok

I’m gonna have to do multiple for some of these cause it’s just impossible for me to capture my feelings about these characters in one song

So some of these are gonna be songs from the actual show because the association is very strong but some of them will just be vibes or lyrics

Quentin: Falling Apart by Slow Pulp, Kaleidoscope by Chappell Roan, Postdoc Blues by John K Samson, Someone New by Hozier

Eliot: Chinese Satellite by Phoebe Bridgers, Can’t Cool Me Down by Car Seat Headrest, Time To Pretend by MGMT, Phone In A Pool by Ben Folds

Alice: Philosophy by Ben Folds Five, Perpetuum Mobile by Penguin Café Orchestra, ballad of a homeschooled girl by Olivia Rodrigo

Julia: Are You Satisfied? By MARINA, The Suburbs by Arcade Fire

Margo: Beautiful Dreamer by Stephen Foster, Man’s World by MARINA, Bad Reputation by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

Penny: Ghosting by Mother Mother, Pleasure Delayer by BETWEEN FRIENDS, Run Boy Run- Instrumental by Woodkid

Kady: Lovesick in Public by Zoe Ko, Blame Brett by The Beaches, Song 2 by Blur

Josh: You Make My Dreams (Come True) by Daryl Hall & John Oates, Break My Stride by Matthew Wilder

That’s not even half of it and I’m blanking for some of this- I’m sure I’ll have additions later

I could literally make a whole playlist for most of these guys

And remember before you say “that song doesn’t thematically fit that character” some of these just musically sound like that character to me, the lyrics have nothing to do with it

Plus some of these characters have songs to me that represent their pairings with others? Like of course Quentin and Eliot will always be Evolve by Phoria to me, Either Quentin and Alice or Quentin and Julia’s dynamic reads as Thérese by Maya Hawke imo, Julia and Quentin’s dynamic early on to me is Cheetah by Deux Visages, Eliot and Margo are a BUNCH of things including $20 by boygenius, Penny and Kady are kinda OMG by Suki Waterhouse but more in a musical sense not in a lyrical sense IDK MAN THERES SO MUCH AHHHH

[acrookedbookshelf]

01.06.24

Next in line that I'm looking forward to start : The Auctioneer by Joan Samson !

[bikinikillarchives]

does everyone know about kathleen hanna's t-shirt company, Tees 4 Togo, where they work beside Peace Sisters to support young girls' education in Togo, West Africa? 100% of the profits go to Peace Sisters, a non-profit started by Tina Kampor who's mission is to provide equal education for girls in her hometown, Dapaong, Togo. every $40 t-shirt sends a girl to school for one year.

working besides local artists, these tshirts include art of: Joan Jett, Ad-Rock, Carrie Brownstein, Brontez Purnell, W. Kamau Bell, John Waters, Kathleen Hanna, Fugazi, Chuck D, Billie Joe Armstrong, Kim Gordon, Grimes, JD Samson, Justin Vivian Bond, Joey Soloway, Patton Oswalt, Hari Kondabolu, and Kristen Schaal. sizes ranging from a unisex small to unisex xxxx-large. not intrested in a t-shirt? you can still donate $40 though Tees4Togo, or donate directly through Peace Sisters!

[timdrakegf]

the good witch 🫧 prompts

the good witch

" still argue like my mother and suppress stuff like my dad. still miss you but I know now it'll pass. "

coming of age

" and i couldn't erase you. like a tattoo on my waistline if it was a first kiss. how come it felt like a snakebite? ”

watch

" cause you broke my heart and my self-esteem for a girl who's a remix of me. "

body better

" i can't help thinking when you touched it, were you sorry? were you sorry like you weren't at the time? "

want you back

" till you caught a teacher's daughter with a dangerous text. ”

the band and i

" oh, it was breaking down, it was falling in love. in a gas station by the pickup trucks. ”

you’re just a boy (and i’m kinda the man)

" you were my best friend, my shoulder to lean on but you pushed me out quicker than it took me to put my jeans on. ”

lost the breakup

“ i’ll smile and you'll have to face it i’m the greatest love that you wasted. ”

wendy

" you’ll throw your rocks, and you'll scream that you hate me. ”

run

" he likes a promise if he don't have to keep it. he hates a sentence when he has to mean it. ”

two weeks ago

" i wish we kissed when we first wanted. and we didn't miss all the time we did. ”

bsc

“ if you don't love me, what was april ? you played a game but i run the table. mister ‘ I don't want a label ’ you made me little miss unstable. ”

therapy

" it built me like a promise 'til it broke me like a curse. with your shadow in the door, you were turning in your key and loving you was letting you leave. ”

there it goes

" yeah, the love we had was eating me whole. I had to send it home. ”

history of man

“ so samson blamed delilah but given half the chance i would’ve made him weaker too. ”

holy revival

“ no getting attached to men you can't have. ”

yoko

“ funny, you know, you were the whole wide world. you fell for the moment so you lied to the girl. ”

the song

“ my thing is i’m still obsessed with the idea of this one thing. with all the ways that it wasn't but it might've been. ”

guy on a horse

“ listen, boy, somebody's gotta say it. it might cut to the core. got this far but i’m joan of arc and you're just a guy on a horse. ”

truth is

“ truth is, you were the blow behind the bruises. you weren't love but i think i confused it. ”

the last one

“ they’re never gonna get it, no, they'll never understand but i believe in you, i’m your number one fan. ”

requests open !!

[forthegothicheroine]

Horror novel recommendations

@allthestoriescantbelies​ asked for horror novel recommendations, so I thought I’d throw one together to post on the blog! Largely focused on non-gothic stuff since I’ve already made a gothic lit list over here.

As a general warning, all horror books listed here will have potentially triggering material. If you want more specific trigger warnings, you can ask me or see if people have listed them on goodreads or storygraph.

My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix: I know you’ve read this, but I’m putting it on the list because it is one of the scariest books I’ve ever read, about a teenage girl in trouble and the only other girl willing to help her. I’m told the movie makes it much more straightforwardly comic rather than horror-with-jokes, which disappoints me. I’m a big fan of Hendrix in general, though I know you (and plenty of others!) find him hit-or-miss.

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris: Another one I believe you’ve read, but for reference, it’s the best serial killer thriller I’ve ever read. Francis Dolarhyde is a much more interesting character than Hannibal Lecter, I will die on this hill.

We Will All Go Down Together by Gemma Files: Centuries ago, the Five Family Coven made a deal with the Fairy Queen, and their descendants have been doomed ever since. I could have just as easily recommended Files’ book Experimental Film- if you like one, read the other as well.

The Drowning Girl by Caitlin R. Kiernan: A schizophrenic woman has two different memories of her ex-girlfriend and the horror that followed her- was she a werewolf, a mermaid, or were both memories wrong? This is Kiernan at her most heartfelt and most accessible; if you like this and want to try her grosser stuff, read The Very Best of Caitlin R. Kiernan.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski: A haunted house in a haunted film in a haunted memoir, written in a work of visual art. I won’t blame anyone who bounces off this, but give it a try!

Carrie by Stephen King: If you’re only going to read one Stephen King, make it either Carrie or Misery. I don’t feel like any film adaptations have captured all the aspects of this tragedy about a girl who deserved a better life and the town who didn’t save her while there was still a chance, including the epistolary format.

Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant: This novella was followed up by Into the Drowning Deep, but I found Rolling in the Deep much scarier. It’s brisk and high-tension to watch a semi-fake documentary team put together, piece by piece, just what the monsters are that pursue them.

Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge: The Great Pumpkin, but scary! Seriously, though, if you are willing to accept the concept of a boy with a pumpkin head and a knife and a yearly child sacrifice, this is short and a lot of fun.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones: Just an elk killed when some kids were blowing off steam. Just an elk damning the rest of their lives. (Jones’s My Heart is a Chainsaw was too sad for me to recommend as a favorite, but I am curious about the sequel.)

The Wolfen by Whitley Striber: I wanted to include a good werewolf novel on this list, and The Wolfen wins by far for interesting creature design. (The runner up was The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan.)

The Auctioneer by Joan Samson: A very atypical entry on this list, closer to Twin Peaks than your average thriller. A rural town is turned into a capitalist police state when a slick salesman comes to see what they’ll allow him to do. It turns out, it’s a lot.

The Drive-In by Joe R. Lansdale: The only “splatterpunk” I’ve ever loved, this is an absurdist nightmare about a southern drive-in crowd who get stuck in a world with only the movie screens and each other, turning into literal and figurative monsters. Usually published with the sequel, since both are short, though I didn’t like the latter as much. If you like it, read one of Lansdale’s short story collections.

As always, reblog with suggestions of your own!

[destyni-is-me]

thanks for tagging me, @novaae!! I haven't done one of these in awhile lol

Last song: Skeleton Appreciation Day in Vestal, NY (Bones) by Will Wood and The Tapeworms

Last Book: The Auctioneer by Joan Samson

Last Movie: Frailty

Last TV Show: Abbot Elementary

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: Sweet, but I am a known spicy enjoyer as well

Relationship status: single

Last thing I googled: Types of sheer fabric

Current obsession(s): I don't think I have anything I could classify as an obsession at the moment

Looking Forward : this semester is almost over! I am excited to share my poetry project with my class and then to just chill for a couple months before the next semester starts lol

Tagging: @pendragonshoard @nomisupernova @geode-to-joy and @ramaque

[midnightcowboy1969]

My bookshelf

Hey, @beanifred <3 So, here's a big peak at my bookshelf (way too many books as I said)

Beginning with my treasures:

The "Real" Bob Steele and a man called "Brad" by Bob Nareau

The Photostory of "Battling Bob" Bob Steele by Mario DeMarco

2. The Columbo Collection

Just One More thing by Peter Falk

The Grassy Knoll by William Harrington (my enemy)

Murder by the Book by Steven Bochco

And now there's chaos:

3.

Psycho 1 & 2 and Night-World by Robert Bolch (Norwegian edition)

Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

The Body Snatcher by Jack Finney

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Trash by Dorothy Allison (lesbian but at what cost)

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

The Buddah of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (I also have American Gods but I cannot find it)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin

The Complete Short Stories: Hercule Poirot by Agatha Christie

Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane by Henry Farrell

The Hunter by Richard Stark

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Animal Farm by George Orwell

The System by John Burke (novelization)

Alien Nation by Alan Dean Foster (novelization)

Edge of the City by Fredrick Pohl (novelization)

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

Babysitter by Joyce Carol Oates

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

The Collector by John Fowels

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (Norwegian edition)

2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke (novelization)

Ninteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Jaws by Peter Benchley

Wanderer by Sterling Hayden (the actor)

The Wicker Man by Robin Hardy & Anthony Shaffer (Novelization (?))

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

4.

Terror by Dan Simmons

Papillon 1 & 2 by Henri Charrière (Norwegian editions)

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers (book of all time)

The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Midnight Cowboy by John L. Herlihy

Shooting Midnight Cowboy by Glenn Frankel

Cape Fear by John D. McDonald (watch the movies)

The Bretheren by John Grisham (Norwegian edition)

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorgood

Glitz by Elmore Leonard (Norwegian edition)

The Big Sleep and Other Novels by Raymond Chandler (the other novels are Farwell My Lovely and The Long Goodbye)

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Client by John Grisham (Norwegian edition)

Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

Legion (Exorcist 2) by William Peter Blatty

La Peste by Albert Camu (Norwegian edition)

Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink & Jeffery Cranor (not read)

The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg

The Day of the Dolphin by Robert Merle

Local Hero by David Benedictus (novelization)

The Glass Cage by Colin Wilson

American Psycho by Brett E. Ellis

Fools Die by Mario Puzo (Norwegian edition)

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

The Sicilian by Mario Puzo (Norwegian edition)

5.

Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin (Norwegian edition) + Four different Game of Thrones books in Norwegian

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Enders Game by Orson Scott Card

The Betsy by Harold Robbins (Norwegian edition)

Aliens by Alan Dean Foster (novelization)

Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian

The Auctioneer by Joan Samson

Timeline by Michael Crichton

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

Dune, The Children of Dune and God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert

Hitchiker's Guide to the Galxy by Douglas Adams

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

6.

Trumpet by Jackie Kay

Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman (short story collection that made me dislike short stories)

Mr. Monk in Trouble by Lee Goldberg (my enemy)

Mr. Monk and the Dirty Cop by Lee Goldberg (I hate him)

A Room of One's Own by Virginia Wolf

Oranges are not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson

The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Maurice by E. M. Forster

The Case of the Gilded Lily by Erle Stanley Gardner (Norwegian edition)

The Case of the Glamorous Ghost by Erle Stanley Gardner (Norwegian edition)

Something Happened by Joseph Heller

Marathon Man by William Goldman

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing with Fire by Derek Landy

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley (Norwegian edition)

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurt

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Norwegian edition)

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three by John Godey (bad)

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg

Killing Time by Della Van Hise (Star Trek Spinoff Spirk book)

Star Trek: Department of Temportal Investigations: Forgotten History by Christopher L. Bennet

Star Trek Deep Space Nine: The Missing by Una McCormack

Star Trek Enterprise: Rise of the Federation: Uncertain Logic by Christopher L. Bennett

7. Stephen King Collection

Outsider

If it Bleeds

On Writing

Blaze

Carrie

The Stand

Hearts in Atlantis (Norwegian edition)

The Tommyknockers

Cujo

Thinner (Norwegian edition)

The Shining

Night Shift

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (Norwegian edition)

Dreamcatcher

Doctor Sleep

Rose Madder

Pet Sematary

Christine

Salem's Lot

Dolores Claiborne (Norwegian edition)

The Bachman Books

The Institute

Insomnia

Misery

Finders Keepers

End of Watch

Firestarter

The Body

Needful Things (Norwegian edition)

Bag of Bones

8. Not pictured

A collection of Sherlock Holmes books

Many Hardy Boys books

Chilly Scenes of Winter by Ann Beattie

Some comic books

I believe this is approximately everything lol.

My dream is to have a small cozy rooms dedicated to the books I own. It won't happen any time soon.

[very-grownup]

It's time! for! the best books! of 2023! according to me! Ingrid! the only person whose opinion you should listen to!

Best character name: Sir Bonamy Ripple, "False Colours" by Georgette Heyer

Best book you could use as a weapon: "The Counte of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas

Best 'how dare you write a first novel this good?': "I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself" by Marisa Crane

Best book picked up because of a social media post: "If An Egyptian Cannot Speak English" by Noor Naga

Best tragic only novel because the author died of a brain tumour soon after publication: "The Auctioneer" by Joan Samson

Best book I read then gifted to a niece: "Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor" by Xiran Jay Zhao

Best book I could never read aloud: "Everything Abridged" by Dennard Dayle

Best book I lent to a friend with a warning not to read one story because of the main character using a sword to pleasure himself: "The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation" by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Best book by an author I discovered because of John Finnemore: "Headlong" by Michael Frayn

Best mystery novel with a detective who's a little weirdo: "The Village of Eight Graves" by Seishi Yokomizo

Best book in which someone is crushed to death by giant gears: "The Mill House Murders" by Yukito Ayatsuji

Best book with an autistic protagonist in spite of when it was written: "Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls" by Jane Lindskold

Best book with a main character who shares the name of a friend: "The Jasmine Throne" by Tasha Suri

Best book set in a parallel dimension: "Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle" by Vladimir Nabokov

Best book I've owned for 20 years and finally read: "Dragon Sword and Wind Child" by Noriko Ogiwara

Best sequel: "The Dragon Republic" by R.F. Kuang

Best book in translation from a translation: "The Howling Miller" by Arto Paasilinna

Best book where a tiger mauls a clown: "Stars of Chaos" by priest

Best tiny collection of short stories: "Instead of Three Wishes" by Megan Whalen Turner

Best book where talking about it gave me an excuse to mention Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service: "Guardian" by priest

Best memoir by a man who tried to kill Peter Sellers: "Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall" by Spike Milligan

Best work in translation about how much Agamemnon sucks: Emily Wilson's translation of Homer's "The Iliad"

Best book by someone I first knew of through old school webcomics: "The Twisted Ones" by T. Kingfisher

Best road trip novel: "The Road to Roswell" by Connie Willis

Best book I subscribed to a service for the purpose of reading: "Healthy Choices" by Lydia Bugg

Best dinosaurs: "Cosmonaut Keep" by Ken McLeod

Best 'huh I forgot I preordered that' book: "Beast in the Shadows" by Edogawa Rampo

Best book by an author living her best life: "Ascendant Sun" by Catherine Asaro

Best book with a protagonist who definitely isn't gay: "The Talented Mr Ripley" by Patricia Highsmith

Best book I was explicitly told to read by a friend: "A Psalm for the Wild-Built" by Becky Chambers

Best manga: Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service