#just finished “we by zamyatin

[buttercupjosh]

Seasons of Love

(Gif credit to @youmustlovehim)

Word count: 2,772

Genres: strangers to lovers to exes, a little bittersweet

Warnings: none

A/N: I’ve had pieces of details of this fic in mind for a while and I started to slowly write it out over the past few months. This title comes from Seasons of Love from the musical RENT, although there’s nothing in the story connects to specific details from that. The story is not based off of anything specific, just a plot that had been simmering in me for some time. It’s not set at a specific moment in time (It’s taking place in a fictional future but you could also say that it’s set this season. However, the season is still ongoing at the moment and anything can happen or change). It’s written with a female reader in mind because I’m a female of color but the reader doesn’t specifically have to be a POC or a woman and there’s little dialogue. As always, I’m open to any and all feedback, comments or questions; just put them in my inbox or dm me. Thank you so much in advance for reading, I appreciate it😌

(P.S. I have other stories (linked here) that I have written for other players as well if you want to check it out)

““How do you measure a year in the life? How about love?” -Seasons of Love from the RENT musical soundtrack

Prologue

“Excuse me, is this a good book to read?” a deep accented voice asks you.

“Dune? For sure, it’s an epic story,” you reply.

“Do you think I could finish it in 4 days?” the voice asks.

“4 days? Unless you’re an Olympian at reading and processing complex storylines, I’d say it might take you close to 4 weeks or even 4 months to read it all,” you respond.

“Oh,” the voice says in defeat, “what do you recommend then?”

You list off some sci-fi recs for the towering cute man and he takes your suggestions into mind before deciding to get a copy of We, a novel written by his fellow countryman Yevgeny Zamyatin.

“I’ve never read that one,” you chimed.

“Should we start a book club then so you can read it?” the voice asks with a chuckle.

“Um, how can I start a book club with someone whose name I don’t even know?”

Slightly embarrassed, the voice introduces himself as Andrei and you introduce yourself to him as you shake hands. His hand in yours felt so comforting for someone you just met under an hour ago. Andrei was impressed that you knew so much about books. One of his New Year’s resolutions was to read more so that’s how he ended up at Barnes and Noble talking to you. You were at the store, just looking around for something new to read, and stumbled into the sci-fi section before checking out with your new copy of Happy Place by Emily Henry.

“So are we starting this book club then, Andrei?” you slyly ask.

Andrei wanted to have someone as a reading buddy to discuss reading with him (the other guys on the team weren’t as into reading as him) and it didn’t hurt that he had someone who knew a lot about literature right in front of him so he agreed to it.

“As long as you read “We” with me, please?” Andrei charmingly requested.

Although sci-fi wasn’t your thing at the moment, you couldn’t quite say no to the man with big brown doe eyes so you grabbed a copy off the shelf. Before going over the parameters of the newly formed book club, Andrei kindly paid for both of your books and you decided to discuss the rules in the cafe located inside of the store.

You and Andrei sat in a semi-secluded booth towards the back of the cafe and began sharing some of your backstories with each other over drinks and muffins. Andrei was again impressed by your educational background of holding an MFA in Creative Writing from NC State and your job as an adjunct English professor at Wake Tech Community College; it definitely explained your love of reading but your dream was to move to New York and become an author one day. You were working on a manuscript for a cute romance novel but still had a lot of things to do before it was ready to be presented to a publisher. The professor job was just a placeholder until you finished up your manuscript and saved up enough money to get a literary agent; you loved writing as much as you loved reading but getting your foot in the door in the writing industry was rough. You listened to Andrei as he told his story about his life and how he ended up in America through his hockey career. You and Andrei were both curious about each other and asked so many questions to each other for such a long time that you didn’t even notice that the store was going to close. Neither of you wanted your time together to end but you both had lives to get to outside of the store. You both laughed when you realized that you and Andrei spent so much time getting to know each other that not once throughout your conversation did you discuss the rules of the book club. Before leaving, you and Andrei exchanged numbers. You both agreed to read the first 50 pages and scheduled to meet up at a different cafe to discuss what you read so far in two weeks.

————————————————————

Winter

Within a year, the book club didn’t last long but it did lead to you and Andrei being in constant contact with each other. Due to both of your schedules, neither of you really had the time to sit down and have deep intellectual discussions about what you read; you both did end up finishing reading We but you finished it at different paces. Being the book lover you are, you completed the book first but Andrei finished reading the book while on the road and he wanted to discuss the ending with you so bad that he surprisingly FaceTime called you. That one FaceTime call with Andrei turned into a long series of texts, phone calls, and more FaceTime calls and eventually spending time together offline. You and Andrei considered each other to be just friends but that friendship eventually turned into you falling for each other.

Andrei was a hot commodity around Raleigh and in Russia with his DMs bursting at the seams but he only had eyes for you. He had never fallen in love with someone the way that he did for you; being with you was different than what he was used to but it worked in the best way. You knew the risks and chaos of being with a busy, famous athlete but Andrei was worth all of it. You blended and adjusted well into the hockey romantic partner lifestyle and Andrei even taught you how to ice skate. Despite the busyness of your lives, you and Andrei still showed up for and made time for each other, even if it was something as small as meeting up at your place for a post-afternoon game milkshake from The Shiny Diner or as big as taking Andrei as your date to your work holiday party. Whenever you had the time, you and Andrei created fun, everlasting memories together. A somewhat sweet memory that Andrei would always remember was when on one cold evening, you wanted to surprise your Russian boyfriend by attempting to make him borscht, a traditional Eastern European soup that was his favorite comfort food. The soup did not come well at all so you and Andrei ended up ordering Panera Bread to warm your bones. Although the soup you made tasted unpleasant, Andrei appreciated the fact that you took the time and effort to learn something from his culture and did that from your heart. The poetic thing about your relationship was that you patiently understood each other, despite the language and culture barrier; your relationship just worked like two puzzle pieces clicking together into place.

————————————————————

Spring

As the flowers bloomed around Raleigh, the school year for you ended on a good note and unsurprisingly, the Canes made playoffs. Deep into your manuscript writing, Andrei surprised you with a trip to New York after the Canes were eliminated from playoffs. You and Andrei were already spending the entire off-season together so this trip wasn’t a necessity but it was a nice thing to do.

Your time in New York was amazing and full of love, fun, and plenty of delicious food. While you were in the City, you took the opportunity to meet with some potential literary agents and publishers; although your manuscript was about 90 percent done, it didn’t hurt to check those things out. Andrei was supportive of you and your dreams but he selfishly wished that those dreams didn’t include moving to New York and that you would stay in Raleigh and have a life with him there. He had already known his future was tightly connected to the City of Oaks but you had a desire to create a future somewhere else. You knew these dreams of yours could possibly involve leaving the love of your life; neither of you tried not to dwell too hard on the stress and pressure that those dreams added to your relationship. You also knew the publishing industry was cutthroat and competitive and that there was no guarantee that your book would be picked up by a top publisher but those realities didn’t stop you from at least trying to take the steps towards that dream.

Outside of this pressure, you and Andrei still made the best of your time in NYC. You also loved musical theater so of course, you had to catch a Broadway show. Andrei, being the amazing boyfriend that he is, actually secured tickets for the two of you to see Hamilton at the Richard Rogers Theater. You had watched the live stage production on Disney+ and knew the entire soundtrack; Andrei went into the show blindly, only remembering bits and pieces from the songs that you played around him. Seeing Hamilton live on Broadway was a great experience that you both enjoyed. You and Andrei got to see New York City in a different light; you got to explore more of the city that you longed to call home and Andrei got to see more of the city as a true tourist. This entire trip was something that you both would forever cherish.

————————————————————

Summer

Not long after you left New York, you went to Russia for the first time to meet and spend time with his family and friends and to see the place that made Andrei into the man that you love. You learned more about Russian culture, Andrei’s childhood, and even was a guest at his cousin’s wedding. Andrei’s friends and family approved of you as a person and they liked you with him; they could all tell how truly in love you were with each other. You also spent some time together in Turkey and around Europe for some much-needed relaxation; you got to see the beautiful blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea in Greece, eat authentic handmade pasta in Italy, and kiss your lover in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Traveling around with Andrei made you feel like you were the protagonist of a great summer read. Speaking of reading, Andrei still maintained his goal of reading more books, reading just about anything and everything, and even started to recommend things for you to read. Before you would fall asleep at night, you would share with each other a fact or synopsis of something that you read that day.

While Andrei was occupied with his off-season training during the day, you applied for publishing jobs, presented your finally completed manuscript to several literary agents, and ended up securing one. It was relieving to officially have a literary agent to represent you but the next biggest hurdle was the painstaking editing process and waiting for your work to be picked up by the right publisher.

————————————————————

Fall

After the bliss of the off-season ended, it was time for the hustle and bustle of your teaching job and hockey season to return. About 2 weeks before preseason started, you and Andrei moved in together. It was exciting to get to live with your lover and spend even more time (whenever you could) with him. It was also nice that you got to add your style to the place and make it your own; having a home also meant that you could host your friends, Andrei’s teammates, and sometimes family for holidays and events and create more cherished memories together. Being a hopeless romantic who loved romance novels, you had always wondered who would be the man to sweep you off your feet but you sort of already knew that man was Andrei.

A fun memory that you made together was the Sunday before the season opener, you and Andrei took a trip to a local corn maze with a pumpkin patch to take cute couple photos together and to also check it out. These photos would be added into some of the new picture frames and a scrapbook of memories in your shared home. The photographer did an excellent job, capturing the love that flowed between you in still moments. For the rest of your time, you wandered around the corn maze, hand-in-hand, with your lovely boyfriend. The infamous oak trees in Raleigh began to shed their leaves and the year began inching closer and closer towards the end.

————————————————————

Winter part 2

One snowy morning, you got an email from McGraw Hill, offering you a job as an educational copy editor in their NYC office. You couldn’t believe it, you were on the path of working at a publisher and hopefully, one day getting your book published; all that you had been working so hard for was starting to pay off in tremendous ways. The only issue that was concerning you was breaking the news to Andrei. You knew he would be happy for you but you also knew what the next steps were. You tried to hold in your tears but after practice, Andrei came home to you crying. He immediately dropped his stuff and concerningly asked you what was wrong. You explained to Andrei that you were crying joyfully over the news you received. Words couldn’t describe how proud Andrei was for you so he picked you up and spun you around in happiness.

“I’m so proud of you, my love,” Andrei repeated as he peppered kisses around your face.

He was truly proud of you but the ecstasy of the good news came with the most painful come down. Andrei didn’t want you to move to New York but he had already known for a while that you wanted to leave. He did try to convince you to stay and he hoped for months that you would change your mind but you didn’t so he helped you pack some of your things. Andrei couldn’t help you move up there so he entrusted Nykki, Martin Necas’ girlfriend, to help you settle into your new home and life, more than 500 miles away from the address you once shared.

You and Andrei did try dating long distance but your relationship unfortunately didn’t last very long. Between the responsibilities of your new job, revising over your manuscript, trying to get your book published somewhere, and Andrei’s hectic hockey schedule, you began to drift apart from each other and the physical distance between you didn’t help either. You enjoyed living in New York and you did miss each other from time to time but Andrei knew it would be unfair to ask you to give up on your dreams to come back to Raleigh and be with him. Despite not dating anymore, you and Andrei talked occasionally but not as frequently as it was when you first met and still remained friends. It was okay that the relationship had run its course because it taught you both a lot about love. Andrei came into your life for a season and those seasons you shared together were full of so much undeniable light and love. The love that you shared was different from the romance novels you read but your relationship wrote its own beautiful story.

————————————————————

Epilogue

Before catching his flight to Miami for the NHL All-Star break, Andrei went into the bookstore at Raleigh-Durham International Airport to look for a book to read on his flight. In the book section, he spotted Seasons of Love, written by you with a New York Times Bestseller sticker on the cover. Over the years, Andrei had heard some things about your novel in passing but he purposely avoided reading the book because the breakup was a bit painful for him. After you achieved getting your book published, you wanted to send Andrei a signed copy but decided against it because you weren’t sure if he would actually read the story and didn’t want to come across as pretentious either. He debated back and forth about getting the book before finally asking a store employee about their opinion about it.

“I read that one. It’s a fictional story but I heard it’s loosely based on a true story about the author’s relationship with some cool guy. It’s a super good read if you like romance," said the store employee.

Hearing what the store employee said about your book made Andrei’s heart warm a little and he purchased it as his read for his trip. After returning back to Raleigh, conveniently, there was a book signing by a familiar author at a local Barnes and Noble that Andrei decided to attend. Although Andrei didn’t get his happy ending with you in real life, you sure gave him one with the words that you wrote on the page.

[shrews-studies]

Rating/reviewing my Russian lit compulsory readings (Part 1)

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin (Евгений Замятин - Мы) 8.5/10

I had a lot of fun with this one!!! I was actually surprised by how much it pulled me in and how much I enjoyed it, I finished it in two days and I usually read really slow. If you like 1984 by Orwell, this was what inspired it so you can expect something very similar in vibe and themes. There's racism in the descriptions of one character and it really irked me so that's what made my rating drop a bit.

Red Cavalry by Isaac Babel (Исаак Бабель - Конармия) 6/10

It was not bad but not to my tastes, it's a short story collection and some of them I liked, some I didn't enjoy as much. It's quite gruesome at parts in the "realities of war" kinda way so if you don't take those topics well, I don't recommend.

The master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (Михаил Булгаков - Мастер и Маргарита) 9.5/10

I loved it!!! I know it's a big classic and I actually read it many years ago and now that it's required for class I only leafed through it again, but still it's among my faves. It's suspenseful, the story and the characters are all great, overall just such a good read. Not giving a 10 only bc I rarely give a perfect rating to anything vsjdgskgdjd

Invitation to a Beheading by Vladimir Nabokov (Владимир Набоков - Приглашение на казнь) 8.5/10

I read this back in high school too but it was really fun to freshen up my memories about it, it's quite a condensed and hard read if you ask me, as it's very surreal and philosophical, but it's very good! If I had to describe it in one expression, it would be fever dream.

Liompa by Yury Olesha (Юрий Олеша - Лиомпа) 7.5/10

It's just one short story but I decided I'd rate anything longer than two pages so here we go. It was fun and I really liked the atmosphere of it, it gave peace of home (other than the obvious theme of dying gdksgskdhjs).

[ocd-kenobi]

Do you read any non-star wars sci fi? I would love some recs

A bit! For reading, I stick closer to the ecofeminist side than the "hard sci-fi" side of the genre, so my recommendations aren't much like Star Wars, but they ARE good.

The only major classic sci fi authors I have read and recommend are Ursula K. Le Guin and Octavia E. Butler because they are skilled and subtle writers who actually pose interesting questions and offer interesting perspectives. Le Guin's Left Hand of Darkness changed me in college, but she's written a ton of novels and short stories to explore. Butler's novels and series include the Earthseed (or Parable) series, Kindred, and the Lilith's Brood series (which has fantastic alien world-building and human-alien breeding?? if I remember correctly.)

I genuinely enjoy Greg Bear's punchy use of language and world-building through character-building, but I only started reading Slant and haven't finished it so I can't promise anything. I was frantically texting friends about it as I read because I was so excited about unexpected queer characters of color and a frank exploration of the porn industry in a sci fi novel.

Oh, also on my to-read list is N.K. Jemisin. Her Broken Earth series has been on my bookshelf for too long for a book that came so highly recommended to me by friends with excellent taste.

Technically a children's author, but Madeleine L'Engle really gives me everything I need from sci fi. I was obsessed with An Acceptable Time as a kid, and the A Wrinkle in Time series had such vivid images that still live in my head even though I haven't read the books in a long time.

I think Michael Crichton is considered like, a thriller author? I guess? His books are definitely thrilling, but they please me as science fiction as well. I lost plenty of sleep over Prey last year. I love stories about how science cannot be trusted under capitalism.

Ling Ma's Severance was super gripping and let's just say it was hard to read at the start of the pandemic lol.

And if you like apocalyptic fiction, (and also the English language and linguistics,) then I have two recommendations. First is Riddley Walker by Russel Hoban, which is just this brilliant experiment in the evolution of English language and culture post-apocalypse. It's seriously one of the coolest books ever, but I absolutely need footnotes when reading it for all the cultural references and their evolutions. The second I consider in this genre is The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth. It's post-apocalyptic, but that apocalypse is the historical event of the Norman Invasion. It's written from the point of view of, and in the imagined pre-Norman English language of, a man who lived at the time.

And then there's always sci fi novels from other franchises, like my favorite Star Trek novel, Price of the Phoenix by Sondra Marshak, which is insanely kinky and has Spock and this other guy fighting over two Kirks, one of whom becomes a pet, and altogether it's just a blast.

Oh and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein of course.

I will tag @predator-padawan for additions because she is more knowledgable on the subject! I know she'll add We by Yevgeny Zamyatin because she has a tattoo from it :)

[1892]

omgg.... @barstoolblues tagged me to do a little game

last read: all about love! it was a while ago and i haven't finished a book in so long it's sad. i just have been busy and traveling and stuff but now that i'm chill i hope to finish some more.

current read: i'm reading a few rn, i tend to just chip away at many books at a time unless one is compelling enough for me to spend all my time reading. currently reading:

major labels: a history of music in 7 genres

we (the one by zamyatin)

new and selected poems by mary oliver

carol (reread with my gf)

moby dick (reread whenever i'm high)

next read: wuthering heights!!! because i need to know what inspired kate bush. i need to understand her.

tagging @godardgirl @wutheringheights78 @girlbloke and @kindestofkisses

[dare-g]

1-25

Omg here we go

How many books did you read this year? 110!

Did you reread anything? What? None of my books were rereads this year

What were your top five books of the year? naming more than that cause 5 is too small a pool i read a lot of good ones so its hard and i know ill look at this later and kick myself for leaving something out but ones that stick out are probably ....East of Eden by John Steinbeck, A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes, The Rat by Gunter Grass, Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, Satantango by Laszlo Krasznahorkai, The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard, Colonel Lagrimas by Carlos Fonseca, Mystery and Manners Flannery O'Conner, We by Yeygeny Zamyatin, The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk, The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen, Mr Palomar by Italo Calvino, A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace, I Love Dick by Chris Kraus

Did you discover any new authors that you love this year? I had several authors I read for the fist time this year who I for sure am interested in reading more of the main ones being Gaston Bachelard, Laszlo Krasznahorkai, Chris Kraus, Tove Ditlevsen, Carlos Fonseca, Mark Leyner, Richard Hughes, J. G. Ballard, Bohumil Hrabal, Stanislaw Lem, Lindsey Drager

What genre did you read the most of? pretty much all my reading fits into the generic literature category ...I guess theyre mostly just dramas most of what i read is pretty grounded in the real world

Was there anything you meant to read, but never got to? already answered

What was your average Goodreads rating? Does it seem accurate? i dont have a Goodreads account

Did you meet any of your reading goals? Which ones? Yep! my goal was to read 80 books this year which I passed

Did you get into any new genres? not really a genre but a subject matter I read some non fiction books about architecture that was new

What was your favorite new release of the year? see question 20

What was your favorite book that has been out for a while, but you just now read? see the favorite list... why are these asks written like its normal to only read brand new books ...

Any books that disappointed you? Heaven by Mieko Kawakami comes to mind first didn't end up liking it really which was disappointing cause i thought she may be an author i could read more of considering i had heard some good things but idk now considering a lackluster introduction .... also a big one wasThe Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch (see question 16 ) but other than that most of the books i wasn't a fan of i wernt ones i had special hopes for but its still disapointing to not like a book...A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke, Invisible Ink by Patrick Modiano, The New Life A Day on a Collective Farm Fyodor Abramov, and Delilah by Marcus Goodrich

What were your least favorite books of the year? Panenka by Ronan Hession was the least favorite that was the one i actively disliked though there were a handful i just didn't end up caring/ wasn't my thing... see above

What books do you want to finish before the year is over? I have a little to go in Snow Country but Ill be sure to finish it before midnight

Did you read any books that were nominated for or won awards this year (Booker, Women’s Prize, National Book Award, Pulitzer, Hugo, etc.)? What did you think of them? I didnt read any considering most of the books i read are older than 2022

What is the most over-hyped book you read this year? Probably Iris Murdoch's The Sea, The Sea considering it's a fairly popular book (i had to wait in a surprisingly long list of people who had it on hold) which i had heard some people rave about but eh i wasn't really impressed

Did any books surprise you with how good they were? The biggest surprise was A High Wind in Jamaca which sounds like it would just be an adventure book but ended up being a lot more and really impacted me .. also ones that id say surprised me just cause i wasnt really expecting it were Colonel Lagrimas by Carlos Foseca Six Legs Walking by Elizabeth Bernays, and The Archive of Alternate Endings by Lindsey Drager

How many books did you buy? a lot i really dont know tbh

Did you use your library? constantly

What was your most anticipated release? Did it meet your expectations? most of the books I read are older so I think the only book i waited for was The Books of Jacob's English release which yeah it did

Did you participate in or watch any booklr, booktube, or book twitter drama? no never i honestly dont want to hear about it

What’s the longest book you read? The books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk wich was 965 pages

What’s the fastest time it took you to read a book? answered already

Did you DNF anything? Why? all finished in recent years ive commited myself to finishing what ive started even if it pains me ...

What reading goals do you have for next year? i ususally pick a number slightly higher than the past year but considering the amount i did this year i doubt i beat it cause i typically dont read this many but whatever ill make my goal 111 lol

Thank you for asking!! I hope youre having a wonderful New Years Eve!

[quibbs126]

You know, I’d love to take more classes that teach me about the historical context of certain books

I was watching some videos about Animal Farm today (mostly about the animated movie), and it reminded me of a book we went over in my World Literature class, Yevgeny Zamyatin’s “We”, since it was another book that criticized communist Russia during the days of Stalin (okay I think they had different points; Animal Farm seems to have been more a warning of what communism will do, while We was meant to actually criticize the Soviet Union, considering Zamyatin lived there). I remember going over the context in class, and it was legitimately so interesting to learn about. Admittedly, I don’t remember much about the actual book, in part because I never really read much of it (though I plan to since I still have it), but the history of the author and book itself was so interesting, and I would have never known about it had I not taken the class and my professor not talk about it, and it along with the other books we learned the context for really just makes me want to learn more historical contexts for books

By the way, if you want the history I’m talking about, I’ll give a summary based on what I was told in class, though I don’t remember all the details (I’ll pull out my notes from it). Basically Zamyatin was an avid supporter of the Bolsheviks and their revolution against the Tsar (Zamyatin was Russian if I didn’t make that clear), and being active in the movement, such as being an editor for a newspaper and writing editorials supporting the revolution. However, once the party started cracking down on human rights and dissenting voices, he became disillusioned with the party, and he starts writing critiques on it, as well as writing We. He finished it in 1920, and ended up sending to Europe to be published, so that the rest of the world could know what was going on in Russia (We doesn’t directly take place in the Soviet Union, it’s a sci fi dystopian novel set in the far future, but the society (the One State) takes obvious inspiration from it). Meanwhile he read manuscripts of his work in St Petersburg, and it became the first manuscript banned in the Soviet Union, with Zamyatin being marginalized for his work and losing his job. Zamyatin eventually becomes so disillusioned with the Soviets that he writes a letter to Stalin requesting he and his family be allowed to leave. The only reason Stalin allows this is because Zamyatin was good friends with another writer named Gorky (unfortunately I don’t remember what the significance of Gorky to Stalin was, I didn’t write that down in my notes). Zamyatin had hoped that the Soviet Union would collapse in a few years so that they could return, but unfortunately he didn’t get to live to see it, dying in 1937

Sorry, I went off on a bit of a history lesson there, but I think this stuff is pretty fascinating, and I would love to hear more of the history behind books (if I haven’t made that clear already)

[pilibdc]

1KPAGESAug22

I completely forgot that the wonderful @books-and-cookies was hosting this readathon. So here is a quick update as to how I’m doing as of Aug 14 2022

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin (finished): 225

Started early August and it just sat on my nightstand for two weeks unopened.

Kallocain by Karin Boye (currently reading): 79

Total: 304/1000

[nastasyafilippovnas]

2, 21, 30 for the book ask

Thanks for asking! <3

2: What are you currently reading? I finished a book earlier today and I haven't started a new one yet, so, technically, nothing, lol.

21: Best winter read? Is this question my favorite winter read or recs for winter? Since I've only gone through two "real" winters in my life, I'll just rec some books that I think would be good winter reads: A complicated kindness - Miriam Toews, Siberian education - Nicolai Lilin, We - Yevgeny Zamyatin,  A moveable feast - Ernest Hemingway, A Russian journal - John Steinbeck.

30: Who’s your favorite author? Milan Kundera. He shaped my teenager years, is very much responsible for my love for the Czech Republic and I love the way he writes so much. (Side note: I once skimmed through a copy of The Unbearable Lightness of Being in English and I didn't like it at all, so I'm very grateful for the Brazilian Portuguese translations and in general to have a good translation is as important as the original writing)

bookish asks

[chiluc]

tagged by @captachino thank youuuuu >:]c <3 <3

Rules: Tag 9 people you want to know better

Favorite Color(s): lime green :] i call it kane green.

Currently Reading: god im sorry im illiterate. my favorite book is We by yevgeny zamyatin though

Last Song: Odo by Ado

Last Series: um i litch rally only play genshin impact and dont watch anything anymore but i kinda watch hunter x hunter with da besties sometimes when we feel like it >:] (one of the besties first time watching hehe) we are watching the dub it's incredible. hisoka is zhongli

Last Movie: ne zha :]

Sweet, Savory, or Spicy: savory for sure. sweets make me perish instantly

Currently Working On: i just bought like 9000 beads to make cute charms and accessories but i havent actually started anything 😔 i have lots of art wips but probably will never finish any of them God I Love Adhd !

Tagging: (ram how dare you tag sam already 😔 now what do i do.)

@earfbound

@hytransgea

@mercuribitez

@lavenderstar-creations

@sealpup9

god i dont know nine people on here. yall know nine people on tumblr dot com?? anyone else who wants to go for it :]

fuck it im tagging sam anyway. now you have to do it twice >:]

@cruxfleetcaptain <3

[laufire]

To-read list for 2021

i was tagged by @lvcilla​ (thank you!). I’m trying to

“Aranmanoth” by Ana María Matute.

“Binti” by Nnedi Okorafor.

“Children of Blood and Bone” by Tomi Adeyemi.

“Dare Me” by Megan Abbott.

“Deathless” by Catherynne M. Valente.

“Failed States” by Noam Chomsky.

“Fatal Women” by Tanith Lee.

“Gideon the Ninth” by Tamsyn Muir.

“Ladies of the Lights” by Patricia Majher.

“Le Compte de Monte-Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas.

“Metamorphoses” by Ovid (the full thing, not just parts like I have. This one has been in my list for so long lol).

“One Thousand and One Nights” (same).

“Outlaw Culture” by bell hooks.

“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen.

“Riot Medicine” by Hakan Geijer.

“Saga” by Brian K. Vaughan (Image Comics).

“Teoría King Kong” by Virginia Despentes.

“The Sixth Extinction” by Elizabeth Kolbert.

“Sharp Objects” by Gillian Flynn.

“Slaves no more” by Aline Helg.

“We” by Yevgeny Zamyatin.

“When The Stars Alight” by @nectargrapes​

“Winterkeep” by Kristin Cashore.

Assorted Agatha Christie books.

Assorted Discworld books by Terry Pratchett (I want to finish the series dammit xD).

tagging: @missbrunettebarbie @grapecase @dylanobrienisbatman @bombshellsandbluebells @boomheda @manic-nightmare @hopeinthewater @comebackali @copperclawed and whoever else wants to join in ^-^

(also if you’ve read any of these and think they’re awful or have any recs hmu xDD)

[crazybutgood]

Hi!! 12, 16, and 17 for the book asks? Pls and thank you 🥰

Hello! Thanks for the ask :)

12. Any books that disappointed you?

Oh, boy. Unfortunately, yes :( A friend of mine recommended Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, and it had really good reviews too apparently but imo it was quite slow, like dragging on, and I didn’t really like it. Also The Case of Lisandra P. by Hélène Grémillon. It was quite promising but imo the ending kind of fell flat and was a tad confusing. Not sure if the fact that it’s a translation matters? Though I have read translations before which were good so idk. My problem is though that I usually keep reading till the end like ok I must give this a chance maybe it’ll be good and then end up reading the whole thing and it’s still disappointing :( It’s only with books lol idek why, if I find a movie or show or song like that, I stop watching/listening immediately. There have been a couple of books I didn’t finish though.

16. What is the most over-hyped book you read this year?

I didn’t follow many new releases this year, sadly, I was too busy. Last year though I did read The Testaments by Margaret Atwood, I hope that’s counted as over-hyped? Haha idk it’s just everyone seemed to be talking about it. 

Ok although I answered 17 here, I’d like to rec another book I read that was surprisingly good 🙈 : We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. It’s a translation from Russian and was the first sci-fi book I read, in 2018. I’m not super into the genre but I try a bit of every genre anyway just to see, and I really enjoyed this, it was written so well imo and I was completely hooked. It was one of the books that when it ends you slowly come back to reality and have no idea what to do next. 

end-of-year book asks 

[aina-wescott]

Popsugar Reading Challenge 2019

I probably won’t be able to finish it by the end of the year so I would just finish it in 2020. The date doesn’t matter as long as I finish it, right?

Current progress: 3/50

📔  - planned   📖  - in progress   📕  - read

1. A book becoming a movie in 2019:

2. A book that makes you nostalgic:

3. A book written by a musician:

4. A book you think should be turned into a movie:

5. A book with at least 1 million ratings on Goodreads: 📔 J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

6. A book with a plant in the title or on the cover:

7. A re-read of a favorite book:   📖  John Fowles  –   The Collector

8. A book about a hobby: 📔 Neil deGrasse Tyson – Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

9. A book you meant to read in 2018: 📔 Dmitry Glukhovsky –  FUTU.RE (Будущее)

10. A book with "pop," "sugar," or "challenge" in the title:

11. A Book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover:

12. A book inspired by mythology, legend or folklore:

13. A book published posthumously: 📔 Mikhail Bulgakov – The Master and Margarita (Мастер и Маргарита)

14. A book set in space:

15. A book by two female authors: 📕  Karen Kilgariff, Georgia Hardstark –   Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide  October 16 – January 5 2020

16. A book title with the words "salty"/"sweet"/"bitter"/"spicey": 📔 Claire Fuller – Bitter Orange  

17. A book set in Scandinavia: 📔 Fredrik Backman – A Man Called Ove

18. A book that takes place in a single day: 19. A debut novel:

📔   Yevgeny Zamyatin – We (Мы)

20. A book published in 2019: 📔 Gytha Lodge –  She Lies in Wait 

21. A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature:

22. A book recommended by a celebrity you admire:

23. A book with "love" in the title: 

24. A book featuring an amateur detective: 📕  A.J. Finn – The Woman in the Window May 17 – August 26

25. A book about a family: 📔 Celeste Ng – Everything I Never Told You

26. A book by an Asian, African, or South American author:

27. A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in the title:

28. A book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie:

29. A retelling of a classic:

30. A book with a question in the title:

31. A book set on a college or university campus:

32. A book about someone with a superpower:

33. A book told from multiple character points of view:

34. A book that includes a wedding: 📔 Kevin Kwan – Crazy Rich Asians

35. A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter:

36. A ghost story:

37. A book with a two-word title:

38. A novel based on a true story:

39. A book revolving around a puzzle or game:

40. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge: a book set in two different time periods (POPSUGAR Reading Challenge 2017)

📔 Emily St. John Mandel – Station Eleven 

41. A "cli-fi" (climate fiction) book: 📔 James Bradley – Clade

42. A choose-your-own-adventure book: 

43. An "own voices" book: 📕  Tillie Walden – Spinning August 10 – August 11

44. Read a book during the season it is set in:

45. A LitRPG book:

46. A book with no chapters, unusual chapter headings, or unconventionally numbered chapters: 📔  Dave Eggers – The Circle

47. Two books that share the same title (1):

48. Two books that share the same title (2):

49. A book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom (Ex. Big Brother from 1984):

50. A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent: 

[weatherfactory]

SEPT #1: RHODES

Lots of announcements this sprint, everyone! Which is good, ’cause I just finished We by Yevgeny Zamyatin and it turns out dystopian Russian novels are very depressing. The Lady Afterwards release date You can get your hands on The Lady Afterwards‘ limited edition physical box on Thursday 21st October 2021 and we’re releasing the digital PDF bundle a few weeks later on Thursday 18th November…