#Catt reads

[cattatonically]

The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune

Synopsis

A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.

My Thoughts 

It’s been a while since I’ve read anything by T. J. Klune. Starting this book felt like a familiar, warm blanket wrapping around my shoulders. The tone and vibe felt familiar, and I was completely enthralled immediately. Needless to say, it only took a couple of pages for me to be completely hooked into this magical world where nothing is quite what it seems.

Linus Baker wants nothing more than to do his job, and do it adequately. But of course, the universe has other plans in the form of a mysterious island, and an even more mysterious man, who is the caretaker of six very extraordinary children.

And it’s the children that make the whole book. Because they’re children, first and foremost. But society has not treated them as such. And their caretaker, Arthur Parnassus, is bound and determined to show them that they more than deserve to be loved and cared for and cherished.

It didn’t take long for me to see the themes of this book, to see the parallels between the systems in the universe of this book and what has happened in our own history. And that absolutely broke my heart in a massive, massive way. But through that, Arthur fought for the care and safety of his children every step of the way.

Though Linus was sent to do a specific job, meeting Arthur and the children has changed his life exponentially. Watching Linus grow and bloom was truly wonderful. Not only did he grow to care about the children – which he always had, just in a very different way – but his confidence in himself grew by leaps and bounds.

But the part that really hit me the hardest was the friendship that bloomed between Linus and Arthur. It was slow, and steady. They learned to trust each other, and grow comfortable with each other. And together, they built a foundation for something that has the promise to be absolutely magnificent.

The House in the Cerulean Sea is absolutely mesmerizing, enthralling, and heartbreakingly beautiful. And as much as this was Linus’ book to grow and blossom into who he truly is, it was so much more about the children, and showcasing how magnificent each child truly is. There are few things more beautiful than children being able to have safe, secure spaces to express themselves, learn, and grow.

[cattnipt]

Fucked up looking dog you got there

[shikai-the-storyteller]

Dude the new Transformers movie is AMAZING

[wheredidalltheseelvescomefrom]

friendly reminder that JD Vance is nothing more than an “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” carpetbagger from the suburbs cosplaying as an appalachian, who blames the misfortune and poverty in appalachia on laziness rather than the rampant and longstanding exploitation of its people

[webkinzyuri]

i can't keep living without cat ears and tail it's just not fair why don't i look like mew ichigo

[magistralucis]

@absolut--kurant!

Thieves Guild

[hellsitegenetics]

hello, can you please genome this:

"Based"? Are you fucking kidding me? I spent a decent portion of my life writing all of that and your response to me is "Based"? Are you so mentally handicapped that the only word you can comprehend is "Based" - or are you just some fucking asshole who thinks that with such a short response, he can make a statement about how meaningless what was written was? Well, I'll have you know that what I wrote was NOT meaningless, in fact, I even had my written work proof-read by several professors of literature. Don't believe me? I doubt you would, and your response to this will probably be "Based" once again. Do I give a fuck? No, does it look like I give even the slightest fuck about five fucking letters? I bet you took the time to type those five letters too, I bet you sat there and chuckled to yourself for 20 hearty seconds before pressing "send". You're so fucking pathetic. I'm honestly considering directing you to a psychiatrist, but I'm simply far too nice to do something like that. You, however, will go out of your way to make a fool out of someone by responding to a well-thought-out, intelligent, or humorous statement that probably took longer to write than you can last in bed with a chimpanzee. What do I have to say to you? Absolutely nothing. I couldn't be bothered to respond to such a worthless attempt at a response. Do you want "Based" on your gravestone?

String identified: "a"? A cg g ? t a ct t tg a tat a t "a"? A ta aca tat t ca c "a" - a t cg a t tat t c a t , ca a a tatt at ag at a tt a? , ' a tat at t a T ag, act, a tt -a a tat. 't ? t , a t t a "a" c aga. g a c? , t g t gtt c at cg tt? t t t t t t t tt t, t at t a cc t at c g "". ' cg attc. ' t cg ctg t a catt, t ' a t c t tg tat. , , g t a t a a t g t a -tgt-t, tgt, tatt tat a t g t t ta ca at t a ca. at a t a t ? At tg. c't t t t c a t attt at a . at "a" gat?

Closest match: Danio rerio genome assembly, chromosome: 9 Common name: Zebrafish

[danoshanter]

yesterday afternoon like poetry ~Wherein I rEadE originaLl magnetik POEh...

[slayfk]

I just saw your post about western North Carolina. I've been following the situation (mostly through social media) and I'm devastated. This part of the country has always been one of my very favorites to visit (I'm in Georgia) and I want to help if you know of any mutual aid or organizations? I donated to the Red Cross but thought I would ask if you had any suggestions. I'm so sorry this is happening to y'all

i included resources and donation links at the bottom of this post

the great smoky mountains (appalachians) are the most visited national park in the united states, having received over 13 million visitors in 2023. despite this, its residents are hated or at least largely ignored by the majority of the united states. they are portrayed as hillbillies and conservatives that deserve nobody’s time. this is far from the truth. appalachians have been mistreated by the government and general populace for generations. they are given next to nothing and expected to be able to survive that way. it’s disgusting.

everyone who is not from appalachia , i recommend reading more about just how much it and its residents has been abused by the united states government. even reading through the wikipedia article on the social and economic stratification in appalachia can be helpful in understanding how fucked up this area has become due to the abuse of capitalism. i urge everyone to do some research on the coal mining industry when you have the time. not many people know just how bad it really was, and just how much it’s affected the mountains and the people in them.

here are some interesting articles i found on a quick search:

“Coal Mining in Appalachia” by The Moonlit Road

“A History of Appalachian Coal Mines” by Kenneth Lasson

“Coal’s Legacy in Appalachia: Lands, Waters, and People” by Carl E. Zipper and Jeff Skousen

“Nearly 60 years after the war on poverty, why is Appalachia still struggling?” by Dr. Abigail R. Hall Blanco

“Human Rights in Appalachia: Socioeconomic and Health Disparities in Appalachia” by Evan Smith

“Passive, Poor, and White? What People Keep Getting Wrong About Appalachia” by Elizabeth Catte

“Culture, Poverty, and Education in Appalachian Kentucky” by Constance Elam

[cattatonically]

The Charm Offensive - Alison Cochrun

Synopsis

Dev Deshpande has always believed in fairy tales. So it’s no wonder then that he’s spent his career crafting them on the long-running reality dating show Ever After. As the most successful producer in the franchise’s history, Dev always scripts the perfect love story for his contestants, even as his own love life crashes and burns. But then the show casts disgraced tech wunderkind Charlie Winshaw as its star.

Charlie is far from the romantic Prince Charming Ever After expects. He doesn’t believe in true love, and only agreed to the show as a last-ditch effort to rehabilitate his image. In front of the cameras, he’s a stiff, anxious mess with no idea how to date twenty women on national television. Behind the scenes, he’s cold, awkward, and emotionally closed-off.

As Dev fights to get Charlie to connect with the contestants on a whirlwind, worldwide tour, they begin to open up to each other, and Charlie realizes he has better chemistry with Dev than with any of his female co-stars. But even reality TV has a script, and in order to find to happily ever after, they’ll have to reconsider whose love story gets told.

In this witty and heartwarming romantic comedy—reminiscent of Red, White & Royal Blue and One to Watch—an awkward tech wunderkind on a reality dating show goes off-script when sparks fly with his producer.

My Thoughts

Walking into this book, I have to admit I have a bit of a leg up. I know how the film industry works. I know what it’s like to be behind the scenes. I know what goes into producing a project for film and television. That being said, the realm of reality television is vastly different (though there’s a fair bit of overlap), and the stakes are very different, especially for a director. And the director of the project that bring Dev and Charlie together makes for an incredibly unlikeable person – which is also pretty damn on the nose for what I know of reality television productions.

But of course, that’s not the focus of this book (at least, it shouldn’t be). The focus of this book is two people falling in love who probably shouldn’t, but do anyway. And what makes it so perfect is that it’s not perfect at all. It’s messy and dramatic. And it’s so perfectly Dev and Charlie.

Both men come with baggage. Both men are neurodivergent. And the authentic, raw way in which that’s explored in this book isn’t something I’m used to seeing in a book that’s been hyped to the point I nearly didn’t read it. But I’m so glad that I did. I’m glad I gave it a chance. Because Dev and Charlie’s story is so worth telling. Worth exploring.

The setting of this book didn’t do much for me – there were a lot of aspects of the reality dating show setting I hated, most of which revolved around how the contestants (and isn’t that a condescending way to refer to people) were treated by the production. But that’s a whole other topic for an entirely different day.

Despite the setting, I couldn’t help but be completely moved by Dev and Charlie, and their separete journeys of self-discovery and healing. As we all know by now, I’ll easily ignore a lacklustre setting for captivating characters. And that’s what this book was for me. A diverse, incredible cast of characters all placed in a shitty situation and trying to make it work. And that’s exactly what they did.

After the first bit of the first chapter, I was ready to give up on this book. I couldn’t stand the setting, and the way the people who were participating in the reality show were being treated. But I kept going – kept reading. Because I needed Charlie and Dev to have their happy endings, whether that was together, or separately. I needed their story, plain and simple.

And holy hell did I get it. And I’m so glad I didn’t give up on this book. Because this is exactly the book I needed to read right now. For so many reasons.

[burins]

Other Appalachias: A Booklist

As requested, the anti-Hillbilly Elegy booklist, plus annotations! When possible I tried to include books that were by Appalachians and got at lesser-known aspects of Appalachian life and identity, especially modern Appalachian life. When creating the original list I was also limited by books that were in the library network I work at, which is a) a public library and b) not actually located in Appalachia. Y’all get some bonus titles that weren’t in my library - hopefully they’ll be in yours.

A note: I have not read every single book on this list! This is the nature of creating booklists as a librarian. I trust the sources I used to find them, but if there’s something on here that you’re like “oh I read this and it sucks actually,” let me know. And if there’s a particular aspect you’d like more books on, also let me know!

General

Appalachian Reckoning: A Region Responds to Hillbilly Elegy (Anthony Harkins and Meredith McCarroll, eds)

What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia by Elizabeth Catte

If you read any two books on this list (especially if you aren’t from Appalachia!) make it these two. The first one is a collection of essays and photographs, the second by a single author, but both are fantastic for the basics of “hey was your entire idea of a huge stretch of the US defined by Deliverance and some NYT op-eds? perhaps it should not be” 

Appalachian Fall: Dispatches from Coal Country on What's Ailing America by Jeff Young

Leans a little more “plight of the white working class” than I absolutely love, but this talks a lot about contemporary workers’ rights and local activism in Appalachia and is a good counter to Vance’s narrative of “everybody sits on their ass all the time.”

Belonging: A Culture of Place by bell hooks

Hey did you know bell hooks was from Kentucky? bell hooks was from Kentucky! As always her writing is deeply insightful about who is allowed to claim a place and what it means to have roots. 

Rx Appalachia: Stories of Treatment and Survival in Rural Kentucky by Lesly-Marie Buer 

The opioid crisis has defined the region (much as alcoholism came to during Prohibition); unlike a lot of writing on the topic, this lets people tell their own stories. 

Race and Sexuality

Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place by Neema Avashia

Excellent counter to the narrative of Appalachia as unrelentingly white, and also painfully good writing on what happens when the folks you grew up counting on let you down. 

Loving Mountains, Loving Men: Memoirs of a Gay Appalachian by Jeff Mann

This 2005 memoir got a re-release in 2023, and thank god because it makes me cry. Really beautiful writing on what it means to come back to a place and carve out a space for yourself.

Y'all Means All: The Emerging Voices Queering Appalachia (Z. Zane McNeill, ed.) 

Another essay collection! There will be more; I like an essay collection for getting a sense of a subject beyond a single voice. Touches on everything from disability to race to Mothman. 

Deviant Hollers: Queering Appalachian Ecologies for a Sustainable Future, Zane McNeill and Rebecca Scott, eds. 

This wide-ranging collection of essays wasn’t on the original list because it’s pretty hard to come by (academic queer theory is not a bastion of your average public library collection.) Just based on the table of contents I am going to try and get my hands on a copy ASAP. 

Gone Home: Race and Roots through Appalachia by Karida L. Brown

Focuses specifically on Harlan County, Kentucky, drawing on a ton of oral history interviews of Black residents to talk about the Great Migration, Blackness in Appalachia, and identity formation in the region and beyond.

Beginning Again: Stories of Movement and Migration in Appalachia, Katrina M. Powell, ed. 

This just came out in June! In a place so often defined by how many generations of your family have lived there, it’s worth considering who gets removed from that story.  

Their Determination to Remain: A Cherokee Community's Resistance to the Trail of Tears in North Carolina by Lance Greene

The history of Appalachia is pretty obviously incomplete without talking about the policies of Indian Removal. Greene tackles a tangled story of assimilation and cultural survival. 

Even As We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle

The only fiction book on this list, but the main goal of the list was to let Appalachia speak for itself. Clapsaddle is a member of the Eastern band of Cherokee; the novel, set in western NC during the 1940s, talks about (in)justice, assimilation, and belonging. 

History, Labor, and Environment

You can’t talk about the history of Appalachia without talking about coal, and you can’t talk about coal without talking about labor, and you also can’t talk about coal without talking about the environment. 

Ramp Hollow: The Ordeal of Appalachia by Steven Stoll 

An economic/environmental overview of Appalachia covering the shift from homesteading to resource extraction. To understand what’s happening economically in 2024 you need to understand what happened economically in 1750-1850, and this gives a general and fairly accessible throughline. 

The Battle of Blair Mountain: The Story of America's Largest Labor Uprising by Robert Shogan

An older book on the most famous event of the West Virginia Mine Wars, but is a very readable narrative that also touches on Blair Mountain’s wider context.  

Written in Blood: Courage and Corruption in the Appalachian War of Extraction, Wess Harris, ed. 

A much more in-depth look at specific aspects of the Mine Wars and labor history, rather than a general overview, but worth reading for its coverage of more recent events (it didn’t end with Blair!)

To Live Here, You Have to Fight: How Women Led Appalachian Movements for Social Justice by Jessica Wilkerson

Focusing on the 60s-70s and LBJ’s War on Poverty, a good discussion of historical grassroots organizing.

Digging Our Own Graves: Coal Miners & the Struggle Over Black Lung Disease by Barbara Allen Smith

Seminal text! First published in 1987, with an updated edition released in 2020. 

Soul Full of Coal Dust: A Fight for Breath and Justice in Appalachia by Chris Hamby

After being mad about black lung in the 80s, you can also be mad about black lung today, because it didn’t go anywhere. 

Desperate: An Epic Battle for Clean Water and Justice in Appalachia by Kris Maher

Very “legal thriller focused on one guy,” but extremely readable. A great book to get your liberal mom fired up.  

Mountains Piled upon Mountains: Appalachian Nature Writing in the Anthropocene, Jessica Cory, ed.

This list has been almost entirely nonfiction, so here is some lovely prose about what folks love about the region with both literary nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. It’s got a wide geographic focus to boot. 

Food and Culture

Appalachia on the Table: Representing Mountain Food and People by Erica Adams Locklear

Great deconstruction of how we talk about mountain food and culture (scandal! Sometimes great-grandmas used Bisquick.) Will make you hungry and also question what authenticity means and where your family recipes actually come from. 

Making Our Future: Visionary Folklore and Everyday Culture in Appalachia by Emily Hilliard

West Virginia state folklorist Emily Hilliard talks about pro wrestling, Fallout 76, songwriting, and coal camps. Appalachia in the 21st century. 

(Finally, a shoutout to the various bookstores whose lists I used as jumping-off points, especially Appalachian Mountain Books, City Lights Bookstore, Firestorm Books, and the Museum of the Cherokee People.)

[cattewife]

"are you writing weird fetish fanfiction or are you writing normal fanfiction about how much they love each other?"

OK LOOK IT'S BEST WHEN IT'S BOTH OK! DON'T LOOK AT ME

[todaysdocument]

Letter from the National American Women Suffrage Association to Senator Charles Dick

Record Group 46: Records of the U.S. SenateSeries: Petitions and Related Documents That Were Presented, Read, or TabledFile Unit: Petitions and Memorials, Resolutions of State Legislatures, and Related Documents Which Were Tabled

[handwritten] Harriet Taylor Upton

National American Woman Suffrage Association.

MEMBER NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN.

Honorary President, Susan B. Anthony, 17 Madison Street, Rochester, N.Y.

[handwritten] 4

President, REV. ANNA HOWARD SHAW,

7443 Devon Street, Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, Pa.

Vice President at Large, CARRIE CHAPMAN CATT,

205 West 57th Street, New York City.

Corresponding Secretary, KATE M. GORDON,

1800 Pyrtania Street, New Orleans, La.

Recording Secretary, ALICE STONE BLACKWELL, 3 Park Street, Boston Mass.

Treasurer, HAPRIET TAYLOR UPTON [handwritten circle around name], Warren, Ohio.

Auditors {LAURA CLAY, Lexington, Ky.

CORA SMITH EATON, M.D., Masonic Temple, Minneapolis, Minn.

National Press Committee, ELNORA M. BABCOCK, Dunkirk, N.Y.

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS, WARREN, OHIO. Nov. 17, 1904.

[stamp/seal partially illegible]

...grahical

UNION LABEL 2

...

Hon. Chas. Dick,

Akron, Ohio.

My dear sir;-

Well, now that the election is over and that

it was as much of a surprise to you as to any of us laymen,

I hope you can and will give your attention to a matter

about which I am writing. Please use our influence to have

the [begin handwritten underline] Territorial Committee strike out either the word sex [end handwritten underline]

in the clause of the Statehood Bill which classes women with

criminals and lunatics, or the whole paragraph. Some people

say if the word sex is stricken out it will foce the Ter

-ritories to consider the question of woman suffrage. Of

course I should not mourn if this were done, but I am not

asking the Territorial Committee to do anything so radical.

Territories have been admitted in the past without any such

clause, and, although it is true that we are politically

classed just this way, somehow it looks a little worse when

we see it in black and white. It is wonderful how stirred

up the conservative women, the club women, woman of missio-

ary societies and all that are over this action. I know

that if you reply to me that you will give this matter your

attention, you will do so. I am therefore not sending any

words in pressing you or in presenting any arguments to you.

Nobody knows better than you do that women of the great

southwest deserve something better than this classification.

Most truly yours,

[handwritten signature]

Harriet Taylor Upton

[dotzines]

🎃 RED ZONE - Volume 3 RELEASE!!! 🎃

⚠ WARNING! PLEASE READ THIS ⚠ This is a Horror zine. We toned down everything to a PG-13 level for everyone to enjoy but if you're sensible to horror topics or images please skip this zine.

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!  This fanzine is a digital book about original horror pieces, featuring 84 amazing artists & writers from all over the world.

CHALLENGES: ● ARTISTS: One Brush, Rule of Thirds, Values, Multiple Light Sources ● WRITERS: First Line, Poetry, Story Dices, The Biggest Twist

The zine is available for free! The only thing we ask is to share our Tumblr, Twitter, BlueSky & Instagram release posts and follow our contributors ♥

CONTRIBUTORS

Writers

🩸 688199 🩸 Aster M. 🩸 B 🩸 EV 🩸 fallsintograce  🩸 Francis Verelle 🩸 Franka 🩸 Kaija 🩸 KnowledgeBear 🩸 Kwiyatsi  🩸 Mango Gummi 🩸 Nate 🩸 Rose of Revolt 🩸 Victor Hannibal

Artists

🩸 Amenyx 🩸 anterograve 🩸 Aria Feliciano 🩸 ArtByGiraffe  🩸 ArtisticallyTwistedTea 🩸 Beartie 🩸 Beviate 🩸 C. Douglass  🩸 CAPPEYHEEL🩸 Cas Lynn 🩸 Catte Robyns 🩸 Chibsi  🩸 Confused Alpaca 🩸 desansen 🩸 EccentricQuill  🩸 Eerie Dearie 🩸 Ellie 🩸 Eter 🩸 Fawndolyn Valentine 🩸 Feiyu  🩸 Flaire 🩸 funeralcarnival 🩸 girlpire 🩸 Hellzelian 🩸 Hira  🩸 Jasper Y. Grace 🩸 Jichu 🩸 Jillian Emeneau 🩸 KeaneArts 🩸 Kisse  🩸 Kitzox 🩸 korryd 🩸 Little Weird Bird 🩸 LittleTroggo 🩸 Maddie  🩸 Maggie 🩸 Mangetsu 🩸 Max HP Art 🩸 May-Tine 🩸 MelloWammy  🩸 Memento Moray 🩸 Mezzonysus 🩸 Mic Salmon 🩸 Michel L.  🩸 Midnight 333 🩸 MITY FRESH 🩸 Morgan 🩸 Natalie Francisque  🩸 Natasha Cánepa 🩸 Nickel 🩸 okenki 🩸 Orion  🩸 Pauline Reinacher 🩸 pikafleetsyolo 🩸 Pizza Hats 🩸 PoppyMori  🩸 PoundToundHound 🩸 ReactorCoreArt 🩸 RIMAH  🩸 Silas Wendelin 🩸 Skunkoon 🩸 Soletti 🩸 SpamHands 🩸 Talia  🩸 That Guy With A Game Boy Camera 🩸 the-ill-doctor  🩸 The.Copper.Doll 🩸 Tor Severino 🩸 Victor Hannibal 🩸 WBY  🩸 Wisteria Writer

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[sylvanas-girlkisser]

@lilyfunbuns you can actually read it right now! I post daily progress on AO3, but full disclaimer it's very rough and unedited

Once December rolls around and I have a chance to clean it up, I'll also be sure to rub it in everyone's face.

My nanowrimo project can fundamentally be summarized as

Do you think a girl who listens to Feuerschwanz and a girl who listens Jack Off Jill could on purpose kissed?

And it turns out the answer is yes, but only while while DPing a girl whose entire personality is listening to Marina and the Diamonds.

[mindblowingscience]

University of Missouri researchers are working to develop the first-ever vaccine proven to protect cattle from a devastating tick-borne cattle disease known as bovine anaplasmosis. The research is vital to the state's economy as it aims to protect Missouri's $1.6 billion cattle industry. Bovine anaplasmosis—which is common in Missouri—infects the red blood cells of cattle and causes hundreds of millions of dollars in economic losses nationwide each year and nearly $1 billion in losses worldwide, primarily due to reduced cattle production, treatment costs and deaths.

Continue Reading.