#I've been having so much fun writing Rooney

[aceghostsarchive]

🦋 tell us about your current wip

🌞 favourite character from current wip

🍰 where you like to write

<3

Thank you!!! 💙💙💙 I answered 🦋 here.

[Summertime Writers Asks]

🌞 favourite character from current wip

Rooney. Rooney is so much fun to write, with their inner turmoil, torn between love and duty. I also love writing Rooney when they decide to go 'Fuck it', and really kick ass.

In terms of canon characters, I wrote a short part from Vik's POV in the Relic Malfunction fic. He was pretty fun to write, especially when dealing with Johnny in Rooney's body.

🍰 where you like to write

At my desk. I like a nice, tidy, structured environment to write in. I also usually have music playing, inspiring whatever I'm working on.

[ohmeadows]

what are your favorite authors? and which ones you would consider the essentials for anyone interested in start writing?

my favorite authors are, in no particular order but rather how important they have been to my writing:

gillian flynn. all her books play so expertly with genre, unreliable narrator and tapping into generational and contemporary anxieties. she's got such a subtle hand as she arranges everything into position, and a really pleasant writing style.

mieko kawakami. i just love everything about how she writes loneliness, alienation and lingering in the moments of the day.

sayaka murata. she's soooo. god. i love her short stories. i hope more get translated soon.

constance debré, éduoard louis, annie ernaux. i clump these three together because they're approaching class and short terse non-fiction from different angles but all do it in really riveting ways.

tamsyn muir. because it's just a wild fun ride. like. it's a treat to read her books. she made me feel less hung-up about perfect worldbuilding.

also, no less honorable mentions: sally rooney, elena ferrante, carmen maria machado, arkady martine, louise glück.

as for essentials, that's a hard one. i'm a firm believer in building your own personal canon of "books that make me wanna write/writers whose style i want to subliminate into my own", but i'm also a genuine lover of creative writing books, so a short list of those would be:

imaginative writing, janet burroway. (writing to me is so much about a practice, exercises, warm-ups, and burroway really digs into that.) writing down the bones, natalie goldberg. (classic. though i don't turn to this a lot anymore it's still a staple.) reading like a writer, francine prose. (can't be a writer without reading and prose breaks down the way of reading very well.) refuse to be done, matt bell. (bit of a step up. how to write a novel in three drafts, essentially. genuinely the most helpful one i've read in years, i've leaned on it so much for finishing my novel.) and this is more later-stage, but it's also a good reality check for anyone wanting to go professional: before and after the book deal, courtney maum.

[thatdesklamp]

Hi! I saw your post around here where you mentioned Ali Hazelwood, and I've been devouring her stories lately. Since I trust your judgment more than my own (that A level in literature really shows), I was wondering if you could recommend other stories you might have enjoyed? They don't have to be in a STEM setting, nor necessarily romances (although those are very welcome). Thank you so much <3

Hello! Yes of course!!

For books that remind me of ‘One Day’ (and therefore encapsulate the vibe I was going for in this fic). Heavy on themes of intimate relationships between two people, nostalgia, time and growing up.

‘This Time Tomorrow’ by Emma Straub: gorgeous insight into getting older and a push for change, explores the relationship between a father and daughter beautifully

‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow’ by Gabrielle Zevin: masterful characters and structure. Two friends work as video game designers. The publisher’s tagline is brilliant: ‘It’s not a romance, but it is about love.’

‘Amy & Isabelle’ by Elizabeth Strout: one of those books I know I’ll appreciate even more when I get older. Mother and daughter relationship: if you resonated by Greta Gerwig’s ‘Ladybird’, you’ll love this one.

‘The Time Traveller’s Wife’ by Audrey Niffenegger: It’s famous for a reason. The most original love story I’ve ever read and with such genius and tender plotting that demands rereading.

‘Normal People’ by Sally Rooney: melancholic and bittersweet (aka it was the ‘One Day’ that I didn’t like quite as much as ‘One Day’ but also guys it’s a good book c’mon let’s be fr here)

Romances I’ve enjoyed (these are probably very popular but there are so many shite ones that I’ll vouch for these):

Ali Hazelwood books. I am so adamant that this woman is an absolute legend and her books only get better. Loved her most recent (‘Love, Theoretically’), it’s too fun.

‘Book Lovers’ by Emily Henry. Emily Henry loml.

‘Love and Other Words’ by Christina Lauren: ICONIC friends-to-lovers

For STEM-y books I enjoyed, I liked:

‘Lessons in Chemistry’ by Bonnie Garmus: the main character is absolutely brilliant and I’m the world’s most devout feminist so of course I devoured this book. (Although constantly calling table salt NaCl did annoy me juuust a little. Yes salt is primarily composed of sodium chloride but it’s not purified so calling it NaCl is just a bit silly)

‘The Code Breaker’ by Walter Isaacson: non-fiction (gasp!) but I find CRISPR so interesting. Biography about Jennifer Doudna, the Nobel Prize winner who essentially transformed the world of genetic engineering.

Miscellaneous books I’ve enjoyed:

‘Tender is the Flesh’ by Agustina Bazterrica: chilling dystopia, excellent narration from perspective character, so disgusting and gory

‘Fingersmith’ by Sarah Waters: not usually a fan of historical fiction but Sarah Waters is the loml, brilliant plotting, crime fiction

‘Vladimir’ by Julia May Jones: devoured it in a day. Dark and sensual, with such a sharply-characterised perspective character.

‘The Charioteer’ by Mary Renault: one of the first books to write an unapologetically positive portrayal of homosexuality. Essential reading for any lgbt+ person who likes reading, imo: stands on the same level as ‘Giovanni’s Room’ or… literally any Sarah Waters novel. I read it for background research on a far-off WW2 fic I want to write but ended up loving it. Really sweet.

Huzzah I hope this is up to scratch <3

[hot-soop]

about me: tag game

tysm for the tag @ugh-yoongi ily dearly

name! — bee

number of siblings! — one younger brother (do i have big sister energy? idk)

number of pets! — none currently :') but have had a lot over the years - 5 horses, 2 cats, 3 dogs, 2 gerbils, 1 hamster, a few goldfish, and the most evil rabbit that has ever existed. my last cat ralph passed away in 2022 at the age of 18, he was the best <3

my kids have been after a cat and a dog since ralph passed, so maybe next year after ateez tour europe

favorite color! — most shades of green, blues, some reds

favorite author! — idk that i have a favourite bc it's been a while since i've read anything published, but i did like terry pratchett's nonsense way back when. i also really liked sally rooney's normal people, even though the characters are enormously toxic and it's not exactly a love story to be revered.

favorite song! - again, no favourite as such. lately i've had silver light - ateez, nerves - dpr ian, and disloyal order of water buffaloes - fall out boy on repeat.

hobbies! — imagining myself writing, astrology, tarot, kpop fanart, animal crossing (i can't believe this capitalist hellscape game got me in a chokehold), looking at park seonghwa and wondering how he exists like that. i live near some big (for england) lakes and mountains so in the summer we do a lot of hiking and kayaking, photocard collecting (not a serious collector but i have a bunch), got back into baking recently and two weeks ago i made the best chocolate & cherry hot cross buns i fear i may never get them as good as the first try

favorite holiday! — christmas!

fun fact / something i’d enjoy sharing! — the best thing i ever did for myself was quit the healthcare industry and start my own shop, bc designing my little kpop pins, tattoos and washi tapes and photocard holders has given me my life back. i might occasionally reply to an email at 2am but it's so much easier than 16 hour shifts on my feet

if you're curious about anything, feel free to send an ask

tagging: i came SO late to this so i'm sorry idk who's already done this, but if you see it please consider yourself tagged <3

[sevencardigans]

Getting tagged in this by the wonderful Silja @wunderlichkind is literally the highlight of my evening. 🫶🌞

An estimate of how many physical books i own: so these are solely the books I collected over the last 5 years, since that’s all I own at this point: exactly 194 (including the 6 books that I ordered yesterday) so not that many

Favourite author: incredibly difficult answer, so I’m going to give two academic and two not so academic answers. I enjoy a fun and easy TJR read, although there are definitely a lot of things I don’t agree with when it comes to her writing + I’m a Sally Rooney girl through and through. A serious academic answer would be Virginia Woolf and Shirley Jackson. 

A popular book I've never read and never intend to read: anything Colleen Hoover. Need I say more?

A popular book I thought was just meh: totally copying Silja here, but I also did.not.get why people went crazy over Where The Crawdads Sing. I also didn’t vibe with The Song of Achilles as much as I hoped I would. It was alright, but I didn’t feel it – Circe is Madeline Millers superior novel.  

Longest book I own: Just from looking at my bookshelf right now, it’s To Paradise by Hanya Yanaghara (which is also why I still haven’t managed to read it)

Longest series I own all the books to: I’m usually not a book series reader, which is also why I own only half of the Harry Potter books in English (not counting my moms full English collection). I also have the unfinished V.E. Schwab Shades of Magic series if that counts. 😅

Prettiest book I own: I’m literally so guilty of only buying books with pretty book covers. I’d say I'm most proud of my Penguin Orange Book editions of We Have Always Lived In This Castle and Ceremony, though. I mean, just look at those gold details! (not pictured: the deckled edges)

A book or series I wish more people knew about: one of my favorite books of all time, and a book I read every year at least once, is I’m Thinking Of Ending Things. It’s a psychological “thriller” novella. It’s incredibly subtle and uses its vagueness to evoke uncanniness in its truest form. There IS a Netflix movie about this book, so I guess it has become more popular. Other than that, All My Mothers is another unknown favorite of mine. It’s a study on mother-daughter relationships, family dynamic, illness, family trauma, and chosen families. It’s beautiful, heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time (also, beautiful book cover if you ask me). 

Book I’m reading now: I’ve sadly been in a bit of a reading slump, mainly because I have too many options and somehow still can’t seem to find the book with the right content and pace for this very moment. But I technically am reading Memphis and listening to The Hunger right now.  

Book that’s been on my TBR list for a while but I still haven’t gotten around to it: literally half of my bookshelf? I can’t wait to read The Mercies (I want to wait for winter) though.  

Do you have any books in a language other than English: I got a bunch of German books since that’s my first language, but I despise reading German books because it takes me forever to get through them. My favorite non-English book is the latest Asterix comic in German, signed by the German translator who I worked with for a reading/Q&A that I helped host. 

Paperback, hardcover or ebook?: Paperback all day long. I have a bunch of hardcovers, but I have to have A LOT of faith in a book/author if I buy the hardcover ones. I also love audible! 

[ninasbookshelf]

mid-year book freakout 2024

hi all! it's time again for a mid-year book review post! to reiterate, this is not my own idea but a trend i've seen make the rounds on social media over the past several years. i'm not sure what the original version of this is or who made it, but i combined several of my favorite questions to make this edition. feel free to fill out your own, and add any other questions or info you like!

also.. i'm thinking of creating a version of this post but for webtoons... i think that would be fun lolol

i did this last year too if you're interested: my 2023 mid-year book freakout

and if you want to do your own mid-year book tag with these questions: blank questions if you want to fill this out yourself

let’s get started!

Amount of books you’ve read so far: 24

Best book you’ve read so far this year: not including re-reads, I think the best book i've read this year is either How to Murder Your Life by Cat Marnell or Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa (very different options!!). Or Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura… i can’t decide!

Best sequel you’ve read so far this year: if we’re sticking with books i read for the first time in 2024, i loved volumes 9 and 10 of Tsubasa Yamaguchi’s manga series Blue Period. i am slowly but surely working my way through the series and very excited to read more of it. as an alternative, i can’t help but mention that i’m currently re-reading The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (third book in the Queen’s Thief series) and it is sooo good!! it may be my favorite book in that series!? i’ll have to re-read the rest of them to know for sure.

New release you haven’t read yet but want to: Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland! i’ve heard great things about this book, particularly for fans of Six of Crows. it’s at the top of my list!

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year: the upcoming Sally Rooney book, Intermezzo!! i've loved everything i've read by Sally Rooney, and i’m very excited for more.

Biggest disappointment: Strip Tees: A Memoir of Millenial Los Angeles by Kate Flannery. Strip Tees details one woman's experience working for American Apparel at the height of the company’s popularity in the 2000s. i will do a longer post on this book later, but in short i found the writing lackluster and the author's attitude off-putting and disappointing. i still don't know what she was trying to convey with the tone.

honorary mention: Becoming Free Indeed by Jinger Vuolo. i paid for this book on my kindle and quickly realized it wasn’t at all what i thought it would be, which isn’t Jinger Vuolo’s fault but was still disappointing at the time, lol. it just wasn’t for me; i ended up DNFing it. oh well!

Biggest surprise: Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa! this book was a spontaneous purchase on my e-reader before a flight, and i just loved it. such a heartwarming story i will definitely read again.

Favorite new author (debut or new to you): Cat Marnell. she isn’t a new author but is (sort of) new to me. i had her book How to Murder Your Life on my to-read list for a few years (sorry it took so long!) and i finallly read it this year. twice, actually! i love her writing style and am really happy to hear she’s working on another book.

Newest fictional crush: i don't think i have any new ones!! i haven't been reading as much fantasy/adventure as i did the previous few years, and those books are usually where my fictional character crushes come from. i am re-reading the Queen’s Thief series though, and of course still love Gen!

Favorite character: oh man. i could name so many. Gen and Costis, among so many other characters in the Queen’s Thief series… but if we’re going for a series i’m reading for the first time, i’ve definitely developed a soft spot for Yotasuke after reading volume 10 of Blue Period. (and Yatora is a great character as always too)

Book that made you cry: Sweet Bean Paste

Book that made you happy: ...Sweet Bean Paste

A book I want to read by the end of year: there are so many. i’ll go with My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki! i’m still marching towards reading all of her works. (i’ve finally started reading it since i first answered this question. progress!)

that’s all for this year’s mid-year book tag! i hope you enjoyed, and feel free to tag me if you fill out your own.

[flyingdonuuts]

1, 3, 17 and 20 for the eoy book tag :))

From this post! Thank you so much for askinggg <3

1. How many books did you read this year?

I've read 46 so far! I've been cramming in books in December to reach 50 lol

3. What were your top 5 books of the year?

This is so difficult 😭 I've been trying to rank all the books I've read, and it's like ranking my babies. But this is what I have so far:

Babel - R. F. Kuang

The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt

시선으로부터, - 정세랑

지구 끝의 온실 - 김초엽

Demian - Hermann Hesse

17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

I'm the type of person who researches every aspect of the book before starting to maximize the chances of enjoying it, so getting blind recommendations from my roommate was so fun!

She re-introduced me to Korean literature, which I hadn't read since elementary school. I was genuinely shocked at how differently they narrate emotions?? They're so beautiful and raw 😭

It's a shame most Korean books I read aren't translated into English... Guys read Shoko's Smile by Choi Eun-young pleaseeeee you won't regret it!! Especially if you like Sally Rooney! It's literary fiction and a collection of short stories, and the author is so good at creating characters fjdklsfjs I CRIEDDD

20. What was your most anticipated release? Did it meet your expectations?

I don't think I read any books released in 2023..? I'm a bit behind in times lol

I think the most recently released book is Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (2022). It was so goodddd ;-;

it's about two friends at university - Sam and Sadie - in the early 2000s making games together! The writing style was beautiful fdjsklfs

Thank you again for asking!! I love talking about books fjdsklfj

[uwusillygirl]

i truly loved reading your thoughts about this. it would be so fun if maybe you could occasionally post recs of your favorite books/movies/shows and maybe briefly share opinions on them? only if that would be fun for you of course! i'm just saying i, and i'm positive many of your readers/followers, would be delighted to see them!

you are absolutely right regarding NP featuring a parade of horrifying clueless men masquerading as doms where all of marianne's masochistic tendencies seem to get repeatedly exploited without the scenes being "resolved" in any meaningful or helpful way. & instead of an ideal result of her feeling somewhat better and at peace, they leave her the same raw bleeding wound of a girl. and your take on connell needing to prove to himself he's good and good TO marianne when in reality many times he has been anything but... really brilliant. i don't think i've ever thought of it that way, as lost as i was in my harrumphing about what i took as rooney's repeated portrayal of slow vanilla sex being equated to true quasi-soulmate-bond love and affection. though i am first to admit i am a very sensitive girl who will immediately take things to heart if i see myself in a piece of fiction, and sometimes miss the bigger literary analysis picture. i'm so glad i sent an ask! also lol @ paul and daisy definitely sacrificing some canon information to say get behind me BDSM baddies of all types we got y'all. (also idk if you've seen/heard but paul mescal is in a film called "aftersun" that i believe is playing in select theaters right now which from my understanding is a very dreamy and melancholy potentially-hysterical-tear-inducing two hours of him being a young girl dad. i have not seen it yet because i think it might actually break my brain in a very dangerous way that i am not equipped for atm, and i am already pre-mourning my sanity and emotional stability for when i finally bite the bullet)

also as someone who has full on sobbed to your beautiful cathartic words many times over, i am grateful to you for exploring freaky mentally unstable girls who maybe should re-evaluate their relationship to sex but also maybe shouldn't because sometimes it's ok to be insane and slutty if you have a partner to support you through it! if drugs can't fix you maybe having 15 orgasms in a row can! even though i think i am different from your chrissy in many ways, i have never felt so validated by a character and never felt so hopeful and fulfilled seeing her clawing her way to happiness. sometimes it feels like you've taken stuff from the darkest stickiest ugliest parts of my brain and put it on paper and i'm like ok well now i've got to have a three week crisis to deal with this now, except it usually ends in some necessary acceptance and potential healing and always at least a temporary period of bright hope for the future (which is so difficult to come by some days). so thank YOU!

i loved reading what you had to say, as well! thank you so much for sharing (u actually got my brain all crazy and now i'm writing a little something that'll hopefully be up tonight lmao)! i would be SO happy to share recs (including ones tailored to specific interests!) if that's something people would like! anyone can lmk! i watch and read a shit ton for my work, actually, so i'm always so happy to share thoughts. it'll give my loved ones a break from my random excitable rants, too.

going a little out of order here, but i have found that the day i let go of trying to understand, rid of, or narrativize my sexuality, gender expression, and sexual interests and just say "whether it came from some event or is inherent or is a choice, it just is what it is, and that's okay" it paradoxically became way less of an issue for me, and way easier to express what i like and want just for the sake of it. in my opinion, there's only so much exploring we can do before it becomes a sort of ouroboros of "i'm trying to work stuff out for me" turning into "i'm trying to be sexually palatable in a new way".

"get behind me bdsm baddies" is so fucking funny. i have actually seen aftersun and was one of the original hysterical criers over it. i can confirm it is a life ruiner, and yet i'm going in for a rewatch on sunday. best movie of the year in my opinion!

i am so flattered that first one's free has moved you! it's more than okay to be insane and slutty! i don't know you, but can pretty confidently say that your darkest stickiest ugliest parts of your brain are not that bad if my chrissy expresses them - she may think she's a mess but i think she (and anyone who resonates with her) is doing just great and is a good person deserving of good things <3 if i didn't believe that then i'd also be so fucked lmao.

hope the near future brings you those good things! glad to hear you're finding spaces to feel hopeful.

please send an ask whenever, i'm so glad you reached out!

[dhaaruni]

I don’t mind sally rooney, like I don’t like her books but I just avoid them lol. But I truly dont understand why they’re hailed as so profound and literary when they’re really just not. It’s a tired writing style and characters and relationships that I have no interest in. They give me such a like millennial buzzfeed vibe and I just don’t get it. Truly what is there?

I totally agree, and the following article is relevant to that point, namely this excerpt:

"This art revolves around an archetypical Young Millennial Woman – pretty, white, cisgender, and tortured enough to be interesting but not enough to be repulsive. Often described as ‘relatable,’ she is, in actuality, not. The term masks the uncomfortable truth that she is more beautiful, more intelligent, and more infuriatingly precocious than we are in real life. But her charm lies in how she is still self-hating enough to be attainable: she’s an aspirational identifier. She’s often wealthy, but doesn’t think too much about it. Her life is fraught with so much drama, self-loathing and downwardly mobile financial precarity, that she forgets about it, just as we are meant to. Her friends, if she has any, are incorrigible narcissists, and the men in her life are disappointing and terrible. Try as she might, her protest against the world always re-routes into a melancholic self-destruction."

I really liked You Had Me At Hola!!! I think Alexis Daria is so talented and fun and not at all patronizing to the reader, which is rare in to find in contemporary romance lol. I'm glad you liked it too though! One of my attempts to convert people into reading romance novels worked!!

I've been meaning to finish up A Lot Like Adiós but I haven't had much time and I'll try to do it on the plane home this weekend!

[patternsintraffic]

My 100 Favorite Albums of the 2000s: #70-#61

I'm back with more albums that I love. Listing is fun! Who knew?

70. Rooney - Rooney (2003)

In the days of mp3.com, Rooney was one of the bands that I would stream during my Software Apps class in high school. I probably heard "Blueside" and "I'm Shakin'" a hundred times at barely-audible volume before this album came out. The sunny, bouncy melodies, synths, chord changes, and throwback lyrics are reminiscent of the Beach Boys or The Cars. I just love the carefree feel and youthful energy of this album, and the tunes are great. This is a quintessential California album from a verified California band.

69. Rock Kills Kid - Are You Nervous? (2006)

The only full-length album from Rock Kills Kid was just a few years before its time, which is a damn shame. When bands like Two Door Cinema Club came around in 2010 and captivated the indie rock world, few knew that Rock Kills Kid had been pumping out danceable alt-rock four years prior. "Paralyzed" and "Run Like Hell" should have been the songs of the summer. "Life's a Bitch" should have been a staple of high school mixtapes everywhere. Instead, this was a band that just didn't fit in with the musical climate of 2006 and regrettably fell off the map. At least we'll always have Are You Nervous?

68. Feeder - Pushing the Senses (2005)

Feeder have been a UK rock institution for 27 years now, releasing ten full-length albums over that span, though they’ve never made much of a splash in the States. My favorite Feeder album, Pushing the Senses, strays from the band’s signature guitar-driven power pop for a mid-career foray into the Britpop style popularized by Coldplay and Keane. The band received criticism for chasing the sound of the times, but their take on it felt genuine and sounded amazing. “Tumble and Fall” and “Tender” could stand toe-to-toe with any of the soft-rock output from those aforementioned bands. Feeder even let the guitars loose on “Feeling a Moment” and “Pushing the Senses,” two of the most undeniable singles I’ve ever heard paired on the same album. Coldplay and Keane have never reached such energetic heights.

67. Lifehouse - No Name Face (2000)

Lifehouse have become somewhat of a punchline over the years, as they’ve continued to release pretty standard and inoffensive alternative-rock fare, usually with one or two big singles coming from each album. It seems like most people enjoy a few Lifehouse songs, but no one is really a Lifehouse enthusiast. I think that the band’s best material comes from their 2000 debut No Name Face, and though their output since hasn’t made me into a true Lifehouse fan, I will always go to bat for this album. “Hanging by a Moment,” “Sick Cycle Carousel,” and “Breathing” are the songs most would be familiar with from early-2000s radio, and they are all excellent. There’s nothing particularly fancy about the rest of the album, as the songs don’t need any embellishments to shine. They are organic, earnest, and beautiful, and though I’m sure there’s some nostalgia involved I never regret revisiting them. Lifehouse might be kind of a stale name in music in 2021, but No Name Face shouldn’t be forgotten.

66. Acceptance - Phantoms (2005)

Until reuniting for Colliding by Design in 2017, Phantoms was the only full-length Acceptance album. It's not hard to see why this band continued to grow a cult following during their inactive years, as people tend to want more after an album as good as this one. It had the lyrics for the emo kids, the guitars for the rock kids, and the hooks for the pop kids. It's actually pretty surprising that Acceptance didn't make a mainstream splash in 2005, especially since this album was released on Columbia Records. A lot of that may have been due to the exceptionally poor choice to release "Different" as the first single. It's a great song, don't get me wrong, but there are so many upbeat tunes on this record that would have done a better job catching ears and piquing interest in the band. At least we finally got the follow-up album 12 years later, and the band have remained active since. Sometimes everything turns out OK in the long run.

65. Cursive - The Ugly Organ (2003)

I’m not sure what drew me to The Ugly Organ in 2003, at 15 years old. Listening to it now, it’s brash and angular, and not particularly accessible. I was just starting to stray from the music on rock radio at the time, and I came across “Some Red-Handed Sleight of Hand” and “Art Is Hard” online. I think there was something about the urgency in Tim Kasher’s voice, and the acidic way that he spit out the pointed and sarcastic lyrical content, that left me wanting more. It may be the cover art or the cello that permeates these songs, but something always felt a little creepy about them, like the band were performing in a haunted house. There aren’t many vocalists like Kasher, who seems to meld multiple levels of meaning into each line while drifting effortlessly from gentle singing to yelling to spoken word. This is a good one to dust off around Halloween. What a treat.

64. Long-View - Mercury (2003)

Long-View was a short-lived UK soft sock outfit that released one full-length album, Mercury. Nothing terribly surprising here - it sounds like an early-2000s UK soft rock album in the age of Coldplay and their contemporaries. The music is simple and often quiet, the vocals are smooth, and the tempos are mid. But despite it feeling like one of many on the surface, Mercury is charming and engaging. "Further," "Can't Explain," and "When You Sleep" have great hooks. The lyrics sound personal and conversational, and despite being cliche at times they feel poetic against the backdrop of Long-View's delicate instrumentals. An exemplary take on an oversaturated genre.

63. Augustana - Can't Love, Can't Hurt (2008)

After "Boston" put Augustana on the map in 2005, they traded in their indie rock sound for a set of rootsy, earthy anthems on their sophomore effort Can't Love, Can't Hurt. While the songs still sound like Augustana, there is a more classic, timeless quality to this album that has kept it fresh 13 years after its release. The slow build of "Twenty Years," with its swelling strings and piano leading the charge, was the kind of song I didn't know the band was capable of writing before this album. And "Sweet and Low" has one of the most sublime hooks I've ever heard.

62. Barcelona - Absolutes (2008)

This Seattle indie rock outfit is anchored by pianist and singer Brian Fennell (now of SYML fame). I had never heard of Barcelona prior to this album, and it took me by surprise. Fennell's vocals are captivating, winding through catchy pop melodies while deftly maneuvering from delicate to powerful. They pair with the band's guitar- and piano-driven arrangements to cement Absolutes among the best in the genre. There is a 2007 independent version of this album which is preferred by many who heard it before it was remastered and rereleased with an expanded tracklist in 2008. While I understand being attached to the version of the album you first fell in love with, I just can't agree with the opinion that the album is better without the standout tracks "Come Back When You Can," "Colors," and "The Takers."

61. Kill Hannah - Until There's Nothing Left of Us (2006)

Kill Hannah played anthemic goth-pop that belied their violent-sounding name. Until There's Nothing Left of Us is a triumphant, stadium-ready pop rock record that had the synths, grooves, and hooks to take the radio by storm in the early 2000s. If this album came out two years earlier, Kill Hannah might have been a household name. How did "Lips Like Morphine" not enrapture a generation of high schoolers? This is one of the many albums on this list that had absolutely all of the ingredients, but it somehow didn't add up to musical stardom.

[lovefool-mp3]

3 4 12 22 23 for the books ask!

thank you anon! :-) putting most under cut to save ppl's dashboards haha

3. what were your top five books of the year?

this is a tough one!! i believe i only read four 2021 releases, so i'm taking the question as "books i read" rather than "books published."

pride and prejudice automatically secures this spot because i've read it somewhere around five times this year alone. 🙃it's just such a comfort book for me, even though i can barely get through a scene without cringing.

crying in h mart is the book i finished most recently, and i adored it. i've been a japanese breakfast fan since psychopomp, which is what originally sparked my curiosity, but this book is beautiful totally on its own merit. the last line completely did me in.

i have a love-hate relationship with every book i talked about in my thesis tbh, but i think anatol really deserves a spot on here. i could write (and i have written) pages and pages on the whole "i feel like i'd be losing so much if one fine day i found myself strong" bit.

much ado about nothing is a banger start-to-finish. i feel like there's nothing more i can say that hasn't already been said by the whole world.

one last stop was such a fun read, and i found myself surprisingly invested as well. i'd read red, white, and royal blue i think in early 2020, and as delightful as i found it, i wasn't quite as emotionally drawn in, so i was expecting something similar with one last stop. which was mostly the case until a couple chapters to the end, at which point i promptly lost my mind and stayed that way.

4. did you discover any new authors that you love this year?

answered here (sally rooney) and here (henri bergson). i don't think i could fairly say i discovered or even rediscovered austen this year, since i think i started reading her in literal primary school, and emma especially i would return to pretty regularly, but i would say my enthusiasm for her work this year reached new heights, so... i'm counting that for something.

12. any books that disappointed you?

answered here (on earth we're briefly gorgeous).

also, my sister, the serial killer. this was one of the first books i read this year, so my memory isn't too exact, but i think it was another situation of coming in with really high expectations. it was definitely a decent enough book, but iirc the relationships just didn't feel as developed as i would've liked them to be.

22. what’s the longest book you read?

answered here (emily dickinson collected poems).

23. what’s the fastest time it took you to read a book?

under ideal circumstances, pride and prejudice is a single-day endeavor. i've managed to restrain myself a couple of times (mostly when i have wrangled someone else into reading it with me), but, yeah... i just mainline it. time doesn't exist for me then. usually, i prefer to read plays in one sitting, but unfortunately i had to split most of them up a bit this year.

[beautifulnightmarepost]

A Powerful Playlist

1. Respect - Aretha Franklin (Song details)

Released: April 29, 1967 Genre:

Songwriter(s): Otis Redding

Producer(s): Jerry Wexler

For me, the song "Respect" has always been one of the first songs that comes to mind when I think of Women's empowerment. Even though I have heard the song before, listening to this song takes me back to my marching band days. Researching this song promoted motived me to learn the lyrics.

"A little respect oh yeah (just a little bit)

A little respect (just a little bit)

I get tired (just a little bit) Keep on tryin' (just a little bit)

You're runnin' out of fools (just a little bit)

And I ain't lyin' (just a little bit)"

While the song wasn't originally written by Aretha, she truly made it her own by adding a few details. It is worth noting that Aretha was the first one to add the iconic “R-E-S-P-E-C-T" hook line. Thus she, and her creative team helped to make this a woman's empowerment anthem.

Aside from the amazing lyrics, there is just something so cool about the tempo and arrangement of this song. The intro is so upbeat and fun I cannot help but start to dance.

2. “Miss Independent” – Kelly Clarkson

Released: April 10, 2003

Songwriter(s):  Rhett Lawrence, Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Matt Morris

Producer(s): Rhett Lawrence

The song “Miss Independent” is another that comes to mind when I personally think about the woman’s empowerment movement. Kelly Clarkson combines creative vocals and thoughtful lyrics to really drive the point home. It is also interesting to note that other artists had turned this song down before it arrived to Clarkson. It would turn out to be her first attempt at writing a song with a group and, after her American Idol Win, it really made her as a star. The lyrics:

“So, by changing her

Misconceptions, she went in a new direction

And found inside she felt a connection”

really drive home the meaning. In short, a catching driving pop tempo and creative lyrics are the reason this song made my list.

3. “Independent Women (Part 1),” – Destiny’s Child

Released:  September 14, 2000

Songwriter(s):  Tone, Poke, Cory Rooney & Beyoncé

Producer(s): Beyoncé, Cory Rooney & Trackmasters

Desitny's child has many inspiring songs about empowerment. I could list, at least five songs that I could have used for my play list! Nonetheless, “Independent Women” is my favorite of their catalog and that is why I picked it for my list. The overall song has creative lyrics and a fun catchy beat. I can still really dance along to this song as a teen. Even as an adult, I still find the words fun and inspiring. This song drives home the idea that woman can provide for themselves. Fun fact, this song spent 11 weeks (about 2 and a half months) at number one on the Hot 100, becoming the group’s longest running number one.

“Try to control me, boy, you get dismissed Pay my own car note and I pay my own bills Always fifty-fifty in relationships”

The above lyrics drive home two important points, equality in the woman’s movement while still maintaining some independence”

4. “None of Your Business" by Salt-N-Pepa

Released: October 1, 1993

Songwriter(s):  Herby “Luvbug” Azor

Producer(s): Herby “Luvbug” Azor

Salt’ Peppa are another amazing female trio. They also have a catalog filled with impowering songs. While it was hard to pick just one, “None of Your Business” will always be one of my favorites. I remember when this song first came out. Yet the lyrics have a different feel now that I am an adult. “None of Your Business,” creative lyrics drive home a this fits right in with the overall theme for woman’s empowerment. This mix of rap and rock make this one of my favorites, because it crosses genres with its creation.

“So the moral of this story is: Who are you to judge?

There's only one true judge, and that's God

So chill, and let my Father do His job”

These words have still stuck with me to this day.

5. “Hard Out Here,” -- Lilly Allen

Released: November 17, 2013

Songwriter(s):  Greg Kurstin & Lily Allen

Producer(s): Greg Kurstin

Lilly Allen has a catalog of fun quirky yet meaningful songs. I cannot recall exactly where I was when I first heard about this amazing artist... but I remember being instantly hooked. Whenever I am having a rough day, her songs were always one of my go-too. So, needless to say, “Hard Out here” will always be one of my favorite songs by Lilly. This song is a mix of creative lyrics with the artists own brand of fun and quirky sarcasm. Thes lyrics are one of the main reasons why I picked this song for my list:7. “We Run This,” Missy Elliott

Released: February 21, 2006

Songwriter(s):  Rhemario “Rio Beats” Webber, Jerry Lordan & Missy Elliott

Producer(s): Rhemario “Rio Beats” Webber

Miss Elliot is another amazing female artist who has a lot of songs that fall under the theme over Woman’s empowerment. I picked the song “We Run This” because I thought it would best fit the overall flow of my playlist. This song mixes Electronic with hip hop genre of music. It has an upbeat tempo, making it one of those great songs with a fun “vibe.” Even though this song has some explicit lyrics, like the Liliya Allen song listed above, it also makes a point with those lyrics:

“You don't want beef, don't take it that far with a superstar I got my foot on the clutch, see me bounce my butt Misdemeanor too much and I don't give a fuck”

The lyrics shout “I am large and in charge,” and would make a good empowerment anthem.

“There's a glass ceiling to break, uh-huh There's money to make And now it's time to speed it up 'Cause I can't move at this pace"

The goal to break the glass ceiling is an ongoing one for the woman’s empowerment movement. It is nice that this song gives a slight nod to that ongoing struggle. Not to mention, the music video takes a few sharp jabs at entertainment industry. The overall tempo and music arrangement also makes this song memorable.

6. “Bitch” Meredith Brooks

Released: May 20, 1997

Songwriter(s):  Meredith Brooks & Shelly Peiken

Producer(s): Geza X

This song, by name will always come to mind when I think of Woman’s empowerment. Sure, the title might throw some people who are a little more sensitive. In my option its song’s main title is not used in a derogatory fashion. In my option, it feels empowering to call out the main part of the hook. I remember when it first came out... the lyrics struct me as very empowering, even at an early age. It was just fun to call out the tittle (much to the chagrin of my mother). "Bitch" starts off with a slow tempo and seems a bit unassuming, "innocent and sweet". Until the song changes up as the tempo song. Each time I hear this song I cannot help but song. The lyrics are fun yet gives you a something to think about:

“When you hurt, when you suffer I'm your angel undercover I've been numb, I'm revived Can't say I am not alive You know I wouldn't want it any other way”

8. “I'm Every Woman” Whitney Huston

Released: November 17, 1992

Songwriter(s):  Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson

Producer(s): Narada Michael Walden

Whitney Huston will always be one of those amazing female artists. I can still recall when I first heard this song on the radio. As a young girl, it made me feel uplifted, as if I could grow up to be anything. That, hopefully, when I became a woman, that I would be able to go on to do remarkable things. Now, that I am older, I can full appreciate the importance of this song. As with some of the pervious songs, "I am Every Woman" has a good pace tempo. It is one of those fun, yet empowering songs, that gets people up and dancing. Hopefully, this powerful message will continue to be passed down to younger generations, and the singer's legacy will never be forgotten.

“Whatever you want

Whatever you need

Anything you want done baby

I do it naturally

Cause I'm every woman (Every woman)"

9. “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves,” Eurythmics feat. Aretha Franklin

Released:  October 1, 1985

Songwriter(s):  David A. Stewart & Annie Lennox

Producer(s): David A. Stewart

While there are many modern songs for woman’s empowerment, I wanted to add this older tune to provide a better mix.  “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves,” is one of those classic songs that drives the point. These lyrics drive home the theme:

“There was a time When they used to say That behind every great man There had to be a great woman But in these times of change You know that it is no longer true So [,] we're coming out of the kitchen”

Like the other songs in my list, this one has a very upbeat tempo to match the lyrics. It is a very 80's song, but that is not a terrible thing! The arrangement is creative with that fun driving beat that brings out the amazing vocals of Eurythmics and Franklin. The music video also pokes fun of some of those old outdated ideas that once kept women back. Going back to the main theme, this song is about woman moving on to stand proud.

10. Karisome Otome - “Temporary Virgin” by Shiina Ringo

椎名林檎×斎藤ネコ「カリソメ乙女」の歌詞

Released: November 11, 2006

Songwriter(s):  Ringo Sheena, Soil & "Pimp" Sessions

Producer(s): Uni Inoue

I wanted to wrap this playlist with something a little different, but it keeps with the overall pop theme. I discovered this artist by happy accident while researching another topic. Shiina Ringo is an amazing vocal who has written most of her own songs. The fast tempo pairs nicely with Ringo’s voice. “Karisome Otome” is a song with an amazing mix of gernes. The tune starts of soft and sweet, much like Meredith Brooks’s “Bitch.” While the theme of her songs varies, I picked this one because it pokes a little fun at the role women take when it comes to flirting and such. Here is the English translation of the entire song:

I'm just like the women Who stand next to you and stare Sweet intoxication But I'm leaving this affair You lit up my daydreams Like so many other guys Don't you look so lonely There's no sorrow in goodbye

What women want are some simple pleasures To be special We don't need you forever But I fell for your trap Girls will fall like that I was floating on a breeze What you must be feeling It was too late yesterday Despite your deceiving It was me who had my way But women always attempt to tell lies And to disguise, conceal what we want So when I try to deceive won't you believe Or say that you forgive me

In my option the song pokes some light hearted fun at the stereotype that women need men in a long-term sense. There are serval versions of this song, even one in English. Yet, like many of the songs, I wanted to mix things up by adding an artist that might be new to some of my readers.

Thanks for reading my list! Please check out the playlist, on YouTube. Drop me a line if you know any other great songs! I am open and love listening to different genres of music.

Sources:

http://albumlinernotes.com/Liner_Note_Samples.html

https://parade.com/961387/jessicasager/girl-power-songs/

https://www.songfacts.com/facts/aretha-franklin/respect

https://popculture.com/music/news/aretha-franklin-respect-hidden-history-makes-it-more-powerful/

https://kellyclarkson.fandom.com/wiki/Miss_Independent

https://www.songfacts.com/facts/kelly-clarkson/miss-independent

https://genius.com/Destinys-child-independent-women-part-1-lyrics

https://genius.com/Salt-n-pepa-none-of-your-business-lyrics

https://genius.com/Lily-allen-hard-out-here-lyrics

https://genius.com/Meredith-brooks-bitch-lyrics

https://genius.com/Missy-elliott-we-run-this-lyrics

https://genius.com/Whitney-houston-im-every-woman-lyrics

https://genius.com/Saygrace-you-dont-own-me-lyrics

https://genius.com/Eurythmics-sisters-are-doin-it-for-themselves-lyrics

https://genius.com/Sheena-ringo-saito-neko-karisome-otome-temporary-virgin-lyrics

[ninasbookshelf]

catching up

hi all! it's been awhile since i did a chatty post. i figured i'd share some casual life & reading updates.

lately i've been taking my sweet time with the books i read. i think for awhile i rushed through reading so that i'd have more to post about at the end of the month. i find that practice draining and of course hard on my eyes, and as much as i love to read, i want to work on balancing my hobbies. anyway, i'll never read every book in existence, so what's the rush? i'm interacting with literature the way i used to, before i started keeping track of what i read or feeling like i had to keep up with anyone. i like doing it this way. it's intimate. i'm really enjoying the books i read and i'm slowly digging deeper into topics i care about. it's organic and inspiring.

as a result, i am toying with cancelling my fairyloot subscription. i really enjoy receiving the box each month and checking out the new releases they send (and of course the fun extras), but i'm at a stage where i want to focus on reading books that i intentionally pick out. i tend to feel obligated to read the fairyloot books right away, since i know another one is coming soon and i've paid for it already, and i don't want reading to feel obligatory. i prefer to read according to my mood and current interests. that being said, it is fun to read something i never would've picked up... so i don't know! maybe i'll keep it, and force myself to get comfortable letting the books sit on my shelf for awhile. i keep going back and forth. it's a silly problem to have.

i'm currently reading Ruth Ozeki's novel All Over Creation. i mentioned in my mid-year book freakout post that i'd like to read the rest of Ozeki's work. A Tale for the Time Being is one of my favorite books which i return to every couple years, and i loved The Book of Form and Emptiness when i read it recently. my goal is to finish All Over Creation and My Year of Meats by 2024.

in terms of writing, i have a few casual blog posts in mind that explore the topics bouncing around in my brain over the past few weeks and months. one post is on environmentalism in books/media, and one is to share the written media i've been enjoying outside of books (think specific newsletters, substacks, magazines, etc). i'm also working on a (more structured/formal) book recommendation post that i think people will like. if you're a sally rooney fan, that one's for you. they're all in the works. it'll be awhile.

on another note, here's a big life update: i'm strongly considering getting my master of library and information science degree. this would allow me to work as a librarian! there are tons of online courses available, so i've been digging into the options and trying to come up with the best one for my situation. exciting!! if any librarians/library science students out there find this post and have advice to share, i'd love to hear it.

oh, one last thing! i'm thinking of doing NaNoWriMo next month. i've been in NaNoWriMo-adjacent friend groups my whole life but i've never actually sat down and committed to doing it. i have a very vague idea for a story and no real plan, but isn't that what first tries are all about? i might as well do it. it doesn't have to be good.

i hope everyone is doing well! autumn always helps me make changes in my life, and it also encourages me to appreciate the small things, like the cool comfortable weather, colorful leaves tumbling through the air, crunchy leaves on the sidewalk, my favorite fashion season, and good food. as Anne Shirley says, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

i'll have more posts for you soon. thanks for reading. 📖 🍂 🍁