#ms madeline miller it is on sight

[spineless-lobster]

Can someone for the love of god please tell me why I’ve cried over patrochilles more than any other ship??? Like they got their happy ending but the moments before that were so devastating to me that like if I think about it too hard I genuinely start it cry??? Hello????

[phoenix343]

Soft Q&A

tagged by my girl @realharperdee

What’s the smell of your shampoo?: hguh it doesn’t really say? but? berry is the vibes im getting 

What’s your aesthetic?: ummm, roadtrips, drive in cinemas, night drives launching off lights and playing rock music loud, rain, mosh pits, sad poetry, hopeful epic storys

What’s your favourite time of day?: probably that lovely cool part of the afternoon as the sun is going down, you can go outside and its not hot, theres still plenty of time to do things, about to eat dinner, maybe about to go see friends

What do you like most about the beach?: I love climbing the big rocks that are often found on the ends of the beaches where I live, finding a way over and across, coming across places that are secret spots by the looks of those cans, making them your secret spots too

What do you worry about constantly?: I used to worry a lot about whether my friends actually liked me or were just putting up with me, and that comes back sometimes, but mostly I have beaten it back. now i stress a lot about the mental health of my friends, and about future plans, not knowing where i wanna go, not wanting to leave friends behind but i cant stand staying in my hometown

What is a song you’ve cried to before?: so many im a bit of a wuss. If we were vampires by Jason Isbell and Leave the City by twenty one pilots (basically the whole of the Trench album okay) 

What are some relaxing tips for your followers?: when i wanna relax I just shower early and get into bed, stretch, turn a soft light on and read, or watch a show thats not stressful, that feels like home. Do things that root you back into yourself, i hope it helps x

What are some things that make you tear up?: I and many of my friends have experienced too much loss in the last twelve months, so that, really. Am I tired? I’ll probably cry. Am I stressed? I’ll probably cry. Am I happy? I will possibly cry. I’m a cryer. 

What are your five (5) favourite forms of the senses?:

1. Sight: the stars; if i get to my parents home on our farm after a long drive at night and look up when i get out, and there they are. they take my breath away, everytime.

2. Smell: The smell of cooking food; maccas fries, or cocoa, or my mums spagetti

3. Touch: I crave physical touch, I seek it out, give a large amount of hi fives and fistbumps, go arm in arm with friends, anything. 

4. Taste: Im weird and like strange combinations of savoury and sweet, like, eating sea salt chips with m&ms, that kind of thing

5. Sound: Playing music really loudly in the car with the windows down, and I can hear hints of my friends yelling along with the words

What is a scene in a book that made you really sad?: oh no i’m a reader and will attach myself to anyone who is ever in a book ever so there are many to choose from... but one of the more recent ones was at the end of Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, when (it’s based off history, is it a spoiler???) Patroclus and Achilles die, but they are seperated as spirits because Pat wasnt buried properly just let them live the afterlife in gay peace okay?!

Say something to your followers: hi, just wanna say that I love having you guys here, seeing what you write in tags if you reblog my posts, all the kind of stuff. your support and companionship (even if we aint mutuals) on this weird internet and life voyage is valued, I love you all. my inbox is always open, come drop by sometime x 

___

sorry for taking so long to do this @realharperdee (also go follow her, what a gem). got a bit real there in the middle but thats okay.

I tag: @deatheatingnazgul @shitpostingfromthebarricade @sweetdispositon @drowninginsaltinessandpuns and @broadwayisthebestway because they are all awesome as heck

yeehaw, friends x

[prettylittlelyres]

2020: My Year in Reading

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- Part 5 -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

At the beginning of September, I went back to my family home for a short visit, and, on the way there and back, read Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s novel “Mexican Gothic”, which, as the name might suggest, is a beautiful work of gothic horror set in a lavish Mexican mansion. The protagonist, Noemí, already knows her cousin is unsettled by the goings-on at the house, but, the more time Noemi spends there, the more she comes to realise that it’s even worse than she could have suspected. I liked this book a lot more than “The Haunting of Hill House” (which I liked a lot) – I’d say I actually loved “Mexican Gothic” – and I’ll definitely be re-reading it, and keeping an eye out for Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s next books!

This was also the month in which I started reading Jodi Picoult. I read “My Sister’s Keeper” several times during secondary school and could never quite decide what I liked about it, but something kept pulling me back to read it again, and I knew I did like it, much as the story is terribly sad. (If you’ve only seen the film, I can’t stress enough that you can still read the book without knowing in advance how it ends. They changed a lot.) I already knew I’d probably enjoy other books by Jodi Picoult, so I borrowed “Salem Falls” and “The Pact” digitally from my local library, and read each within a single day. Do you remember what I said about “The Power” by Naomi Alderman, and how much it taught me about the danger of a justice system fuelled by the desire for vengeance? Jodi Picoult’s books – all the ones I’ve read, and particularly “Salem Falls” – have taught me a lot about why everyone accused of a crime must be given a fair trial in a court of law, with proper representation, and the assumption they are innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt. I will say no more than this: if “Salem Falls” hadn’t put this in front of my eyes and tapped the page loudly and impatiently with its fingers, to make absolutely certain I’d understood the message, the month of September would have done it anyway. We all have a responsibility to ask for proof of what we hear, as much as we have a responsibility to believe it. Please.

How can I talk about September’s reading without mentioning the fabulously funny “Leah on the Off-Beat” by Becky Albertalli, and Ron Stallworth’s brilliant memoir, “BlackKKlansman”? I hope you’ve seen the film (I certainly recommend it, if you haven’t!), but here is the book it’s based on, written by the man himself, and it’s absolutely fascinating. As I mentioned, I’m writing this at the beginning of January 2021, a time when – I think – we’re all seeing first-hand the effects of fascist ideology given authority. My point is this: there’s never been a better time to infiltrate your local chapter of the KKK and kill a Nazi or five. And if you can’t do that, find a way to show them up for the wankers they are.

Now, we come to October and November, rather quiet months for my reading record. I read “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, knowing that I ought to, having enjoyed “Ratched” on Netflix, and polished off “The Penelopiad” by Margaret Atwood (a second novel-in-verse), but what I really enjoyed reading was Natalie Haynes’ “A Thousand Ships”. The forgotten women of the Iliad and the Odyssey retell the legends in their own words, lurching between the sheer hilarity of Penelope’s letters to Odysseus (“It’s been ten years! Are you still at sea? What happened this time? A sea monster? Oh, yes, a likely story--”) to the overarching voice of Calliope the Muse, and the visceral anger of Goddesses scorned and spurned. This is an absolutely cracking read, perfect for anyone who liked “The Song of Achilles” and “Circe” by Madeline Miller.

More Picoult followed, of course, and I finished reading “House Rules” and “Keeping Faith” within a matter of days. “Keeping Faith” kept me on the edge of my seat, and “House Rules” kept me shuffling lower and lower into it, as I tried to duck out of sight (I’ve never felt so seen, quite honestly. I don’t like the colour orange, I don’t like the number five, I’m a bit too into True Crime, and it all hit a bit too close to home) of the author. By the end of “House Rules”, I was fairly sure that she must have been looking through my window, taking notes. (Dear Ms Picoult, if you’re reading this, please don’t sue me. I don’t actually think you’re spying on me. You just wrote a character I found startlingly relatable in Jacob!) “I loved it,” would be an understatement for both books. I really felt for Faith, and I was ready to chase away all the crowds that had gathered outside her house, brandishing a stick and shouting, “Go away! She is very poorly! Also small! Leave!”

Now we come to November, when I finally read “Drop the Dead Donkey 2000” (published in 1999, read in 2020 – oh, dear), a spin-off novel of the TV show “Drop the Dead Donkey”, which I adore, and can quote at length. I think I have pretty much the whole script of at least one episode memorised, having watched it so many times. It’s a laugh-a-minute book, and a laugh-a-minute show, and a great way to pick up an afternoon and evening.