#Lily’s book club

[marylily-my-beloved]

Remus Lupin would dog ear books, Lily would gasp and cry and say he’s ruining book. Regulus Black would annotate books on the pages, Lily would cry and cry and say he ruined the book. Lily annotated her books on clear sticky notes and always have a bookmark on her, she was one of those girlies that would hate even dog ear-ing for two minutes or putting down the book upside down. If she didn’t have a bookmark she would memorise the page number

(I’m Remus and Regulus even if I have a bookmark I dog ear books and I annaotate on the page with my special pen)

[aithusarosekiller]

I would read a whole series about Lily, Reg, and Remus just getting up to chaos

No angst, no drama, just them getting into crazy situations every week

Like the format of a sitcom

But specifically a Britcom

Yk what I mean

Each chapter starts with them chilling and reading or hanging out or something and by the end they've escaped from mortal danger like it's nothing

[highabovethecloudssomewhere]

Bi-Yearly Book Catalogue (2024)

Every book I’ve read the past six months and what I thought, told as briefly as I can manage.

One Star Books:

Loveless by Alice Oseman

I understand that this book was helpful for a lot of people. It was the opposite of helpful for me.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

My gripes with this can be whittled down into: this writer does not understand depression but really, really wants to cure it. Also, if you do decide to give this book a try, please mind the subject material. It really, really isn’t for everyone.

Two Star Books:

N/A

Three Star Books:

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

A simple book about an old man learning to want to live again. Where ‘The Midnight Library’ failed for me, this one succeeded. If you plan to read this one, be mindful of the content warnings. It also isn’t for everyone.

Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowely

It’s about a dog who has cancer. I think that says it all. There were parts of this book I really liked and parts I really didn’t like. It lost me halfway through and I stopped caring about the stakes, which is really upsetting when the stakes are a dog. But the good parts are really, really good. Just be mindful of the premise going into it.

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune

I liked the character work, loved the world building and on a technical level the writing was well-done. My gripes have to do with the story’s internal contradictions and how the only character traits I can think of for the main character are “asexual” and “inventor,” neither of which are explored properly (emphasis on asexual here). I didn’t like that despite being 21, the main character was narratively treated like a child, often involving his sexuality. I had to google how old he was multiple times because I couldn’t believe he wasn’t in his mid-teens given how he reacted to the story and how the story treated him. Loved the writing on a technical level, though, and I do plan to read more from this author.

Four Star Books:

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

A COFFEE shop AU? In MY high fantasy? If you like DnD, low-stakes high-fantasy and fun character work, give this one a read. It’s very cozy.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

It’s a book about a nonbinary tea monk and a robot who lives in the mountains. Slow-paced with good vibes and great world building. I read it in an evening and came away from it feeling warm.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Achilles and Patroclus’ relationship breaks my heart again. This was incredibly well-written and appropriately devastating. I just wanted them to be happy.

Countdown to Countdown by Kong Xiao Tong (graphic novel)

I bought a physical copy of this because I’ve always loved the artist’s work and wanted to support, and I enjoyed it a LOT. Beautiful art, fantastic characters. I know not everyone can avoid a physical copy, but the webcomic is available to read for free online and I highly recommend giving it a try.

Our Dining Table by Ori Mita (manga)

Learning to enjoy mealtime with loved ones again after childhood trauma? Y’all. It’s a single-volume manga and it’s well worth your time.

Five Star Books:

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

This was the most devastating book I’ve ever read. If you are interested in reading it: find a list of content warnings first. I went in blind. It is hauntingly real and the author handled the material so, so well. I can’t recommend this book without that caveat. But it’s one of the best-written books I’ve read.

The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson

This book is about a man looking back on his life as a boy - the friends he made and the misadventurous ghost-hunts his uncle dragged them into. It’s just the right amount of campy with fun characters and a brilliant use of prose. If you’re a less experienced reader and want a book that is easily digestible while also being extraordinarily well-written, I’d recommend this book in a heartbeat, and it’s every bit as entertaining for more advanced readers.

What you are looking for is in the library by Aoyama Michiko

Five stories about five people, all in different stages of life, and their unique experiences with the same librarian and the same library. Individually, each character in each story has their unsatisfying lives changed in an unexpectedly simple way, thanks to the library. There’s nothing wild about this book, but it is wildly impactful. The library is for everyone!

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

Heroine travels the treacherous seas to save the man she loves. It’s a book about perspectives and joy and making unlikely friends, breaking curses through clever means and never, ever giving up. It has all the whimsy of a classic fairytale, yet not once could I predict how it was going to end. It’s fast-paced and hard to put down. The world is intriguing and the characters are wonderful.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

This book is utterly mind-bending and I loved it. Two time-travelers chase each other through reality on opposing sides of the Time War and gradually fall in love. It’s great. The biggest complaint I see leveled at this book comes from less experienced readers who struggle to follow the narrative - and I do agree, if you’re just getting into reading for fun this might be a book to save for later. But don’t let me stop you. I loved this book.

Conclusion:

Reading is great. Libraries are your friend. I always love book recommendations and I’m on GoodReads as BeyondTheClouds777, predictably. If any of y’all take a stab at these books (or have taken stabs in the past), I’d love to hear your thoughts! I’m back in my bookworm era and thriving.

[not-wholly-unheroic]

Kinda want to do a virtual Peter Pan book club similar to “Dracula Daily” but it’s only 17 chapters long so it would be super short… But it would be fun to go through the story with people who have never read the original for themselves and with others who have read it before but want to go back and take a closer look at it together. Would anybody actually want to do something like this?

[mysweettaylor]

[vanona-camp]

Finish reading A Soul To Keep: I liked it but I don't think I'm into this.

Discovering the Monstrous Series: fuck-

[trashm0utheds]

Richie, takes a drag of his cigarette: And his cheeks got red when I called him cute.

Bev lights a new one, nodding.

Richie: Honestly, he's probably the cutest guy I've ever met.

Bev: Yeah.

Richie, sighs: I should text Eddie.

Bev, raises her brow: You're finally going to tell him your feelings?

Richie: Sure.

Bev: I told you, it's better in person, Rich.

Richie: Yeah, yeah. I'll tell him to meet up.

--

minutes later

Bev: Richie, why did Eddie text me and say, "Am not cute! But thanks, Bev." What did you tell him?

Richie, grins: That you said he's cute.

Bev, groans: RICHARD!!!!!

Richie, raises his hands: I KNOW, I KNOW! I'LL TELL HIM NEXT TIME, I SWEAR.

[nerd-at-sea5]

just finished last night at the telegraph club and holy freaking crap. one of the best books i have EVER read. 100/10 please check it out. wow.

[badhotdog03]

Sitting on the window sil of my flatmate's room at uni, smoking out the window is really giving Remus Lupin and Lily Evans vibes, and I love that for us 💪

[r0binscript]

thinking of lily shortening kath to kat once they start dating…

[aithusarosekiller]

In canon they're dead but in my mind Lily, Remus, and Regulus are enjoying the spring, walking around bookshops and old architecture together and about to go and have afternoon tea and shittalk people

[amourdedove]

she was my blueprint

[mandoreviews]

📚 Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

I thought this book was sweet and charming. I have to admit that I watched the Netflix series before reading the book. But I obviously liked the book better! My biggest grief with the Netflix show is that the two they chose to play Dash and Lily don’t fit what I imagined while reading the book, but that’s really not a big deal. Anyway, so, yeah, I thought the book was sweet, and I liked it a lot.

Rating: 7/10

[shebeafancyflapjack]

Just finished Last Night At The Telegraph Club and....gotta say, wasn't nearly as devastating an ending as people were talking about? Maybe I've just suffered through so much more tragedy when it comes to my gay stories but this one ended on a hopeful, I'd almost say happy note??

Don't get me wrong, the scene where Lily comes out to her mom is one of the most gut wrenching coming out moments I've read and feels so painfully real. But that was pretty much the peak of the angst for me.

Not really a criticism, I appreciate the bleakness when it comes to how certain characters behaved and remained the same until the end.

Really enjoyable sapphic period piece.

[enbysiriusblack]

made a sorta 1970's hogwarts school timetable in word. please tell me if you have any clubs or such you think they'd have

[vanona-camp]

When I say I want to read a monster romance I don't mean a monster with human features but a monster like Orpheus or Ketahn