#Laura Wilkerson

[irishmansdaughter]

[pumpkinsy0]

2000s things that are Curly Shepard coded:

Fox racing brand, BMX bikes, flare-to-black skinny jeans, Vans shoes, Warped Tour, Green Day, Scooby Doo fruit snacks (espeically the blue ones) Rodrick Heffley--Reese Wilkerson older brother mentality, Adult Swim, Windows vista, Eminem, cracked black slider phone, Mtn Dew code red, detention slips, smells like cigarettes, cheap gas station soap or Ponyboy's house.

anon im gonna scream at this,,,dont make me bring up my 2000s au,,,dont bring that beast side of me out,,

but ponyboy michael curtis

u wouldve loved being on flickr and taking/looking at pictures and a good chunk of them would feature him while he was hanging out w curly

AND AND curly wouldve been those guys who r like “gamings for nerds” BUT he had like a handful of games that he would actually play and had some video game magazines just bc they looked cool and had some pics of laura croft on them

[deukaeloveclub]

rules: answer + tag some people you want to get know better and/or catch up with!

tagged by @lottieurl (this is long overdue)

favorite color: as I've said my whole life (nearly red was the first but quickly dethroned by) Blue! And I love every shade except hyperlink blue

last song: Can't Live with the World - Laura Mvula (this is my sleep/anxiety/I need something calming but musically interesting to loop in the background forever and since I am sick this has currently been on loop for 2 days! Welcome back to my Spotify Top 5 once again)

currently reading: "The Warmth of Other Suns" by Isabel Wilkerson. "technically" I picked this up at the start of summer very casually before my schedule blew up so I'm all of ~30 pages in.

currently watching: loooll, so many things. I have an anime (Frieren) and a kdrama (What's Wrong With Secretary Kim) that I only need to 3 more episodes to finish. But I also started watching the old X-Men Animated series and want to start watching Why Women Kill... perhaps you can see why I don't make much progress 😂

currently craving: not being sick. i actually would like to be at work right now because i need the money

coffee or tea: coffee hates me so I'm a tea girlie. plus in my area boba tea spots might outnumber coffeeshops

tagging @xian @forever-rain-mp3 @ahnsolbin others feel welcome I am literally fighting for my life trying to remember urls

[kwebtv]

TV Guide  -  July 13 - 19, 1963

Vic Damone (born Vito Rocco Farinola; June 12, 1928 – February 11, 2018)  Traditional pop and big band singer and actor. He was best known for his performances of songs such as the number one hit "You're Breaking My Heart", and other hits like "On the Street Where You Live" (from My Fair Lady) and "I Have But One Heart"

In April 1949 he made his television debut on The Morey Amsterdam Show performing Cole Porter's "So in Love". In January 1950 he made his first of several guest appearances on Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town, including a duet, the first of many, with the vocalist and future TV hostess Dinah Shore. Over the next 30 years he became a regular featured guest performer on every major variety series on network television. Among the programs on which he appeared are All Star Revue, Texaco Star Theatre with Milton Berle, The Arthur Murray Party, What's My Line?, The Jackie Gleason Show, The Steve Allen Show, The Perry Como Show, The Bell Telephone Hour, The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, The Garry Moore Show, I've Got a Secret, The Jack Paar Program, The Red Skelton Show, The Andy Williams Show, The Hollywood Palace, The Dean Martin Show, Hullabaloo, Mickie Finn's, The Danny Thomas Hour, The Jonathan Winters Show, The Carol Burnett Show, Della, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and several Bob Hope television specials.

Damone did limited acting on television in the early 1960s. He played Stan Skylar in the 1960 episode "Piano Man" of CBS's The DuPont Show with June Allyson. He was cast as Jess Wilkerson in the 1961 episode "The Proxy" of the ABC Western series The Rebel, starring Nick Adams. In 1962, he played the crooner Ric Vallone in the episode "Like a Sister" on the CBS sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, during which he sang "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World". In the summers of 1962 and 1963, Damone hosted a television variety series on NBC called The Lively Ones, which showcased current jazz, pop, and folk performers, as well as comedians. (Wikipedia)

Quinn O'Hara (January 3, 1941 – May 5, 2017), born Alice Jones.  Film and television actress.

O'Hara was crowned Miss Scotland in a beauty contest held in Long Beach in 1960. In April 1963, photographer Gene Lester introduced O'Hara to singer-actor Fabian; they became a couple for a time in the 1960s. In 1969, she was chosen on The Dating Game and went on a chaperoned trip to Nepal.

O'Hara was a regular on The Lively Ones, a musical program that was broadcast on NBC television in the summers of 1962 and 1963. Her many television credits included appearances on Dragnet, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Saint, The Real McCoys, The Beverly Hillbillies, My Three Sons, CHiPs, T.J. Hooker, Trapper John M.D., Fantasy Island, Quincy M. E., and Dallas.  (Wikipedia)

Gloria Neil (born January 13, 1941) is an American television and film actress. She is best known for her roles on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Beverly Hillbillies.  

She was first cast in the role of the effervescent "Melvin" in The Lively Ones, a summer replacement comedy/variety show starring Vic Damone. The Lively Ones aired on NBC from July 26, 1962 to September 12, 1963, before giving up its slot to the comedy Hazel. The show received Emmy nominations as Outstanding Musical Program and for Outstanding Electronic Camerawork both seasons it aired. This was followed by a 1964 episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show in which she was cast as "Laura #2" alongside Mary Tyler Moore's Laura Petrie character and Rob Petrie, played by Dick Van Dyke.  (Wikipedia)

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

‘The Downtown Posse’: The Christmas killing spree

In December 1992, the small town of Dayton in Ohio, US, was preparing for Christmas like any other year.  The bloodthirsty gang, called the Downtown Posse, were led by 19-year-old Marvallous Keene. Also in the gang were Keene's girlfriend Laura Taylor, who was just 16 at the time. The pair were accompanied by DeMarcus Maurice Smith, then 19, and his girlfriend at the time, 20-year-old Heather Nicole Matthews.

On 24 December, Laura Taylor and Heather Nicole Matthews caught the eye of 34-year-old Joseph Wilkerson. Charming him into believing they'd have sex with him, the girls lured the General Motors worker back to his home. But when they arrived, the gang shot and killed him in cold blood.

For the next three days, the entire gang partied in Joseph's house while his lifeless body lay inside - but they weren't finished with their sick game yet. On the same day, the gang sought out their second victim, seemingly at random.

Eighteen-year-old Danita Gullette, who had a two-year-old daughter waiting for her at home, was confronted by the gang at a phone booth in town that evening. Threatening to shoot her, they demanded she hand over her belongings. Although she did as they asked, the heartless gang shot her anyway. Danita was taken to hospital but pronounced dead when she arrived.

The man believed to be the third victim of the Downtown Posse was not random like the first two killings. Richard Maddox, 19, was found dead in his car on Christmas Day 1992, after he had been shot in the head. Maddox was the ex-boyfriend of Laura Taylor, who was now dating gang leader Marvallous Keene. When cops spoke to Maddox's family, they discovered the connection between him and Taylor - and they also learned that Taylor's family thought she'd disappeared and had no idea where their daughter was.

On the same day Maddox's body was discovered, the bloodthirsty gang targeted yet another victim - Jeffrey Wright. Wright was found with four gunshot wounds after being attacked outside a house. Miraculously, he survived. While cops were speaking to Richard Maddox's family to tell them of their son's death, the Downtown Posse's killing spree continued.

On Boxing Day, the gang went into the family-run Short Stop Mini Mart and shot 38-year-old mum Sarah Abraham, who later died of her injuries. Customer Jones Pettus also suffered gunshot wounds, but survived. Another staff member who was working at the time escaped injury by pretending to be dead.

At first, police didn't realise the murders were linked and had no idea who they were looking for. But after a carjacking by the posse in which their victim managed to escape, cops finally had a vehicle to look for. Later, a detective stopped the posse, with no idea they'd carried out the murders, driving the stolen car. Nearby was the car they'd abandoned, which had had the number plate swapped. Cops traced the number plate back to the house of Joseph Wilkerson, the posse's first victim. When they entered the house, they were hit with a foul smell and found Wilkerson's body tied to the bed with gunshot wounds. The grim discovery, along with an anonymous tip off, finally led to the arrests of the Downtown Posse.

Gang leader Marvallous Keene was given the death penalty for directing the Christmas killing spree, while his accomplices all received life sentences.

[pukashell]

2022 book recs

Black Cake, Charmaine Wilkerson

Postcolonial Love Poem, Natalie Diaz

In the Dream House, Carmen Maria Machado

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson with Reg Keeland (Translator)

The Chosen and the Beautiful, Nghi Vo

Ms Ice Sandwich, Mieko Kawakami with Louise Heal Kawai (Translator)

Firekeeper's Daughter, Angeline Boulley

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, Nghi Vo

Things We Lost in the Fire: Stories, Mariana Enríquez with Megan McDowell (Translator)

The Silence of Bones, June Hur

The Queen of Water, María Virginia Farinango, Laura Resau

The Forest of Stolen Girls, June Hur

The Tiger's Wife, Téa Obreht

Parade: A Folktale, Hiromi Kawakami with Allison Markin Powell (Translator)

Nothing But Blackened Teeth, Cassandra Khaw

If We Were Villains, M.L. Rio

[conradscrime]

The Dayton Christmas Killings

December 12, 2022

In December 1992, a small town named Dayton, Ohio experienced a massacre that to this day haunts the town. A gang known as the Downtown Posse was led by a 19 year old man named Marvallous Keene. Marvallous’ girlfriend, Laura Taylor who was 16 at the time was also part of the gang. 

Also in the gang was 19 year old DeMarcus Maurice Smith and his girlfriend, 20 year old Heather Nicole Matthews who had just been released from prison shortly before. It is believed that all four gang members had been estranged from their families when they started the gang. 

On December 24, 1992, Laura and Heather noticed 34 year old Joseph Wilkerson. The pair lured Joseph into believing they would have sex with him and went back to his house hoping to rob him.

When they arrived at Joseph’s house, the Downtown Posse found a .32 Derringer and Marvallous shot and killed him and then the others looked around for valuables. It was said after he was shot, Laura had also shot him in the head. 

For the next three days the gang stayed in Joseph’s house and partied while his body was left inside. The gang soon found their next victim, on the same day, December 24, 18 year old Danita Gullette who was the mother of a two year old daughter. Danita was confronted by the Downtown Posse at a phone booth. 

The gang demanded Danita to hand over her belongings, threatening to shoot her if she didn’t comply. Danita did what they asked of her, but they shot her anyway. According to Danita’s sister, Rhonda Gullette, Danita had said, “Don’t shoot me” to the gang before they shot her. It is believed that Danita was killed for her Fila tennis shoes. She had been shot 5 times. The gang had taken her coat, her backpack and 50 cents from her as well. 

Richard Maddox, who was 19 years old is believed to be the gang’s third victim. He was found dead in his car on Christmas Day, having been shot in the head. Richard Maddox did not appear to be a random victim, however, as he was the ex-boyfriend of gang member Laura Taylor. Laura had lured Richard from his parent’s house and the two got in his car, with the other three gang members trailing behind. After driving for a bit it was believed that Richard got suspicious of the car following behind them. It was then Laura shot him in the head and then jumped out of the car before it could crash. 

Authorities talked to Richard’s family, who discovered the connection between him and Laura Taylor. Richard’s family also told authorities that Laura’s family that she had disappeared and had no idea her whereabouts. 

On Christmas Day 1992 another victim was found, a man named Jeffrey Wright who had been Heather’s ex-boyfriend. Wright had been found with four gunshot wounds after being attached outside a house, however he survived. 

On December 26, 1992, the gang went inside Short Stop Mini Mart, a family owned store and shot 38 year old Sarah Abraham who died later from her injuries and Jonas Pettus, a customer, though he did survive. Another staff member had also been shot but survived by pretending to be dead. The gang only left the store with $44. 

At this point authorities still did not connect the murders together. It was not until the bullets were examined that the police realized the same weapon had been used in all of the shootings. 

The Downtown Posse decided to carjack a victim’s car, however their victim managed to escape alive and it was then the police had a car to look for. A police officer stopped the posse for driving a stolen car, having no idea they had been the ones responsible for the Dayton murders. 

Police found the car abandoned nearby with a swapped license plate on it. They then were able to trace the number plate back to Joseph Wilkerson, the first victim’s house. When police entered the house they found Joseph’s body tied to the bed with gunshot wounds. 

The Downtown Posse were finally arrested and 16 year old Laura Taylor admitted to more murders. Laura confessed that 16 year old Wendy Cottrill and 17 year old Marvin Washington were also victims, who had been found in a gravel pit. The two were killed by the posse because they thought they’d snitch to police. 

Marvallous Keene, the gang leader was given the death penalty for directing the killings, while the other three members received life sentences. Detectives believe that all gang members were willing participants and no one was forced to kill anyone.

On July 21, 2009, Marvallous Keene was executed by lethal injection at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville. He had no last words. 

It has been almost 30 years since the Dayton Ohio Christmas killings and they still haunt the town and the families of the victims. There was no real motive for the killings which is truly the most haunting part of all. 

[smithlibrary]

Read More 2023 Foodies

Fiction The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle-Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

Romance For Butter or Worse by Erin La Rosa Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts Don't Call Me Cupcake by Tara Sheets Sugar and Salt by Susan Wiggs The Cowboy Cookie Challenge by Lori Wilde

Mystery The Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley Eggs in Purgatory by Laura Childs Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke Murder with Fried Chicken and Waffles by A.L. Herbert

Classics A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Young Adult Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

Non-fiction Take the Cannoli by Sarah Vowell The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Lord Tennyson

[keepthemclose]

tagged by the wonderful @mrbinglee!

last book i bought: "messy roots” by laura gao

borrowed: “fiona and jane” by jean chen ho and “four thousand weeks” by oliver burkeman, from the library

was gifted: “black cake” by charmaine wilkerson and “devotions” by mary oliver, from my friend who works at penguin random house and gets free books

gave/lent to someone: “hook, line, and sinker” by tessa bailey

started: "several people are typing” by calvin kasulke, a book written entirely in slack messages

finished: "fiona and jane” by jean chen ho, liked that it was a short story collection about the same two characters from their teenage years to their thirties. felt novel-lite in a good way, and i loved the exploration of chinese american female friendship

gave 5 stars: “disorientation” by elaine hsieh chou, a super sharp campus satire that i have been recommending to everybody

gave 2 stars: honestly i rarely read/rate books 2 stars or below, last 3 star review i gave was for this 30 rock book which was interesting but leaned too hard on dvd commentary and not enough original reporting/interviews

didn't finish: i finish almost every book i read (even if i don’t like them), i am still in the middle of “salt fat acid heat” by samin nosrat which i’m kind of reading on/off again

tagging @lostinmirkwood @insomniarama @jjofalltrades @thereluctantbadger @anyone who would like to do this! i’m always curious for book recs!

[spiritsanddemonspodcast]

12/21/2021 - The Dayton Christmas Killings

 The Scariest Monsters of All

The horror began on December 24, 1992. Sixteen year old Laura Taylor, nineteen year old Marvallous Keene, and twenty year old Heather Nicole Matthews (who had only been released from prison a few months prior), called thirty four year old Joseph Wilkerson and offered him an orgy in exchange for money. 

Wilkerson invited the three over to his place. Once there, the three tied Wilkerson to the headboard with electrical cords. They proceeded to ransack the house looking for valuables. They apparently found a .32 caliber Derringer. Keene used the gun to shoot and kill Wilkerson. It was said that Taylor then shot Wilkerson in the head with a .25 caliber gun. 

Then, the trio stole the man's car and picked up Heather Matthew's seventeen year old boyfriend, DeMarcus Maurice Smith, and went out to Neal Avenue to hunt for more victims. They stalked a Salem Avenue ATM looking for their first victim, their plan being to rob the person then kill them. Apparently no one showed up to the ATM and the trio moved on.

They found Danita Gullette, an 18 year old Senior at Patterson Cooperative High School and mother of a 2 year old, talking on a payphone. Keene rolled up next to her, pointed the gun at her, and stated "Merry Christmas, bitch" and shot her five times. Her last words were "Please don't shoot me". They stole her coat, shoes, and her backpack which contained a grand total of $0.50. 

Danita Gullette

The grouped (dubbed the "Downtown Posse") attempted to kill Matthews ex-boyfriend. Jeffrey Wright was shot four times in the legs by Smith, Matthews' new boyfriend. Wright survived and escaped to a neighbor's house. 

The posse then returned to Wilkerson's residence and "partied". They ate his food, used his house, etc, as their "home base". 

Christmas day Laura Taylor called her ex-boyfriend and convinced him to to head out in his car. Richmond Maddox quickly realized Keene was tailing them and gunned it. But Taylor pulled out the Derringer they stole from their first victim, shot Maddox in the temple, and jumped out of the moving vehicle. Maddox's car crashed on Benton Ave. 

The next day, December 26th, Taylor walked into Short Stop mini-mart on W. 5th St. Sarah Abraham (38 and a mother) was working behind the counter and Taylor attempted to buy a soft drink but was "short" and a customer named Jimmy Thompson offered her a nickel for the remaining balance, telling police later that he had thought she looked "innocent" and he wanted to help. Keen and Smith then walked in and demanded all the cash in the register ($44). Keene shot Abraham in the face and head, then turned and shot another store customer, Jones Pettus, in the stomach and hand. Thompson escaped any kind of injury by feigning being shot. Abraham suffered for 5 days in the hospital before she passed away. 

By this point, the group was starting to get paranoid. They were switching out license plates to avoid getting caught and realized that two acquaintances of theirs had witnessed the shooting of Matthews' ex, Wright, and may report them to police. So the four set out, picked Wendy Cottrill and Marvin Washington (16 and 19 years old respectively), bought them beer and wine, and drove into a gravel yard on Richley Drive.

Keene

Keene and Smith marked the two out to a dirt pile and shot them execution style. 

All in all, these four monsters killed 6 people, wounded two, and traumatized countless others all for 3 days in a house that wasn't theirs, food in that fridge, a car they didn't even get to keep, $44.50, and maybe an old TV. 

The Dayton police didn't even connect the cases at first because they were so random. The first and really only clue they were able to find was the bullet casings. Then a detective noticed a stollen Dodge Shadow (belonging to a woman who had ran when the group stole her vehicle at gun point), and ran a plate check. The plates didn't come back to the Dodge, and that is when the the police closed in on the group.

According to some reports, Taylor had told Keene to shoot the arresting officer, but Keene refused. All four were taken into custody the night of December 26, 1992. The four of them were arrested without incident. 

Once behind bars, Taylor confessed to a local minister about the final two victims, whom the police still hadn't known about. 

Keene confessed to everything and was sentenced to death by lethal injection. He was the 1,000th prisoner in Ohio to be executed since 1976. His life was ended on July 21st, 2009. The other three were sentenced to life in prison. All three remain there to this day.

Matthews, Taylor, and Smith

The reason they gave for this murder spree? They wanted some "drama" and "fun" in their lives. Four people who had literally nothing else to do on Christmas murdered six people and injured two others "for the fun of it". 

That's what a true monster looks like. Fuck them. I wish them nothing but discomfort for the rest of their lives. I hope their socks are always sliding down their shoes and the seam is always right on their pinky toe in the most uncomfortable way. I hope their coffee is always the bottom of the pot and full of fine grounds and room temperature. I hope they step on legos in prison. I hope their cell mates snore so loud they can't sleep. I hope their toilet always smells like diarrhea no matter how many times it's cleaned. I hope they only ever get mushy grapes. I could go on, but Ryan is looking at me like I need therapy.

The Christmas Killings: 40 Hours to Justice by Stephen C. Grismer, Judith M. Monseur, and Dennis A. Murphy

[power-house-fan12]

My Oc’s Voice actors Vol 1

After researching different female voices actress on who would voice act my oc’s because I need to pick the right person for them and I have pick them before but I needed new ideas so I pick through video games and other animes to find the right one. I’ll update them another day for fun and all

Tempest Storm- Japanese Asami Tan- English Kristi kang

Noir- Japanese- Miyuki Sawaashiro- English Lisle Wilkerson

Gizpunk- Japanese- Saeko Kamijo- English Celine miller

Daybreak- Japanese- Yuriko yamaguchi   English K.T. gray

Widow-Japanese-Yuu Kobayashi- English luci Christian 

Miss Shard- Japanese- Ryoka Yuzuki- English Laura post

Smokey- Japanese- Ayahi Takagaki- English Bonnie gordon

Miki Fujikawa-Japanese Maki kawase-English Jessica Straus

Namine Shozo-Japanese Rika Kinugawa- English Erika Haracher

Hotaru Kazami- Japanese- Minami Tanaka-English Carrie savage   

Taira Kojika- Japanese- Atsumi Tanezaki  English- Kausar Mohammed

I will add more later on and be sure to give this a like.

[ebookreviews]

Best books to read this month New York Times Best Sellers

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

Jess has suspicions about her half-brother’s neighbors when he goes missing.

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. MaasThe

 second book in the Crescent City series. Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar must choose to fight or stay silent.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Nora Seed finds a library beyond the edge of the universe that contains books with multiple possibilities of the lives one could have lived.

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

Two friends who escaped from a juvenile work farm take Emmett Watson on an unexpected journey to New York City in 1954.

The Maid by Nita Prose

When a wealthy man is found dead in his room, a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel becomes a lead suspect.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

Hannah Hall discovers truths about her missing husband and bonds with his daughter from a previous relationship.

The Judge's List by John Grisham

The second book in the Whistler series. Investigator Lacy Stoltz goes after a serial killer and closes in on a sitting judge.

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

Miss Nan O’Dea becomes the mistress of Agatha Christie’s husband.

Abandoned in Death by J.D. Robb

The 54th book of the In Death series. Eve Dallas investigates a homicide and the disappearance of other women who resemble that victim.

The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom

After a ship explodes, nine people struggling to survive pull a man who claims to be the Lord out of the sea.

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

Diana O’Toole re-evaluates her seemingly perfect life when a pandemic disrupts her vacation in the Galápagos Islands.

Nothing to Lose by J. A. Jance

The 25th book in the J.P. Beaumont series. Beaumont tracks a missing person in wintertime Alaska.

Caramel Pecan Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke

The 28th book in the Hannah Swensen mystery series. A TV show host turns up dead at a fishing competition.

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

An interconnected cast of dreamers and outsiders are in dangerous and disparate settings past, present and future.

Link to Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson 

Eleanor Bennett’s inheritance for her two children challenges what they knew about their lineage and identity.

[heavenlyyshecomes]

Made my own reading list for 2021! Can't promise that I'll read all of these but I hope that putting it down here will actually help me complete the goal (speaking it into existence and all that). I was tagged by @seaoflove and @mossyshadows thank u! 💞💞

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, Nghi Vo (WAITING....)

both Jade War and Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee

The Burning God, R. F. Kuang

Women Of The Fertile Crescent: An Anthology Of Modern Poetry, edited by Kamal Boullata

Beginning with O, Olga Broumas (and just all of her work tbh)

Hamnet, Maggie O'Farrell

Girls Against God, Jenny Hval

Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan’s Disaster Zone, Richard Lloyd Parry

The Bone Season, Samantha Shannon

Indelicacy, Amina Cain

Yayati, Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, Isabel  Wilkerson 

Mirabai: Ecstatic Poems

Remnants of a Separation: A History of the Partition through Material Memory, Aanchal Malhotra

Chorus of Mushrooms, Hiromi Goto

The Thief (The Queen's Thief, #1), Megan Whalen Turner

The Secret Magdalene, Ki Longfellow

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer

Selected Poems, Alejandra Pizarnik (left this halfway)

Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones

The Three Body Problem, Cixin Lu

The Idiot, Elif Batuman

Pachinko, Min Jin Lee

Sphinx, Anne Garréta

The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton

Moshi Moshi, Banana Yoshimoto

More of Mark Doty's work but specifically My Alexandria

Sensei and Sensibility, Karen Toi Yamashita

Rough Magic: Riding the World's Loneliest Horse Race, Laura Prior-Palmer

The Secret Lives of Color, Kasia St. Clair

Phantastes, George MacDonald

White is for Witching, Helen Oyeyemi

As I Crossed A Bridge of Dreams: Recollections of a Woman in 11th Century Japan, Lady Sarashina

Goodbye Tsugumi, Banana Yoshimoto

The Orchid Stories, Kenward Elmslie

Tagging: @holydarling @thedearidiot @violentsgrace @soracities @syrejaden @lovlettres @miserabella @ijaaazat @feuillesmortes @letterful and anyone who wants to do this!

[ackb]

2020 Reading Challenge Report

I really liked it last year when I made a spread in my journal with my best of books for 2019. So here’s my best of for 2020. 

I was WAY surprised that all my favorite books this year were non-fiction. That doesn't mean I didn’t read any good fiction this year, I definitely did. But the truly outstanding, five star books were all non-fiction. This is super weird for me because I never used to read non-fiction unless it was for school. But last year I made a deal with myself that I should have a non-fiction book as at least one of my books-in-progress at all times. I continued that rule this year and wow have I read some great stuff as a result. 

Metrics:

Total books read in 2020: 87 

If you remove all the books I read with kids, that’s 64. If you remove the books I read with kids and also graphic novels (which—despite being books, goddamn it—admittedly take a lot less time to read), I read 45 books this year.  I refuse to remove the audiobooks because that’s hella insulting.  Audiobooks are books.

One thing I noticed this year is that before I counted, I was under the impression that I had read a lot of books by Black authors this year, but I hadn't. In fact, it was far fewer than last year. I think part of what was internally confusing was that because two of my books were Caste and The Warmth of Other Suns, both substantial (in the thinking sense and the length sense), at any given time this year, I was reading at least one book by a Black author. So that skewed my thinking. Still, fewer than 10% Black authors is a poor metric.

Another thing I noticed was that cancelled plans for 10 months also means cancelled car trips (yay!) and cancelled audiobook listenings (boo!) So that cut into my total a bit, not listening to books as much with the kids. But I'm looking forward to lots more reading in the new year! Including finishing a bunch of books the kids and I are reading for school and tons of stuff for work. Because I like to have things going on every burner, there are 10 books in progress at the moment, about half of them for school. 

In case you might be interested, here’s my list, favorites in bold:

Non-Fiction (23)

Figuring, Maria Popova

Know My Name, Chanel Miller

*The Fire Never Goes Out, Noelle Stevenson

With Purpose and Principle, Edward Frost

Caste, Isabel Wilkerson

The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson

Widening the Circle of Concern, COIC, UUA

Brief Histories of Everyday Objects, Andy Warner

Breaking and Blessing, Sean Parker Dennison

This Book is Anti-Racist, Tiffany Jewell & Aurelia Durand

The Library Book, Susan Orlean

My Autobiography of Carson McCullers, Jenn Shapland

Furious Hours, Casey Cep

Scrappy Little Nobody, Anna Kendrick

I'll Be Gone in the Dark, Michelle McNamara

Catch and Kill, Ronan Farrow

*Laika, Nick Abadzis

*First Year Out: A Transition Story, Sabrina Symington

* Honor Girl: A Graphic Memoir, Maggie Thrash

*Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans, Don Brown

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, Patrick Radden Keefe

*A Quick and Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities, Mady G., J.R. Zuckerberg

*Wait, What?: A Comic Book Guide to Relationships, Bodies, and Growing Up, Heather Corinna, Isabella Rotman

Fiction (40)

*Heartstopper, vol 1&2, Alice Oseman

When the Tripods Came, John Christopher

Empty World, John Christopher

You Should See Me in a Crown, Leah Johnson

The Pull of the Stars, Emma Donoghue

Pachinko, Min Jin Lee

My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Ottessa Moshfegh

Girl, Woman, Other, Bernadine Evaristo

*This One Summer, Mariko Tamaki

*Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, Mariko Tamaki, Rosemary Valero-O'Connell

To Night Owl, From Dogfish, Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer

* Almost American Girl, Robin Ha

Upright Women Wanted, Sarah Gailey

When We Were Magic, Sarah Gailey

Magic for Liars, Sarah Gailey

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Suzanne Collins

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows, Olivia Waite

The Dreamers, Karen Thompson Walker

The Water Dancer, Ta-Nehisi Coates

Less, Andrew Sean Greer

*Drama, Raina Telgemeier

The Glass Hotel, Emily St. John Mandel

Severance, Ling Ma

Once, Morris Gleitzman

Then, Morris Gleitzman

Reflections in a Golden Eye, Carson McCullers

The Future of Another Timeline, Annalee Newitz

Royal Rebel, Jenny Frame

*Sidekicks, Dan Santat

The Book of Dust, Philip Pullman

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Kate DiCamillo

*Snapdragon, Kat Leyh

Catfishing on Catnet, Naomi Kritzer

*Princess Princess Ever After,  Katie O'Neill

*The Prince and the Dressmaker, Jen Wang

*All Summer Long, Hope Larson

Children of Virtue and Vengence, Tomi Adeyemi

On the Edge of Gone, Corinne Duyvis

*Kiss Number 8, Colleen A.F. Venable, Ellen T. Crenshaw

*Queen of the Sea, Dylan Meconis

Read With the Kids (23)

Sentence Island, Michael Clay Thompson (NF)

*Hereville: How Minka Got Her Sword, Barry Deutsch

Hatchet, Gary Paulson

The Dreamer, Pam Muñoz Ryan, Peter Sis

Before Columbus, Charles Mann (NF)

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, Kwame Mbalia

In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse, Joseph M. Marshall III

It's a Feudal, Feudal World, Stephen Shapiro and Ross Kinnaird (NF)

Pedro's Journal, Pam Conrad

A Long Way from Chicago, Richard Peck

Sees Behind Trees, Michael Dorris

The Shakespeare Stealer, Gary Blackwood

The Giver, Lois Lowry (reread for me)

The Saturdays, Elizabeth Enright (reread)

Timmy Failure: Mistakes were Made, Stephan Pastis

Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth, E.L. Konigsburg

Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Louis Sachar

Wayside School is Falling Down, Louis Sachar

A Little History of Philosophy, Nigel Warburton (NF)

The Parker Inheritance, Varian Johnson

How to Think Like a Cat, Stephanie Garnier (NF)

Book Scavenger, Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

The Third Mushroom, Jennifer L. Holm

*=graphic novel

I read 87 books this year, by 80 authors

Authors of color = 14 Black authors = 7 Women or non-cis-gender men authors = 53 Graphic novels = 22 Non-fiction = 28 Queer characters = 28 Audiobooks = 26

[thanksforthedinosaur]

november 2020 aka planet of sorrow

1. tiger goods - mean girls 2. iamddb - end of the world 3. almondmilkhunni, evander griiim - grapefruit 4. nyota parker - inside 5. diamond white - secondhand 6. savannah cristina - self love 7. kiana ledé - cancelled. 8. saweetie, jhené aiko - back to the streets 9. rimon, darrell cole - i shine, u shine 10. stefflon don - can't let you go 11. qveen herby - farewell 12. xavier omär, mereba - like i feel 13. arlo parks - green eyes 14. daniela andrade - k.l.f.g. 15. love level - bad bye 16. faye meana - like honey 17. ashnikko - daisy 18. aldn - glittr 19. blackwinterwells, d0llywood1 - algae 20. 8485, d0llywood1, blackwinterwells - itmakesmesosad 21. i9bonsai, blackwinterwells, 8485 - mixd up 22. senses - use me 23. oaf1 - ilove urr girl 24. love-sadkid, garrett. - ephemeral 25. shane kidd, lucius - speed of life 26. jay squared, flavors - seven am (time travel!) 27. kuranes - symbiosis 28. tsubame - call me 29. thelonious coltrane - when the sky falls down 30. dust and moonlight - sleeping or sinking 31. yutaka hirasaka - roundabout 32. deaton chris anthony - i’m so damn 33. kallitechnis, taydex - isolation 34. teen daze - peaceful groove 35. suzi wu - eat them apples 36. luna aura - crash dive 37. mourn - stay there 38. l.a. witch - true believers 39. peach kelli pop - stupid girl 40. bleached - stupid boys 41. beabadoobee - together 42. partner - honey 43. layne - linnea 44. tyzo bloom, pom pom squad - tv 45. pynkie - you 46. jetty bones - taking up space 47. slow pulp - track 48. kississippi - around your room 49. sneaks - scorpio on your side 50. dragon inn 3, pedro the lion, american football, nick wilkerson - yer brothers 51. little kingdoms - in your hand 52. tigers jaw - cat's cradle 53. i love your lifestyle - stupid 54. gulfer - blurry 55. jack m. senff - another day 56. field medic - older now (it hurts) 57. tomberlin - hours 58. quarter-life crisis, frances quinlan, ryan hemsworth - postcard from spain 59. madison cunningham - the age of worry 60. adrianne lenker - my angel 61. loma - homing 62. felivand - gone 63. annie - in heaven 64. castlebeat, sonia gadhia - shoulder 65. kalbells - hump the beach 66. kacey johansing - no better time 67. bonzie - lethal 68. laura veirs - burn too bright 69. helena deland - fruit pit 70. city girl, ry, tiffi - wishing on you 71. juliana chahayed - violins 72. lolo zouaï - beautiful lies (cold) 73. carlie hanson, lil west - fires 74. dominique - priority 75. michi - escondida 76. sarah reeves - heart first 77. carla morrison - no me llames 78. kelly rowland - crazy 79. bea miller, aminé - feel something different 80. lady gaga, ariana grande - rain on me 81. tokyo lyrical club, akira, yota - don't be afraid 82. ariana grande - positions 83. aly & aj - joan of arc on the dance floor 84. melanie c - blame it on me 85. kate lomas - radioactive 86. astrid s - dance dance dance 87. gupi - modest 88. purity ring - better off alone 89. terror jr - running from the sun 90. lany - cowboy in la 91. trace - cool woman 92. valiant vermin - freaking time 93. tricot - warp 94. ruru - wywd 95. lee jin ah - candy pianist 96. crush, lee hi - tip toe 97. oohyo - 2020 98. jessi - nunu nana 99. loona - hide & seek 100. weki meki - 100 facts (cool eng. ver.) 101. pinoko - コリドー街 102. limonène - ghost of you 103. tomggg, raychel jay - away with me 104. android52 - lovin', scratchin' 105. adrianwave - snow angel 106. cosmicosmo, tofie - those that we once loved 107. 犬吠埼紫杏 (cv: 長谷川玲奈), moe shop - good night baby 108. alice longyu gao, fraxiom - i <3 harajuku 109. snail's house - imaginary express 110. miraie, kuru - re:start 111. kotonohouse, such - mirror mirror 112. ranasol, stereo magic - my heart sensitivity 113. kyotokonkon, ninnin - kanransha 114. lu-i - with you

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/60wvSb3TdayQp0q5mBF6zU?si=DbyJ9mkfSEKK88GAt-jUgg