#then i got books 3-8 on my Kindle

[drakaina-posts]

Today, nearly a decade after I first started reading the series... I have finally finished League of Dragons, and the Temeraire series as a whole.

[krisstheidiot]

× Midnight Brownies ×

Valentine's Day Special

Summary: Felix and you meet again years after highschool in a cafe on Valentine's day. When you two decide to go on a spontaneous multiple valentine's day activities spree, will past feelings sprout again?, will Felix finally answer your highschool self's confession?

Genre: fluff, highschool friends reunited(crushes)

Warnings: Mentions of Sex, Fireworks

Your sister had kept you awake all night until 3 to help her decide what outfit she was to wear for her date with her boyfriend. Sleep was completely lost so you had decided to go on a long jog at 6 am and then got ready to hang out at a cozy cafe a few blocks down.

Ordering your usual latte with a slice of apple pie as you sit down at a table near the flower display outside, reading a book on your kindle enjoying the quiet despite the lack of sleep.

A deep voice speaks out of no where breaking your concentration as you look up in shock, finding a familiar face in front you...

"Hey miss is this seat free...?"

Those honey brown orbs, the galaxy like freckles spread on those plush fair cheeks and that cute heart like smile, The face not matching the voice at all as you come to realize who you were face to face with.

"...Felix?"

Tilting your head as you gasp softly and stand up with a bright smile, happy you encountered an old friend, said man looked down at your face in shock as he took in all your features. It was no doubt you were pretty but you looked so beautiful as the morning sun gave you your golden hour, eyes twinkling with golden orbs.

"Y/n..? Omg it's really you...!"

Felix smiled brightly as he suddenly pulled you in for a warm hug, which you happily reciprocated.

"I wasn't expecting to meet you here!"

Felix exclaimed happily as he pulled away and you both sat at your table to catch up on what's been going with your lives. A while later you got curious about why he was here all alone, fiddling with your fork and apple pie crumbs you finally decide to ask.

"Felix i was wondering why you are here all alone? That too so early in the morning?"

Felix chuckles as he sips on his drink while thinking of a way to word his reason without it being awkward

"Well its valentine's day and I am single but all my other friends are dating I woke up to one of them having morning sex so yeah I had to make my escape so i came here..."

"Oh..."

Felix laughs at the face you make as you nod sheepishly imagining how awkward the situation would have been.

"Either ways they probably would have teased me if I had stayed also I am avoiding social media so I don't get coerced into doing a stream because I am sure even my fans would tease me about being so lonely that I stream even on valentine's day"

You giggle as you imagine all the 8 year olds bullying an adult just because he doesn't have a partner. Suddenly a spontaneous idea comes up in your head as you quickly take Felix' hand and get up grabbing your stuff.

"You know what Felix let's go on a date right now! The one we were supposed to go to in highschool but never could because I moved away. I mean if that's okay with you...?"

Felix grinned as he nodded eagerly making all the uncertainty in your head disappear. You smiled as you took his hand in yours and left the cafe after paying.

Finding yourself at a retro arcade that was empty as you and Felix buy a shit ton of coins for all the games. Trying out every single one from bunch of scammy claw machines to every car racing game.

Any game you found fun you would do. Tetris. You name it you played it. With the last coins you decided to play a boxy zombie game that looked like a stupid rip off minecraft as you tried to distract each other hoping the other would fall into the pit of zombie while trying to bridge with the jammed buttons of the machine. Finally you managed to bag the win for who bridged the farthest by kissing Felix's cheek to distract him.

Smiling as both you and Felix's hands are full holding bags full of the tacky toys and gifts he won for you from the claw machines and all the old timey snacks and games you had won from winning the competitive games as you walk next door deciding to play laser tag since you had won two tickets to it.

Coming out of the place as you whine childishly complaining that Felix was just too fast and he didn't win fairly since he literally picked you up and shot your tag with his laser. Felix in tow teasing you that you were just too slow and small to be able to win and his win was completely fair.

"Let's get lunch yeah?"

Felix asks as he smiles down at you as he takes your hand in his and leads you to the nearby beach that was 10 minute walk away. You guys come to a stop in front of a shack restaurant on the beach itself.

sitting on a table facing the sea as you guys order what you guys are gonna eat while talking about anything that came to mind like you were back in Highschool.

Finishing up lunch as the both of you decide to visit the shops at the beach before leaving, as you browsed shop after shop as you go into a very neon coloured shop looking around at all the vintage and retro stuff as you pick up some old pokemon cards blind packs and buy it while Felix is wandering around buying something of his own.

Now, walking to an old cinema as you chat about what anime movie you should watcha at the cinema. Both deciding 'My Neighbor Totoro' would be best as you go inside the cinema taking some artificially buttered popcorn as you sit down in the empty cinema giggling like middle schoolers.

"Hey Felix earlier I bought these old packs of pokemon cards wanna open them with me like when in highschool?"

You suggested, glad that it was dark in the theatre so that he wouldn't know you were blushing as you saw Felix chuckle as he pulled out what he had bought earlier. It was a bunch of old candy with no nutritional value just sugar. Pure sugar. You grinned remembering how you both used skip classes to watch anime at the library while opening pokemon cards and munching on candies just like this.

"Honestly Y/n I missed this. I missed us."

Felis whispered to you while sipping on his now watered down coke since the ice had melted, you looked at him, eyes full of emotion as you smiled softly.

"I missed us too alot, I wished that i had never moved away then maybe we would be spending this valentine's day as a couple not as just friends..."

Whispering sadly as you look back at the screen hoping you don't start crying.

You feel him take your hand in his as he squeezes it slightly.

"Who says we can't spend it as a couple?"

Felix asked straightforward about his intentions behind the question.

You looked up at him slightly in shock trying to gauge out the joke in his question and intent. He nodded to reassure you that he was saying the truth and what he wanted wasn't to joke with you, it was to be with you. A look into his eyes was all you needed to reassure yourself. Just as you opened your mouth to respond he pulled you in and kissed you. It was soft and warm and full of love, his lips soft against your own as he put his hands on your cheek holding you there as you reciprocate the action. Pulling away after a while as he smiles down at you, eyes beating the ones a certain heart eyed emoji has.

"I loved you before. I love you still. And I am sure I will keep on loving you. That's how much I feel about you Y/n, baking isn't any fun without you when i remember how much fun we used to have when we baked together."

You looked at Felix, eyes glossy with tears as you breathe out shakily, overwhelmed by emotions as you hug him close to you and whisper.

"I love you too, I tried so hard to move on convinced that you probably did too, but this its not just a highschool crush it goes beyond that and I don't want to lose the good memories of you. I don't want to lose you anymore not after i waited so many years..."

Felix smiled as he kissed your head and ran his fingers through your hair to comfort you as he spoke. The movie long forgotten.

"You aren't losing me hell even if you wanted to you won't be able to get rid of me now so don't be sad Sweets..."

"Sw-sweets...?"

You looked up at him blushing like crazy as he smiled and patted your head. He looked like a bright ball of sunshine whenever he smiled.

"Well I am assuming that this means we are a couple now so I am just calling my lovely girlfriend a cute nickname!"

"Well if I am sweets then you are Sunshine..."

You whined as took your cup of coke and drank to hide your blush.

"I don't mind darling"

The nickname teasing fest continued as both of you tried making each other blush by calling each other the cheesiest pet names.

It was 8 in the evening as both of you walked hand in hand now as a couple not friends. Smiling as you walked in a nearby diner and sitting down at the table as your eyes adjusted to the the 90s theme the diner was sporting.

Fishing out some spare change as you put it into the jukebox placed near your table as you grinned up at Felix playing the song that you always did in high school. 'Summer love' by One Direction playing as both of you grabbed your spoons pretending they were mics and singing the lyrics and dancing together like idiots in love which you were.

Dinner ended with you two full and satisfied as you walked to Felix's apartment to spend more time together. Both of you ended up playing mario kart as he started vlogging for memories. That's what he said.

Later you decided that both of you needed a sugar high after as if all that candy earlier didn't do a number on your blood sugar levels.

Both of you in his kitchen while trying to bake brownies at 12:50 am. Flour on both of you as you sprinkled choco chips on the brownie batter before putting it in the oven that Felix had pre heated. Closing the oven door as you get up when Felix suddenly wipes your face with a tissue to get rid of all the flour. You look at him, his face now absent of any flour from the playfight you had when he called you small. Leaning slightly to look at the time.

"Wanna do something? we can turn on the oven after we come back from the last adventure of today..."

You said as you take of the apron and take his hand leading him outside as you walk back to the beach.

"So what is this adventure about sweets?"

"You will see Lix..."

Smiling as you reach the beach and tell Felix to go and sit on a bench while you buy a few things. Coming back with two bags of stuff that Felix had no idea to what it would be used for. You looked at the time on your phone as you asked Felix to countdown with you while your eyes are focused at the sky.

Few seconds later bright explosions were visible. Fireworks everywhere. The colourful sparks littered the sky as you looked at Felix. He was absolutely beautiful, his eyes reflecting the colors in the sky as his hair flowed with the wind and his lips parted in amaze as he looked at you.

"My sister wanted to be extra for her date with her boyfriend so she decided on fireworks at the time when she had first met him."

Smiling back at Felix as you turned to look at the sky when suddenly Felix pulled you in to kiss you. Smothering you with kisses all over your face as you giggled under his attack. Few minutes later he stops as you smile and dangle the bag that you brought earlier in front of him.

"I brought sky lanterns and sparklers so we could have our own little light show..."

"I remember when all our friends went to that park at 12 am just to look at the sky lanterns that everyone released"

Felix said in response to your suggestion as you both pulled out the sparklers and played around for awhile, later taking the few sky lanterns and lighting them and releasing them while holding onto each other like the couples that were in the park the night you confessed to Felix while watching the sky lanterns float in the sky.

Watching as the sky lanterns you released float together while you hug each other. This may be a cheesy holiday for some but this was the day you found your love. The one that would stay forever with you. The love where you would go back home at 3 am and eat brownies and then cuddle and fall asleep on the couch.

This is your love and it is yours to keep forever and ever.

Because just like the sky lanterns you lit you burned bright for each other and would find your way to each other no matter how far you could be.

He was your sun, you were his star.

@!directory

A.N: Helloo! I am Kriss I hope you liked the oneshot it was kinda rushed and sorry if it was too cheesy. Anyways Happy Valentines day to everyone, to all the ones who are dating - enjoy your special day, to every single pringle - treat yourself to anything even if it's a small chocolate bar! Have a great day/night. Byeee!

Stay Tuned for more!

[elrieldreamer]

Her final ACOSF thoughts:

1. Her first comment - “When does the next book come out?” Oh, my dear. That is the question.

2. Feyre not knowing about the dangers of the pregnancy started a great back and forth conversation between us. She is more understanding of Rhys’s motives in protecting Feyre’s emotional well being by hiding the danger than I am.

3. “Of course the boys had to play with the Made weapons the moment Amren walked away. I knew that was happening as soon as that the warning came out of her mouth.” 😂😂

4. She identified heavily with the hike. She’s a long distance runner, and physical activity plays a huge part in her emotional health. She talked about a several day hike she went on in Colorado with a group last summer and how it broke her before it built her back up. She pointed out that both Cassian AND Nesta had an emotional journey to work through heading up the mountain, which I hadn’t really considered before. It helped me feel less frustrated with Cassian’s behavior.

5. She had predicted that the girls would somehow take part in the Blood Rite, so she wasn’t surprised about that. She wants to know more about Balthazar (after our chat I sent her the incredible theory by Wingedblooms that Elain could be Balthazar, which later sent us down a whole new rabbit hole), and said that he was her favorite part of the whole BR portion. She once again noted that Gwyn was suspicious, and reinforced how she lured the beast. She’s feeling very confident that something is going on with Gwyn. She still wants to know more about Emerie.

6. “Why is Koschei preparing for Azriel? After Solstice, Azriel just needed a break. LEAVE HIM ALONE!”

7. She felt like the portion with Briallyn happened too quickly. She said that was a big letdown because she felt like Nesta and Cassian didn’t get a big, dramatic arc defeating the “bad guy”. We discussed how Nesta’s mental health might have been the “big bad” in the book, but we still felt like this scene needed MORE.

8. She was glad that it was Nesta who saved Feyre during Nyx’s birth, for both of them. And Elain, too. She said that she got really emotional when Rhys was breaking down, even though she knew that Nyx and Feyre would survive (she had been spoiled with a picture of Nyx). The scene left her with a lot of curiosity about The Mother, and she was glad that Nesta still had at least a little power.

9. “I think Nesta is going to have a baby in the next book. Man, she’s going to be an interesting mother.” 😂

10. We wrapped up the chat with a bunch of theory talk for Elriel’s book, lore discussion based on the sum of the series, and I sent her a bunch of fanfic links (scrolling through my saved works list was sobering, realizing how many were so smutty that I wouldn’t share with her😎). She restarted two days ago with ACOTAR because she wants to annotate on the kindle (she’s a prolific note taker), and is rewarding herself by alternating ACOTAR with a couple chapters of What Bloomed in the Darkgarden.

11. Final thought? “My birthday is next month. Can you get me my own physical copies?”

[kernyen-xo]

Long time!

Firstly, how y’all been? I’ve been wandering in from time to time and reading some of your posts. I just haven’t felt like posting myself until now.

Here we go.

What In the World: I walked out of Daiso and almost gave this woman a heart attack trying to get into my parked vehicle. My first thought was why in the world was this lady sitting in my vehicle, and why in the world the driver’s seat of all things?! I mean, why not the passenger side or the backseat?? And, why won’t my key unlock the door!? And then, almost immediately, after trying to open the door a second time, I was like, “Hold on now.. Uh oh. Oh no, this isn’t my vehicle!” Holy hot pockets! I immediately backed away, put up my hands, and told her, “I’m sorry,” several times, and then said, “My mistake, wrong car.” She just stared at me through the closed window, scared shitless. In case she didn’t understand what I said, I stepped back and gave her a respectful bow, and then hurriedly got into my car, which was parked in the next row. I hoped that when she saw me drive away, she was able to put 2+2 together because we had the same vehicle (same make, model, and color). Needless to say the humiliation of it all stuck with me the remainder of the day. I am such a dweeb.

Houston, We have a Problem: Went to Houston last month for my niece’s wedding. I just want to say that I don’t get why Houston is the 4th most populous city in our nation. I mean, the weather. It is pretty miserable. It was super humid and most of us were bitten by these mutant mosquitoes! Every wedding event my niece had was outdoors or it didn’t have A/C. Like the inside pickleball courts. She had a farewell outdoor crawdad boil for her guests, and the wedding and reception were also outdoors. All the events were pretty much held in the Heights area, which despite the weather is a nice historical area. But, you know what? I was glad that I went to Houston because my niece had a great wedding. I loved catching up with my nieces and nephews! I loved the serve yourself margaritas machines! Great people and great food and drinks! The kid and I went to Tenfold, a popular coffee place where I had my first cold brew with lemonade. It was was delicious and refreshing. On another day, the kid and I walked to have breakfast at this cafe with a great vibe. Attached to it was an antique shop, which we perused after we ate. We also did some shopping at Rice Village. We wanted to visit San Antonio but our schedule couldn’t spare the time.

The Kid Jr: My granddaughter graduated from the 8th grade last week! I’m so proud of her. I gave her a Kindle, which I was pretty excited about because she’s starting to enjoy reading, something she didn’t like before.

Saying Good-bye: I also attended my aunt’s funeral last week. Out of 8 kids, it’s just my mom and Uncle Junior that remains. It seems like yesterday when my generation of cousins were kids and our parents were still young and getting into their own shenanigans. It was a sad and bittersweet day. There were a lot of relatives that I didn’t even know, all of them cousins.

Books: I splurged. I decided I needed to start building up my personal library. It’s been a while since I’ve bought an actual book. I have been reading on my kindle or listening to audiobooks from the library app, Libby. It was time to start reading from actual books and adding to my home library. I used to have over 1,000 books but I got rid of most of them because it was becoming too much to pack and move them - especially when I was moving about 3 times a year. But now I have my own home and I’m not planning to move - at least for 5 years.

So, let the book buying begin!

The current book:

If you love birds, you’ll enjoy this book. Amy Tan’s backyard is a bird’s paradise. In this world of birds, you’ll learn about their habits, heartbreak, wonderful curiosities about the whys and why nots of birds’ actions. A lot of times unexplained, but if you are an avid bird watcher like Amy, her reasonings as to why the out of ordinary behaviors were interesting and entertaining. You will enjoy her drawings too.

The Kid and Me: Here’s what we did at the wedding 😆

The beautiful bride and her groom:

(Houston, The Heights May 2024)

How can they look so good in the sticky weather?

The Kid takes a picture of Yours Truly: (Grass Valley, May 2024)

My Loves:

(Sac-Town May 2024)

This post has been brought to you by Toodles, Inc.

[beforeiread-studies]

Easy Korean Reading, the perfect reading material for beginners

Easy Korean Reading by Jeanie Kim (who is also a teacher on Italki btw) is a series of 8 graded readers for Korean learners that will lead you from complete newbie at reading Korean to upper beginner.

There are 4 levels, 2 volumes for every level. Every book has about 20 short chapters, 2-3 pages long. Everything has an English translation and there is a dictionary at the end.

Every chapter is disconnected from the others. You will see the same names repeated over and over but they aren't really characters and there isn't an overarching story. The situations vary from dialogues, to descriptions of daily routines, to talking about various aspects of Korean culture.

Let me warn you that the first couple of chapters are very, very basic and boring. I almost gave up but I'm so glad I persevered and got through the first book. It becomes more difficult and interesting quickly.

The books also teach you grammar patterns through sheer repetition. I've learned so many of them like this!

I started reading this series 3 months ago, 5 months into my Korean learning journey so I can testify that it's really perfect for beginners.

All the books are available on Kindle Unlimited and I found the layout to be particularly perfect for reading on my phone. Every page is divided into two columns, Korean on the left and English on the right. So I would zoom on the Korean text, hiding the English translation on the other side of the page but still having it easily available if I needed to check something.

This is a relatively resource, not that well known yet, but I think that every beginner should check it out! It really improved my comprehension and confidence with Korean in general.

Go check it out!

[fictionadventurer]

Hello

3,8,9,13,14,15,18,20,21,22,26,30,33,39,41,44,45,46,48,52,55,58,60, for the ask game !

(I recognize that i may have asked too many questions.....partly as an excuse to get more book recs!)

Okay, let's do this!

3. How many books have you read (this year) so far?

According to Goodreads, 77, but that counts a lot of short stories, novellas, and in one case, a serial story where each part counts as a single book.

8. A book you've always wanted to read but never got a chance?

Lots, but lately I've been thinking about how I've never gotten around to reading A Canticle for Leibowitz, despite being recommended it years ago.

9. A book you're never, ever gonna read?

Harry Potter.

13. A genre you aren't a fan of in particular?

Horror.

14. A genre you love?

One I've recently started to define as vintage fiction--cozy books that are old enough to be classics, but aren't high-brow enough or famous enough to be considered classic literature.

15. A reading habit you could get "canceled" for?

Leaving so many books unfinished for no good reason.

18. Recommend a book to the person who sent you this ask.

Roverandom by J.R.R. Tolkien--a very fun fairy tale fantasy he wrote for his kids.

20. A book series you can't wait to read.

Once a Queen by Sarah Arthur feels like a fantasy book that should have a minimum of four other books already available for me to read, and the sequel can't come fast enough.

21. A book series you're never going to read.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

22. A celebrity's book rec that you loved?

Jo Walton enthusiastically recommended Desire by Una Silberrad and introduced me to a new favorite obscure author.

26. Your favourite reading position?

Sitting?

30. If you could have access to anybody's bookshelf, dead or alive, which person would you pick?

I am sticking Manalive on Steven Moffat's bookshelf so he will write the adaptation (and read the rest of Chesterton and become Catholic).

33. Do you annotate as you read or prefer not to?

Absolutely not. When I read a book, I want to read it with fresh eyes, as the person I am now, without the person that I was last time chattering in the margins.

39. Favourite book to movie/TV show adaptation?

The 1995 Sense and Sensibility is one of my favorite movies of all time.

41. If you could read the first draft of any one book, which book would you pick and why?

I'd like to read the original version of Black as Night by Regina Doman, which apparently had an entirely different plot before major rewrites.

44. Favourite book protagonist?

I can't pick one favorite! I'll just mention that Wilkie Collins has written some of my favorite female characters in Victorian fiction--Marian Halcombe in The Woman in White is one of my favorite characters ever, and I loved The Law and the Lady mostly because of how much I loved the narrator.

45. Favourite book villain?

One of the reasons Little Town on the Prairie is my favorite Little House books is because of how well Wilder presents Nellie Oleson and Miss Wilder as villains.

46. Favourite literary quote?

How am I supposed to pick one?

Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to go to Goodreads and find something that got highlighted in Kindle.

Okay, here's a quote I highlighted in Sylvia's Lovers by Elizabeth Gaskell that I had completely forgotten about.

He was just the kind of man that all his neighbours found fault with, and all his neighbours liked.

48. If you could be a part of any story you've read, which book would you pick?

I'm just going to live in the cottagecore atmosphere of your average Elizabeth Goudge book.

52. Do you like audiobooks? If yes, which is your favourite audiobook?

I adore audiobooks!

Probably the coolest one I've ever listened to was the full-cast audio recording of Fairest by Gail Carson Levine, because it takes place in a world where people often sing in their day-to-day lives, and this audio version has the characters sing all the songs!

As far as ones that are readily available, my favorite is the Jim Dale version of Around the World in 80 Days. That man's range of voices is astounding!

On Librivox, Vanity Fair (Version 2) has the best Librivox narrator I've ever heard. Most of the time, I'm just happy if the narrator pronounces everything correctly, with bonus points if they have a fitting accent. This woman was doing multiple accents!

55. If you could have any book related job in the world (librarian, editor, publisher, writer, etc), what job would you pick?

Writer.

58. A book that emotionally wrecked you?

I wept through large portions of In a Far-Off Land by Stephanie Landsem.

60. Talk about books! Anything you like, maybe share some more recs<3

I've just started Codename Edelweiss by Stephanie Landsem, and I'm excited to try another book by the author, because I've heard even more good things about this one.

[littlegrosspelicannugget]

I recently finished reading Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, and I wanted to share some of my favorite quotes/scenes! 😊

If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life. [...] If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened. But if you recognize yourself in these pages-if you feel something stirring inside-stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you. -Chapter 1, Page 1 (Page number could differ since I read off the Kindle)

I found this part funny because I sent it to my sister (she's the one who finally got me to read the series) and told her I couldn’t continue because I felt like I might be a half-blood… She doesn’t believe me... 😭

[...] I put up with Nancy Bobofit [...] hitting my best friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich. -Chapter 1, Page 3 (Page number could differ since I read off the Kindle)

Poor Grover, getting hit with such a gross combination… Honestly, who even makes a peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich? Not gonna lie, I lowkey wanna try it, lol. 😅

He waved his hand and a goblet appeared on the table, as if the sunlight had bent, momentarily, and woven the air into the glass. The goblet filled itself with red wine. [...] Mr. D waved his hand again, and the wineglass changed into a fresh can of Diet Coke. He sighed unhappily, popped the top of the soda, and went back to his card game. -Chapter 5, Page 69 (Page number could differ since I read off the Kindle)

If I could have a superpower, this might be it, lol. I would so love to wave my hand and have a Sprite, Coke, or Dr. Pepper appear out of thin air. 😂

But the toilets had responded to me. I had become one with the plumbing. -Chapter 7, Page 93 (Page number could differ since I read off the Kindle)

My glass was empty, but Luke said, "Speak to it. Whatever you want-nonalcoholic, of course." I said, "Cherry Coke." The glass filled with sparkling caramel liquid. -Chapter 7, Page 104 (Page number could differ since I read off the Kindle)

Great minds think alike. Percy is now my favorite since he has a good taste in soda, lol. 😂

[...] "We care about a guy who made our cabin look stupid." "You do that without my help," I told them. -Chapter 8, Page 121 (Page number could differ since I read off the Kindle)

I went back to the picnic table, packed up Medusa's head, and filled out a delivery slip: The Gods Mount Olympus 600th Floor, Empire State Building New York, NY With best wishes, PERCY JACKSON -Chapter 11, Page 186 (Page number could differ since I read off the Kindle)

One of the funniest parts so far. I just love it. 🤣🤣

"Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down, like a certain god of earthquakes I could mention." -Chapter 13, Page 202 (Page number could differ since I read off the Kindle)

Annabeth: 😎

"You're pretty smug, Lord Ares, for a guy who runs from Cupid statues." -Chapter 16, Page 244 (Page number could differ since I read off the Kindle)

Ok... I know we were all thinking it, but you didn't have to say it out loud. I respect it, but Ares is gonna kill you, Percy...

"Why can't you place a blessing like that on us?" I asked. "It only works on wild animals." "So it would only affect Percy," Annabeth reasoned. -Chapter 16, Page 257 (Page number could differ since I read off the Kindle)

Again... Annabeth: 😎

Welp, that all I got for now. Share your favorite quotes/scenes from Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief!

[sumire-no-nikki]

13 Books

Tagged a while back by the awesome all around creative @thecrimsonacademic !! Sorry I’m only getting to it now but I love getting tagged on these things, so thanks so much for thinking of me!!

1. The last book I read:

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. A wonderful book to get lost in.

2. A book I recommend:

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne. This book made me weep so many times. It speaks to the soul, I think. A must read!!

3. A book that I couldn’t put down:

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata. This book sucked me in so hard. Absolutely captivating despite the grotesque content. It’s a testament to how well crafted it is, honestly.

4. A book that I’ve read twice (or more):

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. I’ve read it six times in English and twice in Japanese. Every couple of years, I pick it back up and find myself learning new lessons and realizing new thoughts, sometimes even overriding previous opinions.

5. A book on my TBR:

Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukigawa. A has been pestering me to read this for a year. I got a copy during a trip to Venice but I just haven’t gotten into it. Sorry A, I promise I will read it soon!!

6. A book I’ve put down:

Very rarely do I DNF but for the life of me I could not make it past 50 pages of Nobody, Somebody, Anybody by Kelly McClorey. Nothing was happening?? It was so dry?? I don’t know. Perhaps it just wasn’t the right time for me to read it.

7. A book on my wish list:

The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard. Made eye contact with this book at a bookstore in Madrid and thought it’s up my alley.

8. A favorite book from childhood:

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. I devoured this when I was in elementary school!!! I read as much as I do and consider books as friends because of this series.

9. A book you would give to a friend:

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, which I have in fact given a copy of to a dear friend. It’s a short but moving read.

10. A book of poetry or lyrics you own:

Field Work by Seamus Heaney. This one is made even more special by the fact that I got it from a charming secondhand bookstore from Edinburgh.

11. A nonfiction book you own:

A History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage. I love micro history books like this one where the author investigates one item and how it has interacted with history. This one is about the six drinks that shaped history. The writing is fun and engaging as well.

12. What are you currently reading:

Starting Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant on my Kindle!

13. What are you planning on reading next:

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel… I’ve been hoping to read this book and I think it’s finally time. I feel ready for it *rubs hands together*

Tagging: @booksnpictures, @whenmemoriesfrost, @winedark, @tenderbittersweet, @thisisdore + anyone who wants to answer these qs!

[captawesomesauce]

So I'm just getting a bit of my stuff prepped for Hurricane Hilary and these pics are just a snippet of what I've got lined up. The thing is, I'm not too worried about Hilary as I'm planning on staying home, chilling, and just reading on my kindle until it passes. BUT, all of this stuff is good to have in case of an earthquake which can happen any day of the week, any time of the day! So it's good to be prepared! For those who want my list that I have been checking off today, it's below the read more. The key things are:

Food (x)

Water (x)

Meds & First Aid (x)

Cash on hand (x)

Gas in car (x)

Fans for dealing with the heat (x)

Solar Panels & Battery packs (x)

Stuff to do (arts/crafts/kindle) (x)

Wet weather gear (x)

Clothes 1 pair of leather wildland gloves Clothes 1 pair of padded extraction gloves Clothes 2 Fire Brush jackets Clothes 2 Hard hats Clothes 2 pair of good closed toe shoes Clothes 2 pair of gorilla grip safety gloves Clothes 2 rain coats Clothes 2 rain hats Clothes 2 Umbrellas Cooling 1 Fan/lantern (C batteries w/4 extra batteries) Cooling 1 standing room fan Cooling 3 handheld fans w/water tanks Fire 1 Fire extinguisher outside front door Fire 1 window/balcony escape ladder Fire 3 Fire blankets (1 in the kitchen, 1 bedroom, 1 office) Fire 4 Fire extinguishers throughout the house Food 1 long bbq lighter Food Lots of blueberries Food Lots of canned soups Food lots of condiments Food Lots of crackers/chips/Pretzels Food Lots of freeze dried fruits/veggies Food Lots of Nuts and Trailmix Food Lots of ramen Food Lots of shelf stable/canned meats Food Lots of veggies Light 1 handheld led lantern/flashlight Light 12+ led lights for rooms Light 2 chest mounted lights with reflective harnesses Light 2 handheld flashlights Light 2 head mounted lights Light 8 led puck lights med 1 large stocked first aid kit w/burn & trauma supplies med 1 small stocked first aid kit with bleeding supplies med blood pressure cuff Med N95 & P100 masks med pulse ox meter med stethscope Misc Cash on hand in small bills Power 1 100w Solar Panel Power 1 car jumper/battery pack Power 1 Large Battery pack 146WH 42000mAH Power 1 Large Battery pack 150Wh 40800mAH Power 1 Large Battery pack 250WH 64800mAH Power 1 orange solar panel battery pack (10,000) Power 1 orange solar panel battery pack with wireless charging (10,000) Power 1 white battery pack Power 2 21W Solar Panel Power lots of rechargeable and non-rechargeable AA/AAA batteries Radio 1 desk scanner with NOAA weather alert Radio 2 handheld transceivers Radio 2 programmed handheld scanners w/NOAA radio SD Mace Peppergun SD Taser Stuff to do 2 kindles loaded with books Stuff to do arts and crafts projects Tool 1 demolition tool Tool 1 folding pocket knife Tool 1 Machete/Saw Tool 1 Multipurpose Shovel (shovel/e-tool/window breaker/fire starter/saw/axe) tool 1 raptor EMS shears Tool 1 SOG multitool Tool 2 full rolls of duct tape Tool 2 full rolls of masking tape Tool Various Bungee cords Tool Various ropes & tie downs Water 1 5 gallon collapsible water bucket in the tub Water 1 5 gallon water bottle w/dispenser Water 1 large pitcher of water Water 2 30 cup water filter pitchers Water gallons of bottled water Water multiple 2l and 3l camping bladders of water

[sleeping-academic]

august 13th, 2024

the past few days have been kind of all over the place, but i’m looking forward to the start of the new semester next monday! i have a couple little lunch routines planned with people already, and i’m excited about the classes i’m registered for :)

today, i:

🫧 hung out with my roommates! all of us have moved in by now, and last night we watched the first few episodes of she-ra and the princesses of power together <3 it’s genuinely so nice living with people who i can be comfortable around, and i’m really excited for this year with them!

🫧 finished a book! still making my way through the unabridged journals of sylvia plath, but i had a mystery book on my kindle that i was about halfway through, so i finished that at work and started a new one. it was called i have some questions for you, and was pretty enjoyable… 4/5 stars

🫧 accepted some more high school credits, which makes me eligible to order my college ring! my university makes a big deal out of that particular tradition (among others), so i’m really excited :)

🫧 i provided moral support for @maniacalgenius as she unpacked… she repaid me with tea 🍵

goals for the week:

🫧 figure out a tag system for this blog. i’ve been kind of holding off on reblogging stuff at the moment because i don’t want to have to go back and reorganize it later, so figuring out that system now would be helpful

🫧 decide on my organization system for this semester. i’ve got a couple templates for weekly/monthly planners that i might use, but i haven’t fully decided on which yet, so i want to get those set up

🫧 finish the pages for the 7, 8, 9, and 10 of Wands in my tarot journal. that might be slightly ambitious, but i think i should have the time to get that done (although whether or not i have the focus is the real question)

🫧 plan out my morning routine for this semester! i have either work or a class at 8am every day of the week, which is… not ideal. but i’m hoping that if i get into a consistent routine and actually stick to it, it’ll be manageable… here’s hoping!

photo dump:

hozier <3 he played “nobody’s soldier” live and i about near lost my mind. such a good concert

pretty rainy landscape while driving from this weekend

media:

🎧: “shrike” - hozier

📖: everyone on this train is a suspect - benjamin stevenson

📺: criminal minds season 6 episode 19 - “with friends like these…”

[apparentlynotreallyfinnish]

I haven’t been here much and I miss y’all. I don’t think anyone particularly cares about what I’ve been doing but I love reading mundane stuff like this from my mutuals so here’s an update:

1. I shaved my head. I love it. I look like a badass lesbian (which is like 49% true).

2. I’ve read 90 books this year. 90% of those have been ebooks on my phone. So I finally caved and bought a Kindle Paperwhite. I’ll literally never go back. Reading is so much more comfortable now, omg! (Found a couple new favorite m/m romance authors too!)

3. I went to see The Little Mermaid and the new Spiderverse movie at the cinema. Was surprised how much I loved The Little Mermaid. Was not surprised how much I loved the spiderman movie. (Gwen is the coolest character ever!)

4. Watched The Owl House, Gravity Falls and Amphibia with my kiddo. Obsessed with all of them, especially Owl House.

5. Got back on depression meds and they seem to be helping. I’ve been feeling almost normal for the past few months.

6. Joined dating apps to maybe dip my toe into the dating pool. Did not get a date. Only got frustrated.

7. Joined a kink app and have been talking to some people in hopes of finding a sub to have some online fun with. One candidate read some of my rhink fic and was casual viewer of GMM. I of course gave them a lengthy lecture on Rhett and Link and their incredibly romantic history and soulmate-ness. Their response: “I’m never gonna see the show with same eyes again.” I feel I’ve already achieved more than I could have hoped for in that app.

8. Started writing multiple different novels but crippling anxiety and self-doubt stops me from continuing. Fun times. Should try go back to writing fic, just to be writing something.

[happy-mokka]

2024 in books

Previous: #1 + feedback #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7

#8 The Lord of the Rings

by J. R. R. Tolkien English

Well. This one doesn't really need an introduction.

I've first read it when I was 15 and it blew me away like no other book before or afterwards.

Since then I've read pretty much all his Middle Earth related work.

This is the one I keep coming back to on a regular basis every 1-2 years or so, for the past 33 years since the 1st read.

I took the title picture from my issue of the Harper Collins Paperback edition from 1995. It was the 1st English book I had read (originating and currently still living in Germany) and in the meantime its pages are pretty worn out and start becoming all yellow. I love it. A few years back I also got me a Kindle edition for practical reasons and did my last re-reads with that one, but now I decided to pick up this old little baby once more. I want to really feel it again and smell the well-aged pages...

So, let the journey begin...

Roads go ever ever on, Over rock and under tree, By caves where never sun has shone, By streams that never find the sea; Over snow by winter sown, And through the merry flowers of June, Over grass and over stone, And under mountains in the moon. Roads go ever ever on Under cloud and under star, Yet feet that wandering have gone Turn at last to home afar. Eyes that fire and sword have seen And horror in the halls of stone Look at last on meadows green And trees and hills they long have known. The Road goes ever on and on, Down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, And I must follow, if I can, Pursuing it with eager feet, Until it joins some larger way Where many paths and errands meet. And whither then? I cannot say. The Road goes ever on and on Out from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, Let others follow it who can! Let them a journey new begin, But I at last with weary feet Will turn towards the lighted inn, My evening-rest and sleep to meet.

[aroaessidhe]

Mid-Year Book Freakout 2023

1. Best book you’ve read so far this year

The Art of Prophecy - this was so fun and made just for me I enjoyed it a lot The Misadventures of an Amateur Naturalist - really good and also quite unique for the space it’s sitting in I think! The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi - this is very good and fun I loved it

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far this year

The World We Make - love this duology!! NK Jemisin does it again etc etc A Day of Fallen Night - prequel technically, but I enjoyed it a lot and more than priory I think! Sailing By Carina’s Star - i am enjoying this trilogy a lot we love queer pirates The Shadow Cabinet - somehow even more wild than the first book

3. New release you haven’t read yet

I don’t keep lists of books I need to read, so of course when I try to think of something my mind goes blank, here’s a couple from my library holds/kindle To Shape A Dragon’s Breath Wander The Night also does Flight & Anchor count if I’ve read the original patreon version but not the published version yet

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

(same situation lmao) I’m looking forward to He Who Drowned The World! that’s the first thing that comes to mind

5. Biggest disappointment

tbqh I’ve read a lot of disappointments but they’re mostly self published ones that I read soley because of aspec characters that didn’t hold up in the writing department and are not very well known anyway. (I’ve read tons of selfpubs that are amazing too of course!!) so I’ll just mention some traditionally published ones: Rosewater - I did go into this with the wrong expectations for one, but also the MC was so (intentionally) misogynistic it was hard to enjoy :/ The Wicked Remain - there were a few iffy things in the first book but also things I liked and the second book just...didn’t really add to the things I liked. idk Song of Silver, Flame Like Night - I knew this wasn’t gonna be entirely for me in the first place but man what was up with the only other female character (that’s not dead) having an absolute caricature of a mean girl rivalry with the MC in like. a calling each other slurs kind of way not a fun way

6. Biggest surprise

Beating Heart Baby - I enjoy reading YA contemporary but there’s usually a limit to how much I enjoy it compared to sff, but this went beyond what I expected and I really loved it The Meister of Decimen City - I didn’t have any expectations for this, someone just mentioned it on a discord and I got it from the library, but I loved it a lot!

7. Favorite new author (debut or new to you)

See generally I only call people favourite authors if I’ve read and loved like, at least 3 separate books from them, and I don’t really have any of those for this year.....you need to work to get my loyalty Here’s a few authors that I’ve read a second book/series from them this year and am like, ah yes, I will read the next one: Ceinwen Langley Rebecca Schaeffer Liselle Sambury

8. Newest fictional crush/newest favorite character

tbh I’m not one to separate an individual character from their book or like, the other characters surrounding them very often, so I just can’t think of anything specific... all the women in The Art of Prophecy are great

9. Book that made you cry

I’ve actually started recording this in my stats this year HAHA, with “fully crying” “teared up” and “cried from cute/happiness” and,, I did not expect that there are only 3 books that have made me fully cry????? Which are: In Other Lands and Lirael (nostalgia def has a part to play in both of those) and Beating Heart Baby. I can’t remember why I cried for that one but clearly it was a lot lmao

10. Book that made you happy

I mean it’s a reread but In Other Lands of course

World Running Down - only just read this and I really enjoyed it! a good mix of an interesting sci-fi future that isn’t super dark but also doesn’t shy away from various issues, and an interesting romance! (me enjoying a romance, shocker)

witch hat atelier! - how could it Not make you happy tbh

thanks @violaeade for tagging me!

I will tag @thereadingchallengechallenge @nycorix @speculatives @dkafterdark and anyone else who wants I guess

[gunkreads]

13 books tag game, tagged by @amemoryofwot (thanks!)

1) Last book I read:

The Tyrant Baru Cormorant; I finished it a while ago and have been reading incredibly slowly since because, in the wise words of @pillowfriendly, the problem with baru cormorant is that many things are not as good as baru cormorant. Go. Read. Masquerade.

2) A book I recommend:

Hmm, this one's tough (too many options). City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett. Not the most prominent book on Tumblr, from what I've seen, but the first book in one of my favorite series, and has some absolutely staggeringly good worldbuilding and politics, as well as surprisingly well-done action.

3) A book that I couldn’t put down:

Sphere by Michael Crichton. I read it when I was 15. Started it at about 6 pm and was late for school the next day because I read the whole thing that night. Truly terrifying book for a kid, but lives in my head to this day.

4) A book I’ve read twice (or more)

Name of the Wind--I reread Kingkiller Chronicle about once every year or two. It's my all time favorite series, I think.

5) A book on my TBR

SO MANY SO FUCKING GODDAMN MANY. I need to finish Grave of Empires, so Three Axes to Fall would be next, I think.

6) A book I’ve put down

Exordia. I'm.... so sorry. I want to get back to it someday, but I picked it up when I was in a bit of a reading slump and just wasn't in the mood. Modern dialogue is fun to write, but I don't like reading it, and something about the whole tone of the book just felt too Tom Clancy/Clive Cussler to me.

7) A book on my wish list

Shorefall! Robert Jackson Bennett has another series he just finished, the Founders, and I absolutely adored the first installment, Foundryside, but my library doesn't have Shorefall.

8) A favourite book from childhood

Eragon. It's not good, but I kept the copy my parents got me when I was four years old. I didn't finish it then, of course, but I went back and plugged through when I was about six. First chapter book I ever read, and my introduction to fantasy as a whole. Immense sentimental value, but would be kindling if I came across it today.

9) A book you would give a friend

I've given several friends copies of Red Rising, specifically to break them out of YA. The first book is sort of on the cusp between YA and New Adult, so I think it's a great way to show people "Hey, there's way more out there that'll actually cater to your intelligence."

10) The most books you own by a single author

Well... I have Eye of the World through Crown of Swords from my now-abandoned attempt to find all of Wheel of Time in paperback at used bookstores, and that's 7, so that.

11) A nonfiction book you own

I've got a copy of the 2017 AP style guide on my desk for work. It's pretty fun to reference, actually.

12) what are you currently reading

Four, sort of! Gardens of the Moon, the first Malazan Book of the Fallen book; Sleeping Giants, something I found on Libby and was reasonably well hooked by; Rubicon, which I found at the library's discarded-book sale; and Don Quixote, which I may or may not finish before the heat-death of the universe.

13) what are you planning on reading next?

I got a copy of A Farewell to Arms because I've sorta picked up through the grapevine that Hemingway might be up my alley. I don't really read classics, so I'm interested to see how it goes.

No pressure tags:

@pillowfriendly @anyboli @briannysey @asha-mage @coffeefirst-thenspacepirates @flame-of-tar-valon

[changethecircumstances]

Ao3 Ask Game

Thanks @koskela-knights I don't always do these just because I don't ever check if I've been @ ed but I saw this in the tags and figured it would be fun to do

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 194

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 4,744,015 I like to write very long stories typically lol

3. What fandoms do you write for? I write for really whatever I'm hyperfixating on at the moment. Currently that's Alan Wake, but I've written for the Alien series, Marvel and DC (mainly movies but often incorporating comic books characters of plots into them too), Resident Evil, Kingsman, Hannibal, Cobra Kai, Detroit Becomes Human, the list goes on lol. There's a lot

4. Top five fics by kudos Kid. - Eddie/Venom meet MCU Peter for a sort of uncle&nephew kind of relationship like a flower in bloom, how the ink flows over your skin - Ed/Stede modern AU from OFMD Just Another Day - a sequel to Kid. to wake from a life not worth living, is to be born into something new. - Eddie/Richie AU after IT Chapter 2 movie where Eddie survies It Was Never About Jealousy - Detroit Become Human AU where Gavin and Elijah are half siblings and are dealing with a lot of unresolved trauma post good ending of the game

5. Do you respond to comments? Usually. Sometimes I forget and sometimes I worry about spamming people with 'Thank yous' when I can't think of anything else to say, especially on repeat commentors, but in general yes

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Honestly, my angstiest would be one of my first fics on Fanfiction.net (i have 75 works over there with a few of the later ones having been ported over to Ao3, but definitely not all of them). Are You Coming For Me? was a Lestrade/Mycroft story where Lestrade got kidnapped. It ended with Lestrade being rescued but he was blind and had been tortured and it basically just ended there lol because I didn't know what I was doing at the time. I've written much darker stories since then, but they typically have some form of happy ending after all the darkness, even if it's a twisted happy ending. In that regard, Break Me Slowly, a Gavin/RK900 fic inspired by Hannibal might be my darkest. It has a happy ending. Just one of the characters is basically stockholm syndromed into it lol

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Probably Mistletoe, a modern Pacific Rim AU about Yancey/Chuck around the holidays. It's mostly just fluff and I enjoyed writing it so much I actually rewrote it. It's mostly the same story with slightly different versions and I'd say better writing in the second version

8. Do you get hate on fics? Very rarely. I got some hate for my OFMD fics, but most of the hate I've gotten in the Uncharted fandom which is sad because it's one of my favorites, and one of my favorite games of all times. I will say I got so much hate on one story in Uncharted that I stopped working on school work for about a month and literally just focused on writing that fic. The irritation of hate mail spurred me to write that one as long and as quickly as possible lol

9. Do you write smut? Occasionally. It depends on what the story calls for. Though even in fics that I've intended as just smutty one-offs, I usually can't help but add more plot. And there's been things intended as smutty that end up having almost no smut because I get so invested in the plot

10. Craziest crossover? I don't write many crossover stories anymore. I was a big Superwholock person so I wrote for that (though all those stories are on FF not Ao3). Otherwise, my crossovers are typically within the same group, like my Alan Wake fics involving elements of Control or all the crossover fics where Saw characters interact with characters from Jigsaw and Spiral to try and bridge the gap between those films. Nothing too crazy though

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? On Amazon, yeah. One of my Alien fics was being sold for like .25 cents or something on Kindle

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yep! Several to Russian and I think one to Chinese

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Technically yes, but they don't have Ao3 accounts so it's always just been put under my username

14. All time favourite ship? Hannibal/Will is one of my all-times. I haven't written for Hannibal in a long time, but that fandom will always be special to me and I love rewatching the series and movies. William/Zeke from Spiral are another big one. I really like the fucked up ships lol with lots of moral quandaries

15. What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? He Fell Hard; I Fell Harder - Jason/Salim from the House of Ashes video game. I've tried going back to it several times but it's largely a fluffy fic with only a few moments of real conflict and I just don't do well with fluff. It's very hard for me to write something fluffy if something horrific or heart breaking isn't going to immediately follow lol

16. What are your writing strengths? I'd say creating large, compelling AUs and worlds. Some of them I've even toyed with making into original stories because just how AU they are compared to the original source material

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Endings. I struggle with endings and a lot of times by the time I get to the ending of a longer fic, I've lost a lot of motivation to write. Again, it's the conflict that I really love to write so once things start to get resolved and end, I struggle

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language? I've done it a few times for characters that I think require it and it would make sense for them to speak their native language over English. It's definitely difficult though and I try to limit it so it's less likely I'll fuck up a translation. Sometimes to avoid that or if I can't figure out a decent translation, I'll state a character is speaking in their own language rather than writing direct dialogue, if that makes sense

19. First fandom you wrote in? BBC Sherlock Holmes all the way back in 2011 (that fic is on FF) The writing is so bad in it haha

20. Favorite fic you've written? There's a few. My Death Stranding fic, You're the Hero, I'm really proud of just because it's the longest, most expansive fic I've ever written at over 180,000 words. Dancing to the Pain, a Walking Dead crossover with the TV show and the Telltale games, is another favorite because it was unfinished for so long but I did finally get around to writing the last few chapters in it. Even if it took like a year.

My most recent one I'm proud of would be Constant Acceleration Wrapped in Poetry, Darling/Zane modern AU fic from Alan Wake that dealt with a lot of serious issues like grief and survivor's guilt and addiction that I just think I handled really well and in a hopefully satisfying way for the reader

I tag @alphawave-writes, @hoffmanstits-enjoyer, @ratty9boy& just anyone who might want to do this if they haven't already

[readmanybooks]

A warm welcome & Introduction

Dear reader,

welcome to 'ReadManyBooks' Araya's View~!

In this blog I will mainly discuss reviews, recommendations, and simply share my thoughts on books. (Who would've thought- HA!)

Yeah, no... I simply need an outlet to share with people. My body contains a lot of feelings, thoughts and emotions about certain things and sharing this with friends who aren't that much into reading, which became a kind of a problem felt like trying to explain to an IT person, what brush you would use for doing your make-up. Or something similar to that, you feel me? So here I am on my balcony, throwing my thoughts left and right on how to do a proper introduction to so many random strangers, thinking of what could catch your interest to keep you here, captivated, locked in. With me. Alone. I mean we might share an interest here and there and that is probably why you even started reading this specific post in general, right? :')

Speaking of interest...

Reading has been on my hobby list for many, many years. By the age of 12, I read the book series 'The Faerie Path' by Allan Frewin Jones. It had me fully embracing and day dreaming of growing my own pair of wings and escaping the mortal life. It brought me into worlds and perspectives to life with someone else's view and wishing me to be there. I remember making 'Looking for Alaska' by John Green, my whole personality. (It was the first book I read in 7 hours without any breaks and lots and lots of tears.)

Just as I was fully diving into the endless depths of books, video games took a big toll on me. Once I got my computer set up into my room, and wasn't restricted to play hours anymore, I had become a gamer and after school hours, it has been more than 8 hours that I spent regularly in front of the flat screen. Playing the Sims or League of Legends with online friends I had made over the years.

Things were still the same until mid January 2024. At this point not only have I suffered from chronic migraines, but I also got plagued by the thought of sitting in front of the computer feeling useless and losing myself in games, like my so-called father. Guessing from how I talk about him, you should now know it is not the greatest connection that I maintain. But I made that decision and found my home back in my books. February started and I turned 25. Time flies. Yikes.

I set up a GoodReads Account, ordered way too many books and a kindle by the end of march. That I now came to the point, I wanna share all of this with you. Therefore I am writing this post hoping it will reach the right people to connect with.

My reading journey, began with Abby Jimenez's 'Yours Truly', sadly it didn't get into this year's reading challenge. It is not much not lost to be honest, but it makes me quite sad, that I started that series with book 2 instead of book 1. (I will still read book 1 and 3 in the future and review it, without book 2.)

I did some buddy readings with What.The.Book which I hope will also conclude into a featured review, from the both of us, when we comeback with buddy readings. Her Instagram page already has been a continuously book review page. So feel free, to check out to see what she has been up to.

For myself I have been following Leijla for quite a while, before reaching out and starting reading with her and gaining a wonderful friend. Books that we read were the full series of Pip's & Ravi's Crime thriller, 'A good girls guide to murder', 'Good Girl, Bad Blood' & 'As Good As Dead' by Holly Jackson and the first book 'Emily Wildes's Encyclopedia of Faeries' a novel by Heather Fawcett. We will continue the adventures of Emily in September. So be excited of what is to come. :) For myself, I am currently (1/6/24) 30 Books into my 50 Books reading Challenge of 2024. By mid March I was already at 20 Books in and I had to expand the goal for this year. There is no denying in not doing it again. I stopped the time for fun, and need 48mins and 36 seconds for 50 pages, without any breaks and interruptions. I wouldn't call myself a fast reader, but I read many books, because of a lot of free time that I have. I read at least one book on my kindle and 2 physical books.

My current ones are:

'The Housemaid' by Freida McFadden a Mystery Thriller following ex-felon Millie in her new job as a Housemaid, and figuring out her work life along her 'crazy' Employer Nina Winchester. Wondering what she has to bring to the story and what is behind people's talk about Nina.

'A Court of Mist and Fury' by Sarah J. Maas The second book of the Fae Romantasy 'ACOTAR' (A court of thorns and roses) (A mix between Romance & Fantasy), where Feyre, learns more about the politics and people of Prythian, with a soul of mortals and a immortal body.

'The Age of Magical Overthinking' by Amanda Montell Notes on Modern Irrationality. How ones internal thoughts can have an affect on unrelated events.

I will write a book review on 'A court of thorns and roses' shortly and follow up with the ones that I continue reading. But for a start this introduction hopefully will do. :) Will see you soon in the next post! Yours Truly, Araya.