#Amani's Diary

[nelysius]

Super late introduction

hii my name is amani. i'm 18 and my pronouns are she/her. i'm into shifting and loa and need more ppl to talk to abt it, so if anyone wants to be friends hmu i swear i'm nice!!

Drs: vampire diaries, bts, jujutsu kaisen, sidemen, f1, better cr, hogwarts, pjo, mcu, basically any content i consume (i have a problem)

Interests: watching films, making scripts (or just sorting details out in my head when i'm too lazy), manifesting + loa, shifting ofc, making friends, learning languages (mainly korean)

DNI: anti-shifters (literally i don't give a shit abt what you guys say so just leave), homophobics, transphobics, racists, etc.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🌙 Books for Arab American Heritage Month 🌙

🌙 Good morning, bookish bats, and Eid Mubarak to those who are celebrating. Eid al-Fitr ("the feast of breaking the fast") marks the end of Ramadan, an Islamic holy month of fasting and sacrifice. April is also Arab American Heritage month, which celebrates the 3.7 million Arab Americans across the country. This is an opportunity to combat Anti-Arab bigotry by challenging stereotypes and prejudices.

✨ One of the best ways to do so is to read books ABOUT Arab Americans. To help, here are a few books for Arab American Heritage Month you can read, discuss, or add to your ever-growing TBR!

[ List under the cut. ]

✨ Growing up, I didn't have books that represented my experiences as an Arab or Muslim American. My friends didn't have stories to read that could help them understand my perspective. With that in mind, I added children's books on the last slide, for the moms out there searching for diverse books--books that allow us to empathize and understand different perspectives and experiences.

🌙 A Woman Is No Man - Etaf Rum ✨ The Other Americans - Laila Lamami 🌙 You Exist Too Much - Zaina Arafat ✨ Grape Leaves - Gregory Orfalea and Sharif Elmusa 🌙 The Wrong End of the Telescope - Rabih Alameddine ✨ The Beauty of Your Face - Sahar Mustafah 🌙 Martyr - Kaveh Akbar ✨ Between Two Moons - Aisha Abdel Gawad 🌙 Tasting the Sky - Ibtisam Barakat ✨ A Game for Swallows - Zeina Abirached 🌙 Love Is An Ex-Country - Randa Jarrar ✨ The Thirty Names of Night - Zeyn Joukhadar

🌙 I Was Their American Dream - Malaka Gharib ✨ A Country Called Amreeka - Alia Malek 🌙 A Theory of Birds - Zaina Alsous ✨ Against the Loveless World - Susan Abulhawa 🌙 Arab in America - Toufic El Rassi ✨ The Skin and Its Girl - Sarah Cypher 🌙 Sex and Lies - Leïla Slimani ✨ Loom - Thérèse Soukar Chehade 🌙 Birds of Paradise - Diana Abu-Jaber ✨ Come With Me - Noami Shihab Nye 🌙 Girls of Riyadh - Rajāʼ ʻAbd Allāh Ṣāniʻ ✨ How Does It Feel to Be a Problem? - Moustafa Bayoumi

🌙 Evil Eye - Etaf Rum ✨ The Girl Who Fell to Earth - Sophia Al-Maria 🌙 What Strange Paradise - Omar El Akaad ✨ Girls That Never Die - Safia Elhillo 🌙 Bahari - Dina Macki ✨ Life Without a Recipe - Diana Abu-Jaber 🌙 Egyptian Diary - Richard Platt ✨ Man O'War - Cory McCarthy 🌙 The Cave - Amani Ballour, MD ✨ The Map of Salt and Stars - Zeyn Joukhadar 🌙 They Called Me a Lioness - Ahed Tamimi and Dena Takruri ✨ Salt Houses - Hala Alyan

🌙 Arabiyya - Reem Assil ✨ Mornings in Jenin - Susan Abulhawa 🌙 Shubeik Lubeik - Deena Mohamed ✨ The Wrong End of the Telescope - Rabih Alameddine 🌙 Conditional Citizens - Laila Lamami ✨ An Unnecessary Woman - Rabih Alameddine 🌙 It Won't Always Be Like This - Malaka Gharib ✨ Proud - Ibtihaj Muhammad 🌙 The Land in Our Bones - Layla K Feghali ✨ Everything Comes Next - Naomi Shihab Nye 🌙 The Immortals of Tehran - Ali Araghi ✨ Starstruck - Sarafina El-Badry Nance

🌙 Our Women on the Ground - Various ✨ The Jasad Heir - Sara Hashem 🌙 Tell Me How You Really Feel - Aminah Mae Safi ✨ Surge - Etel Adnan 🌙 Here to Stay - Sara Farizan ✨ We Hunt the Flame - Hafsah Faisal 🌙 A Tempest of Tea - Hafsah Faizal ✨ The Bad Muslim Discount - Syed M. Masood 🌙 A Girl Like That - Tanaz Bhathena ✨ Not the Girls You're Looking For - Aminah Mae Safi 🌙 All-American Muslim Girl - Nadine Jolie Courtney ✨ The Moon That Turns You Back - Hala Alyan

🌙 Ms. Marvel - Destined - Saladin Ahmed ✨ Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card - Sara Saedi 🌙 Internment - Samira Ahmed ✨ Stardust Thief - Chelsea Abdullah 🌙 Once Upon an Eid - Various ✨ Farah Rocks Fifth Grade - Susan Muaddi Darraj 🌙 Barakah Beats - Maleeha Siddiqui ✨ Amira's Picture Day - Reem Faruqi 🌙 The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman ✨ Lailah's Lunchbox - Reem Faruqi 🌙 In My Mosque - M.O. Yuksel ✨ Halal Hot Dogs - Susannah Aziz

🌙 The Proudest Blue - Ibtihaj Muhammad ✨ Silverworld - Diana Abu-Jaber 🌙 Other Words for Home - Jasmine Warga ✨ Time to Pray - Maha Addasi 🌙 Under My Hijab - Hena Khan ✨ Wishing Upon the Same Stars - Jacquetta Nammar Feldman 🌙 Amina's Voice - Hena Khan ✨ Yasmin the Recycler - Saadia Faruqi 🌙 The Shape of Thunder - Jasmine Warga ✨ Deep in the Sahara - Kelly Cunnane, Hoda Hadadi 🌙 The Turtle of Michigan - Naomi Shihab Nye ✨ Shad Hadid and the Alchemists of Alexandria - George Jreije

[prettyebonylux]

YouTuber’s I'm Taking Into 2024:

Adama Lorna {self-development, finances, self-care}

Afrifitness {dance, workout, exercise}

Alexa Raya {books, book reviews}

Aliyiahsface {beauty, vlogs, fashion}

Amani Rakeia {vlogging, self-care}

Andrea Renee {haul, self-care}

Anne Renns World {beauty, wig tutorials}

Annika {self-care, vlogs, faith}

Ashley Plays {sims 4, gameplay, entertainment}

Ashley Sinari {luxury, self-care, beauty, vlogs}

Ashleysayque {fitness, weight loss journey}

Athina {vlogs, beauty, wellness}

Atozy {commentary}

Ayesha Noelle | Affirmations {Affirmation}

BeautifulBrwnBabyDol {self-care, self-development,fitness, beauty}

Black Women Making Money {finance, self-development}

Breanna Anastasia {beauty, fashion, vlogs}

Brick Science {legos, creativity, entertainment}

Brown Skin Gurls {tech, self-development}

Buns {sims 4, gameplay, entertainment}

Chrissie {commentary, pro-bw}

Classical Ballet and Opera House {ballet, opera, entertainment}

Cocoa Styling - For Dark Skin Women {fashion, color theory}

Conceptually Yours {jazz music, vintage music}

Cooking with Tammy {cooking, baking}

Creatively Designed Presents {pro-bw, entertainment}

Daisy Keech {exercise, health}

De’arra Taylor {vlogs, entertainment}

DIDI DA DON {commentary}

Doing Life Alone Diaries {self-development, self-care}

Dr.Alexis Stephen’s {self-care, skin care tips}

Dr Cheries Types {commentary, entertainment}

Elicia Goguenard {leveling up, self-development, self-care}

EmilyOandbows {vlogs, fashion, travel}

Enny {vlogs, beauty, lifestyles}

Eugenia Berg {commentary, pro-bw}

Eva Rose Rankin {beauty}

Fatima Bah {vlogs, self care, beauty}

FBK1976 {fashion}

Forbes {wealth-building, education, finance}

Frank Automotive {cars}

GreenBeauty {hair care}

Growwithjo {health, exercise}

Hailey Gamba {leveling up, self-care, self-development}

Hannah Adkins {vlogs}

Heidi Priebe {self-development, healing advice}

Iconicallyiconic {commentary, fashion}

Icyaffect {entertainment}

Isawelly {health, pilates, exercise}

Island Vibes Cooking {cooking, baking}

Jackie Aina {lifestyle, beauty, fashion}

JadeWadey 180 {skincare, wellness}

James Turner {sims 4, gameplay}

Jami ThatsMe {commentary, entertainment}

Jamila Musayeva {etiquette, self-development}

Jaz Turner {beauty, level-up}

Jennifer Cynthia {asmr}

Kaice Alea {natural hair, self-care, beauty, vlogs}

Kameron Monet {lifestyle, vlog}

Kelly Stamps {entertainment}

Khalilah D. {books, book reviews}

Kirah Ominique {vlogs, beauty, fashion}

Klassically Kept {hair-care, fashion}

KMA Therapy Toronto: Psychotherapist {self-development, mental health}

Ky Lashaii {vlogs, self-care, self-development}

Laili Mirza {fashion, luxury, vlogs, beauty}

Lavishly Jackie {beauty, fashion, lifestyle}

Leah Gordone {pro-bw, crime documentary}

LeonoraSmee {vlog, lifestyle, fashion, beauty}

Life with Symone {storytelling, entertainment}

Lilsimsie {sims 4, gameplay}

Lizzy Lew Food {cooking, baking}

MackZBoss {commentary}

Maleeka, is my guardian angel {self-development}

Mark Rober {entertainment, engineering, physics}

Marrissa breann {self-development, faith, self-care, vlog}

Maryhia Layla {luxury, vlogs, self-care}

Master Key Society {books, audiobooks}

Maya Galore {vlogs, self-care, beauty, lifestyle}

MedCircle {mental health, self-development}

Michaela Bento {lifestyle, self-care, vlogs}

Miss Feminine {self-development, leveling up}

Mocha Mommy {self-development, pro-bw, lifestyle}

Montrella Bee {self-development, lifestyles}

Morgan Dionne {beauty, lifestyle}

Mossonyi {visual storytelling}

Most of Miree {commentary, self-development}

Motivation2Study {motivation speeches}

Mountain Rug Cleaner {ASMR}

MsAaliyahJay {vlogs, lifestyle}

Mélanique {lifestyle, vlog}

Naomi Kong {weight training, health, exercise}

Nicole {self-care, lifestyle}

Noir {entertainment, pro-bw}

Octavia B {vlog, lifestyle, beauty}

Olivia Yang {self-care, lifestyle}

Patrick Boyle {financial education, economic updates, self-development}

PCOS Weight Loss {health, exercise, womanhood

Psych2Go {mental health}

Queen Chioma {commentary}

Robert Greene {self-development, education}

Sabrina Shanghie {skin-care, beauty, self-care}

Samí Moon {ballet, fashion, pink aesthetic}

Saudiah B. {beauty, vlogs, lifestyle}

Semide ASMR {asmr}

Soft Life Through Christ {faith, commentary}

Sophie Shohet {luxury, fashion, hauls}

Study To Success {studying tips, uni-life, education}

Taliyah Joelle {health, weightlifting}

Tamara Kalinic {luxury, fashion}

Taylor Miree {beauty, lifestyle, fashion}

TD Bricks {legos, entertainment}

Tea Renee {self-care, vlogs, beauty}

Teaira Walker {beauty, fashion, vlog, lifestyle}

The Chic Maven {luxury, fashion}

The Danni Rose {cooking, baking}

The Economist {economics, business, education}

The Learmann Twins {uni-life, vlogs}

TheKenyaAlysia {vlogs, beauty}

Thewizardliz {motivation, self-development}

Tiffany TV {self-care, self-development}

Tom Bilyeu {motivation, self-development}

TotallyCluelessTV {entertainment}

Transmuted Living {self-development, pro-BW, self care}

Treadchic {health, exercise}

TRINDINGTOPIC {self-development, self-care, leveling up}

TroyceTV {commentary}

Vicky Justiz {health, exercise}

Vogue {beauty, fashion, self-care}

Women Love Power {feminine archetypes, womanhood}

Your Vintage Lane (Jazz music, vintage music}

[ihatetbrlists]

The Reading Diaries #5

Mirage, by Somaiya Daud

From my TBR? Yes, GoodReads.

Young Adult with a Marocco-inspired setting but make it sci-fi. We meet Amani, a girl who unfortunately for her has the same face as the very hated princess of their planet. So she gets abducted to be her body double in dangerous situations. The princess has also a fiancé who can't know that the princess is not the princess but Amani.

What a fantastic premise, am I right? Well, the execution was a little less enthusing.

It fell flat. Amani wasn't a very interesting character, in my opinion. There were long stretches in the plot when nothing really happened.

And the most intriguing part (will the fiancè realize that they switched girls?) was resolved rather abruptly + the romance felt super forced. I think it could have become much more interesting if Amani's changing attitude towards the princess had been explored, in a sort of Stockholm Syndrome way. But this is YA, not Dark Romance, so oh well.

There is a second book but I don't think I'll be reading it.

[juniaships]

Amani's Die-ary (day 1)

September 4

I can't believe it's been two months since I started working here. To celebrate Tanya gave me a diary. She said that keeping diaries helps with the stress of working here. LORD let me tell you something the stress is worth actual health benefits. It wasn't as bad as when I worked at Plow's, the people may dress weird here but at least they weren't racist. Except for the boss's eldest, she gave me the stank eye the other day when I told her her daddy was in a meeting and can't talk to her that moment. I do not like that girl at all. In fact I don't think anyways around here does her very name sets off literal alarms.

Since I already had a bunch of journals at home I was worried about the extra clutter. My dreams were getting more frequent, and I often wrote them down to try to understand them. But I accepted the gift anyways. It won't hurt to have one just more book and I didn't want to be rude. Tanya's only known me for a short while and yet she's been more friendly to me than some of my ex coworkers from Plow's whom I knew for years. Even if she had a head of a bull and bright pink suits.

The cover was a gorgeous shade of green with gold glittery patterns and a face of a skull. It looked rather cute like Hello Kitty, even had a bow on its head. The pen she gave me was also the same color. "Thank you, where you get it from?" I asked.

"I got it on sale at Moles! I think you might like it seeing you like to write," Tanya said.

I have never heard of Moles before. Must be where everyone gets their silly outfits from. But it was true I did like to write in fact I write everything down because as useful technology is there's just something so pleasing about handwriting. Plus it helped to remember things when the systems shut down unexpectedly. Which were also repeat occurrences. After I thanked Tanya we went our separate ways and I got into my cubicle to start on my work.

Work was boring. You have to sit through a bunch of documents of potential clients, their personal tastes and rooms and all that good stuff that hurt my mind trying to list it all. There were times we almost got scammed us out of the more expensive items but they never go through with it. As well as securing orders, analyzing each item to make sure they weren't fake. Meeting clients were a special sort of hell as half of them couldn't even tell a kimono from a basic bathrobe. So sad and so racist.

As I stared at the screen I began to tap my new pen on the desk. Perhaps I should try out my new journal to pass the time. The first page had instructions to fill out the blanks. They were fairly simple:

Parents: Malik and Kiara Nesar

Age: 40

Killer Style: whatever fits me (and my budget) but soft materials, bright yet not gaudy

Freaky Flaw: OVERWHELMED and not really allowing myself to rest

Pet: None but I want a pitbull or doberman just to spite some ppl

Favorite activity: Journaling, but also knitting

Biggest Pet Peeve: I hate it when you do something for someone and they act so ungrateful also I don't like

Favorite Subject: History it's so fun reading how people devised so many ways to kill each other :)

Least Favorite Subject: Physical exercise I am 40 years old and can't even make it up a flight of stairs

Favorite Color: Green, it's what the younguns called "aesthetically pleasing"

BFFs: Hmmm too early to say but Tanya since she's been so nice to me since I started.

After filling it out I skimmed through the pages. Most of them were blank but they had some extra stuff. Even a coloring section. Neat!

Well.. That's kinda it really. I don't have much to write into. Maybe later tonight if something interesting happens I can write it down. For now I must direct all my focus on work. Halloween was coming up and somehow that season was one of the busiest for sales so I had to make sure to prepare.

September 5 3:05

Nothing interesting happened. Just the same old same old. As soon as I got back home I cracked open the white grape and immediately sunk into the couch to sleep. Shit's been draining and I did not feel like - oh no. I left my diary on my desk!! >:(

[yomotsu-hirasaka-12th]

[hotchocolateandpillowforts]

tagged by @eg515 

10 favourite female characters (in no particular order)

1. Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter Books) 2. Blue Sargent (The Raven Cycle Books) 3. Caroline Forbes (The Vampire Diaries TV Show) 4. Joan Watson (Elementary TV Show) 5. Davina Claire (The Originals TV Show) 6. Amani Al’Hiza (Rebel of the Sands Books) 7. Ella Lopez (Lucifer TV Show) 8. Shahrzad al-Khayzuran (The Wrath and the Dawn Books) 9. Inej Ghafa (Six of Crows Books) 10. Zoey Caldwell (The Tourist Attraction Book)

I’m tagging: @stellanotecor, @bookspark, and anyone who wants to do this one.

[voidselfshipp]

♡|The Shadow Under The Sun|♡

[OKAY TO RB PLZ RB WITH NICE THINGS!!]

A woman Walked down a corridor with some paperwork in hand, her pace is quick and she starts to take deepbreaths, her boots Clack when they meet the floor.

--Jerico!--juno said as the woman entered the medical bay--you brought the Papers I asked

--yep!--she said fixing her green turtle neck--oh and one more thing...the alpha team and I are taking the day off

--sure--the medic says, Sitting on their desk--but you Will have to guide the New operator coming in tomorrow

Jeri sighs-- why am I always the one that gets chosen to show the Newbies around?

--Well..agent naga and agent rascal have Zero to no charisma,agent godcell doesnt know the layout of the base and agent wonderland

--He Will flirt with the male rookies hes done that since we were kids--jer followed--Do you know if seargeant von terra has called?

--Im afraid not jer...im sorry

The woman sighs holding her necklace --I hate when he does that....

They Keep in silence for two seconds--inform Him that he needs to call me when he has some spare time ,okay?

Juno nodds--Count on it

Jerico walks out the medic bay.

--No luck eh?

--Sadly

A crow sits on her shoulder and she feeds them a sunflower seed cookie

--Look scale...its gonna be alright, ya old Man is tough...besides I heard the Newbie is a Real catch , trust me

She snorts--Sure--they start to walk to the cafeteria,--now youre gonna tell me you have a photo of him, dont you?

The crow Snickers and pulls a folded paper out of their wing--His name is Samuel Leo fisher....his codename? Zero...hes around 63

jer unfolds the photo and gasps softly-- he is very handsome...., Man my 16 Year self would love him....

--And your present self too

--Shut the fuck up before I Cook you

-- you dont have the balls to!

--Youre right cause I have ovaries

they enter the cafeteria, amani is there behind the counter,the old black woman smiles-- What y'all arguing about?

--The newbie is her type and she doesnt want to accept it ?

--Old guy with troubled past?

--Ye

--Well--amani says--im on the side of the chicken here

--see?-- HEY!

--amani give the damn food already

--You two are gonna end up togheter!youll see jer!

--aMANI!

Jerico sits to eat her lunch in silence,enjoying the quiet muttering of the cafeteria.

--Ill have to prepare the whole tour...fuck....--she munches on her food with a heavy expression.

She cant get a day off can she?

Now shes there filing some paperwork and fixing a schedule.

"And I have to wake up early too?!, oh my Elena..." she thinks closing her diary.

The woman lays on her bed as a black cat rests ontop of her chest purring.

--you were right--the cat perks up-- he is my type...bit I dont want to hear a Word of it

The cat mewls and lays their head down.

The afternoon sun comes in from the tiny Window in the room.

The Next day arrives, and jer very grumpily gets up from bed and takes a hot shower.

"Who told me that waking up two hours before the arrival was a good idea?"

She quickly changes Into her normal uniform, with that green turtleneck under it , she holds the necklace tight.

The heavy boots met the floor with a thud, a Man gets out of the convoy, with hefty steps he approaches the woman.

His breath hitches as his eyes meets her own, behind those big round glasses hid these bright green emeralds, who looked up to him with a polite smile.

--Morning Mr Fisher --her soft voice said--how did you found the trip here? If youre too tired we can pospone the tour for some hours

The Man , who for once tripped on his own words said--n no, I just need to leave my bags in my room and ill be good to go

--no need to, Sir, your baggage Will be taken to your New headquarters soon

He nodds and walks with jerico into the base.

Its gonna be a long day

The base felt huge to sam, but his mind was in another place.

Jer was explaining the same thing for the fifth time, her tone is still gentle.

--Uh mr fisher?,you okay?, do you need to lay down?--her hand presses to his arm, squeezing it.

His cheeks run red-- no no im fine...

A concerned expression plasters on her face, his hand removes her squeezing it-- im fine...lets continue

Her cheeks turn Pink, but her smile remains.

The tour ends an hour later.

--Heres your room mr fisher,If you need anything my room is 419,go there anytime youre unsure of something

Sam Leans in the doorsill, and bites his Lower lip--Will you be free later?

Jer perks up-- yeah, why?

--would you be up to eat lunch with me?

Shes taken back but nodds--Of course!, hey uh I need to go now, but ill see you at 12:30 ?

He nodds-- yeah, ill see you then.....?

--Jerico, jerico Von Terra

--Ill see you then jerico

They say goodbye and they go their separate ways, Sam was trying to calm down, unpacking his stuff.

What was wrong with him?.

He doesnt loose his cool like that ...well never!.

He sits and hides his face in his hands,she was really pretty.

She did not lose her cool when he failed to concentrate on what she was saying five times already, but her face was absolutely beautiful.

The hour of their meeting arrived quickly, and now sam was fixing his hair for the seventh time in a row.

Then he sees hes running late and bolts out of the room.

Jerico is sitting at the cafeteria...shes thinking of leaving when the Man bursts through the door, their eyes meet and jer chuckles at the loose strands of hair that fell out infront of his face.

--There you are!

--Sorry I was busy

--its okay, oh you have --her hand brushes a strand of hair out of his face--there

His cheeks flush crimson red and looks away.

--Hungry?

--Yeah, the trip left me starving

While they eat lunch they Keep silent as sam doesnt know how to go about this so he sighs.

--So...how long have you been working here

Jer smiles --Well....a long time, I started my training when I was very young...I have my own squadron, and all, I know youve been in the bussines for a long time

--Yes ive been

--Id love to train with you someday...if you have any tips so I can get better, if you dont mind

--not at all, im more than happy to help

The rest of the lunch are kept in small talk with not much detail.

Jerico scorts Sam back to his room as he seemed very lost.

--i have to do some thing still but swing by the workshop,or my room.

--ill Keep it in mind, and uh jerico?

--hmmm?

--i had fun eating lunch with you today....ill see you later

She nodds and smiles--Ill see you soon too

Jer leaves and he closes the door, he sits on his bed.

Today was one hell of a day...and it hasnt even finished.

[libertyreads]

Best and Worst Books of 2020

This has been a mess of a year for everyone, but I actually managed to get a lot of books read. I decided to repeat this post from last year because I enjoyed going back through all the things I read and remembering how I felt about them.

I’ll try to avoid any repeats, but I’m sure it’ll happen at some point. If you want more info about my feelings on these books, check out my ratings and reviews on GoodReads.

Best Sci-Fi: This one was such an easy pick for me. All Systems Red by Martha Wells. This whole series just knocks it out of the park. The Murderbot Diaries is a series about a Security Bot who hacks their governor module so they can just watch their shows all day. Too bad the humans they’re assigned to protect are getting into trouble left and right. Worst Sci-Fi: Starstruck by Brenda Hiatt. I remember this being a free e-book that I picked up this year. I explained it to my husband as a sci-fi version of Twilight. You get a small town nerdy girl with few friends who suddenly becomes important when this alien boy pays attention to her. It was definitely a book of its time. Best Fantasy: A Fantasy that I really enjoyed this year was Fable by Adrienne Young. It is about a girl whose pirate father leaves her stranded on a deserted island after her mother dies. If she can survive, she can find her way back to him and receive her inheritance. It goes in depth about family and friendship. Plus found families. Am I right? Worst Fantasy: The Magicians by Lev Grossman. Oh boy. How do I get into it with this one without regurgitating my review? I had a problem with the author taking all of the best known magical stories of all time and twisting them throughout this dense book in order to point out that magic is a problem to be dealt with and not all unicorns and rainbows--just to rip that point out of the reader’s hands in the last four pages of the novel. Please read my review I go so in depth there. Best Contemporary: Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson. I think this was mostly just that I read this book at the right time. This book is about a family who is going through a hard time when the father is diagnosed with terminal cancer. They decide to spend one final summer at their cabin on the lake before he passes. I distinctly remember crying my eyes out at the end of this one and it hitting me so hard. Worst Contemporary: Girls in the Moon by Janet McNally. This was a Book of the Month pick for me at a time when they had less variety in their options. I felt like I couldn’t keep pushing back my picks every month. It’s a story about this rock band family who divorced in the late 90s and the fall out for their two children while one moves to New York to pursue a music career. A lot of fluff and almost no substance. Best Mystery: This is the year I realized that I like YA Mystery novels and not a lot else in the mystery genre. I had a three way tie for best Mystery and they call came from the YA Age Range. The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson, In the Hall with the Knife by Diana Peterfreund, and The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. These were all done so well and all taking the things I love about mysteries and twisting them. Worst Mystery: In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware. I had heard so many amazing things about this book, but it fell so flat for me. I hate unreliable narrators. Why are they necessary in this genre? I feel like if you need an unreliable narrator to write a good mystery then you’re a bad mystery author. Best YA: Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton. This is book 2 in the Rebel of the Sands series. It’s a desert Fantasy that is written so well. The world building is fantastic. We have a rebellion, magic, and some amazing characters. In book two we see Amani thrust into court politics. I marathoned this whole series in a couple of weeks and loved the adventure. Worst YA: The worst YA book I read this year was Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke. I felt like the story went no where and the writing was overly flowery. I’m sure it does good things for some people but it’s the polar opposite of what I love in books. Best Adult: For this one we have a two way tie. The first book is House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas. Is this the next great American novel? Of course not. But I had an amazing time reading this book. I felt so many feelings and the world building was fantastic. The second book is In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren. I read an ARC of this for my Christmas in July and enjoyed it so much I had to read it again right before Christmas. It was perfect for getting in the Christmas spirit.  Worst Adult: This category is also a two way tie. I read The Broken Girls by Simone St. James and thoroughly disliked the mystery aspect of the story. I felt like it was left too open ended and it completely put me off. The second is a book of poetry called Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur. It felt like a lot of these poems were incomplete thoughts. Maybe it’s how open it is too interpretation again, but I really did not like this at all. Best New Release: This feels like the hardest category to pick from. If we’re going based on ratings, Check, Please! Volume #2: Sticks and Scones is the highest rated new release that I read this year. But I also have a couple of YA Mystery novels that I read this year that I loved and that stuck with me throughout the year. The first is The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson which is the third book in the Truly Devious series and finishes out that mystery arc. The second is The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes which I have been raving about since I read it this fall. The Inheritances games is the first book in a new series that is like a combination of Knives Out and Clue plus puzzles minus a few murders. It’s just so good. So, a top three for this category I guess. Worst New Release: The Bookweaver’s Daughter by Malavika Kannan. This one was easy to pick hands down. I felt like this book brushed over some major events that happened. As well, there’s a major lack of world building in this novel. I think with some polishing it could have made for a good middle grade novel but was sold as a YA novel. Best Backlist: The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty. I’m normally not huge into Adult Fantasy, but I feel like the author does a good job of making the world accessible to the reader even though it’s vast with a lot of political machinations. Probably one of the best series I read start to finish this year. Worst Backlist: The Cruelty by Scott Bergstrom. I was going to put in Wink Poppy Midnight here again, but technically I gave The Cruelty the same rating and I wanted to avoid repeats. For this one, I gave a LENGTHY review about my problems with the book. I wanted to like it, but the author’s internalized ableism and misogyny really ruined the party here. Best 2021 ARC: This was a two way tie between “You Have a Match” by Emma Lord and “Shipped” by Angie Hockman. I had no idea I enjoyed these equally because they’re such different books. Both are contemporaries but “You Have A Match” is YA Contemporary about families and secrets while “Shipped” is an Adult Contemporary about a hate to love romance and work/life balance. Worst 2021 ARC: “The Castle School (for Troubled Girls)” by Alyssa B. Sheinmel. This one is more of a problem about what the publishers sold the book as. Because the book summary wasn’t correct when it came to the whole point of the book. So I went in with completely incorrect expectations. I think because of the plot twist I would have still rated it lower than the other 2021 ARCs I read, but it would have been a closer contest. Best Standalone: I Hope You’re Listening by Tom Ryan. This is a YA Mystery that came out this Fall that I really enjoyed. It’s about a girl who is present when her friend gets taken from the woods. Years later she still has trouble dealing with being the child left behind so she starts a podcast to help people solve missing persons cases. It also had a surprise cult element that I wasn’t expecting and really enjoyed. Worst Standalone: Meet Me at Fir Tree Lodge by Rachel Dove. This one is a bit blurred in my brain. I think that really speaks to how I feel about this one. It is about a girl whose life falls apart after a skiing accident and how she tries to put it back together. But it involves a romance with an Alpha Male character which everyone hates at this point. I wanted it to be sweeter and softer and more heart wrenching than it was. Best Book in a Series: All Systems Red by Martha Wells. I scoured my spreadsheets to try to find a book I hadn’t already gushed over, but there’s a reason this one is in the top of so many categories. I love Murderbot and following all of their misadventures. The Murderbot Diaries is a series about a Security Bot who has hijacked their Governor Module and just wants to watch their serials all day. But those pesky human’s they’re hired to protect keep getting themselves in trouble. Worst Book in a Series: I found the book in a series that I gave the worst rating to and I had to go over my review to try to remember what it’s even about. I read Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward which is the first book in the Legacy Trilogy. And I still don’t remember much about it. I remember it being dense and hard to read without getting a lot out of the book in reward for my effort. It was a hard slog and clearly not great if I can’t remember what it’s about less than 9 months after I read it.

[chrvstenpress]

people I would love to see on re—set the table:

ava duvernay. director of ‘selma’, ‘a wrinkle in time’, ‘13th’, ‘when they see us’, and more. writer. producer.

elaine welteroth. journalist. former editor in chief of teen vogue, known and credited for the magazine’s shift in encouraging young people to be knowledgeable about politics.

any of the march for our lives co-founders or mfol youth congress members. (they’re mostly all in college now and it’d be cool to hear a younger voice!) [emma gonzalez, david hogg, jackie corin, sarah chadwick, cameron kasky, delaney tarr, daud mumin, kelly choi, and many, many more]

yara shahidi. 20 year old african american-iranian actress best known for her roles in blackish and grownish. founded eighteen x 18 to encourage young people to vote in the 2018 midterm election.

long shot but alicia keys with christen hosting bc yogi hippie luvs . y’all better know who she is

josh fox. director, writer, and producer of the ‘gasland’ films, ‘how to let go of the world and love all the things climate can’t change’, ‘awake, a dream from standing rock’, and more. environmental activist.

linda sarsour. muslim american political activist. co-chair of the women’s march. helped organize black lives matter protests.

amani al-khatahtbeh. author. activist. founder of muslimgirl. candidate for new jersey’s 6th congressional district. the first muslim woman to run for federal office in new jersey’s history.

kendrick sampson. activist (focuses heavily on the issue of mass incarceration and works for intersectional racial justice, works with los angeles chapter of black lives matter, etc.). founder of bld pwr(non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots initiative that challenges artists to spark social change through new narratives in the entertainment industry). actor (the vampire diaries, how to get away with murder, the flash, insecure, etc.). creator of production company: sampson studios.

[buffintruder]

tagged by: @waitineedaname​, thank you!

rules: tag 9 people you’d like to get to know better!

three ships: um. right now i will go with Troy/Abed from Community. okay i was going to stick to things i ship mostly romantically (though honestly Trobed is very romantic in an aro way, but eh), but also i’m thinking a lot about Murderbot + ART from the Murderbot Diaries right now, and i could not think about them in a romantic context. also Amani and Shazad from the Rebel of the Sands series because come on, they’re a bit gay

last song: i don’t know since i haven’t listened to any music since yesterday, but probably something from Elisabeth das Musical, quite possibly Prolog

currently reading: i’m reading the Silm with @arofili​, also Ancillary Justice, Aru Shah and the Song of Death, and Traitor to the Throne in the Rebel of the Sands series. technically i’m also in the middle of reading Thud but i haven’t touched it in weeks so that probably doesn’t count anymore

currently watching: i just started watching the Great Pretender with two of my roommates (cheesy heist anime!), and i keep thinking about how i should finish the last three episodes of She-Ra

currently consuming: nothing right now, other than some water i guess?

currently craving: i have some chocolate on my desk that i’m using to bribe myself into figuring out some school stuff once i finish this, so i’m craving that i guess

i tag @midnight-mismanagement @agentlizard @numberless-url

[typingtess]

Tiptoeing through the "Watch Over Me" guest cast

Bill Goldberg as DOJ Agent Lance Hamilton Back from "Decoy", this season's second episode. Goldberg with Kyle Harimoto and Daniela Ruah.   With the Hellcat.  

Caleb Castille as FBI Special Agent Devin Roundtree Played Evin Watson in In the Vault, Darryl "Chino" Hill on Wu-Tang: An American Saga and Ron Garland in Tell Me a Story.  Guest starred in episodes of 9-1-1 and The Rookie. On set.   With LL Cool J.   With Daniela Ruah.  

Alexander Bedria as FBI Special Agent Randall Cejudo Played Santiago Miartin Heimler in Mayans M.C.  Guest roles include Criminal Minds, CSI: Miami, 90210 (2011), Scandal, The Newsroom, Ray Donovan and The Orville.

Evander Holyfield as NCIS Special Agent Sutherland Evander Holyfield was the undisputed Cruiserweight Champion in the late 1980's and the Heavyweight Champion in the 1990's.  Mike Tyson bit part of his ear off in a fight called "The Sound and The Fury" in 1997.

Most of Holyfield’s acting credits are from playing Evander Holyfield.

Elizabeth Faith Ludlow as FBI Special Agent Mia Calvillo Was Mona in Satisfaction, Arat in The Walking Dead and Cas in Another Life.  Appeared in episodes of The Vampire Diaries, Resurrection, Castle Ridge, Powers, Hindsight, Halt & Catch Fire and The Resident.

Was Frost in "The Terminator Conundrum" episode this season on NCIS: New Orleans.

Tye White as Aiden Hanna A last minute addition to the press release.  Aiden was last seen in “Talion”, the season eight finale.

Patrick Hume as Willy Guest roles include In Justice, Raines, Knight Rider (2009), Ben & Bruman, Whitney, Sons of Anarchy, Key & Peele, Eagleheart, Justified, Surviving Jack, Days of Our Lives, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Grinder, Rush Hour, Lopez, Angie Tribeca, Secrets & lies, Rosewood, In the Dark, SWAT (2019), The Rookie and Criminal Minds.

Becky Wu as EMT Saito Played Amy Yamada in Desperate Housewives and Tina in comedy The Working Dead.  Guest starred in episodes of The Young and the Restless, Dollhouse, Eleventh Hour, Ghost Whipserer, Hawthrone, Greek, All My Children, General Hospital, Rake, Grey's Anatomy, Code Black, Colony, American Horror Story, Chance, 9-1-1, Hawaii Five-0 (2018), This is Us and Lucifer.

Amani Atkinson as Owen Appeared in episodes of Stumptown, Insecure, Liza on Demand and Deadball.

Written by Kyle Harimoto wrote “Omni”, “Merry Evasion”, “Chernoff, K”, “Command and Control” (episode 150), “Granger, O.”, “Ghost Gun”, “Kulinda”, “767”, “Se Murio El Payaso”, “Assets”/“Liabilities”, “Venganza”, “Superhuman”, “One of Us" (with Bill Goldberg), "Let Fate Decide" (season 11 premiere), "Decoy" (with Bill Goldberg) and "Answers".  He co-wrote “Three Hearts”, “Leipei”, “Humbug”, both ends of the “Matryoshka” two-parter, “Smokescreen” part two and "Searching" (with Bill Goldberg).

Directed by Dan Liu who is new to the program.  He directed three episodes of The Walking Dead and two episodes of Fear the Walking Dead.

[antiquecompass]

Can you do 103 zhenling? I’m starved for zhenling

Sure! 103.

She’s my daughter, I can read her diary. 

Zizhen had come home to the sort of tension around the dinner table he normally found in the board room. His husband and eldest daughter were glaring at each other, faces perfect matches of stubborn indignation, with a small leather bound journal thrown down on the table between them.

“Jamila?” he asked, turning to his middle daughter.

“Dad read Amani’s diary.”

“I’m sorry, he did what?”

“See, even Baba can’t believe what you did,” Amani said, breaking the staring contest.

“No,” Zizhen said. “Baba is trying to understand what’s going on here.”

Jin Ling shrugged, ever the arrogant prince. “She’s my daughter, I can read her dairy. Especially when her grades slip suddenly.” He turned back to their eldest daughter. “Or rather, I can tell her that if she doesn’t explain the reasons for her sudden turn in her attitude and her academic behavior, I will have to resort to betraying our, until now, very solid family trust by reading her diary in an effort to correct her course of behavior.”

“You sound exactly like your grandmother,” Zizhen said.

Jin Ling whipped around to pout at him. “Take that back.”

“Please it’s not like there’s anything good in there,” Khalil said from his seat on the couch, not even bothering to look away from his video game. “It’s all stupid stuff about how she just wants to kiss Eudora.”

There was only one Eudora Zizhen knew of and...oh.

“Eudora Tan?” Jin Ling asked. “As in daughter of--”

“Now you know why I couldn’t tell anyone,” Amani said.

She was clearly on the verge of tears, so Zizhen did what he always did in situations where emotions were running too high.

“Who wants ice cream?” he asked. “Khalil, Jamila, start making the sundaes. We’ll join you in the kitchen.”

“Bribery,” Jamila said. “Nice.”

“Like you’re going to turn down hot fudge,” Khalil said as he beat his sister in the race to the kitchen.

“Now,” Zizhen said, the cool calm in voice face he’d learned to adopt when handling situations on the brink. “Let’s all take a moment to calm ourselves.” He squeezed his husband’s shoulders. “And lower our voices.”

“She’s the enemy,” Jin Ling said.

“You and Dylan Tan haven’t been competitors, much less rivals, much less enemies for eight years now,” Zizhen said. “And you have all those shiny Olympic medals to wave in his face as victory.”

“That’s not why I don’t like him.”

Zizhen would never live down the one time he dared to date an archer, not his husband. He didn’t even know Dylan was an archer when they first met back in London. He hadn’t thought anything of it until Jin Ling’s first Olympics when he looked over the field of competitors and spotted Dylan representing Team GB.

“Did it have to be his kid?” Jin Ling asked. He turned to Amani. “You can do better, find someone else.”

“Oh, like you did,” Amani said.

“We’re not talking about me,” Jin Ling said.

Zizhen held up his hand, instantly silencing both of them.

“Amani, we will discuss the reason for the dip in your academic performance and how we can correct it. We will not be invading your privacy, or threatening to do so, because we are not those kind of parents.”

“Unless we have to be,” Jin Ling said. “She got a B.”

“Oh, Allah,” Zizhen said, feeling a headache start to form. “You absolutely sound like your grandmother now.”

[lettercollectors]

The best day of the year, Galentine’s day, has arrived! The day before Valentine’s day is one dedicated to female friendships (curtesy of Parks and Recreation, a brief shout-out to one of the best tv-shows ever written!), and a chance for you to celebrate all the ladies in your life. Because romantic love might be good, but platonic love is amazing. So we thought we would take this opportunity to celebrate our favorite literary gals and their favorite gals, by compiling a list of some of our favorite female friendships. These girls all fiercely protect, love and cherish each other, and if they’ve taught us anything it’s that you can do anything with the right friends at your side. So ... do you agree with our picks?

Gwen & Lesley, Ruby Red by Kerstin Grier

“Don’t forget, this is a matter of life and death,” said Lesley. “You think I want to lose my best friend just because she couldn’t think straight after a bit of snogging?”

Safi & Iseult, The Witchlands by Susan Dennard

“I hate this. Both the storm and the plan. Why does it have to be ‘we’? Why not just me?” “Because ‘just me’ isn’t who we are,” Iseult hollered back. “I’ll always follow you, Safi, and you’ll always follow me. Threadsisters to the end.”

The Gallagher Girls, Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter

“What is a Gallagher Girl?” Liz asked one final time. “She’s a genius, a scientist, a heroine, a spy. And now we are at the end of our time at school, and the one thing I know for certain is this: A Gallagher Girl is whatever she wants to be.” Thunderous, raucous applause filled the student section. Liz smiled and wiped her eyes. She leaned close to the microphone. “And, most of all, she is my sister.”

Celaena & Nehemia, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

“But no matter what I did, Elentiya, I want you to know that in the darkness of the past ten years, you were one of the bright lights for me. Do not let that light go out.”

Emma & Cristina, The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare

“Cristina I love you,” Emma said. “I will marry you. Marry you.” Cristina giggled. “My mother’s already picked out who I’m going to marry, remember? Imagine what she’d say if I brought you home.” “You don’t think she’d like me more than Perfect Diego?” “I think you would be able to hear her screaming from Idris.”

Cinder & Iko, The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Iko held up a hand. “You need a system debug if you're suggesting that I would abandon you now.”

Claudia & Iris, Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills

“Good.” She looks away, fussing with her straw again. “Don’t think that just because you said a bunch of nice stuff about me, I won’t poke you for making that sound,” I say when I can speak again. “I would expect nothing less,” Iris replies.

Eelyn & Mýra, Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

She would have to lead with her left and her left wasn’t her strong side. But I’d done as much for her in the past. It’s what we did for each other. It’s how we survived. And being back on the front line with her was like going home. A home that could never be burned or broken.

Ava & Gen, I Hate Everyone But You by Gaby Dunn & Allison Raskin

“I am extraordinarily proud of you and can't wait for the entire city of Boston to both love and fear you. Just remember that NO ONE will ever love (or fear) you like I do.”

Lily & Rose & Daisy, Addicted series by Krista & Becca Ritchie

We promise to always be there for one another, to support each other’s choices, to be the tides that wash away negativity and foes. However long we live, however hard life becomes, we’ll never lose sight of this sisterhood.

Mia & Lilly, The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

The people who are your friends before you got the crown are the people who are going to be your best friends no matter what. Because they are the ones who love you for you-in all your geekiness- and not because of what they can get out of you. Weirdly, in some instances, even the people who were your enemies before you got famous can end up being better friends to you become friends with after you become famous. And even when those friends get mad at you, you still need them, even more than ever. Because they are the people who are willing to tell you the truth.

Lena & Carmen & Bridget & Tibby, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

“The word friends doesn't seem to stretch big enough to describe how we feel about each other. We forget where one of us starts and the other one stops.”

Amani & Shazad, Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

I thought of Shazad. My sister in arms. We had recognised something in each other the first time we met and we were tied. By more than blood.

Nina & Inej, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Jesper expected Inej to laugh and was startled when she took Nina’s face between her hands and said, “Thank you for keeping me in this world when fate seemed determined to drag me to the next. I owe you a life debt.” Nina blushed deeply. “I was teasing, Inej.” She paused. “I think we’ve both had enough of debts.”

“This is one I’m glad to bear.”

“Okay, okay. When we’re back in Ketterdam, take me out for waffles.”

Rose & Lissa, Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

“If you try to turn me against Lissa one more time the stories are going to be about you bleeding because I'll have ripped your throat out!”

How did we do? Did we miss your favorites? Let us know and we might include them next year!

[juniaships]

Love reading amani diary

Thank you. It was a test chapter i dunno if I'll make more