#I am finally reading the books and just finished vol 4

[chaifighter]

Wwx: alright venerated ancestors I need y'all to do me a solid and help me get this man ON LOCK I want him so bad I'm gonna perform 2/3 of our wedding right here just cause I'm so silly like that (but fr help me out here I Need Him)

Wwx 5 minutes later: can I posthumously blame mo xuanyu for turning me gay

[mirabella96]

Little shows vol 4

Caged Again - finished; and if the whole series was weird and unhinged the last ep tops that; I have no idea how they managed to pack so much in (as like Sun and Junior talking about having half-panther half-pinguin babies; my head hurts just thinking about it). and even time skip I wasn't mad about; also there was whole sequence I was wondering if inspired by My Stand-in XD wild ride but for this series it's both accurate and understatement

See Your Love - nice ep

Fourever You - I did skip the whole HillTer scene in the begining and actually finally really liked the rest

Your Sky ep 8 - I do like this show, I like how they are talking and so on but please for the love of god stop with the dramatic pauses. also did I miss sth or they just now put Punlee on a side quest XD

Perfect 10 liners - plotwise I like Yotha and Gun way more than Arm and Arc, but I sadly cannot overcome the slighly uncanny valley feeling when I see Santa. (I thought I will get use to it but unfortunatly it does not seem like it; and it's weird even for me, bc I only really saw him in passing in Between Us; and I mostly do not care that much out what actors re doing with face; and I am feeling kinda guilty that it's pulling me away from the show)

The Boy Next World ep 1 - fun fact: years ago (probably around 2020-2021 when I was still kinda new to this whole Thai BL industry) I actually read the book - like I have no idea how or why I found it or rather it found me bc why I would look for sth I never knew existed - non important - the thing is, I actually liked it (if I remember corectly) and I know the plot twist, so I wish the series will be rather good. and I the first ep seems really, really promising.

(I actually read two books, and I like the second one even more, but I cannot remember the title, I think there were sth about some sort of abandoned cottage in the forest but that's it - if somebody have any idea what it could be please let me know).

[cultivating-wildflowers]

2024 Reading - September

Another productive month. Which I know would rub some readers the wrong way, and sometimes that mindset isn't great for me either, but as a girlie who likes her lists? I'm happy getting to check off stuff.

The biggest accomplishment this month was FINALLY finishing The Disorderly Knights. It took me so long that by the end of the story, I'd already forgotten what happened at the beginning. But it's done, and I have the next book on my shelf. For next year. Maybe.

Total books: 10  |  New reads: 9  |   2024 TBR completed: 2 (1 DNF) / 29/36 total   |   2024 Reading Goal: 63/100

August | October

potential reading list from September 1st

#1 - The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown - 5/5 stars

After hearing people rave about the movie and then the book, I snagged a cheap copy from my local used bookstore and decided to check it out.

It was so so worth it. Absolutely breathtaking. All of the assorted narratives--the different characters, the historical background, the technical details--came together so perfectly and resulted in a captivating story. I love every bit of it. I cried.

#2 - In the Forests of Serre by Patricia A. McKillip - 5/5 stars ('24 TBR)

This is exactly the sort of story I was craving. Absolutely spellbinding.

More like this: I had the sense this story reminded me of something else I've read, but I'm blanking on it just now. If I remember, I'll come back here. It might have been a fairy tale kind of story. It's a bit like the first Earthsea book. Perhaps Robin McKinley, Patricia C. Wrede, Madeleine L'Engel, Shannon Hale.... Diana Wynne Jones. It feels like a Ghibli movie.

#3 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol 2 by Beth Brower - 4/5 stars

A fun installment! I am quickly losing track of the cast, but I can totally see the author's vision of this being a delightful period drama.

#4 - The Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett - 4/5 stars

Note to anyone I've recommended this series to: I unfortunately have to retract that hearty recommendation and replace it with...several caveats.

I finished! Honestly, I don't know why it took so long, because once I made myself sit still and read it was easy-ish going; I just had trouble sitting still.

Ok, so "easy" is not the right word. With this series, the first half of each book tends to be a slow build-up, while the end careens rapidly downhill to the conclusion and the ever-brilliant (and painful) reveal.

And, uh.... This got much darker and more intense than I was prepared for. (If I made a habit of reading more in this line, I might have seen that coming, but epics aren't my usual fare.) Narratively, it all worked very well, but it was right on the edge of what I can tolerate.

Still, with 200 pages left to go, I absolutely planned to keep reading the series, well aware that it would be...an experience. Then I saw a blurb for both Book Four and Book Five, skimmed some super vague reviews for Book Four ("Five Stars. owowowowowowowowowowww") and freaked out. And, against all my usual inclinations, hunted for spoilers. And now I'm scared. (But, weirdly, less stressed about the conclusion? Which is an odd experience.)

#5 - Od Magic by Patricia A. McKillip - 3/5 stars (audio)

This confirms my suspicion that McKillip is one of those hit-or-miss authors for me. The first book of hers that I read was The Changeling Sea, six years ago, and I remember absolutely nothing about it. Then In the Forests of Serre blew me away. Od Magic? Another middling story.

Don't get me wrong; McKillip's writing is gorgeous. It immediately draws you in, connects you to living, breathing characters, and paints the most vivid pictures. But the story here just kind of...wanders along. It's a pleasant journey, but not very exciting.

Note: I didn't dive into "Od Magic" because of how much I loved "In the Forests of Serre". I needed an "O" title, and realized McKillip had a few. 😅

#6 - Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - 5/5 stars (reread, audio)

We all know I love this. 'Nuff said.

#7 - Yours From the Tower by Sally Nicholls - 4/5 stars

Another Tumblr rec! And a read that had the unfortunate pressure of me getting to it on the heels of 1) a so-so fantasy and 2) a historical fiction adventure that wrung me out. I did my best not to go into it with any expectations outside of being pleasantly charmed, and charmed I was. 90% of it was a fun, light read with just a touch of drama, but my stars, the end had me rolling. There's something so fun about epistolary novels when it comes to twists and big reveals.

#8 - Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher - 5/5 stars (audio)

A gorgeous little story.

#9 - Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher - 4/5 stars (audio)

Largely enjoyable, but the ending felt rushed.

#10 - The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke - 4/5 stars

An impulse pick from the library. I wanted something short and sweet and discovered this after finishing Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. As is becoming a habit with Clarke's writing, I enjoyed this book. I loved the variety of styles and tones within the collection.

DNF*

The Element of Fire by Martha Wells - Not a bad story, but by the 15% mark I remained bored and vaguely confused and unable to pay attention, so I gave up. I like Wells's writing style (obviously), but this was evidently her debut and is a bit dull around the edges. For some reason it reminded me vaguely of The Curse of Chalion, which I love, so might be worth checking out if you enjoy Lois McMaster Bujold. Goodreads also shows that fans of T. Kingfisher might enjoy this one as well. (Note: Paladin's Grace [below] also had the same general feel as The Element of Fire and The Curse of Chalion)

The Anthropology of Turquoise: Reflections on Desert, Sea, Stone, and Sky by Ellen Meloy ('24 TBR) - I was hoping for a more scientific exploration of color. Instead, this book is a collection of (in my and my friends' opinions) weirdly stuffy, stilted essays. I don't usually mind slow, descriptive/lyrical writing, but this is something else. If you don't mind a deeply personal and conversational writing style and a book you can sit with for several months, definitely check this one out, because it has merit; it's just not for me.

Zao's Tales by J.A. Sommer - I'm still vaguely unclear on how this book arrived on my shelf (it was a gift from my mother and she bought it to support someone?). Decidedly not for me. Also...now I don't have a "Z" title for my alphabet challenge lol.

just kidding, I found another one that was kind of on my radar and ordered it from the library, whoo

Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher - I'm learning that Kingfisher really straddles the line on what I'm willing to tolerate content-wise. This one was a "no" based on that.

The Sea at the End of Everything by Emily McCosh - The writing style was not for me. Sorry, Ruby.

*I'm starting to wonder if I should bother recording books I DNF.... They make up fully a third of the books I've picked up this year.

Currently Reading:

The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead by Max Brooks - just started

[gothark]

Books I've read in November 2024:

And what I thought about them:

Stars of Chaos Vol 4 - i'm so invested in the plot in this series you don't even know lmao relationship? secondary. plot? WHAT IS HAPPENING NEXT TELL ME so you know... i need to know

4.75 Stars

Dracula - I read this via Dracula Daily... which was fine, lovely project but man... i didn't think it would be this boring xDD it was so boring. i am glad it is over because it's as dry as the dirt dracula sleeps in, glad it's buried and done with

2 Stars

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun Vol 1 - you have seen this one before.... cause it's a re-read. i loved it and i fully intended to read the next one right away after that cliff hanger but then i kinda just... didn't you know?? xD i still loved it just as much the second time though so all good

5 Stars

The Brightness Between Us - i wanted to read this the second it came out but the e-book version costs more than a paperback, my library only had it with a 18 week wait so i pre ordered the at the time dirt cheap hardcover edition. how was i supposed to know it would get pushed back again and again before finally being delivered one and a half months later??? still a banger though, i loved it, i cried, i would eat a rubber boot for the pleasure of reading more (eliot i'm begging pls)

5 Stars

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun Vol 2 - back to our regularly scheduled programming because you can belive i'm not letting this series sit around for months again, we gonna climb this mountain right here and now... and what a treat this mountain is, at this point already my favorite danmei series of all time (if no one comes to kick it back in the future)

5 Stars

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun Vol 3 - i always say i don't like slow burns and i still belief that to be true but this series is really testing me lmao i would probably be more desperate if the plot wasn't also so interesting, i inhaled these books, nothing could stop me (except for real life, i went to two concerts lmao)

5 Stars

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun Vol 4 - slowly going insane with this one, i'm just not built for these levels of slow cooking and my brain is slowly turning into mush but i'm also so desperate for them to finally get their shit together that nothing could stop me from going through this and if someone asked me I would do it all again just like this

5 Stars

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun Vol 5 - oh sweet relief, finally, 5 books of suffering but the release makes it all worth it (kinda) also omg the plot??? hellooo???? so many theories, i was debating learning chinese so i don't have to wait for translations but my pea brain could never

5 Stars

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun Vol 6 - i was reading this and lowkey dreading finishing it because this is the last one currently out and what am i supposed to do with my life after this series??? like i'm also on a 5 star streak and the pressure not to break it? immense. but yeah this is one, if not the, favorite book series of mine atm

5 Stars

Dark Rise - AND WE ARE SAVED because this book??? banger. also... i'm not saying this series and The Husky and His White Cat Shizun are kinda similar but they kinda are so this fed me so well, i'm obsessed but it leads me back to the same problem because this series is also a banger and also unfinished lol

5 Stars

Dark Heir - back to struggling which book to read next while i get emotionally destroyed by an amazing book and it's evil cliff hanger ending. i just hope it's soon, pls let it be soon, i need it to be soon

5 Stars

Bonds of Brass - man i really wanted to like this one but we just didn't work out, most of the plot was reliant on the one Reveal TM but I literally knew it was gonna happen from like chapter 8 so it just fell flat on it's face for me. not badly written though

3.5 Stars

[alethiometry]

9 books i plan to read in 2025! // tagged by @aeide and @leofrith and i think it will be interesting to see if i can actually stick to this lol

1-2. calling on dragons & talking to dragons by patricia c wrede // i read dealing with dragons about a billion times as a kid, it remains one of my favorite comfort reads, but my school library never had the sequel books. so now i'm finally revisiting the series (am almost done with book 2, searching for dragons) and finishing it once and for all. it's just very cozy and nice!

3. bad cree by jessica johns // has been on my to-read list forever, for whatever reason i could never find it on libby, but i got it as a christmas present and am so excited to dive in!

4. cue the sun! the invention of reality tv by emily nussbaum // i actually just got this as a skip-the-line checkout on libby so i've already started reading! i've watched so much more reality tv in recent years and the whole industry never fails to fascinate me in mostly a morbid way.

5. fevre dream by george r r martin // during my revisit of asoiaf last year it was recommended that i check out some of grrm's other horror works. all i know is it has something to do with vampires in the bayou, and some asoiaf theorists refer to it a lot when discussing bolt-on which i find to be one of the wackier crack theories lol.

6. the tenant of wildfell hall by anne bronte // i've been reading through the bronte sisters on serial reader so this will be my next one after i finish wuthering heights!

7. dust child by nguyễn phan quế mai // the mountains sing was my absolute favorite book that i read last year and it moved me to tears/made me ugly-cry so so so many times. so of course i am beyond excited to read everything else she has written! also if you haven't read the mountains sing this is your sign from the universe to do so. it's amazing.

8. the orchid thief by susan orlean // so i got this as a birthday gift last year and read probably the first 1/3 or so before i fell off of reading pretty hard for most of the year (aka got super busy with 5,000 other things). i really want to pick it back up and finish it this year.

9. the will of the many by james islington // a couple friends made a book recs list/zine at the end of 2024 and they honestly all look great and i don't have space to list all of them here! so i picked this one at random out of the ones i haven't read yet!

oh also my secret 10th answer is if either the winds of winter* or the book of dust vol. 3 drop this year they will immediately take priority over any other books on this list 👀

idk who else has already done this but i'll tag @winedark and @roadtriphoax 😘

* lol. can you imagine.

[corvarrow]

2024 Books/Games Wrap up and 2025 Art Goals

Aaand its time once again for the stuff lists! I honestly don't think I'm gonna add anything else to the Books Read or Games Played lists this year so I may as well post now. Overall: productive year! Last year's list is here for reference.

Things I’ve read since Jan 2024

Heaven Official's Blessing 1 by MXTX

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Death in the Dark Woods by Annelise Ryan

Long Exposure vol 2 (Graphic Novel)

Heaven Official's Blessing 2 by MXTX

Heaven Official's Blessing 3 by MXTX

Heaven Official's Blessing 4 by MXTX

Heaven Official's Blessing 5 by MXTX

Heaven Official's Blessing 6 by MXTX

Heaven Official's Blessing 7 by MXTX

Heaven Official's Blessing 8 by MXTX

Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang

Haunted Hallways anthology (Outland Entertainment)

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Dead Detectives Society anthology (Monstrous Books)

Animus Mundi anthology (Outland Entertainment)

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation #1 by MXTX

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation #2 by MXTX

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation #3 by MXTX

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation #4 by MXTX

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation #5 by MXTX

To Root Somewhere Beautiful anthology (Outland Entertainment)

SCP Foundation: Red/Yellow/Black Journals (Parabooks) (These are basically a selection of about 100 SCP articles published into 3 books with a lot of nice illustrations)

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

Dragons Rising by Alisha Klapheke

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

Delicious in Dungeon manga 1-14 by Ryoko Kui (full series)

Comments: Yeah...there was definitely a theme here. My favorite book this year was the entire TGCF/Heaven Official's Blessing series. The characters are all SO good, though Xie Lian is my favorite <333

Also this is the first time I've read any of Brandon Sanderson's stuff... overall I think they're pretty good! ALTHOUGH, I will say, I started with Yumi and the Nightmare Painter because I knew it was a standalone book and that was almost a mistake. For whatever reason he uses so many parentheses right off the bat - that's fine in a text post but in a novel I actually find that Quite Annoying so I almost gave up on it early. Glad I didn't though! Ended up liking it and was inspired to try some of his other books, which I enjoyed even more.

Currently Reading: Godkiller by Hannah Kaner. I don't think this is a very long book but I don't have the bandwidth required to finish it in the next couple days

2025 Book Goals: If you can believe it I have more danmei novels waiting in the wings lol. I am probably going to also read more Brandon Sanderson books but he has so many that I've just been checking them out at the library. I'm at the mercy of "whenever it comes in", and just read whatever in between.

—

2024 Video Games:

Super Mario Wonder

Baldur's Gate 3 (and it only took 171 hours)

Iron Lung

Logiart Grimoire

Monster Prom

POOLS

Atomic Heart

Dredge

Trombone Champ (can't believe this has an endgame state lmao)

Dave the Diver

Last Call BBS

Animal Well

Still Wakes the Deep

Crow Country

Nancy Drew and the White Wolf of Icicle Creek (played before a LONG time ago)

Raging Loop (DNF - Visual Novel - got about 7 hours in before deciding it wasn't for me)

Nancy Drew: Curse of Blackmoor Manor

Pseudoregalia

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair

Escape Simulator

Strange Horticulture

Mouthwashing

Comments: This was an interesting year for me because I finally burned myself out on FF14, which left me open to start playing other games instead. I had gotten to the point where I was going for Triple Triad/Jellytoast mount so I was working on getting cards, and I actually got most of them. HOWEVER, I then got roadblocked by Eureka and Bozja. You have to do their storylines to unlock the NPCs for cards. Now, Eureka you CAN mostly do solo, its a miserable grindfest even if you do manage to get in a party, but you can still solo if no one is around, and the story quests don't require other players, so I got through Euraka. Bozja...no. No not really. The story quests have events that do require other players, and I found it really intimidating aaand my FC didn't want to help x_x So I finally just stopped and started playing BG3. I do want to play Dawntrail at some point but I just got so tired. (and yeah for the record I don't have any dedicated groups to play games with so I do mostly play solo games... FF14 is very solo friendly actually, if you're willing to sometimes put up with roulette queueing, just not some of the side content lol)

ANYWAY. Getting through a "large RPG" was one of my video game goals from last year so I accomplished that with BG3...then I started really getting through my backlog! Obviously I like a lot of different genres. If I had to pick a favorite I would say....🤔 Maybe Still Wakes the Deep storywise, but I'll pick Escape Simulator for gameplay because it's REALLY fun. Puzzle rooms are absolutely my jam. Mouthwashing was also very good, storywise. I am not going to label that one "fun" though. LOL.

Game that I wish I could like more...Animal Well. I didn't know this in advance but this is a very pixel hunt & ARG heavy game as well as being a metroidvania. I LOVE metroidvanias, on the other hand pixel hunts & ARGs are not for me at all. You cannot get to the "true" ending of this game without messing around with all that, and the regular end is like, nothing. Metroidvanias are usually pretty light on story as the format is challenging, but this may as well not have a story at all. So, that's irritating. On the other hand, the game is freaking gorgeous, and is one of the most eerie games I have played in a long time. Love the atmosphere, wasn't thrilled about the other stuff (to those that like it though, you would probably love this!)

Currently Playing: Undecided. Right now I'm thinking either Signalis or Sorry We're Closed. But I also have a lot of Nancy Drew games I picked up from a sale so maybe one of those first instead.

2025 Game Goals: I am tempted to say I'd like to do another "Large RPG" game since I still have several in my backlog, but honestly I would like to continue just knocking smaller games out of the general backlog as its been very satisfying.

---

Other 2025 Goals/Art Goals

So this was an interesting year because I ended up doing a 365 landscape drawing challenge in my hobonichi journal...trying to keep up with this has been the ultimate test and has been really draining my brain since like June. However, I am almost done. My ability to doodle random landscape in pen has definitely improved. Am I doing another yearly challenge next year? ....No. Absolutely not lmao. Break now.

Anyway some general goals are:

Finish at least 1 sketchbook

Do/Post more finished pieces

These are copied from last year though I would like to note that I ended up doing all those refs this year instead. Which is fine! They were very badly needed and I'm really happy about them. However my brain has been so drained otherwise I didn't really do much regular finished pieces and now I feel out of practice. 🤔 Ideally I'd like to work on figuring out a coloring process that works for me since it has legitimately always been a problem. But, I think that's also going to be driven a bit by 'what kind of look am I going for', which I have an idea (I love really interesting lighting), so I think I have to explore how to get to That.

3. Finish designing a sona

I got partway through this this year and got sidetracked. It also occurred to me that I could make more than one 🤔 I really want to update my icon art (and like... make some banners) so I kind of need to finish this thought.

[eta-piscium]

And here we are! 17 out of 29 currently released Cosmere novels/novellas. I finished Elantris and Tress in very quick succession this past week and found many tears in my eyes as well as a renewed need (joyful) to finish these books hahaha.

- [x] Elantris

- [x] The Hope of Elantris (Short story)

- [x] The Final Empire

- [x] The Well of Ascension

- [x] The Hero of Ages

- [x] The Alloy of Law

- [x] The Eleventh Metal (Short Story)

- [x] Shadows of Self

- [x] The Bands of Mourning

- [x] Mistborn: Secret History (Short Story)

- [x] The Lost Metal

- [ ] Warbreaker

- [x] Sixth of the Dusk (Novella)

- [ ] Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell (Novella)

- [ ] The Emperors Soul (Novella)

- [x] Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania (Short Story)

- [ ] The Way of Kings

- [x] Words of Radiance

- [ ] Edgedancer (Novella)

- [x] Oathbringer

- [ ] Dawnshard (Novella)

- [x] Rhythm of War

- [ ] Horneater (Novella)

- [ ] Wind and Truth (Unreleased)

- [ ] White Sand Vol. 1

- [ ] White Sand Vol. 2

- [ ] White Sand Vol. 3

- [ ] White Sand: Omnibus (Unreleased)

- [x] Tress of the Emerald Sea

- [ ] Yumi and the Nightmare Painter

- [ ] The Sunlight Man

- [ ] Isle of the Emberdark (Unreleased)

If youve gotten all the way down here hello! Im seriously lacking in the knowledge of tumblr etiquette and functions so please excuse any faux pas.

I just wanted to kind of say that these stories have drastically changed my life. I find so much hope and knowledge and strength in reading Brandon Sandersons books. Im excited and scared to continue on my journey to complete the cosmere.

As Im sure we all know Brandon is fond of long stories with quick conclusions. In that the last hundred or so pages of his books tend to ramp up so quickly Im often shouting out loud or crying or jumping up and down.

That being said. Im notorious for being afraid of ends. I dont often finish my drinks. Ive never finished a project that takes longer than a day or so (without major outside prompting). I often abandon books and come back to them years later (so while I read quite quickly it did take me 4 years to finish Stephen Kings 11/22/63). And it did take me a year or so to get past the first couple or so chapter of The Way of Kings unfortunately.

So while I am incredibly excited to continue this journey Im scared of the end. While the end is nowhere near as of now because I truly believe only death could stop Brandon. I still find myself in those last hundred pages already mind wild hoping the next thing (be it book or show or film) will be just as fulfilling.

[veliseraptor]

Top 5 Danmei canon couples only (to make it harder? 👀)

canon couples? canon couples? anon who do you think I am, someone who gets really attached to canon pairings

(also are we qualifying as "canon" here "specifically they actually get together on page" or like... "heavily subtextually implied"." I'm going to assume you meant the first one, but boy is it tempting.)

(I'm not wholly serious but I am wondering if I can get to five with this, considering a number of the ones I've read only really have one explicitly canon pairing...and I haven't read all that many, and I don't like listing things by, like, default. I want to actually have strong feelings.)

1. Hua Cheng/Xie Lian. Hands down my favorite of the three MXTX novels and definitely of all time. They're just. I love them. I love them both as characters and their dynamic is so good. Astonishingly not fucked up for a pairing I have such good feelings about but somehow it works.

2. Mo Ran/Chu Wanning. On the other hand! Very fucked up, at least sort of. Less so later. But also still. But woof what a pairing. I have vol. 2 of the published translation sitting on my shelf and might just read that this weekend now that I'm thinking about them again. I will say that I am unfortunately particularly fond of Taxian-jun/Chu Wanning specifically (surprising no one) but all versions are good.

3. Qiyan Agula/Nangong Jingnu. I really need to reread JWQS and it's because of these two cause like. what a mess! what a mess!!! it's enemies to lovers and betrayal and all that delicious crunchy shit and they're both women. how often do I get that, almost never. once I finally get around to learning book binding I feel like this might be the one I want to do first. 🤔

4. Sheng Lingyuan/Xuan Ji. It feels a little weird to put a pairing from a book I haven't finished yet on here (two, actually) but it's...really good so I'm going with it. I'm only ~70 chapters in and they've got me. The already emerging parallel themes of dehumanization and weaponization alone. Chef's kiss. perching here just waiting for the rest.

5 Xiao Chiye/Shen Zechuan. The other pairing from a book I haven't technically finished yet, but look, look, you've seen me posting their banter and I feel like for this alone:

they deserve to be on here.

[applesandbannas747]

hello!!

i just finished the fence series and absolutely LOVED it. i thought it was over and felt sad however i see that there are still comics for it (redemption) and novels (striking distance / disarmed). i’m very confused about these. do these stories occur after vol 5? which should i read first, the novels or the comics? i’m not understanding the chronological order…

thanks <3

Hi friend!! Welcome to Fence, I'm so glad you loved it too!! You can read through my long explanations or scroll down to the actual list of reading order XD

The order of everything is unnecessarily confusing and I'm forever annoyed at BOOM (the publishers) for that. First thing to know is that Fence was a single-issue release comic for 12 months, which produced Issues 1-12. After finishing its original run, the 12 issues were bound into 3 volumes of 4 issues each. This wouldn't be too confusing except that Volumes 1-5 use the same covers as Issues 1-5 did, so it can be hard to navigate.

The novels are another interesting aspect of the franchise in that they're more like published fanfiction Pacat (one of the creators of Fence) loves and endorses, but they're not strictly canon despite him insisting that they are at least "80% canon". The novels are a duology by Sarah Rees Brennan that take place between Rise and Rivals (the 4th and 5th volume of the comic). They are not required reading at all, and rather muddy things up because of their strange relationship to canon, so I always tell people not to read them. Granted, I am infamous for hating the novels with every fiber of my being, but genuinely, they don't add anything to the story and the 'is it or isn't it canon' aspect can get frustrating because while Pacat likes to pretend the novels are canon, they literally are not happening in the same timeline as the comics because some MAJOR events took place in the novels that were just retconned in the comics, which picked right back up after Rivals (volume 4) as if nothing had happened. If you love Sarah Rees Brennan more than you love Fence, then read the books, otherwise skip them because they will leave you more confused than anything lmfao

And of course, Redemption is strange simply for the way it's been marketed. When Fence Redemption was announced, it was pitched as an all-new original fence mini-series with a 4-issue run, which left it unclear as to what the fuck it actually was. As it turns out, Redemption seems to just be the continuation of the comic. Whether it's switching back from being categorized as a graphic novel that releases in bundles of 4 chapters to a comic with single-issue releases over a set period of time, it's unclear, but that could be one explanation for the wording that's been used around it. It's also possible it's 'filler' content (imagine beach episodes in animes), which was my assumption when reading the announcement for it, BUT having read the first 2 issues, I think that's unlikely because we're covering some moments that are huge payoff from the things building earlier in the series. It remains to be seen where Redemption falls in terms of the volumes (ie will it be bound as volume 6, or will it remain a 'side' story in the franchise and volume 6 will be the next fully released graphic novel?) I mostly mention this because if you start looking up info on Redemption, it can get confusing about whether it's part of the main story or not, so just know that it certainly is part of the main story and it's fully canon, but it either marks a change in the format of Fence's releases or was a fun detour from the planned volumes.

And finally, for the question you actually asked--the reading order:

Fence Volume 1 (contains issues 1,2,3,4 of the original issues)

Fence Volume 2 (contains issues 5,6,7,8 of the original issues)

Fence Volume 3 (contains issues 9,10,11,12 of the original issues)

Fence Volume 4 "Rivals" (originally released as the full volume)

Striking Distance (the first Fence novel; I recommend not bothering with it)

Disarmed (the second Fence novel; I recommend not bothering with it)

Fence Volume 5 "Rise" (originally released as the full volume; picks up after Rivals without reference to the novels)

Fence Redemption Issue #1

Fence Redemption Issue #2

Fence Redemption Issue #3 (not out yet)

Fence Redemption Issue #4 (not out yet)

note that 1 issue = 1 chapter, the terminology just changes whether the 22 pages of content we're talking about was released in a volume of 4 (chapters) or released on its own (issues).

Thanks for dropping in and letting me talk way to much!

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

EVERY WEEK I WILL POST VARIOUS REVIEWS I’VE WRITTEN SO FAR IN 2024. YOU CAN CHECK OUT MY GOODREADS FOR MORE UP-TO-DATE REVIEWS HERE.

___

87. Sidekicked by John David Anderson--⭐️⭐️⭐️

SIDEKICKED was a fun adventure following a kid who has extra strength in his senses (sight, smell, etc). He was paired up with a less than interested mentor who is never really there to save him when he needs it the most. While there is definitely an emphasis on the idea of good vs. evil and what that entails (and the black and white levels of moralities that come with these two terms), we also get a pretty good insight into a middle school young teen boy and his varying emotions about his crush and the new kid in his secret sidekick program.

I honestly thought the concept of this book was fun, especially because we got to see the world of superheroes from the perspective of a younger kid. And because I've always been a fan of superheroes and stuff, so that's always a fun thing for me to read. But the tone of this book felt...older? The main character was sassy (which I loved), but his thought processes also felt like this book would have been better set in high school.

But that being said, this was fun for what it was. I felt really bad for him and the hand he was dealt in the mentor department. But I did enjoy seeing how everything came together. I can see 11+ year-olds really enjoying this. I think it would make a good movie too, tbh, made me think of Sky High a bit, too!

___

88. Cherry Magic! Vol. 2 by Yuu Toyota , Taylor Engel (Translator)--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Okay, I'm officially obsessed with this series. I know this is only volume 2, but sometimes I just know when I'm going to devour a series and this volume is it for me.

Still not the biggest fan of the artwork, but I love these two characters and the hilarious thoughts and commentary. I also love this idea of a character who isn't popular being romanced by another character that everyone else wants. I love this and need more!!

___

89. Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It took me a while to pick up STAY GOLD even though I knew I was going to love it (I was right). From the very beginning, I was pulled in by the personalities of these characters and how well they worked off each other. I also felt their emotions and frustrations as they navigated the difficult and sometimes dangerous halls of high school. I also appreciated how McSmith navigated the complex emotions teens have of how they are perceived by the people around them.

This was such an emotional punch and I think that some trigger warnings will need to be read by those who are sensitive to suicidal thoughts, misgendering, dead-naming, and homophobic violence. The way McSmith wrote on these topics also showed me how having people who love you surround you is so incredibly important. It was also a great insight into how one's experience can't be seen as everyone's experiences. There was one character who was pushing the MMC to do something that though could be helpful to a group of people, it could be incredibly dangerous for the MMC.

I'm cis, so I am privileged enough to never have to deal with this level of danger, but it broke my heart to see the MMC torn between what others believed to be right and what was right for him.

The FMC had such great character growth and is proof that sometimes patience is a virtue--but also hope.

I just really loved this book and I'm so glad I finally picked it up! Now I have to read McSmith's other book!

___

90. Cherry Magic! Vol. 3 by Yuu Toyota , Taylor Engel (Translator)--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ugh the cuteness. I can't. Watching the MMC slowly fall and realize his feelings? Please.

I remember finishing this book and immediately cursing myself for not having Volume 4 readily available to read right after. I'm excited to see how those around them react to their slowly forming love. I also love seeing the jealousy and how intense the love interest is with the MMC.

Also, something I noticed is that the volumes have a content advisory but these are pretty clean (so far). Gay manga must equal parental advisory, I guess LOL. Please.

___

91. The Haunted Forest Tour by James A. Moore & Jeff Strand--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Holy crap, THE HAUNTED FOREST TOUR was such a fun and bloody horror. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that. The brutality and blasé way that the authors killed off characters was actually amusing. I don't think there was a heck of a lot of depth into this book, but I honestly just had such a good time reading this.

The one thing I wasn't a fan off and why the one star was taken off was the unnecessary mentions of these creepy men wanting to bend over certain women to have sex with them. It just felt predatory. Like the dude who had to constantly remind himself he was married. Or the ones who were always thinking about having sex with women who had no idea they were thinking these thoughts. It was creepy and unnecessary. God forbid we have a horror book where women aren't sexualized for the sake of making the reader either uncomfortable or just...because male authors can't help but comment on women who are "do-able".

Anyway, other than that, this story was pretty original and so, so bloody. It's a perfect October read tbh. Surprised the hell out of me. Would also make a great movie.

___

92. The Escape by Katherine Applegate--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm starting to find that I really like the story told from this perspective. I think this character is one of the more underestimated ones because when we see him from other characters' POVs, we see someone who is one way, but from his perspective, we see his true depths. Which is something he touches on here: he's the funny friend; the one who never seems to take anything too seriously, but this kid wears the humour mask as a survival thing.

This was a great addition to the series because of the emotional aspect. And THE ESCAPE also makes me want to read more of the series just so I can see this character get his greatest wish granted.

Also, loved how great they all worked together!

Will hopefully read the next one soon!

___

93. Cherry Magic! Vol. 4 by Yuu Toyota , Taylor Engel (Translator)--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stop, I can't with this adorableness.

The fact that these two characters are so different but not at the same time kills me. One is very good at hiding their nerves and if it wasn't for these powers, the MMC wouldn't even know it. Sigh, both a gift and a curse.

I love that the character growth in this one--especially as someone with social anxiety--happened so organically. The MMC is going at his own pace but is still keeping the love interest's feelings in mind. I seriously can't wait to see how this all develops over the next few volumes!

___

94. Dick Fight Island by Reibun Ike--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My adventures in Boy Love Manga has led me to this interesting work of art.

While yes, the majority of this is definitely porn, the storyline was actually really interesting and unique. And the artwork is freaking stunning. My friend told me that he didn't finish volume 2, so I'll probably just stay with this one and remember the story (cough) fondly.

I'm happy I read this because it was truly something else, but if you're thinking of reading this, be prepared. I don't think I'd recommend reading this on the bus.

___

95. Dread Detention by Jennifer Killick--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I read this book under a different name and I was so surprised to see it was the same book (I just bought a physical copy of this book and the other books in this series, so that was a nice surprised.)

I genuinely really enjoyed DREAD WOOD (or DREAD DETENTION). It definitely gave me EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS vibes, especially with some of the scarier scenes. I love middle grade horror books like this one because it's just pure story--sometimes, older books have too much focus on the characters themselves rather than the scary side of a horror book. I thought there was a good moral story behind this and I think it's great kids will (hopefully) get this message.

I also was reminded of the Katherine Arden middle grade horror books where kids work together to solve monster and scary mysteries.

DREAD WOOD did have moments where it felt older than its intended audience, so I'd probably recommend this to the older side of middle grade.

If you're scared of spiders, you'll either have to miss out on this one or you'll have to find your bravery!

___

Have you read any of these titles? What were your thoughts?

___

Happy reading!

[arwainian]

Reading This Week 2024 #6-8

sits here. i have been behind on this.... once again... i think i just have to accept that i do these when i do these.

Finished Week 6 (Feb 4-10):

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (skimmed/read the spark notes for class discussion, won't be reading more)

Undoing Gender by Judith Butler (read Chapter 6 "Longing for Recognition", currently won't be reading more)

The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin, narrated by Rob Inglis (started the same week, audio book was lots of fun)

i love Tenar...... i think it's really cool that the way the Earthsea books are working is that even tho Ged is a reocurring character, we get a new child perspective for each one

Orange, Vol. 4 by Ichigo Takano, translated by Amber Tamosaitis (started same week)

truly TRULY the love triangle/rivals in this are so primed to be read polyamorously it had driven me crazy. just form a triad, you all like each other

about 10 other smaller things (articles, short stories, excerpts) that i shall not be naming individually bc this post is already too long

Finished Week 7 (Feb 11-17):

Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie (started in Week 6)

this book flips is like reading a multigenerational family drama with each section involving the slowly growing tension of knowing what horrific historical event/conditions they are about to live through

Venus by Susan-Lori Parks (started same week)

The Way of the House Husband by Kousuke Oono, translated by Amanda Haley (started same week)

“Experiential Gender” in Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity by Julia Serano

“Black (W)holes and The Geometry of Black Female Sexuality” by Evelynn Hammonds

"Unsexed: A Zero Concept for Gender Studies" by Kath Weston

"Of Catamites and Kings: Reflections on Butch, Gender, and Boundaries" by Gayle Rubin (these four i read for a class that i lead the discussion four so while they fall under the category of articles i'm not mentioning right now, i felt they should be included for that reason)

a shit ton of student papers

6 smaller things (articles and abandoned books that i'm skipping for same reason as above)

Finished Week 8 (Feb 18-24):

Story of a Brief Marriage by Anuk Arudpragasam (started same week)

very in-depth descriptions of bowel movements in this

Orange, Vol. 5 by Ichigo Takano, translated by Amber Tamosaitis (started same week)

so cute! once again i am advocating for them to just form a poly triad

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan (started ages and ages ago...)

you've already seen my frantic reblog spam about this. i'm glad i finally finished reading this. the quarter 3 of it was kind a low point but i think it really captured me again by the end (however, i think the like... FINAL two pages are really scream "remember! that this is technically inspired by some real history!" in a way i found unneccesary and kinda too me out of the satisfaction of the end). i think the ending worked for me because Ma was really underused (i know it would have made the book kinda bloated but i would have loved a chapter or two of her perspective holding down the fort and dealing with internal politics while Zhu was away doing war things....), so her role in the finale was what really solidified it for me. this book drove me crazy in a great way, i think so many people should read She Who Became the Sun and then this sequel

Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 11 by Kamome Shirahama, translated by Stephen Kohler (started same week)

the panelling in this manga is simply so fucking good. read this. its so cute

Orange, Vol. 6: Future by Ichigo Takano, translated by Amber Tamosaitis (started same week)

i don't think this volume was necessary lol... i did not need to know how Suwa and Naho got together in the future where Kakeru died, it was better as implications

Ongoing Reads:

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (read another chapter)

i am so sorry to my girlfriend who has to deal with me complaining about this book i am reading to her after every chapter... i am glad she is enjoying it regardless

The Farther Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin, narrated by Rob Inglis (about halfway through)

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien (basically read the preface material so far)

[cultivating-wildflowers]

Books of 2023 - December (and a wrap-up)

And that's a wrap!

Extremely happy with my reading in general this year. I got to all but one of the books I absolutely wanted to get to in 2023 (and was only disappointed by a few of those); I revisited some old favorites; and I found plenty of unexpectedly delightful stories.

December was definitely a wrap-up month terms of finishing both my 2023 TBR (so. close.) and my impulse goal of reading a new-to-me book with a title for each letter of the alphabet. (That X, man.... That was difficult. I think I'll do it again next year.) There are about 30 titles left on my reading tracker, mostly stuff I threw on there to fall back on if I needed a change, or audiobooks I had on standby for boring days at work.

Audiobooks saved me this year.

And with that: my reviews, and then a little wrap-up and a summary of my plans for next year.

Total books: 5  |  New reads: 5   |  2023 TBR completed: 2 (0 DNF) / 24/25 total   |   2023 Reading Goal: 90/50

November | January 2024

#1 - Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin (tr. Babette Deutsch) - 4/5 stars

It's so much more difficult to write reviews about 200-year-old classics than modern spec-fic. This book made me laugh, which is a solid point in its favor. I also survived my foray into novels-in-verse, which is another point.

As you were.

#2 - The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy (tr. Aylmer Maude) - 5/5 stars ('23 TBR)

Next on my list of "one of those Russian guys", this time the book that Ruby read for school that made her cry.

And...woof. Yeah, I definitely cried. Not an easy story to read, but I am glad I read it.

#3 - Paradise Lost by John Milton - 4/5 stars ('23 TBR)

Well. I read it. Goodness knows why, but just managing that was a struggle.

The descriptions were vivid, and once I'd adjusted to the style it was engaging. It's definitely not something I'm used to, though, so it was an exceedingly slow read. That said, I do think it was a perfect book to finish right before Christmas. It felt right.

#4 - Fullmetal Alchemist, vol. 1-3 by Hiromu Arakawa - 5/5 stars

Finally! Finally I have picked up this series! And I'm very glad I did. Needed something a little lighter after everything I've been reading lately.

As expected, it was delightful.

I chose to track reading with this series by the three-in-one omnibus volumes, given the relatively low page count per volume. I own the first three volumes as singles and just picked up a copy of four-through-six; the rest will have to come from the library, which will take some finagling.

#5 - The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis - 5/5 stars

Read this in one sitting to get to a round number of finished reads for 2023 and.... Wow. No thoughts. Lots of sticky tabs used. Just gonna...sit here for a bit.

Anyway.

2023 Reading Wrap-Up!

My goals for reading in 2023 included:

Read plenty of nonfiction: ok so I finished nine nonfic books, which narrowly beat out 2022's seven, but.... Yeah. We're gonna try this again next year. (I have at least two dozen on my reading tracker. I am nothing if not optimistic.)

Finish the Lord Peter Wimsey series: done and wowwwww

Get back into Discworld: I read the three Industrial Revolution books. So...not as much as I'd hoped to read but they were fun as ever! I plan to dive into the Witches subseries in 2024 and go from there.

Branch out into a few new genres: I generally didn't do so well with this one; gothic of any kind isn't for me. I will say I'm officially over general YA fantasy; I found a couple of MG books I enjoyed and will gladly recommend to the kids in my life.

General Stats:

Total Books read: 90 (84 last year)

Re-reads: 30 (including: all of the City Between series [10] in January; all but one of both Narnia [6] and the Fairyland Chronicles [4]; and all of Murderbot [6])

New Authors: 31 (24 last year)

Audiobooks: 62 (45 last year)

Nonfiction: 9 (7 last year)

DNF: 14 (19 last year)

Alphabet Book Titles: 26 out of 26!

2023 TBR:

Read: 19

DNF: 5

Didn’t Get To: 1 (currently reading this one)

My Top Five Anticipated 2023 Reads:

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer - 4/5 stars

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - 4/5 stars

Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers - 5/5 stars

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - DNF @ 35%

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel - 3/5 stars

Top Five New Reads of 2023:

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie

2024 Reading Plans:

Reading Goal: 100 books. Why not be obnoxious for once and actually set an unrealistic goal? (For the record, I had almost 100 books on my "potential 2024 reading list" back in September; I did my best to winnow it down but, with some carry-over from this year, it's currently at 88 books. Of those, 36 are hard-and-fast "to read in 2024" books.)

Get to some of the older residents of my TBR. There are some books that have been on my formal TBR for nearly a decade. I'm not even sure where a lot of them came from, but it's time to see if they're any good.

More nonfiction! Guys, I'm learning things! I feel like such an accomplished adult! Topics on the list for 2024 include cadavers, history and travel, murder, mythology, fungi, WWII hijinks, and pirates.

Another, less impromptu Alphabet of Book Titles challenge? In addition to the expected Q, X, Y, and Z, this year I struggled with R, F, and K for some reason? (I DNF'd three or four R titles and disliked the one I did finish.) I already have both a Q and a Z title sitting on my physical bookshelf at home and have a Y option picked out. X is still tripping me up (if I wasn't set on new titles I'd reread Xenocide). Since I'm that close already and I pulled it off in 2023, I'm tentatively going to try again.

Top Five Anticipated Reads of 2024

Agent Garbo: The Brilliant, Eccentric Secret Agent Who Tricked Hitler and Saved D-Day by Stephan Talty

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

[ijustkindalikebooks]

Ahh, finally Spring is here (you can't tell here in England, but it is Spring).

And this month has been a really good and very fun month of reading, where I finally got to the end of my Agatha Christie-thon and I finished all the Shakespeare's - Love Labour's Lost is an apt play to finish this marathon on reading on (I read and listened to the plays and I highly recommend you do the same, just for a greater understanding of tone).

Here are my favourite books for March 2023 - feel free to share what your favourite books you've been reading lately!

A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond - 96 pages of pure charm, A Bear Called Paddington I read with a little one I was babysitting and honestly, it was such a joy to read. The story of how Paddington ends up with The Brown's and his first adventures in London and well, it's as good as the movie, I promise.

The Forward Book Of Poetry 2023 by Various - A fantastic collection of exceptional talent from across the UK, The Forward Book Of Poetry is never a let-down, but this one really did feel exceptional, with choices of poems that really worked so well together that it made for a five star read. It's definitely made me want to look up so many people, I am definitely going to read more of Molly Naylor for example!

Natsume's Book Of Friend's Vol. 4 by Yuki Midorikowa - A series I've been slowly getting into, Natsume's Book Of Friends is a manga about Natsume, who has inherited a book from his grandmother of spirits she trapped and is doing his best to free them again with stories that are really beautifully written and artwork that works with these stories so beautifully. Highly recommend this series.

Against White Feminism by Rafia Zakaria - A short but insightful book, I think that this is a must-read for anyone who wants to ensure their feminism is intersectional and how systems that are meant to help women in developing countries are often created by western women with little connection to the communities they are meant to help. I really appreciated this book and it definitely changed my perspective on alot, and it made me realise I have more to learn.

What did you read this month? Please feel free to reply!

See you next month!

Vee xo

[type-three-djinni]

December in media

📚 Reading

Kaiju no. 8 (vol 8-11): I need the next volume STAT. Even though I keep losing track of the names but it's a me problem it happens in real life too

The Yellow Wallpaper (Gilman): oooooh boy. I wished to have a paper version to annotate. I want to do literary analysis on this story.

The veldt (Bradbury): oooh boy part two.

Lamb to the slaughter (Dahl): was I supposed to be horrified? Was I not supposed to say good for her?

In the penal colony (Kafka): Kafka can induce existential dread like no one else I think

Hanako-kun (v. 21): ahsgshsahshgajsjsjs

Layers of fear (Junji Ito): yes, yes, the perils of seeking a past long gone and the obsession with beauty. But truly the worst is the new fear unlocked around skin picking.

One piece (ch. 1130-1134): sobbing and crying and screaming for Robin

A day of fallen night (first half): I AM LOCKED IN. I AM REMEMBERING MANY NAMES. BUT NOT ALL THE NAMES. I WANT TO REREAD THE PRIORY.

🎥 Watching

Helluva Boss (ep 11): mmmmmmmh. Contemplating the plot implications.

Love, Actually: finally I've seen it. A powerhouse of a cast, Alan Rickman I miss you oh so dearly. Sam and Daniel's scenes mended my heart. Emma Thompson the legend that you are. But some of the characters (Colin, Mark) I would love to beat to death with a shovel.

Cyrano (2021): rewatching for the sibling, Peter Dinklage is still as incredible as the first time. I need to find a copy of the original book.

The Christmas Chronicles: cute! I'm not the audience, but as I was battling with pva glue on every surface of my body I had the very same attention span and level of media literacy.

The princess switch: what's christmas if not predictable romances in [generic European country with a monarchy and an obsession with Christmas]. The magical Christmas old man lacks Santa Claus swag, but has nosy European grandpa vibes so I appreciated him

The princess switch - switch again: had it in the background as I fought for my life with wrapping paper. I've just discovered there is a third movie. I'm hooked.

The princess switch 3 - romancing the star: VATICAN INVOLVEMENT AND HEIST IN THE SILLY CHRISTMAS MOVIE WHERE VANESSA HUDGENS PLAYS THREE CHARACTERS?

Ranma 1/2 (ep. 11-12): gnashing at the bars of my enclosure. I need fourteen more seasons and I need them now

The Amazing Digital Circus (ep. 4): Gangle is having A Time this episode. And making Jax also have A Time which, honestly. He deserves worse.

Helluva Boss (ep 12): that Elsa-looking bitch needed to get beaten up more. For me specifically.

The name of the rose: I can't for the life of me remember whether or not I have already watched this movie in full or only in snatches. Anyways, now I want to try and read the book.

Luca [R]: always so lovely on so many levels!!!

Around the world in 80 days (ep. 1, 2 - R): I realised that I have watched this series in a daze and should rewatch it because I miss our travelling trio.

The Preacher's wife: my tv gave up halfway through it and I want to finish it. I want the good feels.

The Mitchell's vs the machines [R]: still so good and funny. 10/10 movie.

A true wealth of nearly indistinguishable Hallmark Christmas movies that have been playing in the background of my life the whole month: unironically a nice experience.

[aceinabook]

October TBR!

Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan: 40% completed! Reading the final of Apollo makes me sad and happy at the same time. I like where we are seeing the characters have come and I just don't want it to end. But Python must be stopped sooner or later.

Malibu Rising: 32/369 pages. This is for my community book club, and I am bored so far. Seems vapid so far. I am worried that my opinion will not change.

Dead Silence: I love a spooky ship story. Spooky space ship!! I am so excited, this is all I really know about this haha.

The Witch and His Crow: I got this ARC today! I plan on getting to this as soon as I read my library books haha. The author said this was a mix of Charmed(watched this with my mom when I was a teen) and hunger games. The author is so sweet on insta so I'm really hoping I like this. I haven't reading anything by him yet so this will be my first!

Scum Villian's Self-Saving System Vol. 4: This finished up SVSSS universe. I hear it's just a bunch of extras! I am excited to read them!

[burningdarkfire]

books i read in apr 2024

[these are all short + casual reviews - feel free to ask about individual ones if u want my full thoughts or ask for my goodreads!!] 

rosencrantz & guildenstern are dead - tom stoppard ★★★★★ (play)

i watched this performed live with billy boyd and dominic monaghan as the leads and tbh thought it was "just fine" but being able to read it at my own pace ... the devastation really set in 😩

delicious in dungeon vols. 4-7 - ryoko kui ★★★★☆ (fantasy manga)

finally overtook the anime and i'm really looking forward to getting into the meat of the story!

exit west - mohsin hamid ★★★★☆ (contemporary, magical realism)

loved the writing style and the perspective, it's very beautiful and very human

close to death - anthony horowitz ★★★★☆ (mystery)

one of the stronger installments in this series. i always enjoy a story-within-a-story kind of frame, however loose!

none of this is true - lisa jewell ★★★★☆ (thriller)

extremely readable and genuinely thrilling book with a disappointingly weak ending 😔

vigilance - robert jackson bennett ★★★★☆ (dystopian)

nothing particularly new or fresh about a gun-obsessed america but RJB does know how to make a point and stick to it

penance - eliza clark ★★★☆☆ (contemporary)

ostensibly is a critique of true crime although imo it mostly just reads like. true crime. possibly i am not familiar enough to pick up on the nuance. but also, hilariously, it's at least a little bit about teenage girls who are socialized about tumblr and that really lent a flavour to my reading experience

autobiography of red - anne carson ★★★☆☆ (contemporary, verse, mythological re-telling)

started this as an audiobook and could not follow it at all - switch to paper to finish but. hmmm. i think it just needs more out of me than i currently have to give

green dot - madeleine gray ★★★☆☆ (contemporary)

i didn't know this was just a book about a young woman who is the affair partner of a married man but it really is just that. probably fine if you like that sort of thing but i don't so i was bored

this wretched valley - jenny kiefer ★★★☆☆ (horror)

light on the tension and suspense, heavy on the gore and suffering. not much in the way of themes or any deeper storytelling

everyone you hate is going to die - daniel sloss ★★★☆☆ (memoir, essays)

listened to this on audio and it felt more like a podcast than anything. sometimes funny but often just rambling and crude

lobizona - romina garber ★★☆☆☆ (YA fantasy)

pacing is poor and it reads much younger than it's marketed. it also reads a lot like baby's first trans narrative. i think this would be a great book if it'd been written for pre-teens instead!

[DNF] minor feelings - cathy park hong ★★☆☆☆ (memoir, essays)

listened to this on audio. racism is real but so are annoying people 😭