#julia reads

[acourtofidiots]

onyx storm theory [spoilers ahead]

Honestly, I think with how Theophanie keeps showing up when Violet least expects it, I think there's a mole within her friend group, and I'm suspecting (and it kills me to say this) Ridoc or Sawyer.

With how Ridoc was begging Violet to let him in on the quest to find Andarna's family, I think he knows that they're going to be heading toward a trap (yet again). Because how else would Theophanie know that they were going to Anca, and write a little note to Violet for them to find right next to the citrine/necklace.

With Sawyer, he's been stuck in the infirmary (I'm still mad at his fate in the battle tbh), he's got to be lonely, since everyone else is running around trying to stop the venin, while he can't do much. Maybe he got a visit from another venin and was intrigued about their offer for power now that he has none (that I know/remember of, is it still bonded with Sliseag?), and so decides to be a mole since he was tired of being left out.

OR....

Violet is somehow related to Theophanie, with how similar their signets are (lightning) and they both have the silver/grey hair. It seems like Violet's dad is having a bigger role to play in Onyx Storm, so I think Theophanie might be related to violet on her dad's side.

I'm only on chapter 23, so I still have a long way to go. But this is what I have in terms of theories 200 pages into Onyx Storm.

[inknerd]

24-hour readathon summary

First time I attempted this and I don't think it will be the last! I haven't had such a productive day of reading in a while, haha. Here's the list of books I read:

En finir avec Eddy Belleguele by Édouard Louis ★★★★☆ This was the chosen book for the local bookshop book club I'm in, and I'm glad to have read it! I read the Swedish translation, and thought Marianne Tufvesson did a good job translating the "working class" language of France into the same kind of jargon in Swedish. The plot itself was heartbreaking and the ending was like a punch to the stomach, in a bittersweet kind of way. I'm interested in reading more of Louis' work, for sure.

Witch Hat Atelier vol. 13 by Kamome Shirahama ★★★★☆ This beautifully illustrated manga continues to entertain!

Lullabies by Lang Leav ★★☆☆☆ This is very much a "it's not you, it's me" situation. I can imagine really liking this collection of poetry 10 years ago. However, right now the poems do not resonate with me.

Kowloon Generic Romance vol. 2 by Jun Mayuzuki ★★★★☆ I had to quickly go back and read the first volume of this since it had been a while since I read it--but I liked this continuation! Some of the scenes are still somewhat painfully sexualized but the plot and the art are still amazing. The somewhat nostalgic yet uncomfortable feeling of this manga makes it intruiging.

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams ★★★☆☆ A romance with a fun premise and good characters. The ending lost me a bit.

Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi ★★★★☆ Very good demonic horror/coming of age-story, though maybe not as scary as other people let me believe?

[denialandavoidance]

no help for that

there is a place in the heart that

will never be filled

a space

and even during the

best moments

and

the greatest

times

we will know it

we will know it

more than

ever

there is a place in the heart that

will never be filled

and

we will wait

and

wait

in that

space.

- Charles Bukowski, You Get So Alone At Times That It Just Makes Sense

[galacticgarbagebin]

The way Rosé gets when she finds someone with mutual interests… she’s me fr…

[soracities]

I used to think there was such a thing as emptiness, that there were places in the world one could go and be alone. This, I think, is still true, but the error in my reasoning was to assume that alone was somewhere you could go, rather than somewhere you had to be left.

Julia Armfield, Our Wives Under the Sea

[athenascult]

notting hill - (1999) ⋆˙⟡

[mizandria]

nobody even bats an eye at all the misogyny and all the hatred towards women in classic literature and nobody mentions it when you discuss it in class and you slowly start to become familiar with it and it becomes something so casual and so regular to you that you don't even bat an eye when it happens again and again and again and the cycle goes on

[bladeinthedark]

the greatest thing to happen to humanity are rain scenes in period dramas

[leupagus]

Guys I Might Have Three Nickels

I've been watching "Agatha Christie's Marple" for the past few days and it's pretty good! Marple adaptations all tend to have a better caliber of actors than a lot of bog-standard mystery shows (looking at you, "Madame Blanc"), and while Joan Hickson's Marple is right up there with David Suchet's Poirot and Jeremy Brett's Holmes as "literally can never be beaten, these are the best anyone's done it," both Geraldine McEwan and Julia McKenzie do a fantastic job as Miss Marple.

Then I got to "The Secret of Chimneys," Season 5 episode 2

and guys

Guys

So there's a murder of a viscount, like there is, and this detective Finch rolls up and immediately spots Miss Marple (in her NIGHTIE! standing at the window like some kind of hussy, honestly Jane) and doffs his cap to her with that little smile that makes you go, "huh."

At this point I've watched a couple dozen Miss Marple episodes where she goes through detectives like wildfire and this guy's supposed to be a "*guru*" so I'm expecting some battle of the egos or something and like, Stephen Dillane is great! But bleh, I might have to skip this one.

Then my dude asks Miss Marple to SHOW HIM THE BODY, with a pleased little smile at her as she goes "uhhhhhhhh but my knitting?" (He even does that thing where you use someone's honorific and wait for them to give you their name, and that's when I was like "ohhh this bitch knows exactly who she is.") What follows is what I can only describe as a meet-cute in the secret passageway where the viscount was shot (and in fact the body is STILL THERE) and where Miss Marple literally asks the police equivalent of "is there a Mrs Finch" and he looks at her like this:

At which point I'm like "ohhh my dude not only knows who she is, he deliberately came here without a sergeant so he could draft her," and sure enough he just starts...handing her pieces of evidence like "hey babe can you decipher this note for me thanks love you" while Miss Marple is like, "this approval and camaraderie coming from a cop... not sure if want."

Next is a series of romantic strolls through the gardens while they discuss murder, during which Finch reveals his undying love I mean his research into Miss Marple and the "dozen case files" of her previous exploits that he's collected like some deranged fanboy. Miss Marple responds to this by BLUSHING LIKE A SCHOOLGIRL and stammering about how pish tosh it's nothing really, and I couldn't find a gif of it but he's staring at her like this:

Yeah I bet u r tempted

He also makes a half-hearted attempt at negging her "amateur sleuth" status, only to then immediately assure her that he makes like, so much money being a big fancy detective and can keep her in all the yarn and garden seed she could ever desire.

There's also a late-night tryst at the compost pile right after Finch has been (mildly) poisoned and Miss Marple is like "men are so weak" as she roots through the garbage for clues.

Not how he wanted their first date to go D:

The next morning there's another murder which: bummer, but also allows the two of them to read love letters together and for Finch to give Miss Marple the following look as she explains how secret assignations among lovers can "quicken the ardor":

Miss Marple then goes onto solve the murders and btw hands over the priceless diamond that's been literally missing for two literal decades that she found in her spare time. The entire scene features Finch looking at her like this:

After the dust settles, Finch and Miss Marple have a lovely moment where he calls himself "another one of your casualties," then super casually mentions that he's probably going to have to go on assignment to use the diamond in a daring international espionage case and I can't decide if he's asking Miss Marple to go with him or simply trying to show her that he is cool and smart and would make an excellent wife, but either way the episode ends with her turning him down and Jane, we need to talk about your priorities.

Anyway I've already written 2K about the subsequent 10-year epistolary romance these two have following this episode because I make poor choices.

[acourtofidiots]

currently, I'm reading "The Hundred Years' War on Palestine" by Rashid Khalidi, and I'm picking up on so many parallels between the past and what is going on in Palestine.

When people say history has a tendency to repeat itself, they aren't kidding. I'm seeing parallels between the 1947-48 Nakba and how Palestinians are being forced to flee their homes in Gaza; between how skewed the American media's reports of Israel's attacks are and how the genocide is being viewed by major news outlets (I'm looking at you, New York Times).

This is the first nonfiction book that I've read outside of school, and I'm so glad I picked it up.

[inknerd]

finally pulled myself together and finished r.f. kuang’s babel; an arcane history, and WOW. like i already knew it was great because of the small part i’d already read but this book was such a journey.

[denialandavoidance]

miracle

I have just listened to this

symphony which Mozart dashed off

in one day

and it had enough wild and crazy joy to last

forever,

whatever forever is

Mozart came as close as possible to

that.

- Charles Bukowski‚ You Get So Alone At Times That It Just Makes Sense

[luxaofhesperides]

OUR WIVES UNDER THE SEA

miri + leah

[mazelcore]

idk if anyone cares about this but I CARE, here some marionetta sahejul doodles!!!

[imstillsane]

[luxet0bscuritas-blog]

JOMP Book Photo Challenge / November / 5 / books & food

black coffee, a delicious pistachio crossaint and a lovely edition of Bridgerton