#mary wimsey

[vinca-majors]

adore | lady mary wimsey x charles parker

The first thing she notices is that he radiates calm, as though he is the eye of the storm and no matter how winds rage and debris flies, the chaos cannot touch him. The second thing she notices, though it will be some time before she realizes she knows it, is that his eyes are brown. If Mary cared anything for kindness she might have taken a closer look at him, but she has no time for the romance of kindness, and her starving, brittle, betrayed heart rejects it outright. Kindness never killed a dragon. She is fighting for their lives. Lady Mary Wimsey falls in love with her life, her family, and Detective-Inspector Charles Parker.

[mywingsareonwheels]

I always forget precisely how much Jill Paton Walsh was a Lord Peter Wimsey multishipper until I relisten to the talking book of The Attenbury Emeralds.

Her Harriet/Peter? superlative and beautiful and warm and sexy and glorious, absolutely lives up to what Sayers created

Bunter/Hope? delightful, a lovely JPW-canonical pairing for Bunter, approve so much

Peter/Bunter? everywhere, and tender and moving and unspoken, with Harriet and Hope massively shipping it.

Harriet/Hope? not *not* there, for sure Harriet/Peter/Bunter/Hope? honestly, not too far from being canon

Parker/Mary? oh yes, they’ve still got it, Parker’s still a parfait knight, love them

Peter/Parker (aka the Spiderman ship ;-) )? off the scale implications, glorious; contains a completely gratuitous neck-touching scene, and a theology-related meet-cute in the flashback; Peter and Mary are clearly managing to be siblings who are also metamours just fine; Harriet clearly adores it all too

Also JPW seems to have a lot of interest in characters that Sayers, dearly as I love her, had got a bit bored of. Like when Eiluned and Sylvia the glorious (and pretty definitely canonical) lesbian couple from Strong Poison turn up in Thrones, Dominations. And the fact that Freddie keeps turning up and being a darling and a bunny-ears lawyer (well, bunny-ears finance expert). :)

In short: hooray. :D

[ofliterarynature]

I can’t say I love the casting for the Peter Wimsey adaptation I’m watching, but I’m nonetheless very offended that they recast Bunter for the second season.

[thatscarletflycatcher]

I have been using some dead times these past few weeks to go through/purge my latest Project Gutenberg raids, and there are two funny findings I have made:

1- Patricia Brent, Spinster (1918), by Herbert George Jenkins

In general a run-of-the-mill fake dating romance, short and innoffensive, but here's the thing, for anyone familiar with Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey

The love interest is a lieutenant-colonel Bowen (the story is set in the last year of WWI), wounded in action, D.S.O., M.C. now working at the staff

He's later revealed to be Lord Peter Bowen

He's the second son

His brother holds the title, and his mother, the dowager, is a kind, generous woman with a special link with her second son

Lord Peter has a sister too, Lady Tanagra, who helps the war effort with volunteers

Lord Peter has a man by the name of Peel on the same type as Bunter and Jeeves

Lady Tanagra is in love with a friend of Peter and hers, but nothing has come of it yet because he's of a lower class than her and not rich.

Lord Peter falls in love at first sight with Patricia, and proposes marriage to her many times

She refuses him as many times because of a sense of shameful gratitude and what his family would think

Of course the story and characters are different in several ways, and they are not as charming as Sayers', but the coincidences, the coincidences!

2- The Lonely House (1920) by Marie Belloc Lowndes (sister of Hillaire Belloc)

What I didn't know before downloading this book, is that it is subtitled A Hercules Popeau mystery. Yes, you guessed it, Poirot. But it predates Poirot for a little. The wikipedia page on Poirot puts it this way:

Poirot's name was derived from two other fictional detectives of the time: Marie Belloc Lowndes' Hercule Popeau and Frank Howel Evans' Monsieur Poiret, a retired French police officer living in London.[2] Evans' Jules Poiret "was small and rather heavyset, hardly more than five feet, but moved with his head held high. The most remarkable features of his head were the stiff military moustache. His apparel was neat to perfection, a little quaint and frankly dandified." He was accompanied by Captain Harry Haven, who had returned to London from a Colombian business venture ended by a civil war. [3]

But to say that the name was derived is to understate the situation immensely. Popeau has the physical shape, age, and way of talking and dressing of Poirot. Like Poiret, he's French (though still living in France; the plot of this story happens on a vacation he takes to Monte Carlo with... you won't guess... his friend captain Angus Stuart. A Scottish man, who, believe it or not, falls in love at first sight with our fair protagonist!).

Jules Poiret. Hercule Popeau. Hercule Poirot.

And like, wow, we complain about fanfic with the serial numbers filed off, but if you were into reading many novels in 1920s Britain, there were THREE eccentric, short, plump, dandy-ish, French speaking, British captain adopting sleuths around. We'd have three nickels. Historians 1000 years from now would believe there was a significant number of French and Belgian sleuths traveling England and Europe during the first half of the 20th century.

[oldshrewsburyian]

AU where Lix and Randall don't give up their daughter for adoption

OR

AU where Peter and Harriet meet during the War (which war? either war!)

Punch me in the heart. Lix and Randall fascinate me, of course. And the sensible decision to give Sophia up for adoption was clearly mutual. But let us say that Lix keeps her. Lix makes the last-minute decision, unilaterally overriding their earlier agreement. Randall does not dispute her right to do so. Lix sets as her condition that Randall will not make any attempt at what is generally regarded as the Decent Thing

Sophia grows up under desks and tables at which her mother is typing

She knows how to make tortilla española by the time she is 9

She is, to her mother's mingled amusement and dismay, rigorously tidy

She is a musician

I don't think that Lix ever imagines Randall's (canonical) consuming curiosity and desire where Sophia is concerned. After all, it runs counter to all stories their society tells

...arguably none of these facts is fun, oops.

Wimseyverse: what about both wars (after a fashion)? Let's say:

Harriet Deborah Vane, along with the other girls in her form, dutifully knits socks. She is not good at it. She is much better at writing. So her package includes, concealed by lumpy wool, stories written in a firm hand on cheap lined paper torn out of her school notebooks. One of them is a Holmesian pastiche.

Major Peter Wimsey reads the enclosing letter with its formal schoolgirl phrases and thinks of Mary. He tells Bunter to find someone unfortunate enough to need the socks. He is rereading the stories when Bunter comes back.

When, in 1935, Lord Peter Wimsey finds a newspaper story under the name of H.D. Vane, he drops a coffee cup and nearly ruins an impeccable pair of trousers.

Harriet has French that is competent for translation if not for undercover work. So when the war breaks out, she translates, in one of the many back rooms in London where such work is done. And, uninvited, she annotates her translations with what she thinks are the narratives running within and behind and alongside the official ones.

When Peter comes to the end of a tidy typewritten sheaf of papers and finds the initials HDV, he nearly knocks a glass of water off the table. The first Harriet knows of it is a tense if beautifully-educated tenor saying 'Harriet Deborah Vane?' 'Good God,' says Harriet, looking up from the typewriter. 'Will you have dinner with me?' says the owner of the voice.

[siena-sevenwits]

Dec 31- Day #1 -A Fortnight of Books

Overall - best new-to-you books read in 2023?

Ooh - we start by firing the big guns, do we? Throwing objectivity to the wind and judging simply by the ones that had the most profound effects on me:

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

They were right. They were all right. He is Annux. The series is all that it aims to be, and yet this book outstrips the rest. This books is cool water and lavishly red wine in summertime. I just can't believe that the heart of the book is that where we (and Costis) thought there was sloth, cowardice, self-absorption, and even cruelty, there is secretly compassion, fidelity, and the vitality of unearned mercy. And just, you know - "Go to bed, Eugenides."

Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers

Oh, the sheer love - and genius - that was clearly poured into this book! While part of me wishes I had read this novel before I visited Oxford this summer, I don't know if I would have loved the novel in the same way if it had been the other way round. Like Harriet, i got to return to Oxford through this book and simultaneously become acquainted truly with Sayers' Wimsical imagination at the height of her powers. I have read a couple of her early Wimsey books, and they are great, but they do pale next to this one. The intelligence, the themes, HARRIET, the fact that it's a good mystery but the mystery is almost a bonus added on to following Miss Vane. And I understand Lord Peter so much better now. And yes, it reads like a love letter to everything in the world that the author loves. The best books often do. And the words, the words! I begin to think Sayers invented the English language, for she can make it do anything she wants in any style, any genre, prose or poetry.

The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope

I don't know how to praise this one as well as I'd like to. It was one of the first books of 2023, and it was just such a jewel. Everything I love in a retelling and more. The fact that the way she held on to him was reminding him who he was, in the most practical, no-nonsense, down to earth fashion, in the face of the grandiose lies the cultist had told him about himself. This book gave me a bit of the cold iron to have about me, one might say.

What It Means to Be a Christian by Pope Benedict XVI

This book took on the meaning of suffering, what it means to live in the fulfillment of the covenant, and our individual callings in very few chapters, with an apparent simplicity that belies itself. It's so, so good.

Best series you discovered in 2023?

The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson

I might have waffled between this series and the Queen's Thief, but I read the first two books of the latter in 2022, which makes it easier. Shall I say, this series is so much greater than the sum of its parts. I imagine it would depend greatly on the individual whether certain aspects in Janner and Kalmar's arcs resonate as they did for me, but oh, I wish they could do so for everyone. These books had me weeping. Kalmar singing the Song of the Ancient Stones - and choosing instead to cling to his true identity with the help of his brother - had a very specific meaning to me, something truly transformative. And I will never forget Podo Helmer, realizing that for the first time in his life, his whole story had been told, and against all hope, he was still loved.

And all this is not to mention the two days of longing it sent me spiralling into. Longing for beauty, for creativity, for God.

Best rereads of the year?

The Letter to the Romans by Saint Paul the Apostle

This was the year of jumping head first into the wave pool of Romans and simply refusing to get out of the water when the lifeguards said closing time. Honestly, Christ did something this year that changed the way I experience Scripture. Still working through multiple commentaries and mean to continue them into the New Year.

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

Beautiful book. Beautiful, beautiful book, with a heart that's melancholy yet warm and hopeful. So much thinking to do.

Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson

Did me a lot of good in completely different ways than it did last time.

--

Thanks to @idratherdreamofjune, @valiantarcher, and @lover-of-the-starkindler (I believe) for the Fortnight of Books template. Love these questions. I'm going to try to answer the prompts every day.

[jomiddlemarch]

20 questions for writers

Tagged by @asteraceae-blue who is Very Nice Indeed.

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 876

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

1,544,499

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Brace yourselves. Mercy Street, Shadow and Bone, Foyle's War, Poldark, The Last of Us, GLOW, A Discovery of Witches, Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, Shogun, Harry Potter, Downton Abbey, Frozen, Dune, Ted Lasso, Star Wars, The Hour, Sanditon, Leap, Brooklyn 99, Far From The Madding Crowd, Beauty and the Beast, Wonder Woman, Gilmore Girls, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Avengers, Parks and Rec, Betsy-Tacy, Wandavision, Rogue One, The Mandalorian, Bridgerton, Community, Solo, Iron Man, Call the Midwife, Lord Peter Wimsey, Fleabag, The Little Mermaid, Emma, The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie and Literary Society, Timeless, Rebecca, The Age of Innocence, Beecham House, World on Fire, And Then There Were None. A few more but I am tired now.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

what it is to be a thin, crescent moon

A Wife--at daybreak I shall be

Point and Click

Bear with the truths I would tell you now

The subtlest fold of the heart

5. Do you respond to comments?

I do try and answer everyone, even if I just say thanks. I will delete really rude comments, which have fortunately been rare.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I wrote "Because I could not stop for Death" for Mercy Street and killed basically every character at least once, making remaining characters miserable. Except for the last chapter, where I killed the guy we all loathed.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

This is tough because I mostly write happy endings. I think "But let thy silk twist down" counts as one, because Jed Foster is convinced that Mary is dying or has rejected him and then she surprises him by showing up and locking them into the sitting room. And in GLOW, "everything could yield him pleasure" allows Sam and Ruth to get back together over Christmas.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not very often. It's mostly been in big fandoms (Reylo, Shadow and Bone, I'm looking at you) but it hasn't been a big issue on AO3 or Tumblr. And I'm comfortable deleting and blocking.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes, when I feel it's called for. I write grown-up sex scenes, so there are no wacky positions (unless someone talks about how they're going to throw out their back) and sometimes a breastfeeding mother's milk lets down or a woman struggles to have an orgasm. It's pretty vanilla though and all cishet. In the cock v. dick debate, I lean cock. I don't use other euphemisms for male genitals unless someone is quoting a poem. (I'm not sure that has happened but it totally could with me.)

No one in any of my sex scenes has had any bodyscaping and a not insignificant number of times, someone has left their socks on.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

OMG, YES. I love a crossover. Probably my Mercy Street/Sesame Street crossover has to be up there for zaniness. I did put Shadow and Bone characters in AOGG Prince Edward Island and I have also crossed over All Creatures Great and Small vets (James and Tristan) into the Grishaverse.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I've been asked for permission but I don't think I gave it.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes. During the pandemic, there was the Mercy Street Murder Hotel round robin with @tortoisesshells @fericita-s @broadwaybaggins @sagiow @mercurygray and also the Cruise Ship with @sagiow and @fericita-s.

(Pro tip: it's easier if you agree on your murderer BEFORE you start writing but it was fun writing clues that were 50/50 going to be red herrings.)

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Given the number of fics I've written for them, I have to say Mary Phinney/Jed Foster but it really could be smart-woman-who-is-underestimated/quippy-guy-who-gets-he's-smart-but-not-as-smart-as-she-is-and-that's-the-turn-on

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

This may make people sad, but I have a hard time seeing my way clear to an ending on "what is it to be a thin crescent moon" largely because I'd have to do some more plotting to get where I'd want to go. It's never say never but the truth is, I originally intended to stop when they got to the Little Palace, so everything after that was basically improv.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm pretty good at capturing a character's voice and I've often been told my work is poetic, which I appreciate, as I am a poet.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Long-form plotting. I love to read it, but I get tired trying to create it and often resort to lily-padding (my own term for jumping from scene to scene.) I overuse the word just. I don't play chess well but I cannot resist writing about gambits.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I try to keep it minimal, since I'm only fluent in English.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Mercy Street.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

What is this, Sophie's Freaking Choice? I really like my GLOW zombie road-trip story "Music shall untune the sky" because I gave them a good ride and there was so much angst! "Hope is the thing with feathers" is a fic I wrote for myself, when I was despairing about Real Life and US politics and human rights, where I let Christopher Foyle offer the comfort I desperately wished for.

Tagging @tortoisesshells @fericita-s @sagiow @broadwaybaggins @oldshrewsburyian @orlissa @amarguerite @aloveforjaneausten and @aquitainequeen but anyone else is welcome to hold forth!

[ibmiller]

Lord Peter Wimsey fantasy casting!

Aided by the brilliant @freenarnian, we have come up with the cast for a Lord Peter Wimsey movie or tv show that is just too perfect!

In the title role, we have Domhnall Gleeson! Right build, huge intelligence and sensitivity, great comic skills, and able to play both dumb and brilliant!

In the CRUCIAL role of Harriet Vane, Michelle Dockery! Her singing and voice are the key here - low, musical, and distinctive! And she looks great in the period fashions!

In the roles of Peter's sister Mary and best friend Charles Parker, we have Lucy Boynton and Will Poulter (fresh from their brilliant success in Why Didn't They Ask Evans!)

In the role of Peter's mother and brother, Emma Thompson and Hugh Laurie! (Don't bother me with their ages!)

In the KEY role of Bunter, Peter's manservant, we have Tom Bennett, from Love and Friendship!

Now I just need about 20 million dollars and a distribution deal! ;)

[calaisreno]

Do No Harm by Calais Reno

This is the "prequel" to my October ghost story, Where I Cannot Follow (to be posted this month). It's not necessary to read this to appreciate the new story.

Summary: In 1923, Dr John Watson is on trial for the murder of his lover, Mary Morstan, a writer of popular mysteries. If convicted, he will hang. Sherlock Holmes sets out to prove his innocence, but finds himself more and more infatuated with the handsome doctor, and deeper and deeper inside the bohemian world of London's painters, playwrights, and poets. Will he uncover the evidence needed to acquit him in time?

Excerpt: Watching the man’s stoic expression from the side, I began to recognise that this was not just another puzzle to stave off my boredom. I had not often been in romantic relationships, and certainly did not believe that a person could fall in love with another person across a room, just by looking at them. But when I saw the light glinting off his hair, the look of patient fortitude on his face, and knew the effort it must be costing him to maintain his composure, I felt that I could not let him die. John Watson had to be saved, and some fate had brought me here to do just that.

This story was heavily inspired by the work of Dorothy Sayers, one of my favourite authors. I have borrowed the scenario from her Strong Poison, and other elements from various Lord Peter Wimsey stories. The plot, however, is my own invention, and some of the characters as well.

[all-peristeronic]

AO3 Wrapped 2023

aka just some fics I enjoyed in 2023 and would recommend aka oops I need to finish this list already

Where the Wild Things Are by ArabellaMoxie Fandom: Ladyhawke (1985) Main Ship: Isabeau/Philippe/Navarre Rated T, 3600 words This is a really satisfying glimpse into the lives of the main trio post-canon. I love how it explores the idea that no, you can't just go back to normal after being forced to live as a wolf/hawk, and also the ot3 should never split up. Also Mouse's interior monologue is great, with his resigned longing for Isabeau and Navarre.

Hitting the High C's by beware-of-italics Fandom: Our Flag Means Death Main Ships: Ed/Stede, Stede & the crew Rated T, 29600 words A really fun story of that particular subgenre of fic where the author is writing about a particular subculture they know well or subject they're passionate about. Turning Stede into a newly-out high school theatre kid with delusional confidence in his acting and directing ability absolutely works. In this high school au, Stede somehow manages to stage a musical while falling in love with the best actor in the cast, Edward Teach. I also particularly like the bits with Mary and Lucius, as a break from Stede's whole Stede-ness.

Rocking the Cat-Eyes by buggachat Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug Main Ships: Adrien/Marinette, Adrien/self-discovery Rated T, 18000 words In which Adrien Agreste figures out that he's not so cis, a concept that I 100% believe in. Adrien's confusion and fear of coming out had my heart in my throat, it felt so real, but it's okay, the ending is so sweet.

This Precious Time When Time is New by Dee_Moyza Fandom: Blue Castle - L.M. Montgomery Main Ship: Barney/Valancy F/M, Rated T, 7000 words An exploration of Valancy and Barney in the very first days of their fake marriage. I'm not just recommending this because it was my gift for the Rare Pair Exchange, I'm also recommending it because the the descriptions of Mistawis are beautiful and perfectly Montgomery-esque and I really like the romantic tension running through the fic.

#strongpoison by dotsayers Fandom: Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers Main Ships: Peter/Harriet, Harriet/getting justice Rated T, 3400 words A modern AU in which instead of being arrested for murder, Harriet Vane is the center of a twitter storm after being accused of plagiarizing her ex. I really enjoyed the social media/found document format, especially the fake Wikipedia pages. Norman Urquhart loses his money investing in NFTs, Peter Wimsey posts medieval marginalia on twitter, and Eiluned Price is just awesome. I read this at work on my lunch break and my day was immediately 100 times better.

The Quality of Mercy by MiraMira Fandom: Twelfth Night - Shakespeare Main Ships: Olivia/Sebastian, Antonio & Sebastian, Orsino/Viola Rated T, 12700 words At Antonio's suggestion, Sebastian disguises himself as a woman and takes a job with Olivia at the same time as "Cesario" takes a job with Orsino. Shenanigans ensue. If this were printed on paper, I'd call it a page-turner, by which I mean I also read this while at work and probably anybody who walked past could see me grinning at my phone.

thirst is all i know (you will be the water) by susiecarter Fandom: Original Work Main Ship: Prince of One Country/Bastard Son of Enemy Country's Ruler Rated M, 16000 words I first read this more than a year ago, and recently I found myself randomly thinking about how much I enjoyed the worldbuilding, the political machinations that drive the plot, and the central romance. I consider that a mark of a good story. It's an arranged marriage story in which the two husbands have to overcome the culture clash between fantasy-Egypt culture and fantasy-Byzantine culture and the lasting impact of a traumatic upbringing.

[phoebenpiperx]

9 favourite most reread books

Thanks to @retrieve-the-kraken for the tag. It's hard for me to list my fave books, so instead I'm listing my most reread books. Here's the list (which is a really eclectic collection); my comments on each book are below the cut:

1. INTO THE DREAM by William Sleator

2. LORETTA MASON POTTS by Mary Chase

3. THE ALL-OF-A-KIND FAMILY series by Sydney Taylor

4. ABOUT THE B'NAI BAGELS by E.L. Konigsberg

5. GAUDY NIGHT by Dorothy L. Sayers

6. DIED ON A RAINY SUNDAY by Joan Aiken

7. LONESOME DOVE by Larry McMurtry

8. MAURICE by E.M Forster

9. All 4 DRAMA! books by Paul Ruditis

1. INTO THE DREAM by William Sleator = It involves prescient dreams, telekinesis, UFOs, and the most terrifying of all things: ferris wheels! (Yes, I've had weird nightmares about ferris wheels my whole life, which is probably why I was first attracted to this book!) I got this book in 5th or 6th grade, and I reread it every few years when I need some shivers down my spine!

2. LORETTA MASON POTTS by Mary Chase = This creepy book, once again with a smart, quiet boy as viewpoint character, involves a long-lost unremembered sister, a secret passage in a closet, a palace, and an enchanted bridge (and has great illustrations like the one on this cover.) I loved this book and reread the library's copy over and over as a kid (and finally got my own copy!)

3. THE ALL-OF-A-KIND FAMILY series by Sydney Taylor = The series is about a Jewish family of 5 girls (thus all-of-a-kind, though at the end of the first book a baby boy is born) living in NYC in the 1910s. Although my personality is probably more like Ella or Sarah, my fave was always Henny, who was rambunctious and got in lots of trouble. I loved all the details of old-time New York AND all the Jewish holidays that were celebrated.

4. ABOUT THE B'NAI BAGELS by E.L. Konigsberg = It’s a fun book about a boy studying for his Bar Mitzvah while dealing with his mom managing his Little League baseball team, but at its core it’s about the heartbreak of losing a best friend. “Great pains make great heroes, but toothaches just make lousy batting averages.”

5. GAUDY NIGHT by Dorothy L. Sayers = This is a mystery novel set in Oxford in the 1930s; it's the 3rd in a series of 4 novels involving the romance between detective Lord Peter Wimsey and author Harriet Vane (though this one is primarily from Harriet's pov). I just reread this last week, having just got back from Oxford so I wanted to read it while the city layout was still fresh in my mind.

6. DIED ON A RAINY SUNDAY by Joan Aiken is a British thriller about a young mother dealing with creepy household help and lots of chilling rain. After checking it out from my school library, I left it lying around the house and came back to find my mom reading it and unwilling to put it down! We ended up sitting side by side on our floor heater, reading the page-turning finale together, and I’ve reread it many times since.

7. LONESOME DOVE by Larry McMurtry = My mom tried to get me to watch this Western miniseries but I simply couldn’t get into it. A few years later I stumbled upon the middle of the series and got totally addicted. I got the book and ended up reading its 945 pages three times back to back...while living in London! I remember riding the tube home, sobbing as I read the final pages, and then flipping to the front and starting it again, something I’ve never done with any other book.

8. MAURICE by E.M Forster = This story about homosexual love during Edwardian times wasn’t published until after Forster’s death, and the book demonstrates the pain of having to hide one’s true self from the world. “For during the long struggle he had forgotten what Love is, and sought not happiness...but repose.”

9. All 4 DRAMA! books by Paul Ruditis = The high school narrator in this series is gay, “But don’t worry. This isn’t one of those angst-filled books where I’m struggling to come to terms with what it all means. I’ve long since accepted it. I’m gay. I’m over it.” These books are a fun, snarky take on musical theatre, with a play as the title for every chapter and lots of musical references. These are the books I read when I’m doing a show and need a reminder that there’s always chaos backstage in every theatrical production (though I've never done a quadruple-cast show where the leads keep getting taken out!) A large portion of the 4th book takes place at the Ren Faire (and the narrator spends most of his time in the stocks because he keeps using anachronistic devices like a cell phone!) Just a warning, though--the end of the 4th book sets it up for an awesome 5th book, but the series was canceled, so don't go looking for it! But there's closure for the important stuff so you're fine! 😁

And I'll tag @kaysonthejackal, @prettyinsoulpunk, and anyone else who may want to make their own list of faves, etc.

[justdiptych]

"I suppose," said Parker, "I ought not to have presumed—"

"What did you presume, old thing?" said Wimsey, his head cocked, sparrow-fashion.

"Nothing to which anybody could object," said Parker, hotly. "What are you thinking of, Wimsey? I quite see that it is unsuitable, from your point of view, that Lady Mary Wimsey should dine in public restaurants with a policeman, but if you imagine I have ever said a word to her that could not be said with the greatest propriety—"

"—in the presence of her mother, you wrong the purest and sweetest woman that ever lived, and insult your friend," interrupted Peter, snatching the words from his mouth and rattling them to a glib conclusion. "What a perfect Victorian you are, Charles. I should like to keep you in a glass case. Of course you haven't said a word. What I want to know is, why?"

Parker stared at him.

"For the last five years or so," said Wimsey, "you have been looking like a demented sheep at my sister, and starting like a rabbit whenever her name is mentioned. What do you mean by it? It is not ornamental. It is not exhilarating. You unnerve the poor girl. You give me a poor idea of your guts, if you will pardon the expression. A man doesn't like to see a man go all wobbly about his sister—at least, not with such a prolonged wobble. It's unsightly. It's irritating. Why not slap the manly thorax and say, 'Peter my dear old mangel-wurzel, I have decided to dig myself into the old family trench and be a brother to you'?”

Lord Peter Wimsey and Charles Parker, Strong Poison

[mywingsareonwheels]

All I’m saying is that Harriet and Peter Wimsey would both be young enough still in the mid-late 60s to visit Oxford, possibly for another Shrewsbury College reunion, or indeed one at Balliol/Bailey, or something to do with one of their kids. And might even have one or more of the rest of their friends in tow, I mean even if Bunter’s retired by then he (and Jill Paton Walsh-continuations spoiler-character!) would still be living with or near the Wimseys. And Charles and Mary Parker also very happily go anywhere Harriet and Peter are as we know. :D

And then inevitably there might be a murder, which leads to the glorious possibility of them all being interviewed as witnesses by DI Thursday, DS Jakes, and DC Morse, and then Peter trying to investigate it himself anyway and at least one of the Endeavour characters turning out to be massive Harriet Vane fans and and and...

*sighs* So many plotbunnies, so few spoons to actually get any writing done. So if any fellow fans of both Endeavour and Dorothy L Sayers (and ideally the Jill Paton Walsh continuations! my thinking is that it would be great if it agreed canonically with The Attenbury Emeralds especially...) want to write this before I get around to it, please please *please* be my guest. :D

[ofliterarynature]

2022 YEAR END WRAP UP

This post is coming at y'all a little late because I was definitely overthinking things - but "favorite" doesn't really convey the differences between "I loved this," "I can't stop thinking about this," and "I need to yell at someone about this," does it? With that in mind, here's my 10 favorite reads of 2022 and 15 runners up 💕📚💕

Victoria Goddard – The Redoubtable Pali Avramapul, Portrait of a Wide Seas Islander, At the Feet of the Sun, The Saint of the Bookstore

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch) by Anne Leckie

Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison

My Volcano by John Elizabeth Stintzi

Band Sinister by K.J. Charles

The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison

Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann

Midnight Never Come (The Onyx Court) by Marie Brennan

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows

Lord Peter Wimsey series by Dorothy L Sayers

When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb

Half a Soul (Regency Faerie Tales) by Olivia Atwater

The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall

The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley

A Master of Djinn by P Djeli Clark

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel

Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir

Forget the Alamo by Burrough, Tomlinson, & Stanford

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

Spindle’s End by Robin McKinley

Lavender House by Lev A.C. Rosen

An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

Dracula by Bram Stoker

[leojurand]

top 10 8 books of the year

i ended up reading 63 books this year, but since about 17 of them were rereads, this is top 8 out of 46.

i usually don't do top 10s or anything similar because choosing is hard, but i wanted to "force" myself to do it this year, and here are the results!

8. the secret lives of country gentlemen, kj charles

kj charles is my absolute favourite romance author, and i think her formula was perfected with the doomsday duology, even though they're not necessarily my fave books by her. out of the two, i chose secret lives because it was so perfect to me! absolutely adored both mcs, individually and together. i always enjoy the kjc novels that have higher stakes, and i was super invested in this story, and the characters, and everything that happened to them. very beautiful romance scenes. can't wait to read whatever she comes up with next!!

7. the mask of apollo, mary renault

it's still crazy to be that i've only read two mary renault books this year, because i am completely in love with every aspect of her writing. the prose is so gorgeous, and this book was so atmospheric and immersive. i love the slow pace in her novels, and there's always moments of introspection that tug at my heartstrings. and that ending!!

6. gaudy night, dorothy l. sayers

pretty sure the fact that i spent like half an hour talking to a classmate about how amazing the sayers's writing is makes her my author of the year. and it couldn't be any other way! of the lord peter wimsey novels, i think gaudy night is her magnum opus. it was a very personal novel for her, and it shows in the care she put into it. i love harriet vane so much, and i adore peter, and i'm so happy that the peak of their romance and their feelings for each other was reached in such a wonderful book.

i only wanted to choose one book per series, but my other two faves are unnatural death and murder must advertise (i have yet to read busman's honeymoon)

5. the ruins, scott smith

and the award for biggest surprise of the year goes to this book! its adaptation is a very nostalgic movie for me, and last month me and my girlfriend decided to watch it together. i decided that was the perfect time to finally pick up the book, since i'd heard so much about it being so much better, as is usually the case. and god, it is much, much better. fantastic writing, and the characters feel so much more human and real than their movie counterparts. great atmosphere, and the gore? oof. one of those novels that makes me stop in the middle of whatever i'm doing and i think "man, the ruins was so good"

4. the winter prince, elizabeth wein

now, this book truly never left my brain since i read it. i picked it up on a whim and it hit me like a truck, which i didn't expect at all from such a short story. it has one of my favourite styles of prose: simple but so, so pretty. it was so easy for me to connect with the characters, especially medraut, and with the messed up dynamics that are shown here. such a wonderful book, i can't explain

so, do i have any excuse for not having read its sequel yet? no! and i'm planning to do that next month

3. the heaven tree, edith pargeter

this is a trilogy but i think of it as one story, so this includes all three books. the heaven tree gave me everything i wanted it to give me: breathtaking prose, drama, fucked up dynamics, beautiful dynamics, characters that are complex and messed up and that i don't agree with so many times, but i could always understand (well, almost always. the romance in the first book is nonsensical and stupid, but i love these books enough to forgive it). such a beautiful story, with a villain who was as easy to hate and to admire simply by how layered he was.

2. the sparrow, mary doria russell

this is the only book on this list that i've already reread, that's how serious this is. also the most "staring at a wall for an hour after finishing it unable to move" book of the year. made me feel so many emotions i can't even begin to explain. the amount of love and pain in this book can't be measured. emilio sandoz character of all time.

1. fire from heaven, mary renault

second mary renault on the list, and one i've read! also one of my earliest books of the year, because i read this in january. and it has stayed with all these months; my love for it didn't falter for even a second. you know when you consumed a piece of media and think "this was made for me"? well, that's how i felt reading fire from heaven. everything about it was perfect to me, from the prose to the pacing to the dynamic between alexander and hephaistion. you can really tell alexander's story was very important to mary renault (she was pretty much obsessed with the guy, and how very relatable), and now it's important to me too.

so, again, how come i haven't read the sequels yet? well, i tried to the persian boy soon after finishing this one, but 50 pages in and i couldn't get into it, which is sad so i decided to leave it for another time. i think i love fire from heaven too much to fully embrace the change in perspective in the second book. maybe i'm petty because the persian boy is considered the best of the trilogy, and maybe renault's best along with the charioteer. and i just don't think i'll feel the same way! it's hard to believe that it will make me feel the way fire from heaven did. and that's why it has to be number 1 on this list, i'm so incredibly attached to it, 11 months after reading it.

and there it is! it's hard to rank books when they're completely different from each other, but i tried. i would say overall it was a pretty good year... hard to compete with last year because well. i did read 15 dorothy dunnett novels almost back to back then. but still! i'm pretty happy

[oldshrewsburyian]

Okay Freddie Fox as Lord Peter, Dev Patel as Charles Parker, I can get behind this. Now who is playing Harriet, Bunter, Mary, and the Dowager Duchess of Denver? We need a full cast!

All right. Here we go. My completely unrealistic A-list for my unlimited budget adaptation. I would, of course, be happy to expand justifications, but I believe *coughs modestly* that these speak for themselves.

Jessie Buckley as Harriet

John Light as Bunter

Nell Tiger Free as Lady Mary

Emma Thompson as the Dowager Duchess

Olivia Colman as Miss Climpson

Max Irons as Gerald

Roger Allam as Sir Impey Biggs

Guest starring Harriet Walter as the Warden of Shrewsbury, and with a special appearance by Steven Mackintosh (I will cast him as a Wimsey, so help me) as Uncle Paul.