#a k blakemore

[girlfromthecrypt]

First book I finished in 2024

The Glutton by A K Blakemore is a historical fiction novel; a reimagining of the life of the real French soldier Tarare who was said to have an unfathomably large, at times inhuman appetite. This was the first book I finished in 2024, and I finished it in two days over two long sessions. I'm normally anything but a fast reader and I actually haven't finished any of the last three books I purchased before this. My attention is fleeting, hard to be captured and easily lost.

The Glutton captured and held my attention for the entirety of its length.

I had never read anything by A K Blakemore before, so I didn't know what I was in for, but I was immediately charmed by her style. I don't often enjoy flowery language and poetic prose, but somehow, it really worked for me here. The story of Tarare is a gritty, gloomy and at times disgusting one, but even the darkest parts of this book are told in a narrative voice so beautiful that it makes them seem idyllic. This deeply unsettling contrast had me absolutely engrossed until the end, and when I had turned the last page, I was genuinely sad that it was over. Which made for a weird mix of emotions, given how disturbing the subject material was at times.

And I have to underline that it was, indeed, disturbing.

I have consumed a lot of dark literature and am very desensitized. Most of the time, I don't enjoy horrific fiction because the elements contained within strike me as senseless, gratuitive and void of substance. I didn't have that feeling with The Glutton. There was a lot of grittiness, yes, but it was never just for “the effect”. Every time the writing made me feel uneasy, it directly related to the inner world of the protagonist and the circumstances of his life, the current time period and its hardships. And even if it didn't have any kind of meaning, it was still told in such stunning prose that it almost felt romantic. Again, none of the things that happen in this book are comforting or beautiful, but with the way they're being told, it almost deceives you into believing they are.

Another thing that I loved about this was that the prose never seemed overdone or pretentious. It was more like a steady ebb and flow perfectly tailored to any given point in the story. It never seemed out of place or ill-fitting while at the same time being VERY MUCH out of place and ill-fitting, but it was always intentional and highly effective.

After I finished this book, I felt genuinely empty, and I just knew I was going to miss it. Now, a week or so later, I do. I really feel like this book is something special, and I'm definitely going to pick up The Manningtree Witches (also by A K Blakemore) as soon as I get around to it. The Glutton was not only a huge joy (though joy might not be the best word for it) to read, it actually made me want to read more. That's also why I wrote this review in the first place. I hope more people check this out and like it as much as I did.

[bones-ivy-breath]

Empty Town by Yu Yoyo (tr. Dave Haysom and A K Blakemore)

[girlfromthecrypt]

This hits very close to home because, given I'm currently reading my second book by A K Blakemore and I keep rereading my favorite passages from The Glutton, which I have never done for any other novel.

I think I've found them 🥹 my favorite author. It's like discovering a creature of myth.

There is something so incredibly precious about discovering a favorite author. After that much reading and that much wandering, looking, after knowing so many books, so many writers. Suddenly, almost by chance, you stumble upon words that speak differently to you, feel deeper, closer, something just falls into place and names that feeling that has been growing and rotting and rioting inside you and you never were able to name it.

It feels like home, someone who understands, a comforting weight on your shoulder. Understanding, beautiful and sincere, effortless. A bonding, an union, an embrace to fall into, a gentle presence to lean on.

[justforbooks]

Set in 18th-century France, Blakemore’s episodic 2023 novel, based on a real historical figure, reimagines the life of Tarare, a young peasant cursed with an appetite that goes well beyond the insatiable. Destitute and lonely, he is adopted by a travelling troupe, where he gains some fame as a kind of monstrous performing roadshow. An average morning sees him consuming “five news-sheets, a hat, three thimbles, twenty pigs’ trotters, two candles and a blind puppy”. Holed up in hospital as a medical specimen, rumours circulate about quite where his hunger has led him. This is a triumphant, tender exploration of fiction-making and desire.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[help-im-a-medstudent]

Book review

The Manningtree Witches - A.K. Blakemore

Rating:⭐⭐⭐

Blurb: Fear and suspicion take root among the women of Manningtree when the Witchfinder General comes to town.

England, 1643. Puritanical fervour has gripped the nation. In Manningtree, depleted of men since the Civil War began, the women are left to their own devices and Rebecca West chafes against the drudgery of her days. But when Matthew Hopkins arrives, asking bladed questions and casting damning accusations, mistrust and unease seep into the lives of the women. Caught between betrayal and persecution, what must Rebecca West do to survive.

Review: It took me an embarrassingly long time to realise that Matthew Hopkins was a real man and that this book was not just 'based' on the witch trials, but imagines true events from the perspective of someone who was actually tried for witchcraft. (That's more of a reflection of how much I was put off learning about history as a kid). It wasn't quite what I was expecting as I was thinking there might be some fantasy/actual witchcraft involved but once I got into it I did really enjoy it. I would have given it more stars but it's written with very advanced/slightly old vocabulary which I did have to google quite a lot and there was also some phrases which felt too modern and sometimes it felt a bit clunky. It switches between narrators between third and first but also sometimes you don't realise it has switched because the first person narrator also 'narrates' parts that she wasn't actually present for.

Overall, the story is interesting, thought provoking and enlightening about why there was a sweep of witch trials through England at that time and what happened during them.

Trigger warnings: persecution, bereavement, false imprisonment,

[searidings]

reading wrap up 2022 GO

ok so my goal this year was to read 100 books and then i went ahead and read 109. and if i read the locked tomb series three times through that's no one's business but mine <3

italics are queer, bold are amazing, bold italics are queer and amazing

jan:

middlesex - jeffrey eugenides

the mountains sing - nguyên phan qué mai

the vegetarian - han kang

the galaxy and the ground within - becky chambers

to be taught, if fortunate - becky chambers

when we were orphans - kazuo ishiguro

americanah - chimamanda ngozi adichie

h of h playbook - anne carson

klara and the sun - kazuo ishiguro

the space between worlds - micaiah johnson

feb:

normal people - sally rooney

circe - madeline miller

blood of elves - andrzej sapkowski

gideon the ninth - tamsyn muir

time of contempt - andrzej sapkowski

baptism of fire - andrzej sapkowski

march:

the tower of the swallow - andrzej sapkowski

lady of the lake - andrzej sapkowski

harrow the ninth - tamsyn muir

the last wish - andrzej sapkowski

we should all be feminists - chimamanda ngozi adichie

a memory called empire - arkady martine

burnt sugar - avni doshi

a psalm for the wild built - becky chambers

april:

the alchemist - paul coelho

sword of destiny - andrzej sapkowski

oranges are not the only fruit - jeanette winterson

the colour purple - alice walker

the midnight library - matt haig

where the crawdads sing - delia owens

10 minutes 38 seconds in this strange world - elif shafak

the discomfort of evening - marieke lucas rijneveld

crying in h mart - michelle zauner

my year of rest and relaxation - ottessa moshfegh

the shadow king - maaza mengiste

the virgin suicides - jeffrey eugenides

sapiens - yuval noah harari

the manningtree witches - a. k. blakemore

may:

parable of the sower - octavia butler

hot milk - deborah levy

an unkindness of ghosts - rivers solomon

the water dancer - ta-nehisi coates

pure colour - sheila heti

this is how you lose the time war - amal el-mohtar & max gladstone

five little indians - michelle good

june:

indian horse - richard wagamese

ducks, newburyport - lucy ellmann

the vanishing half - brit bennett

medicine walk - richard wagamese

crier's war - nina varela

a quality of light - richard wagamese

after the quake - haruki murakami

death in her hands - ottessa moshfegh

the school for good mothers - jessamine chan

bluets - maggie nelson

of women and salt - gabriela garcia

lapvona - ottessa moshfegh

mcglue - ottessa moshfegh

songbirds - christy lefteri

july:

to paradise - hanya yanagihara

sankofa - chibundu onuzo

the argonauts - maggie nelson

jane: a murder - maggie nelson

eileen - ottessa moshfegh

iron widow - xiran jay zhao

homesick for another world - ottessa moshfegh

a desolation called peace - arkady martine

the art of cruelty: a reckoning - maggie nelson

the witch's heart - genevieve gornichec

dune - frank herbert

aug:

never let me go - kazuo ishiguro

the island of missing trees - elif shafak

the marriage plot - jeffrey eugenides

almond - won-pyung sohn

all over creation - ruth ozeki

the water cure - sophie mackintosh

drive your plow over the bones of the dead - olga tokarczuk

sep:

the remains of the day - kazuo ishiguro

the blind assassin - margaret atwood

go set a watchman - harper lee

a pale view of hills - kazuo ishiguro

seven fallen feathers - tanya talaga

an artist of the floating world - kazuo ishiguro

the atlas six - olivie blake

the inconvenient indian - thomas king

a tale for the time being - ruth ozeki

ru - kim thuy

split tooth - tanya tagaq

wintering - katherine may

nomad century - gaia vince

dune messiah - frank herbert

the unbearable lightness of being - milan kundera

oct:

nona the ninth - tamsyn muir

indians on vacation - thomas king

severance - ling ma

nocturnes - kazuo ishiguro

nona the ninth - tamsyn muir

a prayer for the crown-shy - becky chambers

nov:

gideon the ninth - tamsyn muir

harrow the ninth - tamsyn muir

nona the ninth - tamsyn muir

embers - richard wagamese

dec:

starlight - richard wagamese

the buried giant - kazuo ishiguro

autobiography of red - anne carson

notes on grief - chimamanda ngozi adichie

cloud cuckoo land - anthony doerr

on fire: the burning case for a green new deal - naomi klein

sufferance - thomas king

[compneuropapers]

Interesting Reviews for Week 1, 2024

Tasks and their role in visual neuroscience. Kay, K., Bonnen, K., Denison, R. N., Arcaro, M. J., & Barack, D. L. (2023). Neuron, 111(11), 1697–1713.

Psychopathic traits and theory of mind task performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Song, Z., Jones, A., Corcoran, R., Daly, N., Abu-Akel, A., & Gillespie, S. M. (2023). Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 151, 105231.

Sensitivity and specificity in affective and social learning in adolescence. Towner, E., Chierchia, G., & Blakemore, S.-J. (2023). Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 27(7), 642–655.

[j-ayne]

One of my current reads. A love story between two soldiers during WW1. I expected the main characters to be annoying because they are public school students, but they're slightly more annoying than I even expected tbh, so I feel like Winn is nailing the characters. She's really capturing that misguided patriotism and excitement for war that I'm sure will be undermined later on in the novel as they actually move to the front.

I also dipped into one of my netgalley arcs: The Glutton by A. K. Blakemore. I have never read this writer before, but I'm really excited for this one. It's a fictionalised account of Tarrare - the French soldier from the 18th century, known for having an unusually massive appetite. So far the writing is wonderful and deeply unsettling. I'm always looking for good historical fiction and I think this might satisfy me.

[lboogie1906]

The organization known today as Kappa Alpha Psi was nationally incorporated under the name of Kappa Alpha Nu on May 15, 1911. Kappa Alpha Psi® Fraternity, Inc. (ΚΑΨ) is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity, founded on January 5, 1911, at Indiana University Bloomington. The Founders were Elder Watson Diggs, Byron K. Armstrong, John M. Lee, Henry T. Asher, Marcus P. Blakemore, Guy L. Grant, Paul W. Caine, George W. Edmonds, Ezra D. Alexander, and Edward G. Irvin. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #kappaalphapsi

[daisyskeates1]

ESSAY PLAN 1

FINAL PLAN:

ESSAY:

Bibliography

Brown, N. (2021). Library Guides: Design Fundamentals: Elements & Principles. [online] guides.lib.berkeley.edu. Available from: https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/design.

bmaits19 (2021). Visual Analysis- Avengers Movie Poster. [online] wucomsvisualliteracy. Available from: https://wucomsvisualliteracy.wordpress.com/2021/03/19/visual-analysis-avengers-movie-poster/ [Accessed 1 Apr. 2024].

Cambridge Dictionary (2024). Poster. [online] www.dictionary.cambridge.org. Available from: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/poster.

Dave (2021). The History of Movie Posters - Central Casting. [online] www.centralcasting.com. Available from: https://www.centralcasting.com/history-of-movie-posters/#:~:text=Early%20Hollywood%20movie%20posters%20were.

Devarazz (2023). The Evolution of Movie Marketing: How Films are Promoted Today | [online] www.medium.com.

Available from: https://medium.com/@devaraz/the-evolution-of-movie-marketing-how-films-are-promoted-today-8e5055e2b888

Disney (2020). Disney - Leadership, History, Corporate Social Responsibility. [online] The Walt Disney Company. Available from: https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about/#:~:text=The%20mission%20of%20The%20Walt.

Empire. (Nugent, J and Dyer, J.). The 50 Best Movie Posters Ever. [online] Available from: https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/best-posters/.

Famous Graphic Designers (2018). Saul Bass | Biography, Designs and Facts. [online] Famous Graphic Designers. Available from: https://www.famousgraphicdesigners.org/saul-bass.

Farah, J. (2023). A deep dive into movie poster design | Webflow Blog. [online] Webflow. Available from: https://webflow.com/blog/movie-poster-design.

Farah, J. (2023). A deep dive into movie poster design | Webflow Blog. [online] Webflow. Available from: https://webflow.com/blog/movie-poster-design.

IMDb. (n.d.). Advanced search. [online] Available from: https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?year=1996&title_type=feature [Accessed 1 Apr. 2024].

IMDb. (n.d.). Top 1000 Highest-Grossing Movies of All Time. [online] Available from: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls098063263/.

IMDb (2009). Avatar. [online] IMDb. Available from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/.

IMDb. (n.d.). Titanic. [online] Available from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120338/.

Krizanovich, K. (2021). On Paper, The Future of Movie Posters Is Digital | [online] www.celluloidjunkie.com. https://celluloidjunkie.com/2021/05/04/on-paper-the-future-of-movie-posters-is-digital/

Milton Glaser quote from The One Club for Creativity, Creative Hall of Fame, SAUL BASS (1920-1996) https://www.oneclub.org/hall-of-fame/-bio/saul-bass

MovieWeb. (n.d.). 1996 Movies. [online] Available from: https://movieweb.com/movies/1996/ [Accessed 1 Apr. 2024].

Pegram-Mills, B (2022). The History of Social Media Marketing | [online] www.bluetrain.co.uk. Available from: https://www.bluetrain.co.uk/blog/history-of-social-media-marketing#:~:text=It's%20an%20ever%2Dchanging%20landscape,its%20network%20back%20in%202006

Bamsey, A (2022). The story behind the iconic Jaws movie poster. [online] Creative Blog. Available from: https://www.creativebloq.com/news/jaws-poster.

Statista. (n.d.). Number of films produced in the UK 1994-2019. [online] Available from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/296454/volume-of-film-production-uk/.

Stewart, J. (2020). Graphic Designer Creates Over 1,200 Minimalist Movie Posters. [online] My Modern Met. Available from: https://mymodernmet.com/chungkong-minimalist-movie-posters/.

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (2018). WarnerBros.com | Company Overview. [online] Warnerbros.com. Available from: https://www.warnerbros.com/studio/about/company-overview.

www.linkedin.com. (n.d.). Cultural Kaleidoscope: How film posters vary across the world. [online] Available from: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cultural-kaleidoscope-how-film-posters-vary-across-world-blakemore/ [Accessed 1 Apr. 2024].

www.disneyplus.com. (n.d.). Search movies and shows | Disney+. [online] Available from: https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/search.

Bass, J. and Kirkham, P. (2011). Saul Bass : a life in film & design. London: Laurence King.

BAXTER, J. (2023). Story Of Disney 100 Years Of Wonder. [S.l.]: DISNEY EDITIONS.

Bergan, R. (2011). The film book : a complete guide to the world of film. New York: Dk Pub.

Dacre, R. (2020). Movie Posters : the history of cinema from the origins to the present. Milan, Italy: White Star Publishers.

King, E. (2006). Movie poster. London: Mitchell Beazley.

Robert Gillam Scott (1980). Design Fundamentals.

List of figures

Figure 3: L'arroseur arrosé (1895). [online image]. Available from: https://www.cinematerial.com/movies/larroseur-arrose-i14/p/p5wb1zbz

Figure 4: Jaws by Rofer Kastel (1975). [online image]. Available from: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201386608124

Figure 3: Vertigo by Saul Bass (1958). [online image]. Available from: https://artofthemovies.co.uk/products/vertigo-1958-italian-os-os-01

Figure 4: Types of posters pie chart By Daisy Skeates (2024)

Figure 5: Marvel: Avengers Endgame by Chris Skinner (2019). [online image]. Available from: https://www.homewallmurals.co.uk/avengers-endgame-61x915cm-movie-poster-37807-p.asp

Figure 6: Poland Film Posters. [online image]. Available from: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cultural-kaleidoscope-how-film-posters-vary-across-world-blakemore/

Figure 7: Advertisement pie chart By Daisy Skeates (2024)

Figure 8: Avatar By BLT & Associates (2009) [Online image]. Available from: https://cinemalightboxes.com/products/avatar-movie-poster

Figure 9: Photos taken by Daisy Skeates (2024)

Figure 10: Joker poster evolution By Luke Butland (2019). [online image]. Available from: https://cinematicslant.com/2019/10/02/joker-marketing-recap/

[furiouser-and-furiouser]

“It makes me think of the Bible, and what the Bible says of Hell, and I think that this cannot be what God intended when he decreed it all—that men would take the most memorable parts, the juiciest bits, and use them as a playbook, by which to make their earthly world be full of tiny hells under roofs of thatch and slate, over which they claim they have dominion, in which they shut each other up.”

— The Manningtree Witches, A. K. Blakemore

[lifeinpoetry]

you slid into my life as though / a witch’s smock — a sun poem.

A. K. Blakemore, from “May,” published in The White Review

[eyewearpublishing-blog]

Funeral

by A.K. Blakemore

https://store.eyewearpublishing.com/collections/books/products/humbert-summer

[cecilyneville]

fuck everybody else i respect you a k blakemore

[searidings]

hi hello it's the end of june which means!!! half of the year is already gone!!! i love your book recs and was wondering if you have a list of everything you've read so far this year??? and your favourites. i need to buy some books!!! thanks <3333

thank you so much for the reminder that this year is half over <3 yes i have been reading A Lot to quiet the brain demons so here are my very long list & recs!!

italic = gay/queer

bold = so good. SO good

italic and bold = so good AND so gay

-

JANUARY

middlesex - jeffrey eugenides

the mountains sing - nguyên phan qué mai

the vegetarian - han kang

the galaxy and the ground within - becky chambers

to be taught, if fortunate - becky chambers

when we were orphans - kazuo ishiguro

americanah - chimamanda ngozi adichie

h of h playbook - anne carson

klara and the sun - kazuo ishiguro

the space between worlds - micaiah johnson

FEBRUARY

normal people - sally rooney

circe - madeline miller

blood of elves - andrzej sapkowski

gideon the ninth - tamsyn muir

time of contempt - andrzej sapkowski

baptism of fire - andrzej sapkowski

MARCH

the tower of the swallow - andrzej sapkowski

lady of the lake - andrzej sapkowski

harrow the ninth - tamsyn muir

the last wish - andrzej sapkowski

we should all be feminists - chimamanda ngozi adichie

a memory called empire - arkady martine

burnt sugar - avni doshi

a psalm for the wild built - becky chambers

APRIL

the alchemist - paul coelho

sword of destiny - andrzej sapkowski

oranges are not the only fruit - jeanette winterson

the colour purple - alice walker

the midnight library - matt haig

where the crawdads sing - delia owens

10 minutes 38 seconds in this strange world - elif shafak

the discomfort of evening - marieke lucas rijneveld

crying in h mart - michelle zauner

my year of rest and relaxation - ottessa moshfegh

the shadow king - maaza mengiste

the virgin suicides - jeffrey eugenides

sapiens - yuval noah harari

MAY

the manningtree witches - a. k. blakemore

parable of the sower - octavia butler

hot milk - deborah levy

an unkindness of ghosts - rivers solomon

the water dancer - ta-nehisi coates

pure colour - sheila heti

this is how you lose the time war - amal el-mohtar & max gladstone

five little indians - michelle good

JUNE

indian horse - richard wagamese

ducks, newburyport - lucy ellmann

the vanishing half - brit bennett

medicine walk - richard wagamese

crier's war - nina varela

a quality of light - richard wagamese

after the quake - haruki murakami

death in her hands - ottessa moshfegh

the school for good mothers - jessamine chan

bluets - maggie nelson

of women and salt - gabriela garcia

lapvona - ottessa moshfegh

mcglue - ottessa moshfegh

songbirds - christy lefteri

to paradise - hanya yanagihara

sankofa - chibundu onuzo

[help-im-a-medstudent]

I was tagged by the lovely @studiousmedic to post nine books I intend to read this year! This year I haven't set myself a reading goal because I'm studying part time and will be applying for F3 and then specialty jobs, so don't want to add pressure, but these are all on my list!

IDs under the break

Bad Pharma - Ben Goldacre

Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese

Girl, Woman, Other - Bernadine Evaristo

How Not to be Wrong (The Hidden Maths of Everyday Life) - Jordan Ellenberg

Hello World - Hannah Fry

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke

The Appeal - Janice Hallett

The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters

The Manningtree Witches - A. K. Blakemore