#Terry Haig

[cinemaquiles]

Inspirado num apagão real: Blackout Terror em Nova York (1978)

[charleslee-valentine]

horror icons with their pets 💕 part 2

[kwebtv]

Crime and Punishment - BBC Two - February 12-13, 2002

Crime Drama (2 Episodes)

Running Time: 90 minutes

Stars:

John Simm as Rodya Raskolnikov

Ian McDiarmid as Detective Porfiry Petrovich

Shaun Dingwall as Razumikhin

Geraldine James as Pulcheria

Kate Ashfield as Dounia

Lara Belmont as Sonya

Mark Benton as Zosimov

Katrin Cartlidge as KaterinaJo

Alice Connor as Polya

David Haig as Luzhin

Martin Hancock as Koch

Valerie Lilley as Pawnbroker

Anna Hope as Nastasya

Philip Jackson as Marmeladov

Sean McKenzie as Semyonobvich

Roger Morlidge as Lt. Gunpowder

Jake Nightingale as Artisan

Tim Potter as Nikolai

Nigel Terry as Svidrigailov

Darren Tighe as Zamyotov

Heather Tobias as Lizaveta

[mycological-mariner]

Tagged by @gniew777 (cheers, mate!!)

Last Read: Sagittarius Rising — Cecil Lewis (one of those books I’d highly recommend and also one I repeatedly had to set down at various points), Collecting the New, Rare and Curious: Letters Selected from the Correspondence of the Cornish Mineralogists Philip Rashleigh, John Hawkins and William Gregor, 1755-1822 — R. J. Cleevely - edited (long long title but extremely interesting) Mr. Midshipman Hornblower — C.S. Forester (reread, wow I forgot how relatable he is), The Surgeon’s Mate — Patrick O’Brian (took me ages but I loved it)

Current Read: Reasons to Stay Alive — Matt Haig, Reaper Man — Terry Pratchett (an excellent autumnal book, plus the ultimate comfort novel), Birdie Bowers: Captain Scott’s Marvel — Anne Strathie (tbh it’s been taking me so long to finish because well, wee bit heavy)

Next Read: god knows. When I’m not exhausted I’d want to finally read Leeward and Kidnapped because it’s been on my shelf longer than Leeward has; The Facemaker, The Lamplighters, Entangled Life and The Worst Journey in the World are all on my TBR list with a wait time of A While

0 pressure tagging @bees-with-swords @some-cold-and-some-violence @gohoubi @bookyholic @acrossthewavesoftime @werewiire @cerebrobullet @hey-scully-itsme and anyone else who’d like to!

[zayadriancas]

Degrassi, Riverdale & The Summer I Turned Pretty

Thank you!!! 💜💖

Degrassi:

1: Top 5 Episodes:

TNG: Mercy Street, Secret, Standing In The Dark, Live To Tell, & Voices Carry

Seasons 10-14: Zombie, Take A Bow, Boom Boom Pow, Unbelievable, & Purple Pills

Next Class: #Fire, #Obsessed, #KThxBye, #IRegretNothing, & #ImSleep

2: Bottom 5 Episodes:

TNG: Goin Down The Road, Got My Mind Set On You, The Power Of Love, Uptown Girl, & Keep On Loving You

Seasons 10-14: Spiderwebs, Honey, Summertime, Black or White, & Closer To Free

Next Class: #ThisCouldBeUsButYouPlayin, #ToMyFutureSelf, #CheckYourPrivilege, #SorryNotSorry, & #SquadGoals

3: Top 5 Characters

Male: Spinner, Drew, Zig, JT, & Jay

Female: Maya, Bianca, Darcy, Fiona, & Ellie

4: Bottom 5 Characters: (Only Counting Main Characters)

TNG: Peter Stone, Derek Haig, Declan Coyne, Leia Chang, & Blue Chessex

Seasons 10-14: Declan Coyne, Katie Matlin, Owen Milligan, Winnie Oh, & Winston Chu

5: Top 5 Romantic Ships:

Zaya, Drianca, Sparcy, Fimogen, & Semma

6: Bottom 5 Romantic Ships

TNG: Rick/Terri, Matt/Paige, Mick/Manny, Pia, & Ellie/Jesse

Seasons 10-14: Krew, Matlingsworth, Sav/Ms. Oh, Alli/Leo, & Fiona/Bobby

Next Class: Yunter, Hollingsong, Zig/Esme, Fronah, & Zoe/Winston

7: Top 5 Platonic Ships:

TNG: Ellie/Marco, Manny/Darcy, JT/Toby, Craig/Marco, Paige/Marco, & Spinner/Jay

Seasons 10-14: Fiona/Holly J, Drew/Dallas, Zig/Tiny, Maya/Grace, & Jake/Mo

Next Class: Maya/Grace, Zig/Tiny, Lola/Frankie, Frankie/Shay, & Lola/Yael

8: Bottom 5 Platonic Ships:

Derek/Danny, Yael/Baaz/Vijay/Hunter, Miles/Winston, Eli/Adam, & Jake/Eli

9: Season Ranking?

Season 4, Season 7, NC season 3, NC season 4, Season 12, Season 3, Season 10, Season 11, Season 2, Season 5, NC season 1, NC season 2, Season 8, Season 6, Season 14, Season 13, Season 9, Season 1

10: Character you relate to most? Maya, Esme, Fiona, Ellie, & Cam

11: Character that inspires you? Maya

12: Character you can’t understand? Peter, Hunter, Jonah, Vijay, Baaz, Winston, Next Class Seasons 1-2 Grace

13: Best Written Character? Spinner, Manny, Fiona, Holly J, & Maya

14: Worst Written Character? Peter, Declan, Katie, Seasons 13-14 Eli, NC Seasons 1&2 Grace, Jonah

15: Most Cliched Character? Declan

16: Most Unusual Character? IDK

17: Most inspired storyline? The shooting arc

18: Favorite Hero? Maya

19: Favorite villain? Vince

20: Best Person? JT & Maya

21: Most influential character? IDK

22: Most manipulative character? Esme

23: Best Performance in an episode? Ephraim Ellis in Time Stands Still, Demetrius Joyette in Bittersweet Symphony Part 2, Luke Bilyk in Young Forever, Olivia Scriven in #ImSleep, & Chelsea Clark in #Obsessed

24: Most Visually Stunning Episode: Paradise City, Degrassi Takes Manhattan, Don’t Look Back, & #Fire

25: Most impressive special effects? Idk

26: Character with the best aesthetics? Ellie, Fiona, Imogen, Maya, & Lola

27: Favorite song? Mr. Nice Guy, What I Know(Dust), Rescue You, The Great Escape, Maybe Love, Yes, & Last Exit

28: Best writer? Idk

29: Favorite theme: Seasons 3-5, Season 9-10, & Season 12

30: 5 words you associate with it? Addicting, compelling, relatable, intriguing, & emotional

Riverdale:

1: Top 5 episodes:

The Sweet Hereafter, The Lost Weekend, Return Of The Pussycats, Quiz Show, & Labor Day

2: Bottom 5 episodes: Wicked Little Town, Welcome to Rivervale, Tales of A Jugular Vein, Peep Show, & Dirty Dancing (honestly I felt like just saying the majority of season 7 lmao)

3: Top 5 characters: Cheryl, Veronica, Toni, Jughead, & Tabitha

4: Bottom 5 characters: Alice, Uncle Frank, Nick St. Clair, Percival Pickens, & Evelyn Evernever

5: Top 5 romantic ships:

Bughead, Varchie, Choni, Season 7 Beronica, & Archosie

6: Bottom 5 romantic ships:

B*rchie, F*lice, Hiram/Hermione, Kevin/Fangs, & Veronica/Chad

7: Top 5 platonic ships:

Cheronica, Toni/Veronica, Toni/Tabitha, Betty/Tabitha, & Seasons 1-6 Beronica (I ship all of these too though lol)

8: Bottom 5 platonic ships:

Alice/Betty, Kevin/Betty, Fangs/Sweet Pea, I came think of anymore honestly

9: Season Ranking

1, 4(before 4x17), 3, 2, 5, 6, 7

10: Character you relate to most? Betty

11: Character who inspires you? None of them

12: Character you can’t understand? Most of the parents tbh

13: Best written character: Honestly none of them after season 1

14: Worst written character? Most of them especially from season 5 onward

15: Most cliched character? Idk

16: Most unusual character? Percival

17: Most inspired storyline? Jason’s murder mystery

18: Favoriye hero? Veronica

19: Favorite villain? Hiram

20: Best person: Veronica

21: Most influential character: Idk

22: Most manipulative character: Hiram

23: Best performance in an episode: I’m not sure

24: Most visually stunning episode. Labor Day

25: Most impressive special effects: Idk

26: Character with the best aesthetics? Veronica & Cheryl

27: Favorite song? Kids in America & Mad World

28: Best writer? Someone from season 1

29: Favorite theme? N/A

30: 5 words you associate with? Ridiculous, entertaining, embarrassing, trainwreck, trash

The Summer I Turned Pretty:

1: Top 5 episodes:

Love Fool, Love Fest, Love Game, Love Affair, & Love Triangle

2: Bottom 5 episodes: Summer Dress, Summer Nights, Summer House, Summer Catch, & Love Scene

3: Top 5 characters: Conrad, Belly, Taylor, Steven, & Susannah

4: Bottom 5 characters: Skye, Aunt Julia, Milo, & Adam Fisher (I know that’s 4 but there are no other characters I dislike on this show)

5: Top 5 romantic ships: The only 2 I like are Belly/Conrad and Steven/Taylor

6: Bottom 5 romantic ships? Taylor/Milo, Conrad/Nicole, Skye/Cam, Belly/Cam, & Laurel/Cleveland

7: Top 5 platonic ships: Belly/Taylor, Steven/Conrad, Laurel/Susannah, Belly/Jeremiah(I know they’re also romantic, I just prefer them as friends), & Conrad/Cleveland

8: Bottom 5 platonic ships: N/A

9: Season ranking: 2, 1

10: Character you relate to most? Conrad solely for the anxiety/panic attack storyline

11: Character who inspires you? None of them

12: Character you can’t understand? None of them

13: Best written character: Belly & Conrad

14: Worst written character? None of them

15: Most cliched character? None of them

16: Most unusual character? N/A

17: Most inspired storyline? N/A

18: Favorite hero? N/A

19: Favorite villain? N/A

20: Best person: Susannah

21: Most influential character: N/A

22: Most manipulative character: N/A

23: Best performance in an episode: Lola Tung in any episode Belly has an emotional moment, she’s great at making your heart break for her

24: Most visually stunning episode: Most of them are

25: Most impressive special effects: N/A

26: Character with the best aesthetics? N/A

27: Favorite song? This show plays Taylor Swift in so many episodes lol so any time one of her songs is used

28: Best writer? Idk

29: favorite theme? N/A

30: 5 words you associate with? Addicting, compelling, fun, summer, & entertaining

[the-forest-library]

December 2022 Reads

Two Wrongs Make a Right - Chloe Liese

Never Rescue a Rogue - Virginia Heath

The Wedding Season - Katy Birchall

Twice in a Lifetime - Melissa Baron

Well Traveled - Jen Deluca

In the Event of Love - Courtney Kae

Duke, Actually - Jenny Holiday

So This Is Christmas - Jenny Holiday

The Gentleman’s Book of Vices - Jess Everlee

The Belle of Belgrave Square - Mimi Matthews

Golden Boys - Phil Stamper

Seasparrow - Kristin Cashore

Paladin of Souls - Lois McMaster Bujold

Hogfather - Terry Pratchett

The Future of Work - Martha Wells

The Heartstopper Yearbook - Alice Oseman

Unfamiliar - Haley Newsome

Poetry for Kids: Emily Dickinson - Emily Dickinson

The Cat Who Came in from Off the Roof - Annie M.G. Schmidt

Know My Name - Chanel Miller

Still Just a Geek - Wil Wheaton

The Myth of Normal - Gabor Mate

The World Record Book of Racist Stories - Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar

Inciting Joy - Ross Gay

Stay True - Hua Hsu

The Comfort Book - Matt Haig

How to Decide - Annie Duke

Smitten Kitchen Keeper - Deb Perelman

Bold = Highly Recommend Italics = Worth It Crossed out = Nope

Thoughts:

I was absolutely blown away by Know My Name and wish I had made time to get to is sooner. Enraging, but also spirit filling. 

Paladin of Souls was my first Lois McMaster Bujold book, but I’ll be looking into more of her books in the future. If you want a middle-aged female protagonist going on a fantasy adventure, this could be the book for you.

Goodreads Goal: 404/400 (I am stunned by this number. As I said before, I’m hoping to have the energy to do something other than listen to audiobooks in 2023 and will be happy to see this number not as high at the end of the year.)

2017 Reads | 2018 Reads | 2019 Reads | 2020 Reads | 2021 Reads |

2022 Reads

[notanotherinfjblog]

MBTI fiction writers

Unfortunately, though for obvious reasons, I’m constrained by my own reading habits, so if you have any suggestions for underrepresented types here, please let me know and thanks for the ones that I’ve already received!

INTJ

Margaret Atwood

Joyce Carol Oates

Tom Rachman

ENTJ

Markus Zusak

Hank Green

Gillian Flynn 

Bernardine Evaristo 

Lois Lowry

Ruth Ozeki

INTP

Kai Meyer (interview is in German)

Neil Gaiman

J. R. R. Tolkien

ENTP

David Mitchell

Philip Pullman

John Green

Terry Pratchett

Douglas Adams

Jonathan Safran Foer

Lauren Oliver

Brandon Sanderson

Patrick Rothfuss 

Michael Ende (interview is in German)

Mariana Leky (interview is in German)

Frank Herbert

Aldous Huxley

Matt Haig

Ta-Nehisi Coates

INFJ

Rohinton Mistry

Audrey Magee

Jenny Erpenbeck (interview is in German)

ENFJ

Eleanor Catton

Alissa York

INFP

Wolfgang Koeppen (interview is in German)

Helen Oyeyemi

ENFP

Gavriel Savit

Maggie Stiefvater

Jan Philipp Zymny (interview is in German)

Stephen Chbosky

Daniel Handler

Rick Riordan

Christopher Paolini

George R. R. Martin

V. E. Schwab

Jenny-Mai Nuyen (interview is in German)

ISTJ

Astrid Lindgren

Ken Follet

Elizabeth Nunez

ESTJ

Kerstin Gier (interview is in German)

Cornelia Funke 

John Boyne

Maja Lunde

Sebastian Fitzek (interview is in German)

ISFJ

Anna Burns 

Lucinda Riley 

Jack Livings

ESFJ

Tomi Adeyemi

Victoria Aveyard

Suzanne Collins 

Raquel J. Palacio

Jojo Moyes 

Ursula K. Le Guin

Rosamunde Pilcher 

Rebecca Gablé (interview is in German)

Kirsten Boie (interview is in German)

ISTP

Jhumpa Lahiri

John Irving

Erich Kästner (interview is in German)

James Dashner 

Fredrik Backman 

ESTP

Leigh Bardugo

Sabaa Tahir

Paulo Coelho

Stephen King

Jonas Jonasson

Jussi Adler-Olsen

Erich Maria Remarque (interview is in German)

ISFP

Fatima Farheen Mirza 

Tash Aw

Andreas Izquierdo (interview is in German)

Antoine Laurain 

ESFP

Adam Silvera

Nicholas Sparks 

Cecelia Ahern

[piperslovebot]

The graduation class without retcons and in the proper years.

1992 - Archie Simpson, Caitlin Ryan (skipped a grade), Lucy Fernandez (valedictorian), Simon Dexter, Alexa Pappadopolos-Dexter, Christine Nelson, Derek Wheeler, Michelle Accette, Bryant Thomas, Heather Farrell, Erica Farrell, Lorraine Delacorte (left before graduation; leukemia), Liz O'Rourke, Amy Holmes, Allison Hunter, Shane McKay (left before graduation; brain damage), Stephanie Kaye (left before graduation; transferred to private school), Voula Grivogiannis (left before graduation; moved away), Joey Jeremiah (held back; didn't graduate with this class), Rick Munro (held back, wasn't gonna graduate with this class; left before graduation), Tim O'Connor, Nancy Kramer

1993 - Caitlin Ryan (skipped a grade later), Susie Rivera (left before graduating), Kathleen Mead, Melanie Brodie, Arthur Kobalewscuy, Yick Yu, Alex Yankou (probably valedictorian), Diana Economopoulos, Maya Goldberg, Joey Jeremiah (repeated), Rick Munro (repeated; left before graduating), Tessa Campanelli, Luke Matthews, Scooter Webster, Bartholomew Bond, Wai Lee, Trudi Owens , Trish Skye 

2004 - Dylan Michalchuck

2006 - Hazel Aden, Jimmy Brooks (held back; didn't graduate with this class), Sean Cameron (held back; expelled), Marco Del Rossi (valedictorian), Ashley Kerwin (left before graduation), Craig Manning (left before graduation), Spinner Mason (held back; didn't graduate with this class), Paige Michalchuk, Ellie Nash, Alex Nuñez (repeated one semester), Heather Sinclair, Fareeza, Amy Peters-Hoffman, Rick Murray (held back, wasn't gonna graduate with this class; died before graduating), Terri MacGregor (left before graduation)

2007 - Jimmy Brooks (Repeated), Damian Hayes, Toby Isaacs, Spinner Mason (repeated), Emma Nelson, Manny Santos, Liberty Van Zandt (valedictorian), Rick Murray (repeated; died before graduation), Chris Sharpe, Lucas Valieri (dropped out), J.T. Yorke , Ashley Kerwin (took a year off; dropped out), Sean Cameron (repeated)

2008 - Johnny DiMarco, Peter Stone, Danny Van Zandt,Jane Vaughn (Valedictorian), Bruce the Moose (Not seen graduating), Kendra Mason , Nadia Yamir, Darcy Edwards (left before graduation), Derek Haig (Not seen graduating), Mia Jones (held back, wasn't gonna graduate with this class; left before graduation), Chantay Black 

2009 - Sav Bhandari, Fiona Coyne (held back; didn’t graduate with this class), Anya MacPherson, Zane Park Holly J. Sinclair (valedictorian), Riley Stavros, Ethan McBride, Heather Poulette, Trish, Leia Chang (not seen graduating), Blue Chessex (not seen graduating), Declan Coyne (left before graduation), Mia Jones

2010 - Fiona Coyne (repeated; valedictorian), Mike Dallas (chose to stay back; didn't graduate with this class), Bianca DeSousa, Eli Goldsworthy, Marisol Lewis, Jake Martin, Mo Mashkour, Katie Matlin, Owen Milligan, Imogen Moreno (held back; didn't graduate with this class), Drew Torres (held back; didn't graduate with this class), Mark Fitzgerald (expelled), Julian Williams

2011 - Becky Baker, Alli Bhandari, Mike Dallas (victory Lap), Connor DeLaurier (valedictorian), Clare Edwards, Jenna Middleton, Imogen Moreno (repeated), Drew Torres (repeated), Fab Juarez, Liam Berish, Ingvar Andersson, Bo Andersson, Hannah Belmont, Cliff Jacobs, Reese, Jess Martello, Luke Baker (expelled), Wesley Betenkamp (not seen graduating), K.C. Guthrie (left before graduation), Adam Torres, Dave Turner (not seen graduating)

2012 - Jonah Haak (held back; didn't graduate with this class), Jack Jones (left before graduation), Tori Santamaria (held back; left before graduation), Campbell Saunders, Jess Martello (retconned to Class of 2014), Sadie Rowland

2013 - Tristan Milligan, Maya Matlin, Zig Novak, Zoë Rivas (valedictorian), Miles Hollingsworth III, Winston Chu, Grace Cardinal, Tiny Bell, Jonah Haak (repeated), Esme Song (held back; didn't graduate with this class), Goldi Nahir (salutatorian), Tori Santamaria (repeated; left before graduation), Damon Carter (not seen graduating)

2014 - Frankie Hollingsworth, Hunter Hollingsworth, Lola Pacini, Shay Powers, Baaz Nahir, Yael Baron, Vijay Maraj, Saad Al'Maliki, Rasha Zuabi, Esme Song (repeated), Keisha, Arlene Takahashi

2015 - Abra Al'Maliki

[watching-pictures-move]

Put On Your Raincoats | Teenage Sex Kitten (Perry, 1975)

This movie is pretty much impossible to discuss without spoilers, so you have been warned.

This is my third Ann Perry, and feels like a collision between the two others I've seen. There are the good vibes and hangout quality of Ballgame, manifesting in the rapport between Rene Bond and Eve Orlon and the sexual escapades they embark on. (Fucking a gardener, fucking in the pool, fucking their way to a free room are among the highlights. I cannot confirm whether Bond actually majored in poontang like the poster suggests, although if she's an autodidact, the results onscreen suggest she picked up the material pretty well.) And there is the cruelty of Sweet Savage, manifesting in the hard turn the movie takes without warning into roughie territory in its last third. It isn't just a shift in the subject matter, but in the textures as well, going from a warm and sunny atmosphere and a cheerful looking cast to a dingy looking hideout with boarded up windows, dirty walls, a hanging lightbulb, flies buzzing about, and disheveled looking assailants in tattered clothes, one of whom resembles Sid Haig circa The Devil's Rejects.

There is a precedence for this kind of structure with The Last House on the Left, which I'd wager was an inspiration on this movie. Last House foreshadows its violence with its structure, cutting between the innocent victims, goofy side characters and menacing villains until the different groups collide with horrifying results. What eventually transpires isn't exactly a surprise, although the sheer cruelty and finality of the violence still manages to shock (and when I rewatched the movie a few years ago, I found I had not been numbed to its impact). This one offers no such buildup. An attempted coupling outside a bar two thirds of the movie is cut short when the man is given a blow to the head and the woman is kidnapped, raped both while unconscious and awake, and then accidentally killed. The victims' male friends avenge their deaths violently, beating one of the assailants to death and emasculating the other by tying his genitals to their car and driving off. Cruelty is met with cruelty. The movie ends on a note that feels anything but triumphant, as the avengers promise to lie to the dead woman's female friend about her fate, so as to leave her as a happy memory.

I've watched far too many roughies than is probably healthy for one's sanity, but I do think this is a bit more ambitious than most. At the risk of boiling these things down to the demographic details of their creators, this is another one directed by someone other than a straight male that offers an interesting angle on the material. Maria Lease's Expensive Tastes lingers on the feelings of trauma after the assaults. Zebedy Colt's Terri's Revenge! adds an element of camp with Terri Hall's performance. Both those movies also afford their victims agency and allow them some catharsis in avenging wrongs. This does not offer such catharsis, placing the vengeance in the hands of characters not directly impacted, but an early exchange reveals an interest in the leniency afforded screen violence and punitive treatment of onscreen sex.

"Isn't it strange in movies you can show killing and people getting tortured and maimed. You can even show a baby getting murdered and that's not a crime. But if you show something beautiful like people making love, it's against the law. If we were in a movie and you showed what we did just now, some people would think it was disgusting." "Debbie, nothing so beautiful and so natural could be disgusting." "Did you know a few years ago you couldn't even show a belly button in an advertisement? It's like people are ashamed of being born or something." "That's reality, Debbie. I mean, people screw every day. Or should, I mean, you know. That's reality. This violence and murder and blood and all that other shit, that's, uh…" "It just doesn't seem right to me."

So perhaps this is movie's way of dealing with this hypocrisy on a structural level. So it's more ambitious in its grimy way than the other two movies I've seen by Perry, although if I had to rewatch one of these, I'd most likely go for Ballgame and hang out with my good friends Candida Royalle and Lisa De Leeuw rather than sit through the cruelty of the other two movies again. File this one under the "watch at your own risk" category, although its ambition does keep this from being too dispiriting an experience.

[bemtevis]

April 📚

• The Charm Offense by Alison Cochrun

I'm gonna preface this by saying I'm not the biggest romance reader. I liked it well enough, particularly its portrayal of mental health and the importance of friendships, which I always appreciate. The hype is understandable but it's not gonna be at the front of my mind when I think about my 2023 reads. 3/5.

• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

This book made me feel emotions I didn't even know existed and that is not an exaggeration. It was slow at the beginning, but once I was hooked, I was hooked. I saw the ending from miles away but it was still so effective in its delivery and it tells such a beautiful, heartfelt and important story that it was impossible not to cry. 5/5.

• My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron

Like with Self-Made Boys, I did not read the novel this book was based on (Jekyll & Hyde), and will be judging it purely from an outsider's perspective. Knowing the answer to the mystery makes it quite frustrating to follow the protagonist as he eventually discovers it as well. Still, it brings an interesting perspective to a time period I'm not used to reading about. 3/5.

• The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu

As soon as I heard the premise of this book, I knew I had to read it. However, it's hard to summarize the actual story of this book without spoilers, so I won't try, but it ended up being very different from what I expected. Not in a necessarily negative way. I should say it was pretty slow-paced and my eyes kept skipping entire paragraphs. The story itself is cool, though, and the characters are a lot of fun, but it seems like something I'd have more fun discussing than actually reading. 3,5/5.

• Louis & Louise by Julie Cohen

This book was everything. Coming in, I expected a touching story about gender roles and parallel universes, and it was exactly that and more. The mystery element adds something deeply compelling to the plot, especially considering there are two different events that happened on the same night, one in Louise's life and one in Louis', but we don't know much about either one. Kept me hooked from start to finish. 4,5/5.

• Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton Walker

I was really hyped for this book and I wish I'd gone in with lower expectations. It's not bad at all, but it didn't capture my emotions as much as I expected, you know? It was very predictable and repetitive at times and it killed some of the tension. That one thing with Yves came out of nowhere but its aftermath is definitely the plotline that interests me the most. Pretty great for a debut! 3,75/5.

2023 Reads: January | February | March | April

[rickmoya]

the books I read in 2022

Picture Me Gone, Meg Rossoff

Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng

William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Mean Girls, Ian Doescher

Food as Communication, Communication as Food, ed. Janet Cramer, Carlinta Greene and Lynn Walters (1)

How To Live With Your Teenager, Peter Buntman and Eleanor Saris (2)

Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison, Brandon Mull

Good Omens, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Channel of Peace, Kevin Tuerff (3)

Hatchet, Gary Paulsen

The Pigman, Paul Zindel

Fish in a Tree, Lynda Mullaly Hunt

The Midnight Library, Matt Haig

The Hunger Pains, The Harvard Lampoon (4)

Good Eats: The Final Years, Alton Brown

Dragonwatch, Brandon Mull

A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace

Big Fish, Daniel Wallace

Because Internet, Gretchen McCulloch

Dragonwatch: Wrath of the Dragon King, Brandon Mull (5)

You Can Date Boys When You’re Forty, Dave Barry

italics: read it before bold: read it to my kid in bed struck: unfinished

Woof. Bad year for reading. I don’t even have a good explanation for why my numbers dropped so precipitously from previous years. Perhaps continued struggle with the to-read shelf and what it signifies. It got even bigger this year, as my intentions eclipsed my performance. I know I was busier with school, going back in person and taking on more classes. But still. This is pitiful.

This year’s only goal: clear that fucking shelf. (28.) If I can read more than that, it’s a bonus.

NOTES

This is a collection of essays given to me when I finished my master’s. I finally got to it this year, and chipped my way through it while waiting in the car for kids to be done with activities. As mentioned above, it took most of the year.

I bought this book as part of a $2-a-bag library clear-out sale not long after graduating from college. Not grad school — undergrad. At the time, I think I was looking for ideas on how to be a good teacher, or to maintain a connection with youth for my writing. Like ... why do I still have it? But the 1980s discussion of how to have open and trusting communication was still surprisingly valid.

True story about being on a plane that was diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, because of 9/11 attacks. I had to read it before we went to see Come From Away (spousal assignment of sorts).

I found this in an Airbnb in San Diego on our summer vacation. It’s a parody of The Hunger Games and is as stupid as it sounds.

Really starting to get sick of this universe, just in time for my son to get the next book in the series for Christmas/birthday. I didn’t realize how much was left to go when I posted this initially, but we’re more than 2/3rds through and will finish so I’m still putting a number on it/not counting it for 2023.

[emeraldgreaves]

23 Books in 2023

[2022]

Finished

Loved / reread / read

The Vegetarian by Han Kang (12/29/22 - 1/4/23)

The Defining Decade by Meg Jay (1/5)

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu (1/6)

Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim (1/6-1/8)

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (1/5-1/11)

Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries #5) by Martha Wells (1/4-1/19)

The Goddess Chronicle by Natsuo Kirino (12/27–1/19)

Swan Dive by Georgina Pazcoguin (1/19)

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (1/24-2/3)

Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull & Amy Wallace (1/20–2/9)

I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown (3/4)

Once Upon a Marquess by Courtney Milan (3/1-3/10)

This Is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch by Tabitha Carvan (4/4)

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (4/23)

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin (finished 4/29)

Nuclear Family by Joseph Han (4/27- 5/3)

The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula LeGuin (4/30-5/9)

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (reread, started est. bigolas dickolas saga & finished 5/25)

The Devil Comes Courting by Courtney Milan (5/11-5/26)

Life Mask by Emma Donoghue (5/27-5/30)

Lady of the Camelias by Alexandre Dumas, fils (reread, 5/14-6/4)

My Not-So-Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella (6/4-6/6)

The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery (6/6-6/7)

Shakespeare Saved My Life by Laura Bates (6/7-6/11)

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin (6/4-6/18)

Love is a Mixtape by Rob Sheffield (6/14-6/21)

Beauty by Robin McKinley (reread, 6/22-6/24)

Geisha: A Life by Mineko Iwasaki (6/26-6/28)

A Lady of Persuasion by Tessa Dare (6/29-6/30)

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston (6/30)

The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan (reread, 7/1-7/3)

Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare (6/30-7/4)

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang (7/3)

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (7/10)

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (7/18)

Persuasion by Jane Austen (7/14-7/22)

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett (reread, 7/21)

Burnout by Emily Nagoski, PhD, and Amelia Nagoski, DMA (7/23-7/24)

Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin (7/3-7/24)

The Red Palace by June Hur (7/26-8/2)

The Farthest Shore by Ursula LeGuin (8/1-8/15)

Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett

The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg 

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King (9/2-9/3)

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (9/3-9/4)

Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor (9/22-9/27)

A Mathematician’s Lament by Paul Lockhart (9/23-9/28)

Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou (9/28-9/29)

Days of Distraction by Alexandra Chang (9/27-10/02)

Foreverland by Heather Havrilesky (10/03)

Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee (10/21)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (finished 10/27)

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up / Spark Joy by Marie Kondo (11/15-11/18)

Raise Your Voice by Kathy Khang (11/28)

The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly by Margareta Magnusson (12/5-12/6)

The Art of Discarding by Nagisa Tatsumi (12/5-12/7)

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson (12/11)

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (12/17-12/24)

The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis (12/28-12/31)

Ongoing

The Worst Journey in the World: The Graphic Novel by Sarah Airriess (1/17–)

Lord of the Rings (via LOTR Newsletter)

DNF

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel (12/28–1/12)

Astray by Emma Donoghue (1/4-1/13)

Time Squared by Lesley Krueger (2/10)

Mambo in Chinatown by Jean Kwok (3/18-3/19)

Density rhapsody lmao (4/4-4/18)

Madly deeply alan rickman (4/19-4/20)

Be the bridge (4/20)

The dead romantics (4/20)

Bronze drum (5/1)

This is how augusten burroughs (5/3)

Tastes like war grace m cho (5/4)

The duchess war courtney Milan (5/11)

The calculating stars mary robinette kowal (5/11)

Frugal wizard brandon sanderson

Fool moon jim butcher (5/21)

Vladimir julia may jonas (5/29)

Light from uncommon stars (6/11)

The spy who came in from the cold by john lecarre (6/25, try again later)

How not to be wrong by jordan ellenberg (6/29)

The great derangement by amitav ghosh (7/28)

i keep my exoskeletons to myself by marisa crane (9/16)

the key to rebecca by ken follet (10/03. not even tim downie can rescue this)

Frostblood by Ely Blake (11/something - 12/11)

Too Like The Lightning by Ada Palmer (12/17. wanted to love it though)

The expatriates by janice yk lee (12/27)

[ulkaralakbarova]

The story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York heiress, who dreamed of becoming an opera singer, despite having a terrible singing voice. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Florence Foster Jenkins: Meryl Streep St. Clair Bayfield: Hugh Grant Cosmé McMoon: Simon Helberg Kathleen Weatherley: Rebecca Ferguson Agnes Stark: Nina Arianda Phineas Stark: Stanley Townsend John Totten: Allan Corduner Earl Wilson: Christian McKay Carlo Edwards: David Haig Dr. Hermann: John Sessions Kitty: Brid Brennan Arturo Toscanini: John Kavanagh Mrs Vanderbilt: Pat Starr Mrs. James O’Flaherty: Maggie Steed Mrs Oscar Garmunder: Thelma Barlow Mrs EE Patterson: Liza Ross Baroness Le Feyre: Paola Dionisotti Mrs Patsy Snow: Rhoda Lewis Lily Pons: Aida Garifullina Augustus Corbin: David Mills Carlton Smith: David Menkin Cpl. Jones: Sid Phoenix Pvt. Smith: Tunji Kasim Orlando Adams: Carl Davis Microphone Engineer: Lloyd Hutchinson Elevator Operator: Richard Kilgour Ernest Ziegler: Jonathan Plowright Donaghy: Josh O’Connor Tallulah Bankhead: Nat Luurtsema Colonel: Ewan Stewart Gino: Cameron Cuffe News Vendor: John Guerrasio Edgar Booth Cunningham Jr: Elliot Levey Clifford B. Thornton III: Danny Mahoney Cole Porter: Mark Arnold Film Crew: Writer: Stephen Frears Director of Photography: Danny Cohen Screenplay: Nicholas Martin Producer: Michael Kuhn Producer: Tracey Seaward Editor: Valerio Bonelli Casting: Kathleen Chopin Casting: Leo Davis Casting: Lissy Holm Art Direction: Gareth Cousins Art Direction: Christopher Wyatt Production Design: Alan MacDonald Costume Design: Consolata Boyle Supervising Art Director: Patrick Rolfe Script Supervisor: Sue Hills Music Director: Terry Davies Music Editor: Stuart Morton Music Supervisor: Karen Elliott Assistant Costume Designer: Rosie Grant Costume Supervisor: Marion Weise Camera Operator: Iain Mackay Gaffer: Paul McGeachan Camera Operator: Lucy Bristow First Assistant Camera: Andrew Banwell First Assistant Camera: Iain Struthers Additional Camera: Jason Ewart Special Effects Supervisor: Manex Efrem Visual Effects Coordinator: Jenny King Visual Effects Producer: Noga Alon Stein Visual Effects Supervisor: Adam Gascoyne Visual Effects Editor: Edd Gamlin Sound Effects Editor: Phil Lee Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Dafydd Archard Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Mike Dowson Supervising Sound Editor: Becki Ponting Supervising Sound Editor: Ian Wilson Makeup Artist: J. Roy Helland Hairstylist: Anita Burger Hairstylist: Andrea Cracknell Hairstylist: Beverley Binda Makeup Designer: Daniel Phillips Makeup Artist: Karen Cohen Makeup Artist: Tahira Herold Wigmaker: Ray Marston Digital Intermediate: Rob Farris Digital Intermediate: Patrick Malone Digital Intermediate: Gemma McKeon First Assistant Editor: Karenjit Sahota Stunt Coordinator: Eunice Huthart Stunt Coordinator: Jo McLaren Assistant Art Director: Aoife Warren Original Music Composer: Alexandre Desplat Foley Artist: Andrea King Conceptual Design: Elo Soode Carpenter: Josh Wood Movie Reviews: Reno: **Nothing is greater than to have a supportive life partner by side.** I follow closely what films are announced and what are getting released. Sometimes its common that some films comes out without my knowledge, particularly non-Hollywood English language films. This British film was about a wealthy couple from the New York, especially the husband who tries his best to fulfill his seriously ill wife’s dream to be an opera singer. The problem is she’s not any good. Not just him, but everybody who is close to them and once laughed at her, try to understand them and give their support. But not all the occasion seems to remain the same. So on one such a big event, the disaster strikes and how it affects the couple is the rest of the tale to disclose. A very surprising film. I thought it was just a comedy like it brings small smiles on our face, but I laughed out loud on many occasions. This is definitely a right time, because I felt like it was a music and cinematic version of the American presidential candidate Don Trump. Yep, there not much difference, but still this ...

[buildarocketboys]

jasmine

aloe vera

nutmeg

Thanks for the ask!

jasmine ⇢ do you have a movie or book you loved but will never watch/read again?

There's a lot of books that I've liked or loved but probably won't read again, at least not any time soon. Most non-fiction books I'm not gonna read cover to cover again, although I might flick through them. Of the books I've rated five stars this year, I can't see myself reading the following again anytime soon (but I would still highly recommend them!): The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste; The Midnight Library by Matt Haig; Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes by Rob Wilkins; The Drowned and the Saved by Primo Levi

aloe vera ⇢ what’s something (mundane) you really want to experience in life?

I think I'd like to be able to successfully grow vegetables. I'm not very good at growing plants and keeping them alive, and I don't have much space or light to grow them anyway, but I would love to have just a little bit of self-sufficiency. I'd also love to have chickens but alas rented accommodation and shared garden space isn't exactly conducive to that!

nutmeg ⇢ how’s your room/home decorated? do you have a specific theme or style going on?

Again, rented accommodation, so we can't do much to decorate it. There's a nice sage green wall in the lounge which is at least a little bit different from the generic cream/white in the rest of the property/in most rental properties. We've also got quite a few pictures hung up around the place which is nice, and our own bookcases and desks.

[badmovieihave]

Bad movie I have Ilsa:The Tigress of Siberia 1977

[cultfaction]

Wildside (1985)

Created by Tom Greene, Wildside debuted on March 21st 1985 and ran for six episodes. The show starred William Smith, J. Eddie Peck, Howard Rollins, Sandy McPeak, Terry Funk, John D’Aquino, and Meg Ryan. Into a lawless land, they brought their own style of justice. Five men, one mission: The Chamber of Commerce of Wildside! It follows five reformed outlaws, the leader being J. Wendell…