#C: Sonya Alexander

[xxgotthedevilinsidexx]

【❖】   ――――    Their   bodies   still   entwined,   Sonya   couldn't   help   but   smile   at   Paul's   words,   her   eyes   filled   with   gratitude.   She   knew   that   things   might   not   be   easy   for   them,   but   she   also   knew   that   they   had   each   other.   And   as   long   as   they   had   each   other,   they   would   face   whatever   came   their   way   together.   For   a   moment,   she   closed   her   eyes,   savoring   the   feel   of   his   touch.

She   knew   staying   here   all   night   would   have   it’s   consequences,   but   it   was   something   she   was   willing   to   endure   if   it   meant   being   here   in   Paul’s   arms.   ❝   I'm   okay,   ❞   She   whispered   reassuringly,   running   her   fingers   through   his   hair.   ❝   I   trust   you,   Paul.   You   know   that,   right   ?   ❞   He   might   literally   be   the   only   person   she   trusted.   She   couldn't   help   but   feel   grateful   for   every   moment   they   shared.

Their   bodies   were   still   entwined,   and   she   could   feel   the   warmth   of   his   skin   against   hers.   The   scent   of   their   lovemaking   still   hung   between   them,   a   reminder   of   the   intensity   of   their   passion.   She   hated   those   moments   when   she   would   blank   out   on   him,   it   was   only   because   so   much   was   going   through   her   mind.   It   was   almost   a   constant   that   she   was   thinking   of   away   to   free   herself   from   Hades   and   yet   still   be   able   to   protect   not   only   herself   but   her   vampire   lover.   There’s   nothing   she   wouldn’t   do   to   keep   him   safe,   to   keep   him   all   to   herself.

But   one   thing   she   could   always   count   on   was   Paul’s   ability   to   bring   her   back   to   the   here   and   now   with   the   way   his   hands   traced   every   curve   of   her   body.   The   way   his   mouth   lingered   on   the   sensitive   skin   of   her   neck,   his   breath   warm   against   her   cooling   skin.

She   was   safe   here   with   Paul,   and   the   world   outside   felt   almost   irrelevant.   They   were   their   own   bubble,   their   own   world.   And   in   this   world,   they   had   each   other   and   that   was   all   that   mattered.   She   shuddered   at   his   words,   her   heart   swelling   with   so   much   trust.   ❝   Maybe   not   today   and   not   even   tomorrow,   but   you’re   right.   It’s   all   going   to   work   out   in   the   end.   ❞   Her   body   was   so   relaxed   now,   all   the   tension   seemed   to   have   melted   away.

"Mmm," he hummed as he playfully licked her tongue when it came to touch his mouth. The saltiness of her sweat remained, and he couldn't resist tracing invisible patters along her upper arm, as their bodies gradually settled down. He welcomed her sensual touches, while his eyes remained firmly locked with hers. She asked him to lie, and that was exactly what he'd do for her.

"'Course you're not going anywhere. We're gonna crash right here, babe. We sleep all day, and party all night! That's our motto, y'know."

What Paul wouldn't give to have her as one of them - a member of the group. He wanted to tell David and the others all about her, and what she had to offer, but he couldn't risk getting her into trouble. After everything they've done together so far to keep her hidden from Hades, one mistake to cost them everything. And knowing she was a vampire hunter of all things, well, they'd cross that bridge whenever they'd get there. For now, he just wanted to relax with her in her warmth.

Hands roamed along her body, again, taking in her sensual curves. They remained joined, as his lips traced kisses along her neck and shoulder. Occasionally he'd rock his hips against hers, while his fingers caressed her breasts or teased her nipples. Paul just could never get enough of her. He was one hundred percent addicted to her.

"Man, I'm so high on you," he mumbled, half joking, half serious. He bent down and sensually sucked on her bottom lip, until he kissed her once more, but slowly. "Baby, it's gonna be alright, you hear me? S'gonna be okay."

[xxgotthedevilinsidexx]

@paranormaljunction Asked:

“I’ve got cargo in the basement. Might make your revenge against Edgar Frog more interesting.” (Gunner to Sonya)

【❖】   ――――    She   closed   her   eyes,   focusing   on   the   locator   spell.   Edgar's   aura   pulsed   stronger   now,   a   beacon   of   determination   tinged   with   worry.   ❝   He's   less   than   an   hour   away   now.   ❞   The   connection   she   had   made   with   him   was   still   strong   and   would   remain   that   way   until   he   was   back   in   Santa   Carla.   Sonya's   eyes   narrowed,   a   wicked   smile   playing   at   the   corners   of   her   mouth.   ❝   What   kind   of   cargo   are   we   talking   about,   Darlin’   ?   ❞   Sonya   walked   over   to   pour   self   herself   another   shot   of   whiskey,   her   heels   clicking   on   the   hardwood   floor.

Normally   this   was   a   matter   she   took   care   of   on   her   own.   After   what   Edgar   had   done   to   her   many   years   ago   it   had   become   a   personal   thing   between   the   two   of   them,   but   if   Gunner   had   a   devilish   plan   up   his   shelve   she   wasn’t   against   hearing   it.   She   sipped   her   whiskey,   savoring   both   the   burn   of   the   alcohol   and   the   delightful   possibilities   laying   ahead.   ❝   I   had   a   few   things   in   mind   but   I'm   always   open   to   suggestions,   especially   from   you.   ❞   Red   lips   pursed   together   as   she   batted   a   lash   at   her   more   than   handsome   husband.

[forgotteneilionora]

Name Meanings

A

aine (irish) -- radiance, brilliance, the name of the ancient goddess of love, fertility

aisling (irish) -- dream, vision

alaric (anglicized gothic) -- ruler of all

aleksander (polish/slovene/estonian/norwegian/danish) baltic form of alexander: defender of man

alistair (anglicized scottish) -- scottish gaelic form of alexander, meaning defender of man

amira (arabic or hebrew) -- commander/princess or treetop

aoife (irish) -- beauty

aria (persian or english) -- noble or song/melody

arthur (welsh or latin) -- bear king or honorable/respectful

B

bartholomew (anglicized greek-ized aramaic) -- son of talmai (talmai: furrowed)

brigit (irish) -- exalted one, the name of the ancient goddess of fire, poetry, wisdom

C

caoimhe (irish) -- dear, beloved, gentle

cassandra (anglicized greek) -- excelling/shining one

cassimir (anglicized slavic) -- to destroy peace/world

cecily (anglicized latin) -- blind

ciara (irish) -- black lady

cillian (irish) -- old church

cormac (irish) -- chariot/wagon defilement/corrupton son

D

domhnall (irish) -- form of donald: ruler of the world

E

eabha (irish-ized hebrew) -- irish form of eve: to breathe, to live

edmund (english) -- rich protector/protection

eilionora (anglicised irish + old french) hybridization of eileen + alienor. eileen, irishized greek helen: torch/corposant, moon; old french occitan meaning 'the other aenor' aenor is of unknown meaning

eithne (irish) -- kernel/grain, fire

eoin (irish-ized hebrew) irish form of john: yahweh is gracious

F

fiadh (irish) -- little deer, deer, wild, wild creature, respect

finnegan (irish) -- from a dimunitive of fionn: white, blessed

fiona (irish) -- white, blessed lady

G

garbhan (irish) -- little rough one

godfrey (anglicized old german) -- peace of god

guinevere (french-ized welsh) -- white phantom

I

isolda (latinized welsh or germanic) -- ice battle

K

kale (irish) -- affectionate, calm, fair, ocean, pure, sea, slender, tide; black

L

laoise (irish) -- possibly derived from the roots in lugh: brightness, dark, oath; possibly irish-ized form of latin lucia: light or of ludgwig: famous in battle

M

marian (anglicized latinized greek-ized egyptian) -- dimunutive of mary: (little) sea of bitterness, rebelliousness, wished for child, beloved, star of the sea

P

padraig (irish) -- irish form of the latin patricius: nobleman

percival (anglicized welsh or french) -- hard spears or pierce the valley

R

rian (irish) -- little king

roderick (germanized visigothic) -- famous ruler

roisin (irish) -- little rose, irish form of (little) rose: famous kind, the flower

ronan (irish) -- little seal

S

saoirse (irish) -- freedom

sebastian (latinized greek) -- venerable, august, exalted, to increase

sonya (russian-ized greek) -- russian form of sophia: wisdom/knowledge

sorcha (irish) -- radiant, bright

T

tristan (french-ized scottish/pictish) -- child of tears, noise/tumult

V

valentina (russian-ized latin) -- strong, vigorous, healthy

[oregontennis]

2023-24 Oregon All-State Tennis Teams

4A/3A/2A/1A Boys Singles All-State Team First Team EJ Roedl, Marist Catholic Zareh Gonzalvo, Catlin Gabel Reid Ravassipour, St. Mary's, Medford Mason Do, Oregon Episcopal Rand Freres, Oregon Episcopal

Second Team Aston Selley, Catlin Gabel Dawson Richards, Nyssa Alexander Ricketts, Marist Catholic Dominic Pulver, Sisters Jack Hally, Ontario

Honorable Mention Trysten Burns, Weston-McEwen/Griswold Cyrus Oliva, St. Mary's Medford

4A/3A/2A/1A Boys Doubles All-State Team First Team L. Olander / R. Li, Oregon Episcopal P. Tyner / A. Forsyth, Marist Catholic N. Chen / R. Nordhoff, Catlin Gabel B. Knight-Sheen / W. Barsotti, Marist Catholic S. Dinesh/ T. Stark-Seymour, St. Mary's Medford

Second Team C. Aguero / E. Mildren, Marist Catholic I. Bhardwaj / T. Freres, Oregon Episcopal B. Bair / L. McGourty, Vale C. Grover / E. Yoo, Oregon Episcopal L. Peterson/ L. Ho, St. Mary's Medford

Honorable Mention L. Norton / W. Jensen, Klamath Union A. Pelligrini/G. Scoble, Marist Catholic

4A/3A/2A/1A Girls Singles All-State Team First Team Patricia Dougherty, Klamath Union Raegan Farm, North Bend Whitney Hedden, Marist Catholic Bailey Bell, Philomath Ryan Lomber, Valley Catholic

Second Team Sami Shivakumar, Valley Catholic Ella Li, Oregon Episcopal Amanda Perez, Catlin Gabel Juhree Kizziar, Sisters Adele Beckstead, Philomath

Honorable Mention Callie Winebarger, Crook County Laken Herrera, Ontario

4A/3A/2A/1A Girls Doubles All-State Team First Team E. Seals / E. Seals, Vale C. Chamberland / P. Weerakoon, St. Mary's Medford P. Larson / S. Larson, Marist Catholic H. Ross / T. Tyner, Marist Catholic J. Mehta/E. Kim, Catlin Gabel

Second Team M. Roseman / A. Do, Oregon Episcopal H. Housely / D. Engstron, Crook County L. Mueller / C. Mueller, Irrigon B. Wagstaff/H. Wagstaff, Nyssa O. Jacoby/K. Schwin, Baker

Honorable Mention C. Nguyen/T. Murphy, Marist Catholic S. Rush/S. Wyland, Sisters

6A Boys Singles All-State Team First Team Will Semler, Lincoln Vitomir Petcov, Southridge Arnav Arora, Mountainside Reif Larsen, Jesuit Cooper Wyngarden, Lakeridge

Second Team Alexander Gurov, South Medford Surya Panyam, Jesuit Mason Men, Lake Oswego Tiger Semler, Lincoln Rowan Morrison, West Linn

Honorable Mention Guillermo Arce, Forest Grove Yehuda Zaretsky, South Eugene Blake Chandler, South Eugene Brayden Lee, Lakeridge Antonio Perez-Cansino, South Medford Wylly Fields, Lincoln Liam Mackura, Glencoe Jonah Black, Central Catholic Pace Crimon, Central Catholic

6A Boys Doubles All-State Team First Team K. Fernando / R. Chiang, Westview G. Hawkins / Z. Steinberg, West Linn A. Yan / T. Hernandez, Jesuit K. Rao / K. Zhou, Sunset L. Basi/ J. Hoda, Sprague

Second Team J. Cui / J. Lee, Lake Oswego S. Potter / M. Potter, Grant H. De La Cruz / T. Stump, Barlow R. Evenson / R. Alavi, Lake Oswego R. Valverde / A. Tadjedin, Grant

Honorable Mention A. Tran / L. Aman, Jesuit T. Hendrickson / O. Kuerbis, Grant J. Rickards / N. Bills, McMinnville C. Pate / J. Moffat, Barlow E. Meditz / L. Naugler, Grant N. Ernst / G. Chandler, Central Catholic C. Patrick / K. Forrar, Barlow J. Ebramsyah / I. Ahluwalia, Jesuit

6A Girls Singles All-State Team First Team Lauren Han, Clackamas Carissa Gerung, Jesuit Nikhitha Suresh, Sunset Alexis Uschold, South Medford Ava Kitchin, Lake Oswego

Second Team Tirzah Tarbox, Sprague Sydney Board, Tigard Sonya Drayton, West Linn Carlyta Barfield, Benson Sariah Plaisted, Century

Honorable Mention Giselli Reschke, Mountainside Rosalyn Cho, South Eugene Sabrina Larsen, Jesuit Ellie Park, South Eugene Sadie Paterson, South Salem Alyssa Piquette, Sheldon Caroline Rickards, McMinnville Sofia Sorokina, Nelson

6A Girls Doubles All-State Team First Team E. Kearney / H. Kearney, Sheldon A. Arora / T. Rao, Mountainside T. Rozendal / M. Rahul, West Linn K. Paine / K. Ayotte, Jesuit R. Beyrouty / E. Nickel, Sprague

Second Team K. Eames / R. Khalili, Lake Oswego A. Ainsworth / D. Fiskum, Sprague M. Mann / M. Regner, Westview E. Newton / R. Hefele, Lincoln K. Wattman / A. Roberts, Roseburg

Honorable Mention G. Molony / L. Weber, Barlow K. Olsson / S. Soman, Lincoln J. Hanson / M. Naugler, Grant R. Murphy / E. Schmitt, Lake Oswego P. Bittner / P. Evans, Sherwood A. Yao / N. Nagaraj, South Salem J. Paulsen / M. Fitzgerald, Lake Oswego J. Pilcher / A. Gladbach, Grants Pass

5A Boys Singles All-State Team First Team Richard Wang, Crescent Valley Kaiden Harris, La Salle Prep Max Himstreet, Summit Aiden Cruz, Caldera Brandon Vu, Centennial

Second Team Youssef Abdelsamad, Wilsonville Parks Vodak, Bend Grae Koller, Corvallis Wyattt Chance, Summit Hannes Zum Felde, Central

5A Boys Doubles All-State Team First Team A. McBride / R. McCoy-Hansen, Churchill E. Nichols / B. Nichols, La Salle Prep A. Lindsay / A. Berg, Summit N. Curtis / A. Tsai, Crescent Valley N. Rife / E. Nguyen, Summit

Second Team D. Vo / R. Lien, Parkrose B. Bloom / N. Wood, Summit V. Castaldo / I. Gains, Churchill L. Anderson / J. Bartlett, Wilsonville A. Ramirez / J. Gamboa, South Albany

5A Girls Singles All-State Team First Team Kennedy Harris, La Salle Prep Emily Gu, Crescent Valley Veronica Miller, Ashland Kate Bonetto, Summit Matilda Morgan, Summit

Second Team Keira Lin, Crescent Valley Trina Dinh, Parkrose Brooklyn Lindsey, Redmond Tiara Yeung, Milwaukie Corinna Lobschied, Corvallis

5A Girls Doubles All-State Team First Team Z. Hughes / A. Li, Crescent Valley J. Tatsumi / K. Scoggins, Wilsonville B. Capps / G. Stott, Redmond S. Cassaro / D. Streater, Ridgeview H. Sullivan/ K. Kelly, Summit

Second Team C. Nguyen / S. Nguyen, Parkrose A. Diliberto / K. Swigert, Summit P. Davisson / A. Davisson, Silverton K. Carter / A. Donnelly, La Salle Prep I. Hanna-Barofsky / E. Li, La Salle Prep

[afutureancient]

KWhole Apoethecary Rescriptions -- RX #6

KWhole Apoethecary Rescriptions — RX #6

RX #6: Review of Embodied Black Girl’s Global Healing Day Yesterday I attended the second annual Embodied Black Girl Global Healing Day event founded by Thérèse Cator. I want to share some of my thoughts and takeaways from it. Hope is about having the imagination to see other possibilities I’ll admit that personally I feel that I have very little hope in the world. The world outside is bleak…

[a-star-that-fell]

who i am is not who my parents wanted me to be

adult children of emotionally immature parents — lindsay c. gibson // the nexus — andrew robinson & alexander siddig // the jewelry store — andrea gibson // townie — mitski // the body is not an apology — sonya renee taylor // the call, option 2 — andrea gibson // invisible monsters — chuck palahniuk // elbows — andrea gibson // the miseducation of cameron post — emily m. danforth

[thejusticewarrior]

The Book Club - Non-Fiction

The Non-Fiction Book Club TBR list:

100 Nasty Women of History by Hannah Jewell

101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think by Brianna Wiest

13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do by Amy Morin

21 Lessons For The 21st Century by Yuval Noah Haran

A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Y. Davis

Atlantis: The Antediluvian World by Ignatius L. Donnelly

Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza

Between The World And Me by Ta-Neisi Coates

Beyond The Pill by Jolene Brighten

Boundaries In Dating by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend

Calm The F**k Down by Sarah Knight

Caste: The Origins Of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski

Confessions Of A Political Hitman by Stephen Marks

Confessions Of A Sex Kitten by Eartha Kitt

Declutter Your Mind by S.J. Scott & Barrie Davenport

Decoded by Jay-Z

Devil In The Grove by Gilbert King

Fear by Thich Nhat Hanh

Feminists Don't Wear Pink And Other Lies by Scarlett Curtis

first, we make the beast beautiful by Sarah Wilson

Girl, was your face by Rachel Hollis

Heal Thyself For Health And Longevity by Queen Afua

Homo Deus: A Brief History Of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Haran

Hormonal by Martie Haselton

Hormonal by Eleanor Morgan

How The Pill Changes Everything by Sarah E. Hill

How To Be Single And Happy by Jennifer L. Taitz

How To Love by Thich Nhat Hanh

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen

Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Maybe It's You by Lauren Handel Zander

Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John Gray

Milk And Honey by Rupi Kaur

Misjustice: How British Law Is Failing Women by Helena Kennedy

Moody: A 21st Century Hormone Guide by Amy Thomson

Natives: Race And Class In The Ruins Of Empire by Akala

Nile Valley Contributions To Civilization by Anthony T. Browder

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown

Red Notice by Bill Browder

Sacred Woman by Queen Afua

Sapiens: A Brief History Of Humankind by Yuval Noah Haran

Stolen Legacy by George G. M. James

Sweetening The Pill by Holly Grigg-Spall

The 48 Laws Of Power by Robert Greene

The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The Art Of Happiness by The Dalai Llama

The Art Of Living by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Autobiography Of Malcolm X by Malcolm X

The Body Is Not An Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor

The Chimp Paradox by Prof. Steve Peters

The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz

The Gifts Of Imperfection by Brené Brown

The Little Book Of Hygge by Meik Wiking

The Many-Headed Hydra by Peter Linebaugh & Marcus Rediker

The Miracle Of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle

The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan

The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert

The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton

The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler

The Warmth Of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

Thinking, Fast And Slow by Daniel Kahneman

This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay

Vilnius: City Of Strangers by Laimonas Briedis

When We Ruled by Robin Walker

White Tears/Brown Scars by Ruby Hamad

Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

Womancode by Alisa Vitti

Women Who Love Too Much by Robin Norwood

Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Women, Race And Class by Angela Y. Davis

A Massacre In Mexico by Anabel Hernandez

Putin's People by Catherine Belton

The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan

Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

The Good Immigrant by Nikesh Shukla et al.

When They Call You A Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullon & Asha Bandele

It's Not About The Burqa by Mariam Khan

Afropean: Notes From Black Europe by Johny Pitts

Blueprint For Revolution by Srdja Popovic

Freedom Is A Constant Struggle by Angela Y. Davis

White Fragility by Robin Diangelo

The Health Gap by Michael Marmot

Fake Law: The Truth Abiut Justice In An Age Of Lies by The Secret Barrister

The Secret Barrister by The Secret Barrister

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

No One Is Too Small To Make A Difference by Greta Thunberg

Our Final Warning: Six Degrees Of Climate Emergency by Mark Lynas

Underground by Haruki Murakami

The Jigsaw Man by Paul Britton

This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein

Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue by Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Bad Pharma by Ben Goldacre

Pharma by Gerald Posner

The Truth About The Drug Companies by Marcia Angell, M.D.

Selling Sickness by Ray Moynihan & Alan Cassels

Blood Feud by Kathleen Sharp

The Future We Choose by Christiana Gigueres & Tom Rivett Carnac

There Is No Planet B by Mike Berners-Lee

Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez

Society Must Be Defended by Michel Foucault

Discipline And Punish by Michel Foucault

Chernobyl Prayer by Svetlana Alexievich

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Anne Frank: The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank

If They Come In The Morning by Angela Y. Davis

Tiny, Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

The House of Government by Yuri Slezkine

The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk

Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson

Will I Ever Be Good Enough?: Healing The Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers by Karyl McBride

[xxgotthedevilinsidexx]

     “ And I do not recall saying that you did. “ Sonya made sure to make that clear to the other. “ While I’m not your typical God I would imagine for someone such as yourself it would weaken you to a degree. “ At least that’s how it had worked with Hades. “ I on the other hand want nor need any man or woman to worship me. I had enough of those dealing with Hades himself. And just as I would have no man or woman worship me , I myself worship no man. Call me a bitter bitch if you’d like. But please , enlighten me if I’m wrong in my assumption. “ It took many long years to free herself from Hades grasp and now that she was free she’d be damned if anyone managed to cage her like that again. 

I vowed I would never call anyone Master again.

@xxgotthedevilinsidexx​

“I do not recall asking you to call me Master, but I have not been worshipped in eons.” The dragon crossed his scaled, wisened arms across his chest and stuck his nose up towards the sky. “Do you know what that does to a god?”

[charmingpplincardigans]

Books 2021

I read so many books this year! Or well, I listened to so many books this year. There was a moment in September where I had gone through 70 and thought, 'I could read 100 books this year if I really tried', but uh, you can probably tell that shortly after that I stopped trying. See also the part of the year where my collected non-fiction reading looked like I might be gearing up to build a sexbot to upload my consciousness to. I'm still not ruling that out.

The Parable of the Sower // Octavia Butler (science fiction)

Gods and Robots: Myths, Machines, and Ancient Dreams of Technology // Adrienne Mayor (non-fiction)

The Duke & I // Julia Quinn (romance)

Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches // Audre Lorde (essays)

Perfect Sound Whatever // James Acaster (non-fiction)

The Viscount Who Loved Me // Julia Quinn (romance)

Dearly // Margaret Atwood (poetry)

An Offer From A Gentleman // Julia Quinn (romance)

How to Write An Autobiographical Novel // Alexander Chee (memoir)

The Sandman: Overture // Neil Gaiman, JH Williams III, Dave Stewart (fantasy)

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton // Julia Quinn (romance)

Cemetery Boys // Aiden Thomas (fantasy)

Here For It // R. Eric Thomas (essays)

To Sir Phillip, With Love // Julia Quinn (romance)

Sandman (audio) // Neil Gaiman, Dirk Maggs (fantasy)

The View From the Cheap Seats // Neil Gaiman (essays)

Bluets // Maggie Nelson (poetry)

Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls: A Handbook for Unapologetic Living // Jes Baker (non-fiction)

A Study in Scarlet // Arthur Conan Doyle (mystery)

When He Was Wicked // Julia Quinn (romance)

The Sign of Four // Arthur Conan Doyle (mystery)

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes // Arthur Conan Doyle (mystery)

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes // Arthur Conan Doyle (mystery)

The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Burglar // Maurice LeBlanc (mystery)

The Return of Sherlock Holmes // Arthur Conan Doyle (mystery)

Sex, Race, and Robots // Dr. Ayanna Howard (non-fiction)

It's In His Kiss // Julia Quinn (romance)

The Raven Boys // Maggie Stiefvater (fantasy, re-read)

The Dream Thieves // Maggie Stiefvater (fantasy, re-read)

After Callimachus: Poems // Stephanie Burt (poetry)

Blue Lily, Lily Blue // Maggie Stiefvater (fantasy, re-read)

The Raven King // Maggie Stiefvater (fantasy, re-read)

On the Way to the Wedding // Julia Quinn (romance)

Call Down the Hawk // Maggie Stiefvater (fantasy, re-read)

Sorted: Growing Up, Coming Out, and Finding My Place a transgender memoir // Jackson Bird (memoir)

Felon // Reginald Dwayne Betts (poetry)

If Birds Gather Your Hair For Nesting // Anna Journey (poetry)

Mister Impossible // Maggie Stiefvater (fantasy)

Visual Poetry in the Avant Writing Collection // edited by John M. Bennett (poetry)

Everybody Has a Podcast (Except You) // McElroys et al (non-fiction)

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb // Cat Sebastian (romance)

Counting Descent // Clint Smith (poetry)

The Paper Magician // Charlie N. Holmberg (fantasy)

Somebody's Daughter // Ashley C. Ford (memoir)

Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything // Lydia Kang and Nate Pedersen (non-fiction)

The Family Plot // Cherie Priest (horror)

Don't Call Us Dead // Danez Smith (poetry)

The 99% Invisible City // Roman Mars (non-fiction)

The A.I. Who Loved Me // Alyssa Cole (romance/science fiction)

Upstream: Selected Essays // Mary Oliver (essays)

The Glass Magician // Charlie M. Holmberg (fantasy)

DMZ Colony // Don Mee Choi (non-fiction/poetry)

Turned On: Science, Sex, and Robots // Kate Devlin (non-fiction)

Fierce Fairytales // Nikita Gill (fantasy)

One Last Stop // Casey McQuiston (fantasy)

Medium Raw // Anthony Bourdain (memoir)

Aerial View of Louisiana // Cleopatra Mathis (poetry)

The Body is Not An Apology // Sonya Renee Taylor (non-fiction)

Dolly Parton: Songteller // Dolly Parton (memoir)

Winter's Orbit // Everina Maxwell (science fiction)

The Universe of Us // Lang Leav (poetry)

The Master Magician // Charlie N. Holmberg (fantasy)

Paperback Crush // Gabrielle Moss (non-fiction)

What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat // Aubrey Gordon (non-fiction)

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? // Caitlin Doughty (non-fiction)

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing // Hank Green (science fiction)

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor // Hank Green (science fiction)

The Midnight Bargain // CL Polk (fantasy)

Unmentionable // Therese O'Niell (non-fiction)

Here //  Richard McGuire (comic)

Mr. Humble & Dr. Butcher // Brandy Schillace (non-fiction)

A Darker Shade of Magic // VE Schwab (fantasy, re-read)

Good Omens // Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (fantasy, re-read)

A Gathering of Shadows // VE Schwab (fantasy, re-read)

Women and Other Monsters // Jess Zimmerman (non-fiction/memoir)

Lessons on Expulsion // Erika L. Sanchez (poetry)

[xxgotthedevilinsidexx]

@bloodxxandxxspirit​ asked:

"Hey, baby. Got something to show you. Received a package from an old contact I thought was dead. Forgot all about this thing 'til I saw what I was looking at for the first time in years. Was thinking about gifting the rest of these to the other werewolves." (Gunner to Sonya)

     The sound of Gunner’s voice pulled her away from her grimoire. The past several days she’s spent studying away looking for a perfect spell ─ one that would aid in changing up the pervious spell she placed on the Frog brothers. She was close to having it just right , the only problem was that asshole Edgar was still MIA.

     With the grimoire placed to the side she rose to her feet and walked over to her husband. Being this close to him reminded her just how much she wanted to hurry and settle all of the issues that were at hand. To much time was being stolen away from the time she should be spending with her husband and son. 

     “ An old contact ? Well this should be interesting. “ Knowing Gunner’s past line of work and the old contacts he had , she knew he wasn’t carrying around a box with silly little trinkets inside. Her eyes wonder down looking into the box to see a variety of rings. Reaching into the box she lifts one out and gives it a look over. Her skin tingles feeling the magic flowing within it. “ Okay , you have my attention. “ She held the ring up to him between her thumb and index finger. “ I take it these are something like the daylight rings for vampires ? “

[lornaslibrary]

Animals

Last week I asked you to recommend books based on the prompt animals. Here are all the books you recommended!! Some of these books feature animals, some of them have animals in the titles.

Bold = the books I’ve read * = the books I personally would recommend + = want to read/on my TBR

Watership Down, by Richard Adams *

The Plague Dogs, by Richard Adams *

The Book of Three, by Lloyd Alexander

The Thing About Jellyfish, by Benjamin Ali

The Invasion (Animorphs #1), by K.A. Applegate

Raptor Red, by Robert T. Bakker

Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1), by Leigh Bardugo *

Silverhair (Mammoth #1), by Stephen Baxter 

The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle +

Angels and Insects, by A. S. Byatt

A Horse Called Wonder (Thoroughbred #1), by Joanna Campbell

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll *

Moon Chosen (Tales of the New World #1), by P.C. Cast

The Sight, by David Clement-Davies 

Fire Bringer, by David Clement-Davies

Fantastic Mr. Fox, by Roald Dahl 

The Hound of the Baskervilles (Sherlock Holmes #5), by Arthur Conan Doyle 

Krambambuli, by Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, by T.S. Eliot

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, by Karen Joy Fowler

The Skylark’s Song (The Skylark Saga #1), by J. M. Frey

Old Yeller, by Fred Gipson

The Little White Horse, by Elizabeth Goudge

The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame +

The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah

Black Foxes, by Sonya Hartnett

The Lord God Made Them All, by James Herriot

If Only They Could Talk, by James Herriot

The Hunt of the Unicorn, by C. C. Humphreys

Into the Wild (Warriors #1), by Erin Hunter

Redwall (Redwall #1), by Brian Jacques

The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka

Pet Sematary, by Stephen King *

The Jungle Books, by Rudyard Kipling

The Wolves, by Hann Hellmut Kirst

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, by Elizabeth Kolbert  

Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle #1), by Jay Kristoff *

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis

Call of the Wild, by Jack London

The Mark of Zorro (Zorro #1), by Johnston McCulley

Deerskin, by Robin McKinley

Spindle’s End, by Robin McKinley

Chalice, by Robin McKinley

Blanca & Roja, by Anna-Marie McLemore

Birds Art Life: A Year of Observation, by Kyo Maclear

Daughter of the Forest, by Juliet Marillier

Life of Pi, by Yann Martel *

The Novice (Summoner #1), by Taran Matharu

Winnie-the-Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh #1), by A. A. Milne

The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be, by Farley Mowat

Animal Farm, by George Orwell +

Here, There Be Dragons (The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica #1), by James A. Owen

Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle #1), by Christopher Paolini

Flambards (Flambards #1), by K. M. Peyton

Fierce Kingdom, by Gin Phillips

Wild Magic (Immortals, #1), by Tamora Pierce

Trickster’s Choice (Daughter of the Lioness #1), by Tamora Pierce

The Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter

The Unadulterated Cat, by Terry Pratchett

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1), by Philip Pullman *

An Enchantment of Ravens, by Margaret Rogerson

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter #5), by J. K. Rowling *

The Serpent’s Shadow (The Kane Chronicles #3), by Rick Riordan

Bambi, by Felix Salten +

Far-Seer (Quintaglio Ascension #1), by Robert J. Sawyer

The Cricket in Times Square (Chester Cricket and His Friends #1), by George Selden

Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell

Feathers and Gifts: A Heartwarming True Story, by P. J. Sheldon

Babe: The Gallant Pig, by Dick King Smith

The 101 Dalmatians (The Hundred and One Dalmatians #1), by Dodie Smith +

The Green Ember (The Green Ember #1), by S.D. Smith

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1), by Maggie Stiefvater

The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater

The Dragonet Prophecy (Wings of Fire #1), by Tui T. Sutherland

The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1), by Jessica Townsend

The Book of the Dun Cow (Chauntecleer the Rooster #1), by Walter Wangerin Jr.

The Island of Dr Moreau, by H. G. Wells +

The Trumpet of the Swan, by E. B. White 

Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White *

Summer Lightning, by P. G. Wodehouse

The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow (The Sinclair’s Mysteries series #1), by Katherine Woodfine

Elsewhere, by Gabrielle Zevin 

If you recommended books but don’t see your recommendations here, feel free to message me and let me know I missed your post!!

Other Chain Recs Masterposts

[hazyheel]

WWE Monday Night Raw 8/5/19

We started the night with a tribute to those in El Paso and Dayton. They even gave a ten bell salute. It was good. Nice of them. 

Then they showed the theme song, and Samoa Joe interrupted it. He hopped up on the announce desk and yelled at Michael Cole for accusing him of attacking Roman Reigns. Graves tried to defend Cole, which only made Joe more mad. He demanded that they show the footage. They did, and Joe said that since he was nowhere near the attack. Joe vowed to stay at the show until Reigns showed up, so he could get his apology. 

As he was talking, Becky Lynch interrupted and walked down to the ring. Badass. I love her. 

Grade: B-. I am almost positive that it wasn’t Joe who attacked Roman, so this is just sorta a red haring. But it could lead to a nice brawl and maybe even a good match if I may be so bold. 

Then we had a tag match in the Women’s division. Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch vs. Natalya and Trish Stratus. I was shocked that they are actually having Stratus on TV. Charlotte vs. Stratus is one of the biggest matches that they have going for them, so I was surprised to see this tag match get booked. Nattie and Lynch started the match with some technical exchanges. The two exchangd some submissiions, and Lynch was bout to lock in the disarmer, but Charlotte tagged herself in. Charlotte essentially wrestled this match alone, she completely refused to tag Lynch in. Even when she actually did tag Lynch in, she nailed Lynch in the back of the head with a forearm and walked out on her. Nattie locked in the sharpshooter, and refused to break when Lynch made it to the ropes, causing a DQ. 

After the match, Stratus tried to pull Nattie off of Lynch, so Nattie pushed her away.

Grade: C+. Fine match, basically continued to show how much hatred has festered between Nattie and Lynch. And it showed that Charlotte is a bad guy. Stratus didn’t actually wrestle, so that was good. Just a perfectly functional angle here. 

Then we went into Andrade vs. Rey Mysterio, the never ending feud. The match stemmed from Andrade ripping Mysterio’s mask after their portion of the Gauntlet match last week. We started with a quick pace, getting into striking and flipping within the first minute. At one point early on, Andrade spilled to the outside, so Rey slid out onto him and gave him a sunset flip powerbomb into the barricade. The two put on a really nice, lucha libre style of match with lots of great flippy moves. Rey hit an awesome hurricanrana after Andrade popped him up at one point. Andrade also nailed a beautiful double stomp in the corner after the two battled on the top rope. Rey still fought back however, this time with a mexican destroyer for a near fall. Then he nailed Andrade with the 619, but Andrade got his knees up for the splash after Vega distracted Mysterio. In the finish, Andrade went for the mask once again, but when the ref pulled him off, Vega hung up Mysterio on the middle rope, allowing Andrade to hit the hammerlock DDT. 

Grade: B+. Just a nice little spotfest here. Pretty fun, and open to have a rematch. Nice to see a pretty good match. 

Then we saw went is going on with Maria Kanellis, at their OBGYN appointment. She told Mike to defend her and her championship, and he said he would. At the appointment, Mike told Maria to relax and hugged her. The doctor then counted a pinfall, so Kanellis won the championship. Mike ran out into the waiting room, where R-Truth was waiting, He threw a baby doll in the air, which Mike caught, and then rolled up Mike to win his title back. 

Then we had an interview with Becky Lynch about her summerslam match. Lynch said that she doesn’t care if Nattie has hometown advantage. She will win, because she has changed the business. Nattie said that she hasn’t gotten enough opportunity, but Lynch said that she needed to take opportunities. She is what Nattie’s career needs. Then Nattie was interviewed, and she said that her armbar didn’t matter, because her arm will break before she taps. Then she said that she would end Becky’s career with the sharpshooter and win the championship. Nice, I like tough Nattie. 

Then Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman came out. Heyman ran down Rollins for getting destroyed by Lesnar again and again. He said that he loses too much, and he isn’t the hero that he pretends to be. They showed the attack from last week, and Heyman talked about how even he couldn’t stop Lesnar’s vicious attack. He also said that Rollins was in the building, and he insulted him for being stupid and showing up to Raw. Rollin’s music hit, and he limped down to the ring with a hair in hand. When Rollins got into the ring, Lesnar went right for the ribs. Lesnar attacked him with the chair and threw him all over the ring. Lesnar nailed him with an F5 to leave him laying on the ground.

After a commercial break, Rollins got on the mic and talked about why this match was worth it. He said that he wanted to protect the Universal Championship, despite the fact that it gets him beaten up every week. He said that this was all he had, and he vowed to beat Lesnar. He also refused to get on the stretcher when they offered it. 

Grade: C-. I am not as fond of this underdog story as I was of a confident Rollins going into Wrestlemania. He is badass when he is confident, and while he is a good underdog, Lesnar eats underdogs. We’ve seen this story before, and while I hope Rollins wins, it seems like he won’t. I’m just sick of Lesnar being in the title picture. 

Backstage, Kurt Angle, who would be a special guest referee for McIntyre vs. Alexander, talking to the Street Profits. They wanted to party with him and drink some milk, which they almost did until Drew McIntyre came up and threatened him. If Angle didn’t call it down the middle, then he would crack his skull open. I don’t know why Kurt Angle is here. 

Then we had a squash match with the Viking Raiders. They won with the viking experience. 

Grade: B-. Inoffensive Squash. 

Then we had Cedric Alexander vs. Drew McIntyre, with Kurt Angle as the guest referee. McIntyre ran down to the ring as Alexander entered, and he beat the crap out of him. As they fought on the outside, Alexander gave McIntyre a tornado DDT, and then the lights went out. The Fiend showed up once again, and used the mandible claw to put Angle right on the mat. 

Grade: B-. Okay, I’m into this becoming Wyatt’s new thing. A modern legend slayer, but he is way creepier. I like that, he looks really strong so far. 

Then we had the New Day’s Xavier Woods and Big E come out to the ring for a match with the OC. The match didn’t even really start when AJ just ran into the ring and attacked. There was a DQ, and the New Day were beaten down, but Ricochet ran down and came to their aid. He helped fight them off, and they turned this into a 6-man tag. Ricochet and Styles mixed it up a bit. Big E was tagged in to fight a bit against Luke Gallows, who came out in his old face paint, so that was cool. Styles and Big E actually had a really good exchange here, where Styles countered several of Big E’s power move. He eventually gave Woods the hot tag, who gave Styles an honor roll. That was when this broke down a bit into anarchy, as Ricochet gave Styles a dropkick through the bottom ropes and out to the outside, but Gallows caught him when he tried again, and he was sent flying into the barricade. Styles then took out Big E with a Phenomenal Forearm, while Gallows and Anderson hit the Magic Killer for the win. 

Grade: B. Pretty good stuff, interesting that the OC got the win over the Smackdown tag team champions, so maybe they will be the WWE Tag Team Champions soon. Other than that, just sorta a spot fest. Still pretty good though.

Then Samoa Joe came out, upon finding out that Roman Reigns was in the building. Reigns didn’t come out, so Joe sat in the right and waited. The crowd got bored waiting for Reigns and chanted CM Punk, so Joe walked out and met Reigns in the parking lot. As Joe walked out to confront him, a car smashed into Romans. Joe actually made sure that Reigns was okay after the car was hit, telling him to stay down and yelling for a medic. Triple H came out to make sure he was okay as well. Interesting, no confirmation of who it was. And Joe may turn face. 

Then we had a fatal 4-way elimination match for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. The Kabuki Warriors vs. Fire and Desire vs. Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss vs. The IIconics. This match feels like they were going to do it at summerslam, but then they just kept cutting the build until they didn’t have a build, so they just blew it off on TV. Also, Corey and Renee are really funny during this match because he keeps yelling at her whenever Mandy Rose was in the ring. The IIconics took everyone down and hit their signature poses, but then Rose ran in to fight them. Rose pinned Cay with a running knee very quick, guaranteeing new champions. Nikki Cross was in after the elimination, but she quickly tagged herself out to Asuka. Asuka intimidated Rose out of the ring to tag in Bliss, but Bliss quickly tagged Sonya Deville. The two had a very nice exchange, followed by an awesome hot tag from the Kabuki warriors. Bliss entered the ring again, and when Renee mentioned that Bliss didn’t want to be in the match because she was scared, Graves suggested that she could be scared of getting scurvy from Kairi Sane. You know, because she is a pirate. So dumb, but pretty funny. Then we saw Rose and Asuka battling a bit, culminating in Rose tapping out to the Asuka lock. That left the Kabuki Warriors and Cross and Bliss. When we came back, Cross was locked in a knee bar, but she eventually broke out. And afterwards, she continued to sell the knee, so that was nice. Sane had a yet another really nice hot tag, which reminded me that she never really had a chance to prove herself on the main roster yet. Asuka then tagged back in to fight Bliss, and nearly got stacked up out of an Asuka lock. Sane went up for the insane elbow, but Cross pushed her off the top rope. Asuka then tried to attack Cross on the outside, but Cross trapped her in the apron and beat her down. Sane then took out Cross, only to be floored by a right from Bliss. Bliss then went up and hit Twisted Bliss for the win. 

Grade: C+. A lot of this match was awkward, and not the greatest. But that last fall between Bliss and the Kabuki warriors was pretty good. I hope to see more straight up tag matches between some teams, and hopefully put some respect on those championships. I think Cross and Bliss have the most star power in this 

And in the main event slot, we had a contract signing on Miz TV. Miz and Dolph Ziggler were going to sign a contract for their match, and Shawn Michaels was there for some reason too. Ziggler quickly insulted both of Michaels and Miz, saying that he is carrying the company on his back since Michaels lost his smile, and Miz lost his balls. Funny, those certainly didn’t happen at the same time. Miz then said the contract was not for a match with Miz, implying it was with Shawn Michaels. Michaels then said that it wasn’t him, and Goldberg came out. Goldberg then signed the contract after Ziggler retreated from the ring. Goldberg then told Ziggler that he was next, as Michaels drilled him with a superkick.

Grade: B. I bumped this up a bit because of the surprise. Goldberg is certainly a way to get a bigger name on this card, and I’m into it. Ziggler can sell a beating like no other, so I’m excited to see him get speared inside out on Sunday. 

Overall Grade: B-.

Pros: Andrade vs. Mysterio; OC vs. New Day & Ricochet; Miz TV; IIconics lost their belts :)

Cons: Rollins looks super weak

[the-record-obituaries]

June 19, 2019: Obituaries

Lovina Schrock, 91

Mrs. Lovina Hostetler Schrock, 91, of Moravian Falls, passed away on Sunday, June 16, 2019 at her residence.

Lovina was born on June 11, 1928 in Stark County Ohio to Henry Hostetler and Ella Miller Hostetler.

Lovina is preceded in death by parents; husband, Mervin L. Schrock; brother, Ervin Hostetler; sister, Beulah Hochstedler and great grand daughter, Danielle Schrock.

Lovina is survived by her 5 daughters, Susan Faye Hochstetler of Canada, Joy Roselle Hileman of Ohio, Debra Kaye Yoder of Moravian Falls, Juanita Lynne Herber of Pennsylvania, Charlotte Marlene Schrock of Virginia; 5 sons, John Mark Schrock, Larry Dean Schrock, Timothy Jay Schrock, Franklin Scott Schrock all of Virginia, Frederick Allen Schrock of Moravian Falls; sisters, Mary Wittmer of Pennsylvania, Viola Mullet of Ohio; brothers, Melvin Hostetler of Ohio, Henry Hostetler of Canada; 21 grandchildren and many great grand children.

The funeral service will be held in Ohio at a later date.

Adams Funeral Home of Wilkes has the honor of serving the Schrock Family.

 Nancy Winters, 5

Nancy Lee Winters, age 55, of North Wilkesboro, passed away Saturday, June 15, 2019 at Westwood Hills Nursing and Rehab Center. Nancy was born July 11, 1963 in Wilkes County to Cecil and Mandy Stanley Trivette. She loved to fish; do crafts and quilting. Ms. Winters was preceded in death by her parents; and several siblings.

Surviving are her son, Steven Winters and spouse Jessica of North Wilkesboro; daughter, Amanda Winters and spouse Zachary White of Huntington, West Virginia; a number of siblings; grandchildren, M.J. Winters and Josh Walker.

The family has requested no flowers.

Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.  

 Hazel Prevette, 96

Hazel Maie Johnson Prevette, 96, of North Wilkesboro, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Saturday, June 15, 2019 at Wilkes Senior Village.

She was born May 23, 1923 in Wilkes County, to the late William Edward Johnson and Julie Maie Combs Johnson.

     Hazel was a member of Lewis Baptist Church.  She loved singing and praising the Lord with her church family in the choir.  She was a passionate vegetable and flower gardener.

     Including her parents, she was preceded in death by: her husband, Dewey Gaither Prevette Sr.; grandchildren, Craig Williams and Pamela Taylor.

     Those left to cherish and honor her memory include: daughters, Peggy Taylor (Wallace) of McGrady, Kathy Williams (Dean) of Wilkesboro; sons, D. G. Prevette, Jr. (Linda) of Wilkesboro, Kenneth Prevette (Sarah) of Lewisville; sister, Annie Lou Brown (Gene) of Millers Creek; brother, Howard Johnson of Purlear; many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren

     Funeral services wereJune 18,   at Lewis Baptist Church in North Wilkesboro.  Rev. Bruce Rhoades will be officiating.  Burial followed in the church cemetery.

     Adams Funeral Home of Wilkes and cremation services is honored to be serving the Prevette Family.

 Fern Anderson, 87

Fern Anderson, 87 Mrs. Fern Pauline Call Anderson, age 87, widow of Hobert Anderson, died on Saturday, June 15, 2019 at Villages of Wilkes.

     Funeral services were June 19,  at Reins-Sturdivant Chapel with Rev. Alan Bouchelle officiating.  Burial was in Fishing Creek Arbor Baptist Church Cemetery.

Mrs. Anderson was born June 19, 1931 in Wilkes County to Benjamin Winfred and Carrie Elizabeth Benge Call. She was a member of Penelope Baptist Church in Hickory. Before her retirement while residing in Hickory, NC, she worked for Cline Insurance Company as a private secretary and was self-employed as a skin care specialist thru Ann Mari.

In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her husband, Hobert Anderson; four sisters, Sylvia Call Soots, Tessie Call Foster, Florence Call Hayes Bouchelle, and Doris Call Waddell Spears; and four brothers, Julius H. Call, James P. Call, Roy "Ray" Call, and Coy "Clay" Call.

She is survived by her daughter, Linda Anderson Plemmons of North Wilkesboro; twin sons, Tracy Anderson and wife, Sandy, of Millers Creek, and Travis Van Anderson of Hickory; four grandchildren, Dana K.Anderson, Dylan L. Anderson, Doug Plemmons, and Floyd Plemmons; four great-grandchildren, Rachel C. Plemmons, Kyle P. Plemmons, Jason Sprinkle, and Elijah Foster; one great-great-grandchild, Chaselyn Kate Plemmons; one sister, Lois Call Foster of Traphill; and one brother, Thomas Jerry Call of Wilkesboro.

The latter part of her life, Mrs. Anderson spent ten years at Catawba Valley Assisted Living and three years at Wilkes Senior Villages.  The family sincerely thanks the staff of both facilities for their wonderful care of their loved one.

A special thank you from the family to Shirley Bowlin for her exceptional care of our Mother.

  Kenith Jones, Sr., 83

 Mr. Kenith Smythe Jones, Sr., 83, of Taylorsville, passed away Thursday, June 13, 2019 at Valley Nursing Center.

Kenith was born December 18, 1935 in Fayette  County, WV, the son of the late George Thomas Jones, Sr. and Inez Blanch Duncan Jones.

He was a US Army veteran, who served in Germany as a combat engineer. He had worked as a supervisor for Southern Devices before retiring and was a member of Bethel Baptist Church. He enjoyed reading Westerns, was a avid Redskin fan, and enjoyed playing golf when he was able and also enjoyed watching NASCAR.

Including his parents, he was preceded in death by: his wife, Peggy Joyce Payne Jones; four sisters, Beulah Pemberton, Doris Criss, Natella Blackwell and infant sister, Carolyn Jones; a brother, George Jones.

Those left to cherish and honor his memory include: a daughter, Patricia Jones Carter and husband, Larry, of Statesville; four sons, Kenny Jones and wife, Joan, of Taylorsville, Barry Jones and wife, Janna, of Newton, Timothy Jones and wife, Lisa, of Taylorsville, Ricky Jones of Asheville; five grandchildren, Joshua Moore, Caitlin Jones Parkhurst and husband, Matt, Ashley Jones, Tyler Jones and wife, Tiffany, Andrew Jones and fiance, Lacey Bruno; four great-grandchildren, RJ, Gracelynn, Jacob and Ezra; two sisters, Janet Payne and husband, Charles, of WV, Drema Gail Gales of VA; a brother, William Jones and wife, Carol, of WV; a sister-in-law, Christine Jones of WV; and a number of nieces and nephews.

A service was held  June 17,  at Bethel Baptist Church with Revs. Bill Smith and Ervel Jones officiating. Burial   followed in the church cemetery with flag folding ceremony.

Pallbearers were Ken's sons and grandsons.

The family would like to express a sincere thank you for every act of kindness or visit to our loved one and also to the staff, nurses and caregivers at Valley Nursing Center.

Memorials may be made to: Alexander County Hospice, 50 Lucy Echerd Lane, Taylorsville, NC 28681.

Adams Funeral Home and cremation services is honored to be serving the Jones Family.

 Terri Sigmon, 64

Terri Lynn Sigmon, age 64, passed away peacefully on June 11, 2019 at Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation in Taylorville and is now resting in the care of our Lord.  

She was born in Hickory, NC on February 28, 1955.  Prior to moving there she lived at Parklane Group home in Newton.

She was preceded in death by her parents Charles and Jane Sigmon of Hickory.  

She is survived by her sister, Sandie Cline (Jimmie) of Wilkesboro, and her brothers, Robert Sigmon (Virginia) of Statesville, and Bruce Sigmon of Hickory.

Terri was a long- time member of Christ Lutheran Church in Hickory where she is best remembered for her deep faith and leading the congregation in happy birthday songs.  She especially loved family gatherings during the holidays. She had a special relationship with her nephews Christopher (Tanya) of Wilkesboro, Jonathan (Ellen) and Matthew (Jessica) of Mooresville and great nephews and nieces, Ayden, Charlie, Cameron, Macie, Oren, Eli, Finley and Luke. They will cherish the memories of her.

The funeral service will be held on Thursday, June 20,   at 3:00 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Church in Hickory.

The family will receive friends prior to the service from 2: 00 until 3:00 p.m. at the church. Rev. Richard Schwandt will be officiating the service. Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers memorials can be made to the memorial fund at Christ Lutheran Church, 324 2nd Ave. SE, Hickory, NC 28602.

Pallbearers for the service will be Christopher Cline, Jonathan Cline, Matthew Cline, Van Smith, Scott Wimmer, and Billy Pernell.

 Vickie Cothren, 52

Vickie Cothren, 52 Miss Vickie Lee Cothren, age 52 of Roaring River, passed away Wednesday, June 12, 2019 at Woltz Hospice Home in Dobson.

     Funeral services were June 15,   at White Plains Baptist Church with Pastor William Souther and Bishop Peggy Horton officiating.  Burial was in the church cemetery.                Vickie was born October 24, 1966 in Wilkes County to James "Jim" Ervin Cothren and Georgie Lee Swaim Cothren. She was employed for 30 years with Wilkes Community College as a Library Assistant. Vickie enjoyed spending time with her great nieces and nephews who called her "Bibby" and liked sports from WFU, Chicago Bulls and Carolina Panthers. She also enjoyed cooking and most enjoyed sharing her testimony with her relationship with God.

She was preceded in death by her mother; Georgie Lee Cothren.

In addition to her father; Jim Cothren, she is survived by three sisters; Anna Church of Millers Creek, Teresa Absher of Roaring River and Jane Whitley of Hays, nieces and nephews; Amanda Miller (William), Sonya Evans (Allen), Michael Church, Ashley Mabe (Jason), Lindsay Jester (Justin) and Colby Whitley, great nieces and nephews; Elijah Miller, Asher Miller, Brenan, Nevan and Rowyn Mabe and Elizabeth Jester, Aunt Joy Swaim, Cousins; Calvin Swaim, Charlene Dancy and family, special friends and co-workers; Rebecca Kruger, Christy Earp, Misty Bass, Janet Atwood, Audrey Chapel and Donna Church and Fur Babies; Jett, Sanford, Melinda and Miss Sunshine.

Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to the Donor's Choice, Wilkes Community Partnership for Children PO Box 788 North Wilkesboro, NC 28659, Wilkes Community College Endowment Corporation PO Box 120 Wilkesboro, NC 28697 or Mtn. Valley Hospice 401 Technology Lane Suite 200 Mt. Airy, NC 27030.

 James Ashley, Jr. 77

Mr. James Martin Ashley, Jr. age 77 of Wilkesboro, passed away Tuesday, June 11, 2019 at his home.

Funeral services were June 18,   at Cub Creek Baptist Church with Pastor John Lewis and Mr. Frank Denny officiating. Burial was in Cub Creek Baptist Church Cemetery.  

Mr. Ashley was born November 27, 1941 in Wilkes County to James Martin Ashley, Sr. and Geneva Sink Ashley.  He was retired after 35 dedicated years at Lowe's Companies. During his employment he worked as a Store Manager and a Regional Manager. James was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend. He was a member of Cub Creek Baptist Church where he was a Faithful Deacon, Loved and Respected Sunday School Teacher, member of the Adult Choir and Hand Bell Choirs, Good News Club Teacher, served on the Building Committee, Maintenance Committee and the Expansion Committee. James was an avid Golfer. After retirement, he enjoyed spending his time working on his cattle farm and enjoying the beautiful mountain views. He was always helping or attending the many activities with his grandchildren. James was well known for his love of his family, his church and his tremendous work ethic. His best Friend, Bear, Black-Lab mix was always at his side, waiting for the last bite of anything that James ate.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother; Bill Ashley.

James is survived by his wife; Judy Ann Wayne Ashley of the home, two daughters; Jamie Ashley Beamon and Lorie Ashley Kerhoulas both of Wilkesboro, a son; James Martin Ashley, III "Jimmy" of Wilkesboro, five grandchildren; Anna Kerhoulas LaFave and husband Ethan, Stephen Kerhoulas and fiancé Clair Colburn, Martin Beamon, Jacob Beamon and Nicholas Ashley, a great grandchild; Addy Billings and two sisters; Ann Ashley and Jane Ashley both of Wilkesboro.

Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made in honor of grandchildren Anna and Jacob to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Piedmont Triad Chapter 216 W. Market Street Suite B, Greensboro, NC 27401.

 Ann Whitworth, 83

Ann Hill Whitworth, age 83, passed away on Tuesday, June 4, 2019 at her home in Purlear, NC. She was born in Erwin, NC on November 12, 1935 to Frank Weaver, Sr. and Elsie Horrell Weaver.

Mrs. Whitworth was formerly employed at Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company and was retired from Duke Medical Center. She was a member of Greystone Baptist Church until her move to Purlear, NC in 2007. She was a member of New Hope Baptist Church, Purlear, NC until her passing.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Fred Roy Hill and her husband, Donald Whitworth.

She is survived by her daughter, Deborah Hill Yates of Purlear, NC; her son, Frederick A. Hill of Durham, NC; three grandsons, Ross B. Yates, and wife, Andrea of Mt. Pleasant, SC, Brett J. Yates of Millers Creek, NC, and Mark C. Yates of Purlear, NC and three great grandchildren, Finley Madison Yates, Bennett Reid Yates, and Cooper Hill Yates.

A memorial service will be held on June 29, 2019 at 2:00 PM at Greystone Baptist Church, Hillsborough Road, Durham, NC. A private burial at Maplewood Cemetery, Durham, NC will follow the memorial service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Wake Forest Care at Home Hospice, 126  Executive Drive, Suite 110, Wilkesboro, NC 28697.

Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.  

[xxgotthedevilinsidexx]

bloodxxandxxspirit​:

Nick stirred from his restful sleep and turned to lay on his other side. There was an emptiness beside him that he hadn’t expected. Curious, he opened his eyes, only to discover Caroline was missing.

Anger flared through him, even as he hastily got out of bed and threw on his clothes. What the hell happened to where she snuck off without him knowing? They shared the same blood, therefore they were connected. “Two minds and one body situation,” even if they were two individuals. Without a doubt, Caroline would not leave him without saying anything. Even if she left, he would’ve sensed it almost immediately.

Someone was blocking their connection, and had control over Caroline. Nick would be damned if he wouldn’t know where his other half was.

“Someone will pay for this fuck up,” he snarled. Without another thought, he bolted from the house, and was on the hunt for Caroline.

Rachel flinched from the injection. Her heart beat so loud it drowned out everything else around her, including her own thoughts. That was when the burning, acidic, searing pain coursed through her system. The drug worked instantaneous, like a bolt of lightning, shocking everything inside her. A hair-raising scream ripped from her throat, that was soon overpowered by a deep, bestial howl. Tears spilled down her cheeks, and were replaced with blood as it oozed out the corners of her eyes, nose, and ears. Her flawless skin ripped apart as brown fur sprouted into place. Delicate muses grew massive, distorting her once trim feature into that of a monstrous wolf. But no matter how large she grew, the chains prevented her from freeing herself and taking off. It was known well ahead of time that this would happen, so the chains around Rachel were made specifically to keep a fully transformed wolf, even a new one like Rachel, in place. But not even a new wolf could escape the chains around her neck, and with the potent drug threatening to make her insides rot combating with the hyperactive healing factor trying to repair the damage, Rachel had no control over her own body. She was a prison in an animal’s body, with a mind that was anything but human.

A devilish smile was plastered on Gunner’s face. He even applauded the traumatic scene that played out before him and Sonya.

“Not too bad now, was it?” he taunted, knowing fully well this was the very thing Rachel did NOT want to happen. Her biggest fear was losing her human beauty due to her insufferable werewolf genes. Not only was she more beast than woman, but she was in a crazed, frenzied state, that she lost all sense of control about herself. It was a sight to behold - and he loved every minute of it.

Now turning his sights to his lovely and alluring wife, Gunner happily curled his arm around her waist.

“Great minds think alike, darlin’,” he agreed as he leaned over and gave her a kiss right in front of their “captive” audience. X might have treated Sonya to wondrous delights he couldn’t even comprehend, but Gunner had one thing X never had, and that was her heart that wasn’t tainted with anything but pure, unconditional love. Gunner never loved anyone as much as Sonya, and nobody would ever come close to making him feel worthy of both man and beast like she did.

        While Rachel’s screams were like music to her ears , she almost hated the thought that others like Judas , Marie and Zoe weren’t here to watch for themselves. She felt the sight of it all might be a little to much for the girls to witness , to much of a blast to the past if you will. Then their was Judas. She didn’t want either of these assholes near her son. They already did enough damage as it was. For those who didn’t know X and Rachal , the ones who did have their own personal affairs with them , those two could have a silver tongue that could make anyone fall for their lies and deceit. 

        Single handedly she and Gunner managed to do what no one else could. X was receiving a fine taste of his own medicine while everything Rachel held dear to her had been stripped away. Now would be the true test to that so called relationship of theirs. X was now face to face with the very creature he brought her at one point to hate. The love of his life was the very thing he wanted wiped from the earth. How would Rachel now feel about the vampire who swore to protect her only to allowed this to happen to her ? Not to mention the whole vampires and werewolves have a natural hate for one another. It was all to poetic in Sonya’s opinion. 

        No more thought was given to the couple once Gunner’s arm wrapped around her waist and he drew her in for a hungered kiss that she returned with equal vigor. The kiss only breaking when Gunner’s cell phone began to ring. Her hand dipped into his jacket pocket to pluck out his phone and answer since she saw it was Marie calling. Sonya’s eyes grew wide when Marie spilled the details , then she announced that she and Gunner were on the way.

        “ Fun ends for now. Hopefully the two of you won’t be dead by the time we make it back to you. “ Mentally she shot Gunner a thought letting him know Tatum was in labor. 

        The pain was to much even for the likes of DJ X. For the smallest moment the pain would fade as his body started to repair the damage being caused but then it hit him again like a tidal wave ─ at times even feeling like he was choking on his own blood. Rachel , his beloved had just went through the one thing she wouldn’t even do for him. The woman when injured wouldn’t even drink his blood to repair damage. He had no idea how this was all going to effect her , how he and Caroline was going to get her out of here without her attaching one of them. 

        Speaking of Caroline , she was taking her damn sweet time. “ CAROLINE ..... “ He mentally called out once more to his fledgling. If she failed him then this was surely where the two would meet their untimely demise. “ Hang on , Rachel , just a little longer. “ X screamed out when he literally felt a piece of flesh slide from his back on to the floor. Blood now oozing from every opening of his body. He tries to drop to one knee but the chains on his wrists refuse to budge.

        When Caroline managed to make it to X’s loft she went straight to the safe that was located on the wall behind a picture of Rachel. She didn’t understand how she knew it was there , or how she knew the combination. What was even more troubling was, why she was listening to that voice inside her head again ? It should have been gone for good when Nick turned her. While she understood it for the most part while it was happening , that was the part she could never fully explain to Nick when he’d asked her about her humanity being off. She told him she physically could NOT turn it back on and that wasn’t a lie. She had been instructed not to do so , nor to ever speak of him. Whoever he was he even managed to wipe her memory of his face from her each time he forced her to do something.

        Angrily she reached into the safe and grabbed the cure she was instructed to get. She slammed the door so hard afterward it broke completely through the wall. Money , jewels and everything else that was in it scattered along the floor in various places. Then in a flash she was off to the Logan estate.

        She arrived about ten minutes later using her hybrid speed to get there. Just as she rounded the corner of the estate she watched as the owners were making their departure. Turmoil rushed through Caroline’s system as she felt Nick’s anger reaching record highs. Inside the house and in the basement is where she found DJ X and Rachel. She stood before the pair with questioning eyes. The cure held in her hand as if almost using it as a threat against them.

         “ Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t destroy this right here and now ? Why shouldn’t I let you die to get you out of my head once and for all ? Answer me .. !! “ She demanding kicking the vampires in the knees to get his undivided attention. 

[adrian-paul-botta]

Uncle Vanya – 1973

Having been lucky enough to return to the stage from films in the thirties under the unique genius of Jed Harris in “Uncle Vanya”, a second blessing came when I was asked to play Marina, the Nurse, under the direction of the brilliant Mike Nichols.

Lillian Gish, adapting a delightful for the casion, is charming as a nurse prepared to set every thing right with tea, vodka, God, and a smile. (Walter Kerr – NY Times) Photographs by Ellen Mark

Conrad Bain – Ilya Ilyich Telegin Waffles Julie Christie – Yelena Andreyevna Lillian Gish – Maryina Nanny Barnard Hughes – Alexander Vladimirovich Serebryakov Cathleen Nesbitt – Maria Vasilyevna Voinitskaya George C. Scott – Mikhail lvovich Astrov Nicol Williamson – Ivan Petrovich Voinitsky Vanya Elizabeth Wilson – Sofya Alexandrovna Sonya Rod Loomis – Yefim R. Mack Miller – Worker Tom Tarpey – Worker

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Stage: Mike Nichols’s ‘Uncle Vanya’ The New York Times Archive – 1973

The difficulty with many all‐star productions of clas sics is simply that on occa sion the stars get in your eyes and you can scarcely see the classic. It is much to Mike Nichols’s credit that this does not happen in his staging of “Uncle Vanya,” which opened last night at the Circle in the Square Joseph E. Levine Theater. Al though at the preview I at tended there were plenty of histrionic sparks, the play it self was never lost sight of. “Uncle Vanya” at its sim plest level is a play about unfulfillment. No one gets what he wants, and every character, even the bluster ing professor, has to settle for second best. As a piece of playwriting, it is a model of economy, and the action passes Iike the wind through silver birches. • Although “Uncle Vanya” is perhaps less densely textured than either “The Cherry Or chard” or “The Three Sis ters,” it has always main tained a hold on actors and audiences alike, partly, no doubt, because of the aston ishing contrast between the two leading male roles, Van ya and Astrov. These two men, losers both, one a sen timental but rather endear ing fool and the other an ecology‐minded doctor, seem to represent the folly of in decision on the one hand and of circumstances on the other. It is nearly 30 years since Í first saw “Uncle Vanya” with Ralph Richardson as Vanya and Laurence Olivier as Astrov, and a little more than 10 years since I saw Olivier once again as Astrov, this time opposite Michael Redgrave. Those were duels aria duets of a rare magic. The present Broadway play ers, Nicol Williamson and George C. Scott, are fine enough��particularly perhaps the latter—and they do, un der Mr. Nichols’s direction provide a fascinating con trast in acting styles. Williamson is an internal actor, Scott is an external actor. With Mr. Williamson everything is withdrawn, hid den, turned in upon itself. He looks ratty and frantic, a man barely in control of himself. His arms flail the air, quixotically, his eyes have a manic gleam. His final climactic act of aggression when he tries, unsuccessfully of course, to shoot his tor mentor, is presented as an uncoordinated gush of pain. Mr. Scott goes, about his business with a difference. His gravelly, bullfrog voice and his shark’s‐grin charm are both used ver conscious ly. He moves with a calm deliberation, a certainty of purpose. The action of the play is reflected in his face almost as if it were a TV mointor, and the performance —in total variance with Mr. Williamson’s free‐style agony —is beautifully caculated. There are many splendid aspects of this production, which is probably the closest we have reached in years to a classic staging of national theater dimensions. Obvious ly the most important is this opportunity to compare, con trast and enjoy two major actors going about their busi ness with such successfully differing skills. But Mr. Nichols has also done a good job with a somewhat unequal cast. The translation, by Albert Todd and Mr. Nichols himself, is fresh and idiomatic. Some people may, in places, find it too idiomatic. I do not. To me it seems to be the privilege of the translator to update, subtly but seriously, a translation to make it more immediate to its audience. And Mr. Nichols’s staging has the same quality of slippered ease and well‐worn informal ity.

The Cast

For all the advantages of arena staging‐‐‐sand the close presence of actors such as Williamson and Scott has an actual physical force here—it is no particular help to the designer, and it is a great credit to Tony Walton (and the lighting designer, Jules Fisher) how admirable the play looks. With “Uncle Vanya” there is a terrible tendency for every other actor except Vanya and Astrov to fade into the woodwork, and this terrible tendency has not been avoided here. Julie Christie as Elena, the young wife of the old professor, looks dazzling but seems bland. Against the pyrotech nics thrown at her by Mssrs. Scott and Williamson she seems chaste and unde fended. Elizabeth Wilson, on the other hand, is a very ex perienced stage actress, and a very fine one, but she is miscast as the unhappy Son ya. She looks, for example, far older than her supposed stepmother, Miss Christie, and althotigh this is possible, it does not appear to help the play. Her performance has little of the special vulner ability called for. Barnard Hughes blustered effectively enough as the professor, Lillian Gish proved a soft‐toned delight as the old nurse, and Conrad Bain, down at heel but non chalant, was a very good Waffles. Cathleen Nesbitt looked very properly digni fied and yielding as the re luctant matriarch. This “Uncle Vanya” does have its faults, but at its best it represents precisely the kind of classic theater we desperately need in New York City. This is a very special brand of theatrical excitement.

Lillian Gish in the dressing room – 1973 (Uncle Vanya)

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A Too Tearful ‘Vanya’ By WALTER KERR JUNE 10, 1973

AT the beginning of the second half of Circle in the Square’s “Uncle Vanya,” Nicol Williamson starts to enter the drawing room of a Russian country estate, sees that Julie Christie and Elizabeth Wilson are still moping about in it, and promptly with draws without uttering a word. It is the most intelligible move of the eve ning and at the preview I attended the audience laughed its understanding approval. For Mike Nichols has done the im possible. He has taken a powerhouse of an acting company—George C. Scott, Julie Christie, Nicol Williamson, Cathleen Nesbitt, Elizabeth Wilson, Lil lian Gish—and in effect disassembled it, leaving individual performers to grope heir ways alone through garden fog and parlor fatigues, unmotivated, un related, characterless and crying. Indeed director and actors seem scarcely to realize that Chekhov has ever been parodied, placing most of their emphases—with great solemnity —on the very mannerisms that are most familiar and have most often been kidded. Here is the garden swing, in which a bored young lady can loll, away and say how bored she is. The omnipresent samovar, household god indoors and out, more actor’s refuge than tea‐time pause. The guitar, to be picked up and plucked by way of an nouncing that a scene may soon end, though not before some actor’s words have been drowned out in the twang ing. The scenes that end in a sigh, or begin in a sigh, or seem to be sighing between. The tears, the tears, the tears. What has happened to Mr. Nichols and friends? One can only guess. Though the last effective New York production of “Uncle Vanya” (with Franchot Tone and ‘Clarence Derwent, under David Ross’s direction) made the very most of Chekhov’s claim that he wrote comedy and not endless lamen tation, Mr. Nichols, known primarily as a director of comedy, may not have wanted to put his too‐ready trademark upon it. Plumping for earnestness in stead—and letting occasional unavoid able titters fall where they just do fall —he may have taken much too literally certain remarks made by the despair ing, though often foolish, figures of the piece. Mr. Scott, as the neighboring doctor forced to spend more time with a list less and hypochondriacal family than he thinks good for him, does point out, in a summarizing speech, that the group is rudderless, emotionally barren, incapable of “spontaneous, free rela tionships” with nature or with one another. And what Mr. Scott is saying is to a considerable degree true, though he himself may not be aware of how kinky his own passion for forestry is. But the fact that charac ters’ lives lack a pattern does not mean that a play can stand unpatterned. The very point itself must be made into a design that dis plays it if people’s lives lack cohesion we must be given a cohesive vision of that. Instead, we watch wan derers, fine actors roaming slippered through the night in search of a tone—some tone, any tone—they can all sound together. Their inability to find one is in part due to the ex tremely awkward shape of the new playing area at Circle in the Square. The long horseshoe curve—bor rowed from the Circle’s old quarters downtown but stretched out like taffy here —is simply too long: an ac, for stationed near the pine wood back wall trying to make contact with another stationed on the front curve near the samovar had better be trained in semaphore. It can be done: at one point Mr. Scott, whose burning bush eyes penetrate dis tances and brush away ob stacles better than most people’s, raps out a sudden “don’t you agree, Madame?” to Miss Christie miles away —he is speaking over the heads of three or four lan guorous comnanions —and, in the bristling silence he creates, the actor simply cleaves the space. But it takes a George C. Scott in tensity to do it, and even then we cannot keep both figures in visual focus at once: our own eyes are busy Thus the event is both physically and psychologi cally fragmented, with each performer left to fend for himself, hoping against hope that at some vanishing‐point out in the auditorium sep arate values may coalesce, contrive to make sense. It doesn’t happen, and in the circumstances one can only ‘clutch at straws, taking such pleasure in passing as is passing. The straws exist. Near the end of the first half Eliza Beth Wilson, forlornly in love with Mr. Scott but a prisoner of plainness since childhood, fixes her wasted smile and decides to become friends with her stepmother, Miss Christie. The decision made, a spring of giddy joy deep inside her is released: now she is a blushing school girl again, bubbling too much, suppressing laughter by clapping her hands to her mouth, darting in a dozen directions like a joyous ani mal caged so long it is be wildered by freedom. Her quieter gestures during this period of revelation are ex quisite, too. Putting her hand out to Mr. Scott and then snatching it back be fore he can notice, or strok ing Miss Christie’s golden hair with a motherly appro bation that is part envy, the actress is Even more striking is Nicol Williamson’s outburst once he hears that the estate he has lived on and helped to maintain is to be sold. Mr. Williamson is the Uncle Van ya of the piece, fifth wheel forever, stretching himself out of morning stupors only to take a little more vodka than is wise, winding up at Miss Christie’s feet drunken ly pawing her nightgown. But if he has accepted his status as eternal also‐ran, a core of resentment has been building up inside him, a re sentment that seems nearly to electrocute him the mo it is released. The quiver of his body now threatens to tear his frame apart as he spews words faster than his brain can form them, the gasp of disbelief in his throat nearly strangling him while he plunges on. As a rush of un welcome truths pours out in the uncontrollable hysteria, we feel much more than embarrassment for this inef fectual man who knows he is being ineffectual even as he fights. We feel consider able sympathy: when a fail ure finally lets loose his fury, and fails at that as well, we are unexpectedly moved. And the futile ferocity of the outburst proves to be the perfect springboard for what follows: Vanya’s firing a pis tol at the man who has be trayed him, and missing. The moment —inevitably farce, with the pompous professor ducking behind furniture while Vanya proves he can not so much as shoot straight—is the most ticklish in the play, particularly in a production that means to be as dolorous as this one. But Mr. Williamson has pitched his man to such shattering irrationality that the gesture can be absorbed easily. It remains funny without contradicting our serious concern for its real Otherwise we must wait long and listen hard for small comforts. Mr. Scott is always intelligent, perhaps too intelligent for the part he is playing; surveying the others with so much wisdom, he seems not only to tolerate them but the untidy play as well. His detachment is quite total, though he gets at least one brief opportunity to bare his teeth and invite the predatory Miss Christie to sink fangs into him. Miss Christie herself is bland in her often‐announced ennui, unable to cope with a sec ond‐half soliloquy and bur dened—late in the play—with a wig that makes her look as though she had walked through a meringue factory. Barnard Hughes and Conrad Bain do not define themselves firmly enough to let us see precisely where they fit into the mosaic of the play, but Cathleen Nes bitt is regally severe and arrestingly handsome as a leftover widow and Lillian Gish, adapting a delightful for the casion, is charming as a nurse prepared to set every thing right with tea, vodka, God, and a smile. On the whole, the produc tion is one in which every body seems ailing, not just the fatuous tyrant who rules the household from a wheel chair. The evening turns into a competition to see who is unhappiest, and can prove it; even Miss Wilson is finally asked to dab at her eyes once too often. In all of the moisture, the essential work does not get done. The peo ple, so drowsily severed from one another, never really succeed in compelling our deep interest in their respective isolations, never persuade us that their wasted lives are fascinating wastes well worth exploring. It so happens that I was on the point of scribbling a note to this effect at the precise moment Mr. Scott turned to Miss Christie and said, “I can see that this doesn’t in terest you,” startling me no end. But perhaps that is what I mean by Mr. Nichols taking certain lines too literally. His premise would seem to be that if a charac ter isn’t interested in what is being said, then what is said dare not be interesting. But this is fatal. With some of the most enlivening ac tors in the world at his com mand, a director has let the bored bore us.

Photo: Lillian Gish and Helen Hayes at the opening of Uncle Vanya 1973 June 4

Photo Gallery:

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Uncle Vanya 1973 Uncle Vanya - 1973 Having been lucky enough to return to the stage from films in the thirties under the unique genius of Jed Harris in "Uncle Vanya", a second blessing came when I was asked to play Marina, the Nurse, under the direction of the brilliant Mike Nichols.

[alicedanamk-blog]

I can honestly say ...I'm humbled by the love I received in Your Gifts & Your Words ... Thanks to All who said Happy Birthday & All who sang Happy Birthday .. thanks Also to all who blessed me with a gift... I'm grateful for IT ALL .LOVE Y'ALL MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL...LOVE Y'ALL BIG!!!!! *Everyone Who wished me Happy Birthday NSD Candy Lewis Future NSD Keita Powell Mary Frank Kristin White-Peacock Lafreda Williams Sharon Alston Tunstall Brandie D. Contreras Cheryl Brown Alisha Magee Robertson Julie Decuir Sherri Moses Smart Martha Cuellar-Thompson Erica Moses Sibyl Alexander Katy Stinson Hollingshead Elvanna Galbreth Sonya Wooten Beth Harris Williamson Beatrice Ussery Shelia Winding-Fleming Melanie Garrett Allen Kim C. Smith I am so grateful for YOU ALL!!! THANKS FROM A VERY GRATEFUL HEART https://www.instagram.com/p/CFm-dt6Flsp/?igshid=19r9u6fzfm35c