questwithambition

[questwithambition]

Now that gift season is approaching, here's a reminder that local independent bookshops in many countries are organized in websites so you can order whatever book you want and have it delivered. Like Amazon but instead of your money going to a billionaire who mistreats the workers and lobbies politicians to get away with more human right abuses, the money goes to local bookshops. So even if you didn't find what you wanted in your local bookshop (though it's always still worth checking out and the shop keeper will be able to recommend you an alternative!), you can order from a wider range and not contribute to making Amazon a monopoly.

In the UK and USA: Bookshop.org. In the UK there's also Hive.

In Spain: todostuslibros.com

In Italy: bookdealer.it

In France: Librairies Indépendantes and LaLibrairie.com

In Portugal: RELI (Rede de Livrarias Independentes)

In Aotearoa (New Zealand): BookHub

In Bulgaria: libristo.bg, book.store.bg, and knizhen-pazar.net (thank you @samodivas!)

In Germany: genialokal.de (thank you @lazzerot!)

In the Netherlands: libris.nt (thank you @maramontwrites!)

Add yours if we're still missing it! ^^

[questwithambition]

To be loved loudly is all I want from this life

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A visual metaphor for falling in love.

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Bothersome beast, comforting friend

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some of you are a little too pretty to be on tumblr i think you should be luring people to their watery demise instead

[questwithambition]

Most anti phone advice is so inane and regurgitated to me but one thing I’ve been thinking about for days is “social media is okay, but the real danger comes in when you think your phone should be your go to during your limited pockets of leisure” like that’s literally the truest thing ever

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sometimes life is the most complicated thing ever and you feel like you'll never know peace and then sometimes life is as simple as feeling at peace after sitting on a bench for 30 minutes

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You came to the side of the bed and sat staring at me. Then you kissed me—I felt hot wax on my forehead. I wanted it to leave a mark: that's how I knew I loved you. Because I wanted to be burned, stamped, to have something in the end—

Louise Glück, from "The Encounter"

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we developed powerful teeth and jaws to rend the flesh of the devious sourdough loaf

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Christmas Ask ❆

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Brooklyn Swenson, Autumn Walks, 2022, Acrylic gouache on paper

[questwithambition]

To me, divine discontent is about cheerfully seeking out dissatisfaction. It’s choosing to ask, What could be better? What can I improve? It’s a feeling that practitioners across many fields—in literature, art, music, performance, film; but also the sciences, engineering, and mathematics—can relate to. […] Divine discontent is about patient, unyielding discipline. It’s Flaubert’s four and a half years spent writing Madame Bovary, and complaining to friends and lovers about how displeased he was with his writing. […] Divine discontent is about aspiring to greatness, to be unembarrassed and indomitable in your ambitions. It’s Helen DeWitt studying classics at Oxford, before realizing that she wanted to write a great work of literature, and not just write about them. […] Divine discontent is revealed in the tireless, mundane work of improving one’s craft. It’s Lydia Davis, the renowned short story writer and translator, writing constantly in her notebook—and revising her notebook entries for coherence, clarity, and style.

Celine Nguyen, the divine discontent

[questwithambition]

in the club asking the dj to play mary oliver reading wild geese

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Every morning I walk like this around the pond, thinking: if the doors of my heart ever close, I am as good as dead. Every morning, so far, I'm alive.

Mary Oliver, from"Landscape" in Dream Work

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Natural History in Zoological Gardens, by Frank E. Beddard. Illustration by Winifred Austen. 1905.

Internet Archive

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next week being christmas feels fake but okay

[questwithambition]