#Arthur Smyth

[joebloggshere]

There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak

A wonderful book. I give it five stars. Of course I have niggles but still… I knew nothing about this book when NetGalley sent it to me, other than the author’s name, having previously read her The Island of Missing Trees - https://www.tumblr.com/joebloggshere/726387496212103168/the-island-of-missing-trees-by-elif-shafak-what-an - which I had loved. However, it turned out to be on subjects I have a particular interests in, Gilgamesh - https://www.tumblr.com/joebloggshere/752782472892268544/gilgamesh-a-new-translation-by-gerald-j-davis-i - George Smith and mythology.

Written from (at least) three different perspectives and timelines, sometimes overlapping, with water as the link between them all, this is a wonderful novel but I must warn you, it also includes details of man’s inhumanity to man.

Highly recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley, Viking Penguin, Fig Tree and Hamish Hamilton for the early read.

[gilgalahad]

Scottish artist Dorothy Carleton Smyth (1880-1933) design featuring King Arthur for a collection of poetry by Lord Alfred Tennyson

[lucylichtenweg]

Chosen character to an AU: NOT AGAIN WITH THIS

[napoleonic-sexyman-tournament]

Friends, enemies, comrades, Jacobins, Monarchist, Bonapartists, gather round. We have an important announcement:

The continent is beset with war. A tenacious general from Corsica has ignited conflict from Madrid to Moscow and made ancient dynasties tremble. Depending on your particular political leanings, this is either the triumph of a great man out of the chaos of The Terror, a betrayal of the values of the French Revolution, or the rule of the greatest upstart tyrant since Caesar.

But, our grand tournament is here to ask the most important question: Now that the flower of European nobility is arrayed on the battlefield in the sexiest uniforms that European history has yet produced (or indeed, may ever produce), who is the most fuckable?

The bracket is here: full bracket and just quadrant I

Want to nominate someone from the Western Hemisphere who was involved in the ever so sexy dismantling of the Spanish empire? (or the Portuguese or French American colonies as well) You can do it here

The People have created this list of nominees:

France:

Jean Lannes

Josephine de Beauharnais

Thérésa Tallien

Jean-Andoche Junot

Joseph Fouché

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

Joachim Murat

Michel Ney

Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte (Charles XIV of Sweden)

Louis-Francois Lejeune

Pierre Jacques Étienne Cambrinne

Napoleon I

Marshal Louis-Gabriel Suchet

Jacques de Trobriand

Jean de dieu soult.

François-Étienne-Christophe Kellermann

17.Louis Davout

Pauline Bonaparte, Duchess of Guastalla

Eugène de Beauharnais

Jean-Baptiste Bessières

Antoine-Jean Gros

Jérôme Bonaparte

Andrea Masséna

Antoine Charles Louis de Lasalle

Germaine de Staël

Thomas-Alexandre Dumas

René de Traviere (The Purple Mask)

Claude Victor Perrin

Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr

François Joseph Lefebvre

Major Andre Cotard (Hornblower Series)

Edouard Mortier

Hippolyte Charles

Nicolas Charles Oudinot

Emmanuel de Grouchy

Pierre-Charles Villeneuve

Géraud Duroc

Georges Pontmercy (Les Mis)

Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont

Juliette Récamier

Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey

Louis-Alexandre Berthier

Étienne Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre Macdonald

Jean-Mathieu-Philibert Sérurier

Catherine Dominique de Pérignon

Guillaume Marie-Anne Brune

Jean-Baptiste Jourdan

Charles-Pierre Augereau

Auguste François-Marie de Colbert-Chabanais

England:

Richard Sharpe (The Sharpe Series)

Tom Pullings (Master and Commander)

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

Jonathan Strange (Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell)

Captain Jack Aubrey (Aubrey/Maturin books)

Horatio Hornblower (the Hornblower Books)

William Laurence (The Temeraire Series)

Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey

Beau Brummell

Emma, Lady Hamilton

Benjamin Bathurst

Horatio Nelson

Admiral Edward Pellew

Sir Philip Bowes Vere Broke

Sidney Smith

Percy Smythe, 6th Viscount Strangford

George IV

Capt. Anthony Trumbull (The Pride and the Passion)

Barbara Childe (An Infamous Army)

Doctor Maturin (Aubrey/Maturin books)

William Pitt the Younger

Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry (Lord Castlereagh)

George Canning

Scotland:

Thomas Cochrane

Colquhoun Grant

Ireland:

Arthur O'Connor

Thomas Russell

Robert Emmet

Austria:

Klemens von Metternich

Friedrich Bianchi, Duke of Casalanza

Franz I/II

Archduke Karl

Marie Louise

Franz Grillparzer

Wilhelmine von Biron

Poland:

Wincenty Krasiński

Józef Antoni Poniatowski

Józef Zajączek

Maria Walewska

Władysław Franciszek Jabłonowski

Adam Jerzy Czartoryski

Antoni Amilkar Kosiński

Zofia Czartoryska-Zamoyska

Stanislaw Kurcyusz

Russia:

Alexander I Pavlovich

Alexander Andreevich Durov

Prince Andrei (War and Peace)

Pyotr Bagration

Mikhail Miloradovich

Levin August von Bennigsen

Pavel Stroganov

Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna

Karl Wilhelm von Toll

Dmitri Kuruta

Alexander Alexeevich Tuchkov

Barclay de Tolly

Fyodor Grigorevich Gogel

Ekaterina Pavlovna Bagration

Ippolit Kuragin (War and Peace)

Prussia:

Louise von Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Gebard von Blücher

Carl von Clausewitz

Frederick William III

Gerhard von Scharnhorst

Louis Ferdinand of Prussia

Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Alexander von Humboldt

Dorothea von Biron

The Netherlands:

Ida St Elme

Wiliam, Prince of Orange

The Papal States:

Pius VII

Portugal:

João Severiano Maciel da Costa

Spain:

Juan Martín Díez

José de Palafox

Inês Bilbatua (Goya's Ghosts)

Haiti:

Alexandre Pétion

Sardinia:

Vittorio Emanuele I

Lombardy:

Alessandro Manzoni

Denmark:

Frederik VI

Sweden:

Gustav IV Adolph

[deadpresidents]

What have you been reading since the last time you posted your latest reads?

It's been a few months since I updated my latest reads, so I'm probably going to forget a few titles, but here's what I've been reading since then:

•The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact, and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook by Hampton Sides (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•Pancho Villa: A Revolutionary Life by Paco Ignacio Taibo II and translated by Todd Chretien (BOOK | KINDLE)

•The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•Guardians of the Valley: John Muir and the Friendship That Saved Yosemite by Dean King (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day by Garrett M. Graff (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•Too Rich: The High Life and Tragic Death of King Farouk by William Stadiem (BOOK)

•The House Divided: Sunni, Shia, and the Making of the Middle East by Barnaby Rogerson (BOOK | KINDLE)

•Glad to the Brink of Fear: A Portrait of Ralph Waldo Emerson by James Marcus (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•The Founders' Curse: James Monroe's Struggle Against Political Parties by Brook Poston (BOOK | KINDLE)

•Decade of Disunion: How Massachusetts and South Carolina Led the Way to Civil War, 1849-1861 by Robert W. Merry (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•The Age of Reconstruction: How Lincoln's New Birth of Freedom Remade the World by Don H. Doyle (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•Power and Glory: Elizabeth II and the Rebirth of Royalty by Alexander Larman (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis by George Stephanopoulos with Lisa Dickey (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•The Devils Will Get No Rest: FDR, Churchill, and the Plan That Won the War by James B. Conroy (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•Ballyhoo!: The Roughhousers, Con Artists, and Wildmen Who Invented Professional Wrestling by Jon Langmead (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•The Rivals: William Gwin, David Broderick, and the Birth of California by Arthur Quinn (BOOK)

•The Book-Makers: A History of the Book in Eighteen Lives by Adam Smyth (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•A History of the Muslim World: From Its Origins to the Dawn of Modernity by Michael Cook (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO)

•The Thought of Pope Benedict XVI: An Introduction to the Theology of Joseph Ratzinger, Third Edition by Aidan Nichols (BOOK | KINDLE)

•Avignon and Its Papacy, 1309-1417: Popes, Institutions, and Society by Joëlle Rollo-Koster (BOOK | KINDLE)

[identity-library]

Diverse Sexuality (TV Shows)

A:

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013)

José "Joey" Gutierrez (Gay)

Marcus Benson (Gay)

All Saints (1998)

Charlotte Beaumont (Bisexual)

American Dad (2005)

Greg (Gay)

Terry (Gay)

Andor (2022)

Cinta Kaz (Unspecified WLW)

Vel Sartha (Unspecified WLW)

Arthur (1996)

Nigel Ratburn (Gay)

Patrick (Gay)

B:

Battlestar Galactica (2004)

Felix Gaeta (Bisexual)

Big Mouth (2017)

Ali (Pansexual)

Charles Lu (Unspecified MLM)

Connie LaCienega (Pansexual)

Elijah (Asexual)

Jayzarian "Jay" Bilzerian (Bisexual)

Jessica "Jessi" Glaser (Bisexual)

Matthew MacDell (Gay)

Maury Beverly (Pansexual)

Megan (Bisexual)

Mona (Bisexual)

Nadja El-Khoury (Lesbian)

Shannon Glaser (Lesbian)

Simon Sex (Bisexual)

Sonya Poinsettia (Bisexual)

Tyler Pico (Pansexual)

Bob's Burgers (2011)

Natalie "Nat" Kinkle (Unspecified WLW)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013)

Jenny Gildenhorn (Bisexual)

Jocelyn Price (Lesbian)

Kevin Cozner (Gay)

Raymond "Ray" Holt (Gay)

Rosalita "Rosa" Diaz (Bisexual)

C:

Chicago Fire (2012)

Clarice Carthage (Bisexual)

Darren Ritter (Gay)

Emily Foster (Bisexual)

Leslie Shay (Lesbian)

Chicago Med (2015)

Lawrence Dayle (Unspecified MLM)

Peter Kalmick (Unspecified MLM)

Terry McNeal (Gay)

Code Black (2015)

Carla Niven (Lesbian)

Malaya Pineda (Lesbian)

Noa Kean (Bisexual)

Community (2009)

Craig Pelton (Unlabeled MLM)

Frankie Dart (Unspecified WLW)

Craig of the Creek (2018)

Alexis (Pansexual)

Courtney (Lesbian)

George (Gay)

Jasmine Williams (Lesbian)

Kelsey Pokoly (Lesbian)

Laura Mercer (Lesbian)

Raj (Gay)

Secret Keeper (Gay)

Shawn (Gay)

Stacks (Lesbian)

Tabitha (Lesbian)

D:

Dead End: Paranormal Park (2022)

Barney Guttman (Gay)

Logan Nguyen (Gay)

Norma Khan (Bisexual)

Zagan (Pansexual)

Doom Patrol (2019)

Kay Challis/Crazy Jane (Lesbian)

Larry Trainor (Gay)

Dr. Who (2005)

Adric (Pansexual)

Bill Potts (Lesbian)

Canton Everett Delaware ||| (Gay)

Chris Cwej (Bisexual)

Clara Oswald (Bisexual)

Elizabeth "Liz" Shaw (Bisexual)

Heather (Lesbian)

Jack Harkness (Omnisexual + Polyamorous)

Jennifer "Jenny Flint" Scarrity (Lesbian)

Madame Vastra (Lesbian)

Melony "River Song" Pond (Bisexual + Polyamorous)

Nyssa of Traken (Bisexual)

Oliver Harper (Gay)

Olivia "Liv" Chenka (Bisexual)

Patricia Haggard (Lesbian)

Rogue (Gay)

Tania Bell (Lesbian)

Tegan Jovanka (Bisexual)

Toshiko Sato (Bisexual)

Yasmin Khan (Queer)

E:

Equestria Girls (2017)

Sunset Shimmer (Bisexual)

ER (1994)

Courtney Brown (Lesbian)

Kerry Weaver (Lesbian)

Kim Legaspi (Lesbian)

Maggie Doyle (Lesbian)

Sandy Lopez (Lesbian)

Euphoria (2019)

Cal Jacobs (Bisexual)

Elliot (Unlabeled MLM)

Jules Vaughn (Unlabeled WLW)

Nate Jacobs (Unspecified MLM)

Rue Bennett (Lesbian)

Ever After High (2013)

Apple White (Unspecified WLW)

Darling Charming (Unspecified WLW)

F:

G:

Glee (2009)

Adam Crawford (Gay)

Alistair (Unspecified MLM)

Blaine Anderson (Gay)

Brittany Pierce (Bisexual)

Dani (Lesbian)

David "Dave" Karofsky (Gay)

Elliott Gilbert (Gay)

Hiram Barry (Gay)

Kurt Hummel (Gay)

Leroy Barry (Gay)

Santana Lopez (Lesbian)

Sebastian Smythe (Bisexual)

Spencer Porter (Gay)

Grey's Anatomy (2005)

Amelia Shepherd (Bisexual)

Arizona Robbins (Lesbian)

Callie Torres (Bisexual)

Carina DeLuca (Bisexual)

Dayna Knox (Lesbian)

Eliza Minnick (Lesbian)

Erica Hahn (Lesbian)

Levi Schmitt (Gay)

Mika Yasuda (Bisexual)

Nico Kim (Gay)

Taryn Helm (Lesbian)

Teddy Altman (Bisexual)

H:

Harley Quinn (2019)

Basil Karlo/Clayface (Gay)

Edward Nygma/The Riddler (Gay)

Frank (Asexual)

Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn (Bisexual)

Leslie Wills/Livewire (Lesbian)

Mari McCabe/Vixen (Bisexual)

Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy (Bisexual)

Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Unspecified WLW)

Sylvester "Sy" Borgman (Bisexual)

Hazbin Hotel (2024)

Alastor (Aromantic, Asexual)

Angel Dust (Gay)

Charlotte "Charlie" Morningstar (Lesbian)

Cherri Bomb (Bisexual)

Husker (Pansexual)

Sir Pentious (Bisexual)

Vaggie (Unspecified WLW)

Valentino (Pansexual)

Vox (Bisexual)

Heartbreak High (2022)

Darren Rivers (Gay, Queer)

Donald "Ca$h" Piggott (Asexual)

Dustin Reid (Unspecified MLM)

Malakai Mitchell (Bisexual)

Missy Beckett (Bisexual)

Quinni Gallagher-Jones (Lesbian)

Rowan Callaghan (Bisexual)

Sasha So (Lesbian)

Heartstopper (2022)

Ben Hope (Unspecified MLM)

Charles "Charlie" Spring (Gay)

Darcy Olsson (Lesbian)

Isaac Henderson (Asexual, Aromantic)

Nick Nelson (Bisexual)

Tara Jones (Lesbian)

How I Met Your Mother (2005)

James Stinson (Gay)

Human Resources (2022)

Claudia (Lesbian)

Danielle (Lesbian)

Flanny O'Lympic (Bisexual)

Van (Lesbian)

I:

J:

K:

L:

M:

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir (2015)

Alix Kubdel (Aromantic)

Caline Bustier (Unspecified WLW)

Gisèle (Unspecified WLW)

Juleka Couffaine (Unspecified WLW)

Marc Anciel (Unspecified MLM)

Max Kanté (Asexual)

Nathaniel Kurtzberg (Unspecified MLM)

Rose Lavillant (Unspecified WLW)

Zoé Lee (Unspecified WLW)

Modern Family (2009)

Cameron Tucker (Gay)

Gil Thorpe (Gay)

Mitchell Pritchett (Gay)

Pepper Saltzman (Gay)

Ronaldo (Unspecified MLM)

Mom (2013)

Bonnie Plunkett (Bisexual)

Ray Stabler (Gay)

Rudy (Bisexual)

N:

Nanbaka (2016)

Jyugo (Bisexual)

New Amsterdam (2018)

Elizabeth Wilder (Bisexual)

Iggy Frome (Gay)

Lauren Bloom (Bisexual)

Leyla Shinwari (Lesbian)

Martin McIntyre (Gay)

New Girl (2011)

Melissa (Unspecified WLW)

Reagan Lucas (Bisexual)

Sadie (Lesbian)

O:

P:

Peacemaker (2022)

Christopher Smith/Peacemaker (Bisexual)

Leota Adebayo (Lesbian)

Private Practice (2007)

Amelia Shepherd (Bisexual)

Q:

R:

Raising Dion (2019)

Kat Neese (Lesbian)

Roswell, New Mexico (2019)

Alex Manes (Gay)

Allie Meyers (Unspecified WLW)

Anatsa Mufaro (Unspecified WLW)

Blaire (Unspecified WLW)

Forrest (Gay)

Isobel Evans-Bracken (Bisexual)

Michael Guerin (Bisexual)

Shivani Sen (Unspecified WLW)

Runaways (2017)

Karolina Dean (Lesbian)

Nico Minoru (Bisexual)

Xavin (Pansexual)

S:

Safe (2018)

Pete Mayfield (Gay)

Saving Hope (2012)

Bree Hannigan (Lesbian)

Maggie Lin (Bisexual)

Sydney Katz (Lesbian)

Shadowhunters (2016)

Alexander "Alec" Lightwood (Gay)

Aline Penhallow (Unspecified WLW)

Magnus Bane (Bisexual)

Olivia Wilson (Unspecified WLW)

Samantha (Unspecified WLW)

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)

Adora (Lesbian)

Bow (Bisexual)

Catra (Lesbian)

Double Trouble (Gay)

Entrapta (Bisexual)

George (Gay)

Glimmer (Bisexual)

Huntara (Lesbian)

Kyle (Bisexual)

Lance (Gay)

Light Hope (Lesbian)

Lonnie (Bisexual)

Mara (Lesbian)

Mermista (Bisexual)

Netossa (Lesbian)

Perfuma (Unspecified WLW)

Rogelio (Bisexual)

Scorpia (Lesbian)

Sea Hawk (Bisexual)

Spinnerella (Lesbian)

Station 19 (2018)

Amelia Shepherd (Bisexual)

Carina DeLuca (Bisexual)

Dayna Knox (Lesbian)

Eli Stern (Bisexual)

Emmett Dixon (Gay)

Maya Bishop (Bisexual)

Michelle Alvarez (Lesbian)

Nikki (Bisexual)

Pam Williams (Lesbian)

Travis Montgomery (Gay)

Steven Universe (2013)

Bismuth (Lesbian)

Dogcopter (Gay)

Harold Smiley (Gay)

Pearl (Lesbian)

Peridot (Asexual, Aromantic)

Ruby (Lesbian)

Sapphire (Lesbian)

Stumptown (2019)

Dex Parios (Bisexual)

T:

The Babysitter's Club (2020)

Dawn Schafer (Unlabeled WLW)

Janine Kishi (Lesbian)

The Magicians (2015)

Eliot Waugh (Gay)

The Owl House (2020)

Amity Blight (Lesbian)

Darius Deamonne (Gay)

Eda Clawthorne (Bisexual)

Gilbert Park (Unspecified MLM)

Harvey Park (Unspecified MLM)

Hunter (Bisexual)

Lilith Clawthorne (Asexual, Aromantic)

Luz Noceda (Bisexual)

Willow Park (Bisexual)

The Resident (2018)

Jake Wong (Gay)

The Rookie (2018)

Jackson West (Gay)

Gino Brown (Gay)

The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy (2024)

Klak (Unspecified WLW)

Slug Girl (Unspecified WLW)

The 100 (2014)

Bryan (Gay)

Clarke Griffin (Bisexual)

Eric Jackson (Gay)

Lexa (Lesbian)

Nathan Miller (Gay)

Niylah (Lesbian)

Zev (Gay)

Titans (2018)

Tim Drake/Robin (Bisexual)

Total Drama (Franchise)

Bowie (Gay)

Raj (Gay)

U:

V:

W:

X:

Y:

Z:

#:

9-1-1 (2018)

David Hale (Unspecified MLM)

Evan "Buck" Buckley (Bisexual)

Henrietta "Hen" Wilson (Lesbian)

John Russo (Unspecified MLM)

Karen Wilson (Lesbian)

Michael Grant (Gay)

Tommy Kinard (Gay)

9-1-1: Lone Star (2020)

Carlos Reyes (Gay)

Tyler Kennedy "TK" Strand (Gay)

[televisionpromos]

Gotham Knights 1x06 "A Chill in Gotham" Promo - THE LAST REQUEST — As Joe Chill is set to be executed for the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents, he turns to Harvey to make one final request — to speak with Turner. Meanwhile, Stephanie seeks help from her dad Arthur Brown when she has trouble cracking a code, and Carrie is forced to help at the hospital after her secret life of vigilantism lands her in hot water with her mom. Olivia Rose Keegan, Fallon Smythe, Tyler DiChiara and Rahart Adams also star. Alexandra La Roche directed the episode written by Nicki Holcomb & Nate Gualtieri. Original airdate 4/25/2023.

[comicsart3]

The immense Jill Trent Science Sleuth and partner Daisy Smythe in action once again. Despite the ladies’ undeniable technological brilliance and their extraordinary sleuthing skills, sometimes victory is won by rather more basic means. When their light ray fails to deter a tough villain who then resorts to gunplay, the enterprising Jill goes to the opposite end of the scale and confuses the bad guy by simply smashing a light bulb and plunging the room where she and her partner are being held into darkness. Then it is simply a matter of the outraged ladies disarming the loser and overpowering him (“Try to kill us, will you?” POW! SOK! “Oww! Help! Let me go!”). Suitably disheveled and with his hands bound behind his back, the sullen looking Arthur is later handed over to the cops by the science detectives - who explain everything to the lieutenant while exonerating the falsely accused Jack Benson into the bargain. I think this is one of the most satisfying endings to a Jill Trent adventure - containing detecting skills, “science”, old fashioned female fisticuffs and everything coming together at the end - with even a hint of trash talk from the triumphant Daisy!

Source: The Case of the Black Sheep Murder, Jill Trent Science Sleuth, Gwandaland Comics #943

[livingasaghost]

okay @permanentreverie did this in honor of book lovers day (aug 9) so here i am being obnoxious and sorting my favorite books based on genres bc i'm procrastinating editing

put it under read more because i'm annoying and this is longer than i thought it'd be ahjflksd

classics:

les miserables by victor hugo

1984 by george orwell

a midsummer night's dream by william shakespeare

hamlet by william shakespeare

the crucible by arthur miller

the great gatsby by f scott fitzgerald

contemporary romances:

red white and royal blue by casey mcquiston

with you forever by chloe liese

everything for you by chloe liese

beach read by emily henry

happy place by emily henry

a very merry bromance by lyssa kay adams

crazy stupid bromance by lyssa kay adams

love, theoretically by ali hazelwood

the love hypothesis by ali hazelwood

not in love by ali hazelwood

let's talk about love by claire kann

roomies by christina lauren

the hating game by sally thorne

fantasy:

tower of dawn by sarah j maas

kingdom of ash by sarah j maas

a court of mist and fury by sarah j maas

a court of silver flames by sarah j maas

the starless sea by erin morgenstern

a storm of swords by george r.r. martin

a feast for crows by george r.r. martin

wizard's first rule by terry goodkind

temple of the winds by terry goodkind

prince's gambit by c.s. pacat

kings rising by c.s. pacat

a discovery of witches by deborah harkness

jade legacy by fonda lee

the dragon republic by r.f. kuang

babel by r.f. kuang

every heart a doorway by seanan mcguire

the magician's nephew by c.s. lewis

priory of the orange tree by samantha shannon

strange the dreamer by laini taylor

sci-fi:

the host by stephenie meyer

nona the ninth by tamsyn muir

graphic novels / comics:

monstress by marjorie liu & sana takeda

check please by ngozi ukazu

the boy the mole the fox and the horse by charlie mackesy

heartstopper by alice oseman

lore olympus by rachel smythe

fence by c.s. pacat & johanna the mad

heart of gold by eliot baum & viv tanner

the prince & the dressmaker by jen wang

historical fiction:

cloud cuckoo land by anthony doerr

the book thief by markus zusak

literary fiction:

evenings & weekends by oisín mckenna

henry henry by allen bratton

a little life by hanya yanagihara

piranesi by suzanna clarke

malibu rising by taylor jenkins reid

if we were villains by m.l. rio

the invisible life of addie larue by v.e. schwab

real life by brandon taylor

s by doug dorst

horror:

house of leaves by mark z danielewski

imaginary friend by stephen chbosky

night film by marisha pessl

don't let the forest in by c.g. drews

middle grade:

magyk by angie sage

a kind of spark by elle mcnicoll

sir callie and the champions of helston by esme symes-smith

holes by louis sachar

the mighty heart of sunny st james by ashley herring blake

new adult:

loveless by alice oseman

obsidian by jennifer l armentrout

masters of death by olivie blake

alone with you in the ether by olivie blake

angelfall by susan ee

the sunshine court by nora sakavic

the king's men by nora sakavic

vicious by v.e. schwab

queenie by candice carty-williams

hell bent by leigh bardugo

nonfiction:

into the wild by john krakauer

it was vulgar and it was beautiful by jack lowery

the last lecture by randy pausch

what i want to talk about by pete wharmby

furiously happy by jenny lawson

ace by angela chen

blood sweat and chrome by kyle buchanan

refusing compulsory sexuality by sherronda j brown

the great divorce by c.s. lewis

the cancer journals by audre lorde

the dark interval by rilke

inverse cowgirl by alicia roth weigel

translated works:

the memory police by yōko ogawa

vita nostra by marina dyachenko

the strange library by haruki murakami

young adult:

the mask falling by samantha shannon

check & mate by ali hazelwood

i was born for this by alice oseman

the hunger games by suzanne collins

just listen by sarah dessen

ignite me by tahereh mafi

the unexpected everything by morgan matson

save the date by morgan matson

tash hearts tolstoy by kathryn ormsbee

neverworld wake by marisha pessl

the spirit bares its teeth by andrew joseph white

compound fracture by andrew joseph white

the wicked king by holly black

short story collections:

the tangleroot palace by marjorie liu

what is not your is not yours by helen oyeyemi

the late americans by brandon taylor

filthy animals by brandon taylor

seven empty houses by samanta schweblin

[wngdsrphs]

Pelos Céus, ADELINE SMYTHE-SMITH, the CHARMER chegou a Hearthstone Hall. ELA tem 19 anos e pertence aos SMYTHE-SMITHE de HAMPSHIRE. Embora SEJA sua primeira vez em Hearthstone Hall, só podemos descrevê-la como DOCE e ADORÁVEL, caro leitor. Acompanhada pela sua MAMÃ, PAPÁ e IRMÃO MAIS VELHO, ela se instalou e está aceitando visitas sociais. Mas esteja avisado: ela é conhecida pela sua BOCA DE TRAPOS.

Quatro meigas e exemplares senhoritas, quatro corajosos e magníficos cavalheiros, eram assim os irmãos mais velhos de Adeline — o sonho de qualquer mãe. A casa dos Smythe-Smith estava cheia! Talvez demasiado cheia! Com tantos irmãos, era apenas uma questão de tempo até que surgissem discussões, que sentimentos fossem feridos e segredos compartilhados a ouvidos indignos. Ah . . . Isso era apenas o começo dos problemas que aconteciam naquela casa.

Adeline nasceu na madrugada do dia 26 de dezembro de 1853, na casa ancestral de sua família. Foi a última de uma novena de crianças o que levaria as mais comuns das famílias a testar os seus recursos por terem tantos filhos. Os Smythe-Smith seriam a exceção a esse pensamento — afinal Lord Arthur Richard, 2º Duque de Wellington era filho do famoso general e estadista britânico que derrotou Napoleão Bonaparte na Batalha de Waterloo e o ducado que pertencia à família era o mais antigo do Pariato do Reino Unido. Devido ao status do duque, a família Smythe-Smith estava longe de ser pobre. Os seus dotes era notáveis em comparação com muitos outros de classe semelhante, seus vestidos elegantes e a sua casa era frequentemente renovada para se manter por dentro das tendências.

Tudo isto para dizer que a pressão sobre Lord Smythe-Smith era imensa. Ele não se sentia apenas responsável pela família, mas também por manter o estilo luxuoso ao qual estavam acostumados. Sendo essa a principal razão pela qual ele estava sempre ocupado com seus negócios. Smythe-Smith também tinha talento para as aparências, sempre pronto para participar de uma festa ou oferecer um jantar chique.

Nesse contexto, Adeline foi criada e habituada a todo o luxo que o dinheiro e poder podem proporcionar a uma jovem donzela. Recebeu, ainda, a mais das perfeitas e completas educações que uma Lady inglesa do seu tempo poderia receber: teve a sua própria governante e aprendeu todas as regras de etiqueta e diplomacia social, aprendeu francês e italiano, aprendeu a tocar pianoforte e violino e memorizou todos os passos de dança para não envergonhar os seus pais em bailes. Bordados e pinturas eram as disciplinas que, durante os seus anos de formação, maior adversidade lhe provocaram e ela nunca chegou a domá-las com sabedoria, sendo apenas capaz de entregar resultados levemente satisfatórios. 

Lynn  — como a família e amigos mais próximos a tratavam  — tinha recém completado os 15 anos de idade quando, numa tarde despretensiosa, se sentou na secretaria do seu pai a desfolhar o The Daily Universal Register e encontrou um artigo de opinião escrito por um Lord que a deixou fascinada. Adeline não pensou duas vezes antes de reunir algumas folhas, uma caneta de imersão e um tinteiro para compor uma carta ao autor de tão requintada prosa. A jovem só se sentiu hesitante quando terminou de escrever todos os seus pensamentos e opiniões e reflexiva encarou o final do papel na sua frente. Sabia que se assinasse com o seu próprio nome o autor do artigo que a tinha fascinado a iria ignorar. Ninguém queria saber de garotinhas. Por essa razão, fez-se passar pelo seu patriarca e marcou o papel com o símbolo do Duque de Wellington.

À medida que os seus irmãos começaram a sair de casa para construir as suas próprias famílias, Lynn — começou a passar mais tempo com o seu irmão mais velho, Charles, Conde de Mornington. Ele costumava levá-la à cidade enquanto fazia recados e sempre a mimava comprando-lhe algo de que ela certamente não necessitava. Corria o ano de 1871 quando, após uma dessas idas à cidade, Adeline caiu de cama gravemente doente. Durante vários meses, ardeu em febre e como o seu quadro só piorava, o médico da família comunicou aos Duques que deveriam preparar a família para o pior. Todas as suas irmãs regressaram a Stratfield Saye House para se poderem despedir da pequena Adeline. O Duque passava as manhãs no seu quarto, a ler-lhe as principais notícias dos periódicos da época e a Duquesa era a sua companhia durante as tardes. Lady Elizabeth Hay chorava enquanto rezava, pedia a Deus, aos anjos e santos que tivessem clemência pela sua mais nova, que não a jovem não fosse punida pelos pecados dos seus pais. Não imaginava que a sua filha a ouvia e que guardaria as palavras da Duquesa até morrer. Fez mil e uma grandiosas promessas e todas elas cumpriu, assim que Lynn começou a melhorar.

Quando atingiu a maioridade, Adeline havia se transformado em uma jovem inteligente, charmosa e delicada. Sua mãe ainda se recusava a aceitar que Lynn não era mais uma criança, mas a Duquesa acabou por concordar que havia chegado o momento de apresentar a sua última filha perante a sociedade. Com isso, só o tempo dirá o que se esconde por trás da máscara de sede de Lady Smithe-Smith, uma que foi tecida entre meias verdades e charme.

Na posição de mais nova entre nove filhos, desde cedo que Adeline aprendeu que precisava de se diferenciar do resto do grupo para conseguir alguma atenção. Ela era a filhinha do papai e a companheira de fofocas de sua mãe, sempre desejosa de participar de uma boa e longa conversa sobre os estranhos acontecimentos na vida dos seus irmãos. Conhecida por ser tagarela e oferecer ouvidos bem abertos como uma língua solta, logo os seus irmãos aprenderam a manter seus segredos longe dela. Suas fofocas nunca tiveram nenhum pensamento nefasto por trás, ela apenas gosta de conhecer pessoas e ter conversas agradáveis — tendo um caráter um tanto maleável, não é preciso que a empurrem muito antes de ela revelar um segredo que deveria ter guardado, muito para sua consternação quando ela percebe que o voltou a fazer.

Felizmente, e apesar da sua tendência para a fofoca, ela é bastante versada na arte de encantar pessoas. Criada na sombra de uma casa movimentada, sempre soube que precisava de se distinguir de alguma forma e descobriu, nessa busca, como era muito eficaz tornar-se agradável. Ela segue as regras de etiqueta quando necessário, embora também saiba quando quebrá-las, o momento certo para virar as expectativas dos outros de cabeça para baixo, a fim de provocar uma risada e um sorriso de encantados. Bem versada na arte da bajulação, misturando o sincero com o calculado, ela sabe exatamente quais botões apertar para se tornar querida por alguém.

Apesar do seu jeito com as pessoas, ela ainda tem uma certa ingenuidade esperançosa. Ela olha o mundo com estrelas nos olhos, confiando em todos. Por melhor que seja em ganhar graças dos outros, é igualmente simples ganhar as delas, e com isso vem a sua confiança, tornando-se um livro que se abre de forma imprudente.

[ilthit]

OC-tober 15: Anna Pratt

Week 3: Various sources.

Portrait done in Artbreeder.

Regency Era

Anna's original era.

Miss Pratt, though without a fortune of her own, is the protege of her uncle, Mr Berkeley, who has considerable wealth tied up in land in Northamptonshire and a lively interest in the Atlantic trade. Orphaned at ten, Miss Pratt was raised with her cousins Maria and Josephine at Berkeley Hall. Her brother Anthony was at that time fourteen and was bought a commission as a midshipman, a rank he is yet to advance from.

Miss Pratt is fond of art and creates, according to her protectors, some very pretty watercolours and embroideries. Granted, they may be over-generous in their praise, as they still hope the girl could be married before she turns into a hopeless spinster. After all, she is unlikely to be married for her personality, prospects, or looks--so accomplishments are all that is left.

Even so, Miss Pratt’s coming out was modest, and most expect her to find a position as a lady's companion.

Anna is overly serious, of a nervous and sullen disposition, and desperate to be good. She balances that which is expected of her with the commandments of Christ, but finds in her own nature a resistance to both. Neither can she feel as grateful as she thinks she ought for the condescension of her relations. She very much suspects that she is incurably wicked.

Fun fact: Anna began as an NPC pastiche of Fanny Price from Mansfield Park in a Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell -derived roleplay, and was unexpectedly adopted by a player character.

-

Portrait done in Artbreeder.

Modern Era

A pale blonde young woman with a softness to her figure, Anna is aware of being somewhat pretty, and hates it. She dresses mostly in grey sweaters and ties her hair up in a messy bun. She has glasses, but mostly doesn't need them; still, sometimes they are something to hide behind.

Anna lost her parents at the age of 10 and, with no relatives that were willing to take her and her brother, finished her upbringing in foster care.

Anthony aged out quickly and enlisted in the army. Anna was lucky. After a rough start, she was placed with Arthur and Mary Smythe, and stayed with them until she aged out. They weren't bad sorts. If they had faults, it was to make their kids pose for photos and perform at functions to collect money from charities, and sometimes taking on more than they could handle, leaving the kids to sort things out for themselves. Anna learned to trust only a few; to value her privacy; and to fight when she needed to.

She has an anger inside her, constantly at war with her desire to be a good person. She is largely considered to be a bit wet, which only serves to make her angrier. Sometimes she thinks she may be depressed, but doesn't want to use such a loaded word. She has, in fact, been depressed for so long she no longer remembers what it would be like to be be otherwise.

She now lives with a roommate in a cheap flat and studies pharmacology and sociology, but still keeps in touch with her foster family.

There is an AU where she is a werewolf, that I have written more for than her non-werewolf version, but I still cling to the notion that Anna is not primarily a werewolf.

[berubara-4-ham]

Sketch dump (⁠ﾉ⁠◕⁠ヮ⁠◕⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠*⁠.⁠✧

Eddie and my oc Roxie

My self insert with Barbossa 🥺💕

Ronance

Stonathon

Lady Georgie

Musical!Carina facial expressions practice

Sailor Venus, lil Sophie for my book cover design project and Arthur Havisham

Hailey Kilgore as Carina Smyth in DMTNT musical. I think to sketch more of my POTC musical fancasts

[dracereads]

So I said I would do a small haul of Birthday gifts and other book acquisitions from October because there was a lot; This isn't all of them. However some of them have already been put away, and a few had to be replaced because USPS ate them. But this is getting to the point where keeping them all set to the side is getting annoying so here they are so I can squirrel them away for a bit: Biographies: Born A Crime (Trevor Noah), A Promised Land (Barack Obama), The Life and Adventures of Nat Love (Nat Love), On Politics and the Art of Acting (Arthur Miller),& Echoes Down the Corridor (Also Arthur Miller) Classics: Jane Austen Collective Works, William Shakespeare Anthology, The Art of War (Machiavelli), The Devils of Loudon (Aldous Huxley, yes that one) , Confessions of an English Opium Eater (Thomas De Quincey), The Great Gatsby (Scott F. Fitzgerald), Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Friedrich Nietzsche), Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson), & Death of Salesman (Arthur Miller)

Reference: Reader's Digest The Complete Guide to Sewing circa 1976 for reasons, Greek Myths by Jean Menzies (she has a great lecture channel on youtube), from crook to cook (Snoop Dogg), The Princeton Guide to Historical Research (Zachary M. Schrag), Where Research Begins (Thomas S. Mullaney & Christopher Rea) & the Developmental Editing handbook by Scott Norton fiction: Loveless and Heartstopper I by Alice Oseman, Parris Daillencourt is About to Crumble (Good Old Alexis Hall) , His Majesty's Dragon (Naomi Novik), Eleanor & Park (Rainbow Rowell) Lore Olympus I (Rachel Smythe), White Horse (Erika T. Wurth), Love on the Brain (Ali Hazelwood), The Boy in the Red Dress (Kristin Lambert)

[napoleonic-sexyman-tournament]

With two days left to submit nominees, here is where the list stands:

France:

Jean Lannes

Josephine de Beauharnais

Thérésa Tallien

Jean-Andoche Junot

Joseph Fouché

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

Joachim Murat

Michel Ney

Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte (Charles XIV of Sweden)

Louis-Francois Lejeune

Pierre Jacques Étienne Cambrinne

Napoleon I

Marshal Louis-Gabriel Suchet

Jacques de Trobriand

Jean de dieu soult.

François-Étienne-Christophe Kellermann

Louis Davout

Pauline Bonaparte, Duchess of Guastalla

Eugène de Beauharnais

Jean-Baptiste Bessières

Antoine-Jean Gros

Jérôme Bonaparte

Andrea Masséna

Antoine Charles Louis de Lasalle

Germaine de Staël

Thomas-Alexandre Dumas

René de Traviere (The Purple Mask)

Claude Victor Perrin

Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr

François Joseph Lefebvre

Major Andre Cotard (Hornblower Series)

Edouard Mortier

Hippolyte Charles

Nicolas Charles Oudinot

Emmanuel de Grouchy

Pierre-Charles Villeneuve

Géraud Duroc

Georges Pontmercy (Les Mis)

Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont

Juliette Récamier

Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey

Louis-Alexandre Berthier

Étienne Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre Macdonald

Jean-Mathieu-Philibert Sérurier

Catherine Dominique de Pérignon

England:

Richard Sharpe (The Sharpe Series)

Tom Pullings (Master and Commander)

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

Jonathan Strange (Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell)

Captain Jack Aubrey (Aubrey/Maturin books)

Horatio Hornblower (the Hornblower Books)

William Laurence (The Temeraire Series)

Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey

Beau Brummell

Emma, Lady Hamilton

Benjamin Bathurst

Horatio Nelson

Admiral Edward Pellew

Sir Philip Bowes Vere Broke

Sidney Smith

Percy Smythe, 6th Viscount Strangford

George IV

Capt. Anthony Trumbull (The Pride and the Passion)

Barbara Childe (An Infamous Army)

Doctor Maturin (Aubrey/Maturin books)

Scotland:

Thomas Cochrane

Colquhoun Grant

Austria:

Klemens von Metternich

Friedrich Bianchi, Duke of Casalanza

Franz I/II

Archduke Karl

Marie Louise

Franz Grillparzer

Wilhelmine von Biron

Poland:

Wincenty Krasiński

Józef Antoni Poniatowski

Józef Zajączek

Maria Walewska

Władysław Franciszek Jabłonowski

Adam Jerzy Czartoryski

Antoni Amilkar Kosiński

Zofia Czartoryska-Zamoyska

Stanislaw Kurcyusz

Russia:

Alexander I Pavlovich

Alexander Andreevich Durov

Prince Andrei (War and Peace)

Pyotr Bagration

Mikhail Miloradovich

Levin August von Bennigsen

Pavel Stroganov

Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna

Karl Wilhelm von Toll

Dmitri Kuruta

Alexander Alexeevich Tuchkov

Barclay de Tolly

Fyodor Grigorevich Gogel

Ekaterina Pavlovna Bagration

Prussia:

Louise von Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Gebard von Blücher

Carl von Clausewitz

Frederick William III

Gerhard von Scharnhorst

Louis Ferdinand of Prussia

Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Alexander von Humboldt

Dorothea von Biron

The Netherlands:

Ida St Elme

Wiliam, Prince of Orange

The Papal States:

Pius VII

Portugal:

João Severiano Maciel da Costa

Spain:

Juan Martín Díez

José de Palafox

Inês Bilbatua (Goya's Ghosts)

Haiti:

Alexandre Pétion

Sardinia:

Vittorio Emanuele I

Denmark:

Frederik VI

Sweden:

Gustav IV Adolph

[megsbooklr]

Summer 2023 Reading Plans

(June - August)

Novels & Novellas

finish reading Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo ✅

read His Last Bow by Arthur Conan Doyle ✅

read The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle ✅

read Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov ✅

read Babel by R.F. Kuang ❌

read Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson ❌

read Osamu Dazai's Entrance Exam by Kafka Asagiri ✅

read The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo ✅

read The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz ✅

read The Three Monarchs by Anthony Horowitz ✅

read Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz ✅

read Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg ✅

Manga

read Sachi-iro no One Room by Hakuri ✅

read Sachi-iro no One Room Gaiden: Seikai no Meitantei by Hakuri ✅

read Orange by Ichigo Takano ❌

read Holmes of Kyoto ch. 1-48 by Mai Mochizuki & Ichiha Akizuki ✅

finish reading Aoharu x Kikanjuu by NAOE ✅

read Bungo Stray Dogs vol. 23 by Kafka Asagiri & Sango Harukawa ✅

read Moriarty the Patriot vol. 15 by Ryosuke Takeuchi & Hikaru Miyoshi ✅

read The Summer Hikaru Died vol. 1-2 by Mokumokuren ✅

start reading The Case Study of Vanitas by Jun Mochizuki ✅

start reading The Apothecary Diaries by Natsu Hyuuga, Nekokurage, Itsuki Nanao ✅

start reading Spy x Family by Tatsuyi Endo ✅

start reading My Happy Marriage by Akumi Agitogi & Rito Kohsaka ❌

start reading Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata ✅

start reading Gokurakugai by Yuto Sano ✅

read Summer Ghost by Otsuichi, Yoshi Inomi, Loundraw ✅

start reading Go with the Clouds, North by Northwest by Aki Irie ✅

start reading Horimiya by HERO & Daisuke Hagiwara ✅

Fanfiction

read I Was Screaming Your Name Through The Radio by ElectricSplatter ❌

re-read Reprise III by elfpen ✅

catch up with Reprise IV by elfpen ❌

Webtoons

keep reading Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe ✅

keep reading Return of the Mad Demon by JP & Ihy, Yu Jin ✅

Webnovels

keep reading The Snake and the Crane by Chichi ✅

read the Extras of MDZS ✅

read Stars of Chaos vol. 1 by priest ❌

read Heaven Official's Blessing vol. 6 by MXTX ✅

read Liu Yao by priest ▶️

read Thousand Autumns vol. 2 by Meng Xi Shi ✅

Other

read The Nature of Middle Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien ❌

read Aiglos vol. 25 ❌

[dream-world-universe]

Ballysaggartmore Lodges

Historical landmark in the Republic of Ireland

Ballysaggartmore Towers are two ornate entrance lodges that are situated on the former Ballysaggartmore Demesne approx 2.5 kilometres from the town of Lismore in County Waterford, Ireland. The structures are considered architectural "follies". 

They were constructed for an Anglo Irish Landlord, Arthur Keily-Ussher no later than 1834. He held an estate of approximately 8000 acres, the majority of which was rented to tenant farmers but he retained approximately 1000 acres as a personal demesne. The lodges were constructed on the main avenue leading to the family's residence; Ballysaggartmore House. The house itself was large but of a very plain design, which was in obvious contrast to the lodges.

An account from 1834 indicates that a main house predated the lodges. This account also reports that they were built from designs by the head gardener, John Smyth, and that the main entrance gates were forged locally for the sum of about £150

Address: Barranamanoge, Co. Waterford, Ireland

Built: 19th century

Province: Munster

Ballysaggartmore Towers / Ireland (by lemonlimod).