#reading 2025

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"The scholarly literature on convict labor has been oscillating between economic and political explanations. According to the former, prisoners are put to work chiefly to generate surplus from unfree labor power. The state benefits from convict labor to decrease the administrative costs and to make profit, or to provide cheap labor to private enterprises. In either case, use of forced labor in prisons allows the sovereign to get rid of all privileges of free workers (bargaining power, political organizations, historically acquired rights). The power oriented political explanations, however, oppose the profitability of convict labor and emphasize instead the organized violence of the state, the governmental strategies, and the creation of social control mechanisms. Disciplining the society may have economic ends (i.e., the repression of the working-class), but the immediate outcome of prison labor is not profit; in most cases, it is rather a financial burden to the state."

Footnote 2: The area and time period of research naturally tend to determine the theoretical perspectives. Nevertheless, regardless of the context, these two approaches constitute the main axes of the array of explanations. Classic works that represent these approaches are, respectively, Alex Lichtenstein, Twice the Work of Free Labor: The Political Economy of Convict Labor in the New South (London, 1996) and David Garland, The Culture of Control: Crime and Social Order in Contemporary Society (Chicago, 2001). For Lichtenstein’s later proposal for a more comprehensive analysis, see Alex Lichtenstein, “A ‘Labor History’ of Mass Incarceration,” Labor 8 (2011): 5–14.

- Ali Sipahi, "Convict Labor in Turkey, 1936–1953: A Capitalist Corporation in the State?" International Labor and Working-Class History No. 90 (Fall 2016): p. 244.

[wooze-fox]

I have read 6 books so far in 2025.

That’s WILD to me because in 2022 I read 0 books.

Here’s to getting back to what we love.

[thebellaedit]

It's World Book Day!

What's your favourite book you've read so far this year?

[toprewolf1]

february, 2��0•2•5

Winter in England, Emily Brontë, book shopping, fur coats, classical art, David Lynch, Dior, Vanille Noire perfume, brown mascara, candles, crystals, blackened roses, coverless vintage books, Swarovski necklaces… 🌫️🤍🌫️

[bookaddict24-7]

Happy New Year!

Hi everyone!

What are some of your reading goals for 2025?

Though I haven't done a traditional post like this in a while, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year and share some of my bookish goals for 2025.

I've been fighting a cold since Christmas day, so there will be some silence on the blog this week (in the form of my usual scheduled posts--the queue will still be alive and well!)

I'll post the remaining reviews of 2024 sometime next week and continue posting as normal next week!

___

2025 Bookish Goals!

Try to do less spontaneous book buying--I have counted my TBR physical library and I own 1352 books I've yet to read. I own 1240 in my "read" library.

Read more of my physical books--I read 254 books that I own in 2024, thanks to my libraries and their wide selections of audiobooks!

Continue to unhaul books I don't like or think I'll read--I unhauled 71 books in 2024!

Continue to feel the freedom of DNFing books--I DNFed 113 books in 2024!

Try to read out in the wild on my own--I'm a very anxious person when I'm alone in public, so I want to fight this fear.

Continue to review and share the books I've read--I will also continue to be honest about the books I read, even if they're popular books.

Read whatever I want without the stress of others' expectations.

I set my Goodreads goal to 150, but I know that this isn't a hard set rule. It's okay to change the goal if I need to--I beat my personal record in 2024 by reading 412 books. This is not a "new goal to beat".

Use my Kindle more--I pay for KU, I might as well use it more instead of impulsively buying books I could read digitally first.

Continue to use the library--It has been incredible so far!

___

And that's it!

Thanks for reading and thank you for all of your continued support last year and in this new year!

Happy reading!

[wowstrawberrycow]

Reading the Silmarillion part 2 (#1)

Ok so here's my main take aways so far. All in good fun. The humor helps me focus. I'm also having to break this down because damn my attention span is bad! So here we go! Note: I legit had to take notes on my first initial thoughts, Because omg this is so dense.

Also this is the audiobook I'm following along with click here

Introducing people again

Manwe: Roses are red. My scepter and eyes are blue. I like poetry. It is Melkor whom I hate. Screw you.

Elbereth⬇️

Ulmo: The original shut in. Is a chuunibyou who thinks he's a mermaid??? Maybe?? Idk that's the impression I get of this dude.

Yavanna: That hippie chick who will give you a lecture about environmentalism and is the main save the earth guest speaker at all your local college campuses.

Orome: Is both of these men⬇️

Melkor: I friggin swear this bitch is a JoJo's villain.

I learned that elves are kinda clones? Those of you who have seen gravity falls get this joke⬇️

Humans are "special" (those assholes probably made short busses with humans in mind)⬇️

Aule: Created the first handy crafts club at your highschool "the dwarves". pretty sure that's why they are hoarders (I mean in the future they hoarde gold sometimes). Like have y'all seen handy crafts closets? They need a lot to make the good shit. That's where that hoarding habit comes from.

Iluvatar be like: Yo why'd you make these bearded lil bastards???

Aule be like: Cause I could??? But fuck, if you're going to bitch about it... *Aule smash!*

Then iluvatar was all like: Oh me god what are you doing bro!? So dramatic! You can keep your pets but get those fuckers out of my sight. All y'all are going underground. Peace out bitches.

Meanwhile

Dwarves get a cool off screen training montage. Aule sensei teaches them how to be awesome like those bros in shonen anime like Naruto. You know where they get stronger cause of cool ninja stuff and they learn their true ninja way is powered with the magic of friendship. Something like that but with more dwarves, less ninjas, no ninjutsu, and lots of axes probably?????

Aule to Yavanna: Yo homie wanna see this cool new anime I made?

Yavanna: That's cool but meh.

-Saty tuned after a brief break-

Here the other parts so far- part 1

Part 2- #2 , #3

[aquariusreads]

My aunt bought me 2 books from my Christmas wishlist that weren’t “too freaky”.

[gailyinthedark]

January reading report, because I've decided to try this in 2025

Completed:

The Maid by Nita Prose, a murder mystery told from the perspective of an autistic* hotel maid. I read it twice. The mystery is so-so but the characters and emotional arc are wonderful. I haven't related so hard to a character in a long time.

*not explicitly stated but strongly implied throughout the book

In progress (ie they're super dense so I just read a bit at a time and will probably take all year to finish):

The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European

Gildersleeve's Latin Grammar

February goals:

The Mabinogion

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

[beatrixacs]

📚 Book #1/2025

The Witcher Cookbook by Anita Sarna and Karolina Krupecka

🐺⚔️👩‍🍳

[17waystoseeher]

i need ur help!! guys!! im desperately trying to escape the reading slump I found myself in for the last year - so I’m gna post my daily reads n progress and even if you don’t care PRETEND YOU DO and give me the insentive to keep going and updating😩ill do it to u guys too

ALSO recommend classics/modern classics in my asks!!

(dm me for besties xxxxx)

[tulmultuous]

2025 reading list

By the Sword - Mercedes Lackey (New! Borrowed in Dec 2024, finished Jan 9)

Exile's Honor - Mercedes Lackey (Reread. Borrowed in January, finished Jan 13)

The Left Handed Booksellers of London - Garth Nix (New. Borrowed January, finished Jan 15)

[cromulentreader]

The moment our hearts shattered? It belongs to us. — Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

[wowstrawberrycow]

To celebrate Tolkien's birthday day and the start of this year's reading bucket list I started the Silmarillion today.

I'm gonna be blogging about all the Tolkien books I'm consuming too!! Do note I have hear what I'm reading for my fish brain to allow me to retain information 🐠🤣 the audiobook I'm using for this is here

Sooo these are my impressions and main take aways of part one via reading and audiobook.

In the begging there was this because of a good bro called God? iluvatar⬇️

and then some bro called what's his face, juvenile delinquent Melkor was like nah bitch check out my rhythm ⬇️

the JoJo's cataracts are very good representations of what happens in this part of the book just saying.

Then there was a bunch of anime style big bad boss battles via orchestra and stuff that sounded like this BS⬇️ (listen at your own risk)

and then a bunch of expositions and randos who's names I can't pronounce were announced. They all did some pretty cool ass shit. I can't keep track of it just yet so I'm going use this for reference a lot. Let's be honest I'm probably not the only one.

then what's his face, juvenile delinquent Melkor was all like "Yo, imma fuck up all y'all's days because I'm a rebel!" And then was like "I'm better than all of you bitches cause y'all be like sheeple!"

then more people were announced. And they apparently did some cool ass shit that I can't keep track of either

-fin part 1-

Part 2- #1 , #2 , #3

[bookaddictednerd16]

Some books im reading this month 📚

[yourpixieandbuddy]

my first book is now $4.99 and free to read for through thursday for ereaders

i’d love to see this book have a resurrection. i stopped sharing after an extremely dysphoric and anxious year (that’s on me) but it was worth more hype than it ever saw.

thanks to tumblr for giving me a safe space to exist again

[gailyinthedark]

February reading report

Completed:

The Mabinogion, which I gush about here. It was Sioned Davies' translation and I'm so, so, so happy I read it. It's still on my nightstand because I couldn't quite bear to put it away yet.

That's all because I was felled by the worst bout of Jan/Feb depression I've had in years. Slowly coming out of that now. Yay spring!

March goals:

The High History of the Holy Graal translated by Sebastian Evans. I'm about halfway through this now and really enjoying it.