#AMAZING BOOK

[simwrlds]

a casual Wednesday ❀

[chrlstyy]

PIP AND RAVI AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[slowandsweet]

[girlfromthecrypt]

First book I finished in 2024

The Glutton by A K Blakemore is a historical fiction novel; a reimagining of the life of the real French soldier Tarare who was said to have an unfathomably large, at times inhuman appetite. This was the first book I finished in 2024, and I finished it in two days over two long sessions. I'm normally anything but a fast reader and I actually haven't finished any of the last three books I purchased before this. My attention is fleeting, hard to be captured and easily lost.

The Glutton captured and held my attention for the entirety of its length.

I had never read anything by A K Blakemore before, so I didn't know what I was in for, but I was immediately charmed by her style. I don't often enjoy flowery language and poetic prose, but somehow, it really worked for me here. The story of Tarare is a gritty, gloomy and at times disgusting one, but even the darkest parts of this book are told in a narrative voice so beautiful that it makes them seem idyllic. This deeply unsettling contrast had me absolutely engrossed until the end, and when I had turned the last page, I was genuinely sad that it was over. Which made for a weird mix of emotions, given how disturbing the subject material was at times.

And I have to underline that it was, indeed, disturbing.

I have consumed a lot of dark literature and am very desensitized. Most of the time, I don't enjoy horrific fiction because the elements contained within strike me as senseless, gratuitive and void of substance. I didn't have that feeling with The Glutton. There was a lot of grittiness, yes, but it was never just for “the effect”. Every time the writing made me feel uneasy, it directly related to the inner world of the protagonist and the circumstances of his life, the current time period and its hardships. And even if it didn't have any kind of meaning, it was still told in such stunning prose that it almost felt romantic. Again, none of the things that happen in this book are comforting or beautiful, but with the way they're being told, it almost deceives you into believing they are.

Another thing that I loved about this was that the prose never seemed overdone or pretentious. It was more like a steady ebb and flow perfectly tailored to any given point in the story. It never seemed out of place or ill-fitting while at the same time being VERY MUCH out of place and ill-fitting, but it was always intentional and highly effective.

After I finished this book, I felt genuinely empty, and I just knew I was going to miss it. Now, a week or so later, I do. I really feel like this book is something special, and I'm definitely going to pick up The Manningtree Witches (also by A K Blakemore) as soon as I get around to it. The Glutton was not only a huge joy (though joy might not be the best word for it) to read, it actually made me want to read more. That's also why I wrote this review in the first place. I hope more people check this out and like it as much as I did.

[itkillsmeitbringsmelife]

The characters for The secret history by Donna Tart. Some (Henry) didn't turn out that well but I genuinely didn't want to redo him, another time maybe(the reference was difficult too smh)

in order(although you could figure it out) Richard, Francis, Camilla, Charles, Bunny, Henry

[smileandneversurrender]

I don’t want you to think I got through this undamaged, okay? But I’m learning to live with it. Because otherwise, the damage is all you are.

David Levithan - Every you, every me

[vaultedvagabond]

All the ways I expected House of Leaves to be a difficult read were easy. Beyond the obfuscations, the narrative itself is pretty linear, and the weird text layouts convey emotion and space extremely well.

However I did not expect how difficult Zampanó's psuedo intellectualism or Truant's pages long train of thought sexcapades would be to read.

[softshuji]

Oh he's so much like sanzu I wanna eat him.

[taliasbrainpurge]

Shadows of The Night Scents

Ok so this is purely my opinion on this very random subject but enjoy what I think Nyx and the vamps from Shadows of the Night by @charlizekkelly would smell like as someone who works in a small cosmetics store. This is purely based on descriptions in the book as well as the vibes I got while reading. Take this with a grain of salt.

Nyx: I feel like Nyx would enjoy the fragrances from Maison Margiela but specifically Autumn Vibes and Jazz Club. However I feel like Not A Perfume from Juliette has a Gun would also suit her.

Orion: Ok so I have two fragrances that I feel would work for him. The first being Ombré Leather by Tom Ford. It’s a very strong fragrance with heavy leather notes that softens as it settles. The second being Wanted from Azzaro it’s a softer woodsy scent with hints of spice

Kotori: Luna Rossa Carbon or Ocean by Prada. I feel like both would suit him. Carbon is a warm woodsy fragrance and Ocean is more of an aquatic spicy scent.

Kade: Personally I feel like Kade has a little bit of a respectful fuck boy energy (i mean this in a good way I swear) and so I think Eros from Versace would suit him. Guilty Black from Gucci is also one that seems like something he would wear

Nico: Niko has that respectful and flirty personality and there are a few scents that would work. I’d say Myslf from YSL or Aqua Di Gio would both suit him.

Also I feel like K from Dolce & Gabbana would work for any of the vamps

Again this is purely my opinion and I’ll post a little review of the book when I get off work. But I hope you enjoyed this.

[i-live-in-dreams]

Me rereading inkheart:

Omg they are so not traumatized

Meanwhile them: getting kidnapped, nearly getting shot, being kidnapped AGAIN, nearly getting shot once more, thinking her dad is dead, nearly being forced to kill her mother

[tiodolma]

finished Discworld: Small Gods. and i genuinely think this book is going to have the same effect on me as that one line from the cardinal in Angels and Demons (2009):

"DO SO GENTLY."

[highflyartist]

Welp-

I am in tears.

I am actually crying-

Wanna know why?

CUZ OF THE NEW SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK I BOUGHT!!

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Clara & The Nutcracker is supposedly a sequel to the og story written by @kaleidraws

This is the second self-published book I bought; the first one being Hidden Flames by ToonyFando

I heard about it and I wanted to read it so badly, but it cost a lot of money. So I waited and waited AND WAITED and then my grandma gave me a digital amazon gift card with 50 bucks.

So I did the thing I always wanted to do. I bought the book. It arrived today and it took me 2 hours to read this thing and let me tell you-

IT WAS WORTH IT!!

--

I loved the hell out of this story and I freaking couldn't stop going back to each chapter, wondering "OMFG did he/she really do that?!"

I was so into the story that even though I had set goals to take a break after a couple chapters, I just couldn't stop reading! My curiosity peaked at its highest!

The story plot, the characters, like all of this stuff that happened 20 years later after the og story was mindblowing!

As usual, I won't give out spoilers but if you want a book that reminds you of the classic tales of E.T.A. Hoffmann along with more adventure and exciting and heart-wrenching moments that happened, I recommend this book cuz holy shit!

✨I LOVED IT✨

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If you wanna buy a paperback copy (like I did), they're on sale on Amazon:

If you want the Ebook Version, it's on Amazon Kindle. (Surprisingly, it's free on Kindle-)

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OVERALL REVIEW SCORE OF CLARA & THE NUTCRACKER:

10 out of 5 Stars

Cuz I loved this story to heck! This is just amazing! (God makes me wanna draw more fanart of this story)

--

Clara & The Nutcracker was written by @kaleidraws

*Disclaimer: This review is my personal opinion only.

[bookwyrm42]

I read this in about 3 days. This was amazing. I almost cried when the father died bc I went through that too.

The way the story and world slowly grew larger and deeper was so intoxicating I couldn't put this down because it felt like I needed answers as much as the main character, Onyesonwu, did.

The mix of technology into the world was subtle and intriguing. Not a full fledged stereotypical sci-fi world, but absolutely still science fiction. And the inclusion of the religious into the magic and the mundane, complex and interesting.

I reccomend this book so much! It delt with a lot of heavy topics that need light brought on them. It also offered something of a cathartic resolution to all the strife.

If you need TW for certain content than I advise looking up the book for your own TWs before reading.

[clavainov]

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

Now, if three girls enter a house and only two leave, is to blame? And if both girls tell a different story, but you read online that you have to BELIEVE WOMEN, what do you? Do you decide one is a woman and one isn't, so you can believe one them but not the other? Do you take the side of the woman who is most like you? Or the most intersectional one? But one is rich, and white, and trans, and the other is rich, and Asian and a lesbian, and cis (?), and fuck, who wins here? In the end it's so hard to choose where your sympathies settle. So, you go online and find an `intersectionality score calculator' on the internet. You use it to try to work out who is more oppressed. According to the calculator, Alice has an intersectionality score of 44, making her more privileged than 32% of others. Who these others are is unclear. 

[lovebooksforeversblog]

DIAL A FOR AUNTIES ~ follows Meddelin Chan and her mom and her three aunties. When meddy is forced to go on a blind date fixed by her mom, she accidentally kills him when he touches her inappropriately, so her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Somehow the body ends up in an island where the aunties and meddy are wedding planners for a rich family. And biggest surprise is the hotel, wedding is taking place is run by meddy's EX.

From here the story goes CRAZY, you have to read it, to know what happens.🙌 full of murder and mayhem 🤯🤯🤪

MUAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭 just wow! Just wow!

I loved this one very much, it was very well written and was a nice refreshing plot. It was funny as hell 😆😆the aunties and mom are so cool dude ����, it has murder, romance, family dynamics, rich indo-chinese culture, wedding dramas, robbery and so much more.

It's absolutely entertaining, it's perfect, it felt like watching a movie. Definitely a worthy read.

FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

[deadrayg2mf]

A Soul to Touch (Duskwalker Brides #3) by Opal Reyne

This is it, this one is my favorite. I adored this read, gobbled up all 589 pages as fast as I could. I lost sleep reading this book, staying up late and getting up early just so I could consume more of Mayumi and Faunus' story. Eat, sleep, breathe Mayumi and Faunus.

Mayumi is a former demonslayer, with her eyes set on keeping the gig up as long as possible whether she's part of the guild or not. She is small, strong, stubborn, and kinky. She also lacks some emotional intelligence and doesn't exactly speak with all the elegance we can get from some others. Basically? She's a normal fucking girl living in a demon-infested world and making the best of what she's got going on. And I love her so much. She is one of my all-time favorite characters. She's not always sure what to say, she can't always express herself perfectly, and sometimes she doesn't know how to handle a situation, but gosh she sure is doing her best and that's all we can expect. Some other highlights include being a fellow monsterfucker and bisexual!

Faunus is our big, monstrous male lead. He is funny, sarcastic, kind of a goofball but with a serious and introspective side to himself. He's the duskwalker with the most humanity so far in the series, and also the most well-versed in bedroom play. This one can crank out some serious dirty talk and he loves watching in the mirror; see also: breeding kink and size kink. He's going through it from what we saw of him in the previous book, and he continues to go through it in this book so buckle up for some heart wrenching moments.

This book has it all; great writing, great characters, gut-punching angst, heart attack inducing smut, and butterflies-in-the-tummy slow burn romance. I'm saying I pulled that one stunt and stopped reading for a couple days about 30 pages from the end - not for bad reasons, but because I simply couldn't bear for this story to come to an end. That's how much I loved this story. 10/10

Would I read again? Yes, 100 times over, I adore this book!

Would I recommend? Absolutely, I encourage it, please read this book it's so good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!