#EVEREST IS SUCH A BANGER BTW

[livingproofoftbd]

if "to whoever wants to hear" is really about his life, these are my nominations

slow down: his life before/during his start to youtube

kind of love: maybe him realizing he's queer/starting to feel smth for george/possibly smth about an ex or just a general love for his friends (i really hope its dnf tho)

paranoid: obviously dnf, probably him being a bit cautious about loving again?

spotlight: DNF ALL THE WAY NO WAY IT IS NOT him accepting himself for loving george (because he totally does) and not being scared anymore

everest: FINALLY moving in with his friends and being happy with them (plus yunggravy cuz why the hell not)

invincible (like u): i'm pretty sure this is the "i still care about you" one and i'm convinced it's either about maybe an ex/ex friend or dare i say it, quackity (which what the hell) really hoping its not him but it could be? or its smth else entirely, maybe about techno or a different friend

uieud: we already know it's about techno (rest in power, king)

[forest-hashira]

ok i've been on a big nonfiction kick this year and a lot of them have been bangers, but i'm also gonna include some of my favorites from high school/uni (where i got an english degree, so i read A Lot). so, in no particular order:

arc of a scythe trilogy by neal shusterman - i haven't read the third book yet, but i almost didn't walk at my high school graduation ceremony bc i refused to turn the second book in until after i finished it. it's probably my favorite dystopian series i've ever read, bc the concept of humanity having overcome death and having to designate a group of people to curb the population even the tiniest bit? it's a lot to grapple with and i fucking eat that shit up. starting a reread soon! also i have special signed editions of this series. i never go out of my way to get special editions of books.

into thin air by jon krakauer - krakauer's firsthand account of mt. everest's deadliest day (up to that point anyways; it was in 1997). krakauer was invited to join an expedition as a journalist, and just about everything that could go wrong on the way down from the summit, did go wrong. it's gripping, it's terrifying, it's insane. buddy read it with my best friend from high school and we've been on a mission to get everyone possible to read it. cannot recommend it enough.

empire of pain by patrick radden keefe - i knew i didn't know all the details of the opioid crisis (i was a little too young to know what was going on when all the court stuff started happening), but upon reading this book (after watching dopesick, which is also really good & i highly recommend) i realized just how little i knew. all i can say is i hope all the sacklers rot in hell forever. please please please read this book.

an enchantment of ravens by margaret rogerson - standalone fae fantasy book. it's about a romance, but it's YA and not romantasy, so it's not crazy steamy, which i personally prefer. i've read this book no joke six times since it was published. i even bought a second copy and annotated it for a friend last year for christmas. could quite possibly be my favorite high fantasy book of all time. i think about rook almost daily.

s.t.a.g.s. by m.a. bennett - another high school read that holds up upon rereading as an adult, and also another book i annotated for a friend who fucking ghosted me like a year later lmao. it has some of my favorite things: the lake district, tons of film references, fucked up rich people getting (at least somewhat) exposed for their fucked up-ness. this one is also YA so it is about high schoolers, but i actually think it adds to the craziness of the plot. the playlist i made to go with this book is probably the best playlist i've ever compiled.

rozencrantz and guildenstern are dead by tom stoppard - technically a play, but i think this is my favorite assigned reading from high school. it takes place alongside hamlet, focusing on rosencrantz & guildenstern. there are some appearances from hamlet characters, but mostly it's just about r & g. it's an absurdist play, and it gets a bit existential, but it's so good, and definitely worth a read if you're familiar with hamlet - and honestly even if you're not, the context just elevates it imo.

the shepherd's life by james rebanks - i read this during study abroad before we went to the lake district (one of the most wonderful places i've ever been, btw). it's a memoir written by a shepherd from a family who's been shepherds for multiple generations. he recounts how he started to hate the job, tried to leave for school, but wound up back in his family home doing the work he'd hated not too long before. i never thought i would be interested in knowing how sheep are raised in northern england, but i actually found this fascinating.

there there by tommy orange - read this two back to back semesters in uni for 2 separate classes, and i actually sat down and read it cover to cover both times (both in the same calendar year). tommy orange is native american, and this book is about a group of native americans living in oakland, california. all their separate storylines are mostly disconnected throughout the novel, but they all come together at the end in one of the craziest ways possible. warnings for sexual assault/abuse, mentions of genocide, and gun violence.

on earth we're briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong - it's been a hot minute since i've read this one, but it was also an assigned reading while i was at uni (for one of the same classes i read there there for), and i remember it put me through a rollercoaster of emotions. vuong is a poet, but briefly gorgeous is a novel, and i love the way his prose flows in an almost lyrical way. the main character/narrator, who isn't given an actual name, is the son of vietnamese immigrants, and deals with figuring out his sexuality and growing up in a place that doesn't really accept him, both for his race and for being gay. it's very emotional, so be prepared for that. i want to reread but i'm not sure i'm emotionally prepared rn.

anyone else who wants to add anything to this is more than welcome to! i'm always open to recs

What are your favorite books and why?

I’ve been seeing weird discourse going around about anti-intellectualism, and people are always always talking shit on booktok. I’m tired of it.

No judgments whatsoever—doesn’t matter what age group it was written for or how awful the author might be—I want to know your favorites, I want to know why you love them, and I want this to reach as many people as possible, so please don’t hesitate to tag others!

I’ll start! In no particular order:

A Series of Unfortunate Events - the series that got me into reading in the first place. Also the series that holds the first book that ever gave me a visceral reaction while reading it.

To Kill a Mockingbird - has one of my favorite literary figures of all time (Atticus Finch), some of my favorite quotes, and really just kind of changed how I viewed the world and the privileges I have in it.

Dune - changed the way I look at world building entirely. I’ve only read the first book and only because it was assigned summer reading, but I’m so glad I did. I’ve never looked at fiction the same way.

The Priory of the Orange Tree - I actually can’t pick just one or two reasons. It’s really a fantastic book all around. The world building, the history, the characters, the settings, plus how it all comes together in the end. I’ll never not recommend it to people.

Your turn!

@lady-lauren @kweenkatsuki-fics @entirelysein-e @aceofbooks @monst @theoxenfree