#and I just thought it would be funny for Alice to read the romance novel XD

[victorluvsalice]

-->It was back to the Moonwood Mill library to check out a few books! The gang even brought the pets along -- though I think there was a brief moment of regret about that when Alice went inside and found Coty the librarian in full wolf mode with Fury coming off him in waves. Fortunately, he never actually started rampaging (hell, as you can see, he actually introduced himself politely to Shadow), so the gang was able to do what they liked --

-->Namely, read books and work out! Smiler was the first one in the gym, taking a nice long run on the treadmill before coming out for a little browsing and a chat with Coty, while Victor read a couple of books, played with Shadow, and then headed for the weight machine. Alice, for her part, remained pretty laser-focused on her werewolf reading, devouring (pun intended) the book on stereotypes and the romance novel about fated mates. (Which she is not particularly interested in -- she’s FOUND her mate, thank you very much.) That completed her book goal, and thus the Werewolf Initiate aspiration! I had her choose the Emissary of the Collective aspiration afterward when the game prompted me, though I don’t think I’ll have her complete it -- she’s not really a “pack” werewolf in that sense. But the one “lone wolf” aspiration requires you to be mean, so that’s not a fit either...really, I think Alice is just more interested in leveling up her XP so she can finally get a few more powers. :p

-->As for the pets, they kept themselves amused by wandering around and greeting the other patrons -- though when Kelly began complaining of a need to go to the toilet, I realized that, oh, yeah, there wasn’t actually any pet stuff on the lot. So I threw a couple of food bowls and a covered litterbox into the “spare room” that looks like its falling apart by the entrance. Can’t do anything else with it!

[rentumblsstuff]

Random Hatchetfield Headcanons

The first time Alice Woodward ever smoked weed was when (after much inner turmoil) she asked Deb to shotgun it with her.

Max has two snaggletoothed incisors which is why people swear to god he has fangs.

Deb also has a snaggletooth which is what inspired the vampire part of Alice’s vampiric sapphic play. Alice also thinks it’s ironic she made a vampire character when Deb is a vegan.

Ruth as a Sophmore hit on Senior Alice a lot. Alice thought it was funny and she and Deb “adopted” her. Max and Steph also put the PANIC in bi panic for Ruth.

Max would find it weirdly hot that Grace wears bathing suits under her clothes because of the idea that he gets to see what her body looks like before even she does.

The hospital is downtown, so Becky Barnes definitely got infected in TGWDLM. Despite never wanting to do it again, Becky climbs the tree as someone calls the HFPD to save Kathy’s cat because she’s still infinitely compassionate even under Pokey’s control. Plus, Pokey knows she wants to get over the trauma associated with climbing trees, so he makes her do it to give her a big number about finally overcoming her past. She accidentally flings the cat as soon as the song starts, which is why in Show Me Your Hands, the cat dies so quickly even though it JUST got called in.

Peter infected Steph who infected Deb who infected Alice in TGWDLM. Pete and Steph would have been Sophomores and Deb and Alice were Seniors, but I always imagine Steph and Deb knowing eachother because MRFC said Steph is in the Smoke Club on Twitter at some point. Assuming Steph’s been a little punk for a while, she’s been in the smoke club since at least Sophomore year, and probably a new inductee the same year as TGWDLM (2018).

Alice and one of her parents (maybe Bill) were also raised in purity culture because we know the Woodwards and the Chastitys go to the same church. The Woodwards probably take it with a grain of salt though (Alice has expressed dislike over Grace’s prudishness)- either that or one of her parents (probably her mom) wasn’t originally from said church and also raised Alice with “this is what you’re learning here, but here’s also what I learned at my church at your age.” Bill was likely the one raised in purity culture because he does NOT LIKE DEB and thinks that if she HAS TO date a girl, she should date someone like Grace Chastity, implying she’s an exemplary teen girl. Ms. Woodward lets Deb sleep over and probably knows she smokes and likes her anyways; three points for Alice’s mom not being the puritanical one.

Ted reads romance novels. He’s a former geek turned sleazeball- you know he reads the smuttiest novels ever and calls them “his research”. He refuses to read any book with the friends to lovers trope because it’s too upsetting to think about. (Side note Time Bastard gave us a definite date that timelines don’t branch/reset before depending on whichever theory you believe because the homeless man is in every timeline, meaning that Jenny’s death is fixed in time and never changes: October 7th 2004, so the timelines change anywhere between October 8th 2004 and 2018.)

In whatever timeline Emma finally gets to have her weed farm, she meets Paul when he tells her he was prescribed that marajamij for his anxiety and he was too scared to try Xanax. She thinks he’s kind of cute for a wet cat of a corporate slave. “Fuck the patriarchy? Yes please.” (Side note Paul seems so uptight and unfuckable like bro gotta be blank down there like a Ken doll and has no discernible kinks from what I remember while Emma is laid back and chill asf and like… normal in comparison so yeah sure Paulkins canonically fucks but does Emma enjoy it?? Like dude even Pete’s more fuckable than him come on.)

Pete and Steph don’t kiss when they admit their feelings for eachother even though one of them would die before ever getting to kiss each other because they both think it’ll only make it that much harder to go through with sacrificing the other. One of the reasons Pete also chooses to be the one to take the bullet because he doesn’t think he even COULD pull the trigger on her. Like it’d be physically impossible for him, in his mind.

TGWDLM was originally meant to be an allegory for the institution brainwashing us. Show Me Your Hands and America’s Great Again: examples of people in power working for and fulfilling the evil wishes of some almighty, otherworldly, inhuman THING (be it aliens, be it those in power). It’s clearly meant to satirize the way that power corrupts and tries to convince you its way is better. Even Hidgens, THE FUCKING TEACHER, tries to teach his student that it will be better for everyone to join in that corruption and give in to the hive mind. This reminds me of how the school system in America tries to paint our history as something glamorous; manifest destiny instead of genocide of the indigenous populations. The people in power convincing those under them that the deaths of countless lives is a good thing and it will pave the way to a better future. Cool motive, still murder. Which is why Emma “Fuck the Patriarchy” Perkins is the last one to be infected. She was incapable of being brainwashed , and even when she was the last one left, she saw that the people watching didn’t care, and the all-consuming threat of corrupted power closes in on her until the very last moment.

The Lords in Black were going to try to convince whoever sacrificed their most treasured something to do more work for them, but Grace required very little convincing. Like Wiggly spoke into her mind like “Gracy-Wace! You forgot my booky-wook! Look in it, see any thing you like? Wanna kill all the pervy-wervys?” And she’s like “holy cow I can kill all the pervy-wervys with this book?” Pete would have needed the most convincing because he’s just lost the only girl who will ever love him (in his mind) and so he’d think these things took away his one chance at true love and NEVER want to deal with them again. Even if they offered him a way to get her back, he’s too smart to know that won’t come without an even bigger price AND too paranoid to think she won’t come back wrong like Max did.

If the Green-Foster family ever did get to move to California and Lex got to be an actress, her interview attitude would be a lot like Reneé Rapp and if she ever got asked about why she’ll openly shit talk people in an interview, she’s like “I used to work retail I learned pretty fast that nothing gets done if you keep your mouth shut.”

[thebestoftragedy]

what are some books you liked and disliked so far this year?

So I read a lot (so far this year: 123 books finished, mostly novels), so I have a lot of books I liked and disliked. Let's call this my almost-mid-year year-in-books review. it's long. sorry (?)

5/5 star type books:

2666 by Roberto Bolaño - technically a reread (I read this for undergrad 10+ years ago). Really really good expansive weird dark book. A 'reading experience'. It's about knowledge and power and misogyny and history and academia and murder and death and what it means to have a legacy, and it's also pretty funny.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë - It's Jane Eyre! Not a reread but I was basically familiar with the plot due to basic cultural osmosis (I haven't seen any adaptations of it unless you count gifs on tumblr dot com). Good and fun. Romantic. All the haters are wrong.

4/5 stars, really good but maybe I had some reservations or it just didn't 'hit' the way I wanted:

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin - funny, weird, blah ending

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith - good but tbh I like the movie better

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather - good!

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick - weird! fun.

Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham - fast fun gloomy

White Tears by Hari Kunzru - some awkward setup and bad pacing but a killer ending. stealth horror novel

The White Album/Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion - it's joan didion

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers - quiet people leading lives of quiet desperation, etc.

Dungeon Meshi by Ryoko Kui - I read the whole manga series, I loved the first few volumes, hated most of the rest of the series, and then felt neutrally towards the last one or two volumes.

Looking Glass War, A Small Town in Germany, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carré - slowly working through all of his books, so far they're all worth reading but I'm not sure I'd be able to 'rank' any particularly far or below the others

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett - some cringey stuff but a good fun weird sci fi/fantasy murder mystery. it's gonna be a series (maybe just a trilogy?) so I'll read the rest also.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon - killer killer first 60% and then the last 40% was like whatever.

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace - so it took me until page, like, 250 to really get into this, which I can't really forgive. overall I think this is a very good book that mostly justifies its weird formatting/premises/characters, but I would say it does not change my vague impression of the author as someone who fundamentally lacks empathy with women. there are a few chapters of this book (where a 'chapter' can easily be novella-length) that I think are pretty unconscionable. but it's still well done, totally unique, and effective at what it sets out to do. oh also the author gets the DEFCON system wrong and that's a pet peeve of mine. so.

A lot of the Bad books I read were just mediocre romance type novels and not super worth breaking down.

Notably Disappointing/Bad Books, 2/5 stars (where I pretty much hate them or think there's almost nothing worth reading there, but I at least got Something positive out of the experience):

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston - this is a terrible bad stupid book I would have been embarrassed to have written as a 15 year old. but it had a few individual funny scenes/lines so it wasn't totally miserable to read.

The Monster Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson - almost incomprehensible sequel to The Traitor Baru Cormorant, which I liked ok/thought was interesting but underbaked. I'll try the third book, but I'm bailing if it's not immediately interesting to me because this was a total slog.

In Memoriam by Alice Winn - I think this got that second star on the merits of basically one good blowjob joke. going in I thought this was going to be more of a serious literary novel and not what it is, which is basically yaoi for twentysomething women who are really into song of achilles or whatever.

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata - I got absolutely nothing out of this. Sorry Women

Murder Road by Simone St. James - wouldn't have been notable except that I used to enjoy this author a lot (when she wrote historical mysteries) and haven't liked her contemporary/more modern stuff as much, and then this was a new low. dull clumsy boring novel.

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley - this got a huuuuuuuge insane marketing push this year and I think has already been optioned for TV (this will be a recurring theme in this list). utter mess of a novel, combines secxually explicit self-insert RPF, wallowing about Being The Child Of An Immigrant, wallowing about Accidentally Doing Microaggressions Against A Coworker, wallowing in general, bad sci-fi, actually pretty good fish-out-of-water time travel comedy, and just general misery for me, personally, the reader. massive massive disappointment, actively makes me angry it was published. did I mention there's a scene of the narrator, who is very clearly the author, getting eaten out by this guy:

anyway. that happens.

A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck - a few tumblr mutuals loved this, I found the writing style distracting and inapt. it's supposed to be a cerebral type horror, but I couldn't get into it because the aw-shucks narrative voice keeps anything horrifying at a pretty far remove. also you could tell the author Really wanted to show off the Research he did, or like prove to you the reader how smart he is, and I dislike that sort of thing intensely when it's not pulled off well.

The 1 star zone, or: the abyss gazes also:

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas - this is a super-well-known, super-well-loved, often listed as one of the best-of-all-time romance novels, and I just fucking hated every second of it. awful characters, awful plot, I wanted everyone to explode in an iron foundry accident (this happened in a different novel by the author, which also sucked).

Penance by Eliza Clarke - it's a fake true crime novel, very heavily based on a real crime, and it just did not justify its existence in any way. I got Nothing out of it and enjoyed none of it and it had no redeeming qualities for me. moderately offensive for it to exist at all, which I could more or less forgive if it were very good, but it's not.

Disfigured: On Fairytales, Disability, and Making Space by Amanda Leduc - bad tumblr posts pretending to be an academic type exploration of disability in fairytales, except you can tell the author has only read like 2 essays on the subject (because she only every references 2 other writers) and then watched some disney movies (but not even all of them). really lazy, bad-faith, deeply anti-intellectual. I spent my entire time reading this sending angry messages to @ilovemymutedcalico8487 about how wrong it is and how much it sucks.

My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen - I broke my rule and read a book with the word 'sapphic' in the goodreads description. really inept gothic, really clumsy 2014 tumblr SJW stuff wedged into a story that takes place in midcentury the netherlands, just bad.

Margo's Got Money Trouble by Rufi Thorpe whose name I will NOT mistype as Rupi Kaur even though she might as fucking well be - absolute garbage shit idiot trash for garbage shit idiots. actively loathsome and evil book. soon to be adapted as a tv series starring (and I'm refusing to google to double check this, so I could be completely misremembering, but this this does not deserve care or accuracy) elle fanning and nicole kidman. just don't.

congrats on reading. as a reward, you should go read a book that's good.

[the-monkey-ruler]

A Supplement to the Journey to the West is so hetero lol. I swear it was written by a fan who thought it was weird that Monkey had no love interests in the original story.

Funny thing... I really love Supplement XD

Like I KNOW it is insane and anyone that has read it knows it much more like... Alice in Wonderland kind of storytelling rather than anything coherent. Location change on a whim, people come and go out of nowhere, and it's more of a bunch of symbolism tighten put together than anything like a trusted narrative.

Even Wukong being married to Princess Iron Fan is just more symbolism of him having to deal with his desire and the end villain supposedly being a demon made of the same stone as Wukong but as an Evil Fish... like... you can't just add on 'oh by the way, Wukong has a long-lost fish brother.'

If anything I find the story fascinating that it practically shows an alternative universe of 'what ifs' and impossible feats. Yama is dead. Time travel is a thing. Heaven has fallen to earth. Tripitaka is a general in an army. Wukong impersonating the Six-Eared Macaque..... THERE IS SO MUCH GOING ON AND IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY FUN IF YOU CAN GET WITH IT. The idea that Wukong marries Princess Iron Fan because he knocked her up BY JUMPING IN HER STOMACH is so MIND BOGGLING. Also Red Son just... doesn't exist. It says Princess Iron Fan as NO other children from Demon Bull King and even Wukong is confused because he KNOWS he fought her child.

And if you know the story then you know... it's all a dream/illusion made by a demon trying to eat Tripitaka and honestly, it sounds more like Wukong's nightmare than a dream.

And there are earlier interpretations of Sun Wukong before Wu Cheng'en made his final draft in the 1600s, one of those being Sun Xingzhe from Zaju Xiyou ji by Yang Jingxian who was known for being much lustier and having a wife Princess Golden Cauldron. He also had four other siblings as well. While this never made it in Wu Cheng'en's draft there was a lot more versions of monkey yao before the creation of Journey to the West.

I take it a lot more like modern media whenever a movie or a show tries to give one of the pilgrims a love interest. In many, if not most cases they die... rip. But it is that kinda 'what if' scenarios more for the sake of entertainment or trying to flesh out an already fully fledged character. I doubt SJTTW is meant to try to emulate JTTW the same way modern media doesn't try to claim Sun Wukong would actually have a partner as he has shown no interest in romance within the novel. Romance is left more to Zhu Bajie~

[poppletonink]

BOOK AND TV SHOW REVIEW - Heartstopper - Alice Oseman

★★★★★ - 5 stars

"I like Charlie Spring! In a romantic way not just a friend way!"

Charlie Spring is a bookish, openly gay, overtly sensitive, over-thinker. Charlie has been through a lot: he was outed and bullied, and his supposed boyfriend seems to just be using him. Then, there's Nick. Nick Nelson plays rugby, so of course, everyone assumes he is a rude so-called ‘rugby lad’. However, he does not conform to everyone’s first concept of him - with a cheerful, patient, and oddly golden retriever-like nature, Nick digs his way into Charlie’s heart. But everyone knows that Nick is straight... and he is, right?

Heartstopper is an LGBTQ+ romance graphic novel and webcomic created by Alice Oseman, telling readers the story of how Nick and Charlie fell in love. Throughout the novel, there is a cast of diverse and relatable characters: Tara Jones, Darcy Olsson, Elle Argent, Tao Xu, Aled Last, and Tori Spring being just a few. There is also Nellie – Nick’s adorable dog.

Though Heartstopper is mostly a wholesome romantic story, the graphic novels do deal with some serious topics such as sexual assault, mental health issues, and eating disorders. The way that mental health issues are tackled in Heartstopper is phenomenal, as it takes a rare, honest approach towards topics such as eating disorders, trauma, self-harm, and OCD. The topics are discussed in a way that gives the reader an understanding but also doesn't go into extreme detail.

Netflix’s adaptation, which aired on April 22nd, caused Twitter to explode - #Heartstopper was trending in the UK and Ireland. The series consists of 8 episodes that are around 30 minutes long each. It stars Joe Locke as Charlie Spring, Kit Connor as Nick Nelson, William Gao as Tao Xu, and Yasmin Finney as Elle Argent. Tara Jones is played by Corinna Brown, alongside Kizzy Edgell as Darcy Olsson. Heartstopper also contains new characters such as Imogen and Isaac (Isaac is in place of Aled in the series). Season 1 of Heartstopper contains events from the first two graphic novel volumes, with slight changes.

Heartstopper is an important story for teenagers across the world; the representation of queer characters is immense in the series and something that should be seen more often on screens. According to an interview with Attitude Magazine, Yasmin Finney says that the casting call for Elle specifically stated that the actress required needed to be “a trans girl of colour”, and she then goes on to say that was something she had never seen before and that she never thought Netflix would do that. The diversity of the show is crucial for people to see as it makes people feel more comfortable in their own skin – they can feel represented; it also can help on the journey people go on when figuring out who they are as a person and what their purpose is in the world.

With amazing characters and funny conversations, whether you read the books, watch the series, or both, Heartstopper will make you laugh and smile from ear to ear with adorable romance and friendships.

[couldnt-think-of-a-funny-name]

Ya know, I truly hope Miss Renesmee Carlie Cullen fully dedicates herself to just....being as out there and iconic as possible

first things first- ANYTHING with the loch ness monster on it, she owns. Posters, shirts, jackets, shoes, folders, buttons, iron-ons, there is always at least 5 pieces of Nessie merch on her at all times

once she gets old enough to start high school, the cover story is her and Edward are siblings that Carlisle and Esme took in, and sometimes her classmates will ask her what her biological parents were like and she will flat out be like 'oh, they're vampires' and Edward and Bella are like. 5 feet away trying not to scream

every Halloween she'll show up to school in an elaborate Nosferatu costume

goes out of her way to photobomb people in increasingly ridiculous ways so there will Always be a photographic record of her and in like 100 years she can get a huge kick out of teens on the internet trying to make a conspiracy about her

joins as many school clubs as she can, even if she has no interest in them- she just Really wants a concrete record of herself to exist lmao

ICONIC at school theater though. One of those demon theater kids that come to rehearsal purely to cause chaos and nothing else, but her voice is incredible so she secures every lead. One time she somehow managed to star in a show while also playing in the school band for it- her classmates still have no idea how she pulled it off

Always brings blood out in public in a CLEAR THERMOS and it stresses her family out so much but everyone else thinks she's just like, weirdly into tomato juice so the Cullens can't stop her

to everyone's surprise...her biggest chaos enabler is Jasper lmao. everyone thought he'd be a logical, responsible uncle but they're just. A Problem together. He'll 100% assist her in any prank she wants to pull, he gets her fake id's when she wants to sneak into a club with friends, he bails her out of jail without telling her parents, they figured out if she gets high and he reads her feelings he'll get high too and it's. So fucking funny.

she's always carrying some random instrument around school- like for a while it's a guitar or a harmonica, fine, but then she'll start lugging a cello around, a tuba (she doesn't even play, she stole it off a guy who was annoying her) and it escalates until one day she's wheeling a piano around the building. no one's even sure how she got in in the doors of the school. She keeps running kids over in the hallway with it

You know the Catherine Tate Lauren Cooper skit with David Tennant? Where she's being a terrible student and then perfectly recites Shakespeare? 100% Nessie

when she starts getting dates Jacob keeps trying to wing man and be over supportive and give her a ton of girl advice and it's embarrassing as hell so one day when he was on a spiel about How To Woo A Lady she looks him in the eyes and goes 'oh really? did that work on my mom?' and the Cullens fucking LOSE IT. Jacob had to go live in the woods for a few days because he couldn't cope

Emmet and Jasper: arrive to school in their jeep. Rose and Alice: arrive in a convertible. Edward: arrives in his dumb volvo. Bella and Jake: arrive to school on motorcycles. Nessie: arrives to school on a unicycle while juggling

one year she ended up getting nominated for prom queen and Edward read the minds of the teachers tallying the votes so he knew she won and he and Bella were so excited!! they're like we're gonna take so many pictures of our baby looking like a princess! And then she emerges from her room, actually drenched in pigs blood. Like she just did it to herself and went to the dance and accepted her crown like that

she regularly commits crimes against fashion. If she comes out of her room and sees Alice contemplating turning herself over to the Volturi, she KNOWS she's picked a great look

somehow gets ahold of Aro's cell number and sends him selfies of her blatantly breaking vampire laws captioned 'whatcha gonna do'. he keeps blocking her but she keeps managing to get through to him somehow

she illegally sells soda out of her locker and does people's homework for cash, while also paying other people to do her homework for her. she organizes every single senior prank. she's never gotten a detention in her whole immortal life because every teacher just Adores her for some reason

had 100% used her powers for deserved evil before. Like, if someone's being a dick at school, she'll sneak into their room at night and give them nightmarea threatening them to be a better person lol

sometimes she'll show up at the hospital unannounced and ask Carlisle, in front of his coworkers, 'yo can I raid the blood bank?'

her bedroom looks like a library. every wall, floor to ceiling books.

she's been publishing trashy romance novels under a fake name for almost 40 years now and no one in her family knows

one birthday Jacob takes her on a trip to vegas and they get wasted, at some point they were laughing about how ridiculous their lives are and they're like 'wouldn't it be fucking hilarious if we had a baby'. they then black out, hangover style, and wake up like a week later with a payment on her card to a fertility clinic. Jacob's like 😱 and Ness is just like 'you get to be the one to explain this to my parents'

Their kid is absolutely hilarious, they were correct, and at some point they realized 'wait...drinks blood..doesn't sparkle...can shape shift...we've somehow created a classic pop culture vampire' lmao

Edward had to threaten them to get them to not name the kid Vladimir

Also to be clear: Nessie and Jacob have the EXACT same dynamic as Will and Grace. that's canon.

says its her goal to star in a live action all female production of mamma mia and Carlisle is like 'honey you know you can't do anything on broadway or in hollywood' and she's like, 'no, in real life. I'm gonna go to greece and attract a bunch of women with abba songs' and he's like,,,,,ah

she loves all music but she goes out of her way to Only play stuff she knows Edward hates lmao

one day she remembers she doesn't need to breathe and can see under water and just. books herself a ticket to scotland and Finds The Loch Ness Monster

she actually personally finds a lot of monsters and cryptids like her hybrid aura just attracts all kind of weird shit and she LOVES it. She stops writing trashy romance novels and starts writing autobiographies of her traveling and hanging out with paranormal beings and everyone just assumes its fiction so she becomes a best selling fantasy author lmao

100% she's very into witchy stuff and only like...half in a trendy way. She's like what if on top of everything I've got going on I can cast spells? Think I deserve that power

when she's a couple decades old she catches Edward looking grossed out one day and she asks him what's up and he's like 'I really dont need to hear what creepy teachers think about my daughter' and she's like. oh. Dad we are gonna get SO MANY pedophiles arrested shdndjdn she gets him to expose teachers and she baits them then calls the police. queen.

She finds out she can get tattoos but they fade completely out of her skin within 5 years so she's always getting crazy tats

posts selfies on social media of her just like. hanging out with mountain lions or chilling on top of the space needle. her classmates think they're all photoshopped obvi but it drives her family insane

imagine you're 15 and you're on a nice hike in the woods and you come across your one classmate half naked, sacrificing a bear in some ritual, blood dripping down her face, bigfoot chilling on the rocks behind her filming the ritual on her phone...like on one hand, what would you do, but on the other hand. you've known this girl for a bit and you aren't surprised at all

anyway. stan Nessie Cullen.

[burningdarkfire]

books i read in april 2022

[these are all short + casual reviews - feel free to msg me and ask   about individual ones if u want a full review or ask for my goodreads!!]

23 books this month!! my reading challenge is thriving 🥰

piranesi - susanna clarke ★★★★★ (fantasy)

susanna clarke does it again!! insanely beautiful and utterly sunning. i absolutely loved how this book opened and the way we, the reader, have to navigate the faith of the narrator with our doubt until eventually our roles reverse. i’ll be thinking about this one for a while!

jane, unlimited - kristin cashore ★★★★★ (YA, fantasy)

i rarely say this, but i would highly recommend going into this book blind. it’s a very weird, genre-bendy, fun and funny book that i’ll definitely have to reread in the future. i love how clever this entire book is!

heartstopper (volumes 1 & 2) - alice oseman ★★★★★ (YA, romance, graphic novel)

i watched the netflix show and cried and then i reread these two volumes and cried again. nick and charlie are just so so sweet 🥺

the wicked + the divine (all 9 volumes) - kieron gillen & jamie mckelvie ★★★★★ (urban fantasy, graphic novel)

i’ve loved the concept of this series since the beginning and it’s never stopped delivering. the plot suffers at points but the emotional core never falters. it’s a story about living long enough to want to live. it reads so differently to me now in 2022 than it did when i first found it in 2016, and i'm thankful for that

beartown - fredrik backman ★★★★☆ (contemporary)

this was the first annotated book i did with my book club!! i loved the structure and narrative voice, and there was a strong and really well-rounded cast of characters. good exploration of different human facets and i teared up more than once

jujutsu kaisen (volume 0) - gege akutami ★★★★☆ (YA, fantasy)

i watched the movie and then read the manga and i’m actually impressed at how close the adaptation is. love the character beats!

fire and ice - erin hunter ★★★★☆ (children’s, fantasy)

nearly 20 years later and i still hate this graystripe storyline 🤪 anyway isn’t wild how differently the xenophobia of cats reads as an adult? i guess i’m gonna reread all of these books now

a siege of bitterns - steve burrows ★★★★☆ (mystery)

very generic mystery, in the "conventional for the genre” sense. clumsy at points where the detective work didn’t quite convince me but the birder twist was interesting and i love learning. i should read more of these!

ring shout - p. djèlí clark ★★★★☆ (historical fantasy)

tbh i lacked the vast majority of cultural and historical context to fully enjoy this but it was still fun! if you want a story about killing KKK demons then this is exactly what you’d expect

provenance - ann leckie ★★★★☆ (scifi)

the plot and themes are functional. i didn’t like the main character but i know that’s 100% personal preference and leckie wrote her well. i did really like the inclusion of a third set of pronouns though and that was the redeeming factor of the book for me!! very interesting inclusion that def challenged me as a reader

the break - katherena vermette ★★★☆☆ (contemporary)

it’s a shame i read this so close to beartown because it just feels like a worse version. the writing was fine, the story had some heartfelt moments, the characters were developed well for the time we had with them but nothing about it stood out to me at all

dowry of blood - s.t. gibson ★★☆☆☆ (fantasy, romance)

this read like the interesting outline of a novel but idk where the actual novel is. incredibly shallow and simplistic

[DNF] all of us villains - amanda foody & christine lynn herman ★★★☆☆ (YA, fantasy)

i gave this a try even though i know i don’t like amanda foody’s writing and it turns out i still don’t like her writing. everything is too dramatic with no genuine stakes. i stopped after a couple of chapters 🤷‍♂️

[DNF] fifty shades of grey - e.l. james ★★☆☆☆ (romance)

idk why i thought i was going to read this for the ~cultural impact but yeah actually i’m just not going to do that LOL i read the first few chapters and skimmed for the explicit and meh!

[cricketnationrise]

Quarantine Reads Part 7

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6

151. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver: one of my mom’s buddy read pick. alternating pov. accidental baby acquisition. road tripping.

152. His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik: HOW did I miss that Naomi Novik had a whole dragon series??? HOWMST??? these are seriously right up my alley: dragons can talk and are partners with their riders, some dragons only let LADIES ride them (!!!), alternate history. plus there’s like 9 OF THEM??? amaze.

153. A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner: book 4 in the queen’s thief series (now complete!). political intrigue, gods are real and semi-present in people’s lives, greekish adjacent.

154. Heartstopper: Volume Two by Alice Oseman: yes i had already read these panels online, but my print copy came in so obviously it was time to reread (it’s going to be a tv show!) (also its still updating!)

155. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson: meticulously researched, interwoven personal stories, the book is HEFTY but reads pretty quick

156. The Architect’s Apprentice by Elif Shafak: really cool story set in the height of the ottoman empire, follows Jahan, the elephant keeper, and how he came to be there and him growing up

157. Longbourn by Jo Baker: a retelling of pride and prejudice from the servants’ point of view, content warning: wickham preying on like a 12 year old, witnessing a whipping, descriptions of starvation, being a soldier in the napoleonic war

158. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks: a ridiculously old Hebrew manuscript thought to be lost is found in Sarajevo, a conservator goes to examine it and finds several clues to the provenance of the text, follows the clues through history and flashes back to the present as the conservator tries to follow up on the clues, based on the true story of the Sarajevo Haggadah; content warning: murder, Holocaust, giving birth, the Inquisition

159. Goalie Interference by Avon Gale: hockey m/m romance between a set of tandem goalies on a fictional professional hockey team, lots o sex

160. What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli: coming of age story set in nyc the summer before college, trying to figure out who you are, missing connections, some bad communication that gives way to good communication

161. Trade Deadline by Avon Gale: a hockey player gets traded after many seasons on the same team to his hometown team that is struggling to bring in fans, he reconnects with a childhood friend (and first kiss) who helps run the local aquarium, cuteness ensues, romance (so there’s sex)

162. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead: two slaves manage to escape Georgia on the Underground Railroad, which, in this imagining is a series of safe houses and actual trains, follows their lives after that; content warning: violence, whipping, hunting people with dogs, severe illness, murder, racism

163. Small Gods by Terry Pratchett: 13th in the discworld series, this one explores the makings of a religion and how gods that have fallen out of favor can get a resurgence, very funny, highly ridiculous

164. Are You Listening? by Tillie Walden: graphic novel, Bea is on the run, runs into Lou, they find a cat, strange and dangerous stuff starts happening to them, magical realism, towns appearing and disappearing, haunted by a group of threatening men? creatures? unclear

165. The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix: a fun fantasy novel, old gods still exist, demons exist, a special family of booksellers are the main ones in london trying to stop them from wreaking havoc on the mundane population, a girl discovers her father is not what her mom told her

166. Bloom by Kevin Panetta: graphic novel, ya m/m getting together and falling in love, a boy is helping out in his parents’ bakery reluctantly when he is given permission to hang a help wanted flyer and meets the boy who becomes one of his best friends and maybe more

167. The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman: short story, follows a father and son’s relationship

168. The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore: non-fiction, follows the author of the original wonder woman comics and his life, he seems like an ass to me though

169. Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson: a hacker and his network is targeted after sleeping with/romancing the fiance of the government official tasked with rooting out those people trying to avoid the regime, alif is forced to go on the run with the literal girl next door and manages to accidentally stumble into the world of the djinn; content warning: imprisonment, torture, starvation, riots, murder

170. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig: in the space between life and death, there is a library, full of every what if you can think of and many more that you didn’t, follows the protagonist as she explores her own life many times if she had made different decisions along the way

171. A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers: a crew that punches wormholes through space to make travel easier is given a huge contract that would set them up financially, but will take a massively long time to get to, and when they do, all is not as it seems, changing POV throughout the crew of a couple humans, a few differing alien species, and an AI as they go to do this job,

172. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows: epistolary novel set just after WW2, juliet ashton is a writer who receives a letter from Guernsey Island in the English Channel and they spark a friendship, after learning more about his experience during the war and his relationship with books, she starts corresponding with others from the island and eventually goes there herself. this is my actual favorite book. the love story is super sweet plus the friendships are A++++

173. Unshelved by Bill Barnes: comic strip collection set in a local library, follow the librarians as they battle loud teenagers, preteens who don’t want to read, and people who think the library is for anything but finding books to read

174. Ms. Marvel, Vol 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson: Ms. Marvel origin story, follows a teenager in Jersey City as she accidentally and suddenly acquires superpowers while trying to still make her curfew and not disappoint her parents and get good grades

175. Feast of Famine by Naomi Novik: short story set in the Temeraire series, won’t make sense unless you’re familiar with the worldbuilding

[bespectacledbun]

What is in Arthur, Sasuke, Mousse, and Charles that you super love about them?

GASPPPP I LOVE THIS ASK SO MUCH OMG 💕💕💕 it’s gonna be a long post so I’m putting it under the cut sjdjfkg 

if you don’t want eng/jp spoilers for any of the guys, please don’t read!! that is my warning for this post, so if you decide to click anyway and then complain I put spoilers, I will laugh in your face ✌🏽😚

Sasuke – where do I even begin with this boy??? He’s caught my eye since day fucking one of ikesen when I downloaded it and I was so??? excited??? because 1) holy SHIT we get a meme-y best friend and 2) he’s?? a ninja??? and  I got into this game when I was 16 and I was like THIS IS THE ONE I WANT HIM. I’ll admit, the first thing I liked about his character was that he wore glasses (gotta stay on brand yo) but when we got to see more content of Sasuke in the other routes and in the events I just…slowly fell in love with him and all his quirks. The way he could reference memes with such a straight face. His enthusiasm for history and the warlords. The ninja jokes. The way he couldn’t wink. The more stories he featured in, the more I started loving him (@under-sengoku-skies knows how much I’ve rambled about Sasuke in our dms)

The first story event he featured in, Lord vs Vassal, his story side was him taking the MC on a stargazing date and they saw shooting stars from Azuchi’s roof and I just… The way I felt reading that is indescribable. As a history nerd and space geek myself, I loved his jokes, and the way he thought that his and MC’s meeting was designed by fate is just. I couldn’t help but fall in love with that, y’know? The idea that this man of science is such a romantic that he believed his meeting with MC wasn’t just a chance encounter, but it was arranged by destiny… I can’t think of anything right now except cute hdgahshfg.

And then when we got his route and I found out that he’s been waiting for FOUR YEARS and training all that time just to protect the MC it was like,,, the last piece of the puzzle clicked in. To wait all that time and constantly be there for MC in every single route and to protect her… everything Sasuke does has always been for MC (this is your reminder to go read Sasuke’s route if you haven’t done so already). So tldr, Local Sengoku Ninja is Actually a Romantic and Makes an Excellent Boyfriend

~

Mousse – So when Mousse first got released in…late 2018 iirc, I actually didn’t think much of him at first 😂 it’s funny, because at first all I knew was that he was the Sleeping Dormouse and a diplomat. So I didn’t have much of an opinion outside “oh cool, I wanna see what he looks like” right?? And then cybird dropped his character design and I was like. Shit. He’s actually kind cute?? So I think @ladygacha translated a few of his stories and his introduction story where he’s napping in the Civic Centre was released and I was like fuuuuuuuuuuuck. 

It’s kinda weird to explain but hdgajsd his hair is so fluffy and his general character design was just so appealing to me and then… I heard his voice. From that point on it was basically over for me ajsjdk I was WHIPPED. In 2019 his first birthday story released and he talks about how he fell in love with Alice at first sight and I was just g o n e HE’S REALLY SO CUTE IN HIS INTERACTIONS. It’s like what happened with Sasuke asdjfkajd I’m a sucker for “love at first sight” characters.

So when we got to see him in Zero’s route in English I was !!!! FINALLY I GET TO SEE MY BOI and holy SHIT, it was everything I could have wanted. The way he just called Zero out for not protecting Alice?? I was sold. Just his character and personality in general, the way he’s so passionate about other cultures and countries and the way his love towards Alice is so pure and genuine, it’s adorable, and I’m really excited to see more of him in English ajdfjgjajdf

~

Arthur – strap in because this is prolly gonna be so much longer than the other two ajsjdjfg. So funny thing, I liked Arthur before ikevamp got announced in English–before it was out even in jp, actually. For my 15th birthday, I had gotten a huge volume of Sherlock Holmes novels from my mother, and when I read them I LOVED the stories. I liked Sir Arthur Conan Doyle the mystery writer before I liked Arthur, the ikevamp suitor. So when I found out he was going to be a character I could date, needless to say, I was REALLY excited for his route and ikevamp in general.

To anyone who’s read Arthur’s route, remember the chapter where Theo explains that Arthur is scared of getting close to people because he’s afraid they’ll leave??? Yeah. That chapter was the biggest fucking callout for me because I’m a little like that too. I’ve always been afraid of being left so when I read that, I was like ‘oh shit, this hits too close to home for me’. I know the popular fandom portrayal is this fuckboi who just sleeps around and has -10 braincells, but there’s actually so much more to him than that, which is what made me fall for him in the first place. 

I’ll be honest, I was really disappointed with the first few chapter of his route because I knew that it wouldn’t go over well and. Well. I really wish that we didn’t have to have such a scene in the first place, but sadly I’m not the story writer for ikevamp 😔 I was a bit scared of how he’d be portrayed in the rest of the route, mainly because I wanted to like his character a lot. So when his route actually dropped and we got him entertaining children, and his confidence at games, and how his brogue slips out when he’s stressed or nervous–all of that made me feel ‘okay, so this isn’t so bad’. I liked that we also got to see the darker parts of his route and his trauma wasn’t just brushed over for the sake of romance. 

Also, Arthur is… really stupid. Like really stupid. He might be smart most of the times, but when he goes into Panic ModeTM or when his emotions are running high, he becomes rash and impulsive and does the first thing that comes to his head (much like myself, which was a callout I did Not appreciate). Like throwing himself under a knife for MC. Or buying her a music box to see her smile. The first time I got to his confession at the end of his route, and he said he got a note from MC and ran to the portal without even checking to see if it was actually from her I just. stared at my screen. like, How can you be so smart and yet be such an idiot at the same time??? I don’t know. I really don’t. Tl;dr, Arthur is a dumbass but he’s a lonely dumbass with a heart of gold and has some really soft event stories in jp (gap moe, anyone?), so please stan him hdgsjdhfg

~

Charles – Charles has literally only been out for a max of 4 months and yet, if anything happened to him I would shoot everyone in ikevamp and then myself. The funny thing is, NOBODY thought I would fall for Charles at first. Last December when they were releasing character designs for the new characters in ikevamp jp, all my friends tagged me for Faust because everyone, including me, thought I’d fall for the megane character. Then Charles waltzed in and wrecked my home and hearth and I was done for. 

Like Sasuke and Mousse, he’s one of those “love at first sight” characters, and in his first story he calls the MC cute and they go shopping together and I just *flails around* he’s so cute??? His character profile also says he’s starved for love and I just,,, in real life I would never stay with that kind of person but since he’s a fictional character, I can’t help but just want to stay with him Q_Q My friends like to tease me by saying all the guys I like have a sort of “puppy” personality ahshdjfg wheezes 

~

And that’s all of them!! If you came here expecting a coherent explanation, you’re asking the wrong guy my bro ajshdjf but please talk to me more about these boys I would gladly talk to anyone in my inbox 💖💖💖💖

[bunchofdrabbles]

jily coffee shop au

Lily entered the warm cafe, breathing in the smell of freshly baked pastries and coffee beans. She removed her gloves, placing them in her jacket pocket.

She joined the queue in front of the counter, waiting patiently for her turn. The cakes and muffins on display looked absolutely delicious. She could almost hear her stomach growling at just one glance at them. 

As soon as her turn came up, Remus, a friend of hers, smiled. “Back again so soon. You were here only just this morning”

“Remus, you know how cold it is outside and how much I love your Cafe Mocha” she immediately countered, pulling out her wallet. “Now, hit me up with a Cafe Mocha and- um- one of your blueberry muffins”

Remus chuckled, nodding. “No need to pay. You’re a regular and a friend. It’s on the house” he said, handing a baffled Lily her money back.

“But-”

“No buts. Now go sit, and you’ll have your order shortly”

Lily pouted but obliged, putting her wallet back in her pocket and going back to sit by her favourite table by the window. She glanced at the snow falling outside. It was absolutely gorgeous in her opinion. All the little snowflakes, none the same. A bit like humans, it occurred to her.

She tore her gaze from the window, removing her bag from her shoulder and placing it next to her, pulling out her laptop to get on with work. 

After a few minutes of concentrated work, someone set down a steaming cup of coffee and a muffin. She looked up to see a man with dark curly hair winking at her before walking off. Lily looked at her coffee cup, only to see something scribbled on with a black marker.

“Can I have a picture of you? So I can show Santa what I want for Christmas?”

Lily chuckled, glancing over the man who returned back behind the counter after speaking briefly with Remus. She then returned to her work, occasionally sipping her coffee.

--

The next day Lily returned to the cafe, this time with her best friend Alice, who was happily chattering on about some romance novel she had finished reading, Lily listening. 

They both ordered and then sat down by their usual table. The same messy-black haired man from yesterday came with their coffees, and Alice leapt up from her seat.

“James, I didn’t know you worked here!” she exclaimed to Lily’s surprise, hugging the man. 

James, as her friend had called him, hugged back. “Well, here I am. I just started a week ago” he said, a massive smile on his face. As the two were talking, Lily noticed something else written in black marker on her cup. 

“I’m learning about important dates in history. Want to be one of them?”

--

The next time she was there, she was alone. Only few people were at the coffee shop that day, so she took her chance to chat with Remus about random things. 

“Oh, here’s your coffee” Remus said, glancing at the cup before handing her it. He chuckled slightly, and Lily looked at it to see what was so funny.

“Can I borrow a kiss? I promise I’ll give it back - James”

Her face reddened slightly, but she kept on talking with Remus as if she hadn’t seen it. But this time the smile on her face was slightly bigger as she glanced at the brown eyed man at the counter, handling other customers. 

--

Every time Lily stopped by the coffee shop, she was always greeted by a random pick up line on her little cup, courtesy of James.

Today she was on a date with Amos Diggory, a man who had asked her out during work. She might as well give it a shot, she thought, what could go wrong. 

Diggory was a pleasant man, he was nice, but he just didn’t seem like a man she would date, and to be honest, she was a bit bored. They stopped by the cafe, ordering their coffees. Lily was handed hers by James, and she looked for some sort of pick up line on her cup. There was none.

But before she could think anymore about it, they were already outside the shop, making polite conversation as they made way back for him to drop her off. 

--

The next time she returned to the shop, it was Christmas Eve, and her hair was filled with little snowflakes. She was alone this time, having dumped Diggory, because, in her opinion, it wasn’t going to work out.

“Where have you been? It’s been ages since we saw you here” Remus asked as he took her order.

“I’ve been busy, you know, here and there,” Lily said, laughing slightly under her breath. Her schedule had gotten busier that day, and it was only because Petunia, her older sister, stepped in to help her that she could find time to come by the cafe.

She was handed her coffee by James, who avoided her gaze and rushed back behind the counter. Weird, she thought, searching again for another cheesy pick up line on her cup, only to realize her search was in vain. A frown took over her face as she sipped her coffee.

“Hey Remus, when does James’s shift end?” she asked him.

“Why?”

“No reason, just curious”

--

Around 6 pm the same day she stood outside the cafe, waiting for certain bespectacled man to exit the door.

Lily looked up from her phone when James left the cafe, locking the shop behind him. “James?”

He jumped, looking at her. “Lily What are you doing here?” he asked her, surprised. “Not that you can’t- erm- can’t be here, I just- uh- I wasn’t expecting you here” his face flushed as she giggled slightly.

“What happened, no more pick up lines?” she asked in a joking manner, raising her blank and empty coffee cup, a smile on her face. 

“Well, uh, aren’t you dating Diggory? Or well, he’s definitely interested in you” 

“Nope, I’m not dating him. I’d rather date someone else if I’m to be honest” she pointedly looked at him. Once he realized what she meant, his face turned even redder than before, which was a bit cute in her opinion.

“Are you- are you sure? I mean- you two have a great chemistry, according to many,” he replied after a while, avoiding her gaze as he fiddled with the lock.

“I think I’d rather make that judgement myself, if you’d let me” Lily said right after, trying her best to meet his gaze. As soon as he picked up the courage to make eye-contact, she took a deep breath before pulling him to her, placing her lips on his.

At first she got no response from him, which made her nervous. But after a few seconds later, she felt him place his hand on her cheek and him kiss her back.

When they pulled away, she felt a massive grin spread across her face. James looked into her eyes, before saying:

“Looks like I didn’t have to send Santa a picture to get what I wanted for Christmas”

[unnursvanablog]

All the books I read in 2020 / part 2.

The Golem and the Jinni - Helene Wecker: ☆☆☆☆☆

Loved how these myths and legends were used within this story. It is a beautiful tale of immigration and friendship and how Wecker conveyed that was just beautiful. The text did drag its feet in some places, but this story is also so character driven; their experience with the world, and their longings, so I understand that slow pace. Everything about it felt really sincere and it truly is a book that leaves you with something. I have never read anything like this before and I felt like it bridges the gap between historical history and fantasy well.

Naturally Tan - Tan France: ☆☆☆

I listened to this book in one sitting as I drove from the capital area and all the way home to the countryside. And I really enjoyed it because I really like Tan France and he narrated the audiobook himself. The text, the chapters and therefor the book itself goes a bit all over the place and it feels a bit vapid at times. It was about everything and nothing, really.

The Silence of Bones - June Hur: ☆☆☆

I am not so much for these types of mystery novels, so it was not something that drew me forward, but I did find the atmosphere that Hur created within the story and the historical elements really great and made the story quite enjoyable. I felt like learning a little more about certain parts of Korean history that I did not know before, and I really enjoyed that.

In the Labyrinth of Drakes - Marie Brennan: ☆☆☆

The world that Brennan has created continues to wow me. It is complex and it’s so much fun to travel around it. I love getting to know these characters at different stages of their lives and it just makes you like them even more. The story often runs into the same problem for me and that is that I find the first parts of the story so exciting, it is an adventure, but then it loses me a little towards the end.

The Will to Battle - Ada Palmer: ☆☆

After the amazing storyline of the second book, this book really lacked any excitement within the plot to propel you further and instead we got a lot of philosophical lessons and musings. In the previous books I felt like Palmer managed to strike a balance between those things, but not here. So little was going on. This story is deep, beautifully written, and complex and all that, but the text is often so long and dense, and my dyslexia just wants to skip these walls of texts that often just feel like statements about something philosophical but not real conversations or reflections from the characters.

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep - H.G. Parry: ☆☆☆☆

I was hoping for a 'grown up version' of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart, and although that was not quite what I got, I really enjoyed this. I thought the world was well thought out, and the idea of the readers interpretation of the characters and even literary criticism can affect how they would appear in our world was a cool concept. In some places I felt that the story was a bit stunted or towards the end I was starting to predict where it was going, and there was a lot of misunderstanding between the characters so the story could continue, which got on my nerves. But for the majority of the time, it was a really fun read.

Midnight Sun - Stephenie Meyer: ☆

You can judge me for this. I judge myself too. It was strange to fall back into the Twilight world after completely falling out of it after reading the last Twilight book. But out of sheer curiosity, I decided to give this one a try. But wow… this was not fun and added almost nothing to the original story and Edward is just so damn boring and having to spend time in his mind was just kind of a torment.

The Absolute Sandman, vol 1 & 2 - Neil Gaiman: ☆☆, ☆

I was going to listen to the whole thing via the new and shiny audible version of the Sandman comics, but I could sit through more than the first two volumes. I could not tolerate the violence against the female and queer characters. Oh my god! You do not have to go that far to make your story edgy, or create a complex, dark world. Nothing that happened seemed to move me or make me want to keep listening to this story. It does not really seem to revolve around anything. Or maybe I am just too annoyed to pay attention to the story. Fortunately, Gaiman seems to have improved as a writer since.

Radio Silence - Alice Oseman: ☆☆☆☆

Listened to this and although contemporary YA is is usually not something that hooks me or interest me in any way, Oseman manages to make the story so genuine and down to earth despite all the teenage drama, and the character felt so real that it just draws you in. The daily problems of teenagers often seem too dramatic or unreal to me in books like this, but that was not here. The text is not to flowery, but not too simple either. The story just as a really good pace going on. Everything just flowed together.

Wicked Fox - Kat Cho: ☆☆☆

The story did sound like a kdrama to me and I was hoping it would be that. Just fun and cute and fluffy with some loveable characters and sprinkle of myths and legends. It was fun, it didn't go into too much depth with most things within the story. It kinda brushes over a lot of things. For me the book started of well, but then towards the middle of the book things start to happen to fast and there was not enough time spent on bulding things up, so in the end the story kinda went nowhere for me. The little bits of the Gumiho legend, at least how the legend was presented in this book, inbetween the chapters was my favorite bit.

The Silmarillion - J.R.R. Tolkien: ☆☆☆☆

You can tell that worldbuilding and just spending time making things up for this magical world that he crated was one of the things Tolkien enjoyed the most when it came to writing. The stories about Middle Earth, even the backstories, are so rich and lushus. I do struggle with the writing style, it does feel a bit dry to me at times, and it does feel like short stories set in the world of Middle Earth and not at tightly knit story which isn't always my cup of tea so it did take me a while to get into it.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London - Garth Nix: ☆☆☆

The story really throws you straight into the action and you just have to find your bearings as best as you can while the story goes on. It was really fast paced and the story never really stops for too long to give you a breather. It was light and funny, a little weird and the character were whimsical, which I enjoyed. Sometimes I felt like I was in a Doctor Who episode, except with magic and not aliens. I just wish it would have let the story breath a little more for me to really enjoy the world that Nix had crafted and such things.

A Deadly Education - Naomi Novik: ☆☆

I do not know what happened here, but wow, this was so not Novik at her best. Neither the characters or the worldbuilding that I am used to getting from Novik was in this book and for the most part there wasn't a whole lot going on in this books. I can deal with a slow burning book and really just enjoy a good fantasy world but there was very little interesting things here to explore. I can deal with a unlikeable main character, but this one didn't grow at all during the book, she just kept on reminding us why she was cranky all the time and how much she delighted in it. There was a whole lot of telling about this magical school and the diverse world outside of it, but very little showing so it all seems rather empty and after a while I just started to skim over the text. And there was really no story there that kept me going and I could not see the purpose for anything that happened.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab: ☆☆☆☆☆

Oh, wow. The feeling that this book created inside me and the sincerity within the text just grabbed me and would not let me go. I made me feel a lot of things, and I love when a books do that. There are so many emotions behind it and you can really feel them. The atmosphere that Schwab creates in the story is great and it hooks you in, but it is the character and their stories that make you stay. I don't usually enjoy timejumps, but Schwab did them so well and they do explain the story and the motivations for each of the characters really well, although it get's a bit repetitive at times, especially towards the end.

The Moomins: The Exploits of Moominpappa, Moominsummer Madness, Moominland Midwinter - Tove Jansson: ☆☆☆☆

I love the Moomins, but there's just something so cozy about these stories and characters. They are part of my childhood, they are so light, whimiscal and funny, yet have depth to them, which is a balance that is difficult to achieve in my opinion. My journey through this book took me almost a year, as I only occasionally picked it up to enjoy the text and my stay in this small, strange world that Jansson created. I was savoring it.

Shine - Jessica Jung: ☆☆☆

SNSD, the band that Jesscia Jung was in, is my favorite kpop band since I started listening to kpop more than 10 years ago and their music is one of the main reasons why I got into kpop to begin with. So of course I was intrigued! The story here is something that I think could be inspired Jessica experiences within the kpop industry, or that thought never left me as I read it even if there were lot of unbelievable things going on within these pages. But it's definitely overdramatized at times. But how she talks about gender discrimination between female singers and male singer, from other people in the business and from the fans and the expectations that people have towards these singers and such. That felt really authentic to me. For all the glamor and the dazzle of the kpop world within this book the plot and the characters are a bit dull, and some of the more unbelievable events (like all of those trips and secret cafes) often pulled me out of the story. And I did not find the clichéd YA romance fun to read at all.

[harry-leroy]

Hey, local English major who has somehow never read Wilde in her life here, first of all I need to get on that but second of all I would love to hear more about your plot/ideas for the Lady Windermere's Fan prequel and how you got inspired for it! Your creativity never ceases to impress me, this project seems like so much fun.

Thank you so much for this, Macy! (And thank you for all your kind words, I really don’t deserve friends like you). And tagging @princess-of-france because writing projects (I hope you’re doing well!) 

(Enjoy a Stephen Fry as Oscar Wilde gif…) 

The Selby Roses is a working title for a prequel to one of Oscar Wilde’s comedy plays, Lady Windermere’s Fan, that I’ve been working on for roughly a month - the project has just begun, and the road will be long, but I’m excited to go on this journey with it! 

Quickly before I get into The Selby Roses, I’ll give a quick synopsis of LWF if you’d like some context. On Lady Windermere’s 21st birthday, news is brought to her that for the past six months, her husband has been giving enormous sums of money to a mysterious woman by the name of Mrs. Erlynne. In a moment of desperation, her husband invites this woman to his wife’s birthday party. Is Lord Windermere having an affair? And how will the young Lady Windermere handle it if he were? In one dazzlingly disastrous night, our characters confront love, loss, lust, misguided intentions, confessions, drunken fights, and some terrible confusion about a particular fan. You can click here to see the cast of the 2018 Vaudeville production try and summarize it in under one minute! 

A line in Act IV of LWF prompts the story of The Selby Roses: “Let us go to Selby.  In the Rose Garden at Selby the roses are white and red.” A highly fond memory of Lady Windermere’s that reminds her of the root of her love for her husband, and thus sets the stage for our prequel play. 

Set in the summer of 1888, The Selby Roses tells the story of the budding romance of Lord Arthur Hudson and Lady Margaret Kendal (our eventual Lord and Lady Windermere in LWF). The play begins the day of a country party out in the Windermere’s country home in Selby. Arthur’s father, having been diagnosed with a terminal illness, wishes to see his eldest son married before he dies. All is in order for Arthur’s courtship of the charming Lady Emma Carlisle, but a mysterious Lady Kendal arrives at the party and takes Arthur’s heart unexpectedly. However, Arthur is not the only one smitten by her, and even if she loves him in return, love isn’t their only obstacle. The night spins into one of chaos, a Victorian high-society Wars of the Roses where a woman’s heart becomes as valuable as a kingdom. Hearts will be won, lost, broken, but all is fair in love and war… 

The main cast is as follows (I’ll indicate original canon characters vs new characters). I’m going to leave them under a cut so this post doesn’t get too long! 

Women: 

Lady Margaret Kendal (19 y/o) - (Lady Windermere in LWF). Invited by Alexander to the party without the permission of his parents. Bold, spirited, highly principled, although she is rather sheltered. She finds herself confused between several lovers who cross her path over the evening, but finds consolation in becoming friends with the other women. 

Alice Hudson, Marchioness of Windermere (50s) - Arthur and Alexander’s mother, a good friend of the Duchess of Berwick. She intends for this courtship between Arthur and the Duchess’s daughter to go smoothly, but runs into several distractions set up by her sons and their friends. Witty, honest, somewhat overprotective and dotes on her boys. (prequel add-in: the line “you fancy because I have no father or mother that I am alone in the world, and that you can treat me as you choose” from Lady Windermere in the original play gave me the idea that Arthur has at least one living parent by the time LWF rolls around, unlike his wife.) 

Lady Julia Kendal (40s) - Margaret’s aunt and governess. She has raised Margaret ever since the child was eight years old, raising her with Puritan ideals, hoping she’ll be different than her nearly scandalized parents. She comes to the party with Margaret, and wants her to stay away from the men, but love will have a way. (She is mentioned by Lady Windermere in LWF, but is never seen in that play). 

Margaret Erlynne (late 30s/early 40s)- This infamous woman of LWF doesn’t appear until the end of The Selby Roses, clearly to make her intentions with the Windermere household in Oscar Wilde’s play, but also to recount on her past mistakes and regrets. 

Laura Ford (early 20s) - (Lady Plymdale in LWF) University student in London, she attends the party on her own while her brother takes care of her ailing mother at home. She has been offered a proposal several times by Lord Albert Plymdale, but she finds her heart pining for the Byronic writer, George Dumby. It’s been like that for years, how could tonight possibly change anything? Bold, mature, incredibly smart, but her heart is absolutely aching. 

Lady Beatrice Marley (20 y/o) - Arthur and Alexander’s cousin, Alice’s niece. She becomes a good acquaintance of the young Lady Kendal along with the other women of the play who help her go after the hopelessly lovestruck Arthur. She finds herself being chased around by Dumby, who finds her to be his new muse. Kind, sharp, with a charitable spirit. (An add-in. There was no particular line in the play that inspired her creation, but rather Dumby’s somewhat womanizing character and his relationship with Laura prompted me just as well.) 

Arabella Carlisle, Duchess of Berwick (50s) - (Duchess of Berwick in LWF) Like Alice, she intends for the night to run smoothly and for Athur to make a proposal to her daughter by the end of the night. However, she gets caught up in the younger generation’s antics to turn that notion completely upside-down. Gossipy, somewhat of a control freak, highly talkative. 

Emma Carlisle of Berwick (20 y/o) - The third youngest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Berwick. She is the intended lover of Arthur Hudson. However, she finds herself falling more and more in love with his younger brother, Alexander. Over the course of the night, she must choose between love and honoring her parents’ wishes, all the while making sense of these obnoxious men and avoiding scandal. She is charming, highly attractive, a free-thinker, independent. (An add in: the line “but I think that a mother who doesn’t part with a daughter every season has no real affection” from the Duchess of Berwick in the original play inspired the idea to give the Duke and Duchess six wonderfully bright daughters, and one son who makes himself an intentional failure). 

Ida Carlisle of Berwick (18 y/o) - The second youngest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Berwick. The first of the women that Lady Kendal befriends. She is incredibly bright, catching on quite fully to the antics of the men (especially her own brother’s). (an add-in) 

Men: 

Arthur Hudson, 5th Marquess of Windermere (early 20s) - (Lord Windermere in LWF) This party is thrown so he may propose to the Duchess’s daughter by the end of the night, but he instead falls for Lady Kendal. He employs his godfather, Lord Augustus, and his best friend, Cecil Graham to create a distraction so that he is able to speak with her. He’s not the only one with the same plan. Tense, shy, nearly incapable of saying “no”. (Although most Victorian men don’t get married until their late 20s or early 30s, I decided to make Arthur younger as he is the only one of his friends in LWF who is married.) 

Edward Hudson, 4th Marquess of Windermere (50s) - The elderly Lord Windermere who wishes to secure a future for his family line before he dies. He hopes that his son will choose Lady Carlisle, insisting that his wife be his son’s constant chaperone. Somewhat terrified for his own death, wants everything to be in control. (an add-in). 

Alexander Hudson (early 20s) - Arthur’s younger brother by a year and a half. Alexander finds himself absolutely head over heels for Lady Carlisle, the woman that his brother is meant to be marrying. He employs Dumby and the young Henry Carlisle to help keep up a lie that he is someone else for the evening in order to avoid the Duchess, who would rather have her daughter marry anyone but him. Unlike his brother, Alexander is charming, outgoing, mischievous, and handsome beyond compare. (an add-in: Arthur is so incredibly worried all the time, I thought it would be funny to give him a brother who is his total opposite). 

Gerard Kendal, 3rd Earl of Kendal (deceased - mentioned in name only) - Lady Kendal’s father. He committed suicide before the play began over the loss of his first wife, Margaret’s mother. His suicide was swept up by Lady Julia, his sister, to look like it came of natural causes, even though she knows the truth, she keeps it from Margaret to maintain reputation. (he is also mentioned in LWF, being the namesake for the Windermere’s son, and said by Margaret to have “really died of a broken heart”). 

Cecil Graham (20s) - (same character in LWF) Employed by Arthur to keep his mother away from him, along with Lord Augustus. He is a member of the House of Commons, and a great friend of Arthur. The two went to Eton together as well as to Trinity College, Oxford. Gossipy, witty, thinks he knows more than he actually does. 

George Dumby (late 20s) - (simply known as “Dumby” in LWF) Employed by the younger Hudson and by Lord Darlington to keep up two separate distractions. Finding the prospect amusing, he takes on the challenge. He also becomes tangled in his own love life, deciding to flirt with Lady Beatrice Marley while the true love of his life, Laura Ford, slips from his grasp. Having also met Arthur and Cecil at Oxford, Dumby is reimagined in this play as a writer with a Byronic complex, having come to high society through the success of his novels. He is adventurous, eloquent, mischievous, but also incredibly lost. 

Lord Augustus Lorton (late 40s/early 50s) - (same character in LWF) Employed by his godson to distract his sister, the Duchess, from paying much attention to her daughter during the course of the evening, which works well in Alexander’s favor. A little slow, likes to indulge, but he always has good intentions. 

George Carlisle, 3rd Duke of Berwick (50s) - (mentioned in LWF) His daughter, Emma, is intended to be married to Arthur Hudson. He is somewhat intimidating, tough, over-protective of his daughters’ reputations, feels somewhat emasculated because he has a poor excuse for an heir. 

Henry Carlisle of Berwick (early 20s) - The only son of the Duke and Duchess of Berwick, Henry has taken to a life of indulgence and riot. He attends Magdalen College, Oxford. He is employed by Alexander Hudson to keep up a lie about his identity for the night, and he is also employed by Lord Darlington to keep Lady Julia distracted, only adding to the game of antics for the night, which is highly appealing to him. Incorrigible, riotous, the youngest man in the play, somewhat of a follower. (he is mentioned as the Duchess’s son in LWF, but not given a name, so took liberty to do so). 

John Vernon, 13th Baron of Darlington (late 20s) - (Lord Darlington in LWF) A good friend of Arthur’s, having met him the previous summer through a mutual friend. Believing that Arthur is meant to be wooing Lady Carlisle, John pursues Lady Kendal, but finds himself against Lady Julia. He employs Dumby and Henry Carlisle to keep her distracted. Never takes himself seriously, except around those that he cares about. Somewhat of a casanova. 

Taylor (40s-60s) - Lord Windermere’s valet. He is able to catch on quite well to Alexander and Arthur’s affections and decides to aid on his own for the cause of love, at the possible risk to his reputation and his job. Polite, gentle, knows what’s right and what’s wrong. (an add-in: his eventual replacement is Parker from LWF).  

And that’s it for now! I’ve got a couple of excerpt posts drafted, so I will share those in due time! I hope you enjoyed, or were at least mildly amused :) Thank you for your constant support! Best wishes:)

[snarkyperson]

everybody dies alone

Today is one of those overdramatic days where I feel like I can’t possibly take another step forward.  I have stones tied to my feet.  I have the world strapped to my back, and I am stooped almost to the ground.  My head hurts and my heart hurts and my stomach hurts and I just can’t do it.

I just need to weather the storm.  If I’m lucky, tomorrow I will feel better.  If I’m luckier, I will feel better later today.  If I’m not so lucky, it will be another few days.  But it will pass.  The thing about bipolar is that it always passes.  The flip side, however, is that I always feel like I have a wolf at my back.  On days when I feel okay, or even good, I am always looking over my shoulder, waiting for depression to strike again.  I get twitchy, paranoid.  Every passing sad thought becomes the harbinger of a depressive spiral.  I am trying so very hard, however, to see it the other way around.  I want to get twitchy and paranoid about potential contentment.  I want to remember that yes, I am sad today, but tomorrow I might not be.  

It occurred to me earlier today that my novel is a love story dedicated to mental illness.  In a way, it is a love story to myself.  There are too many similarities between Leo and myself to pretend that he is not derived from my own experiences.  And yet the story is gentle towards him.  He is sympathetic.  He is damaged, but worthy of love.  He is a good person despite his mental deficiencies.  

You know how in self help guides about negative self talk, one of the points is always “If your best friend came to you saying this, would you tell them they are an idiot?  Why then would you say it to yourself?”  I feel like that really applies to this novel.  Leo says all these things and Alice (who, arguably, is my “logical,” more caring brain) gently tells him that he is good and deserving of love and good things and it doesn’t matter that he’s crazy.  

Why can I write that, and believe that for him, but not for myself?  Why is Leo more deserving of love than I am?  Maybe because he’s handsome, I don’t know.

And that brings me where I always end up, which is: I don’t deserve love, and I will never find love.  And in this case I mean love of the romantic variety.  I have a lot of platonic love.  I love Vel dearly.  I love Amy and Noah and my mom and a lot of people.  But it’s like there is no room for romance in my life.  My platonic love would not turn romantic.  I don’t meet people to which I could fall romantically in love. And even if I did meet people, I feel unworthy.  I am a terrible girlfriend.  I am excessively jealous, and I run hot and cold, and I am so full of anxiety and sadness that I can barely pull myself together most days.  Additionally, I am fat and asexual.  What a catch.  Who would look at that and go “YES I MUST DATE THAT PERSON IMMEDIATELY!!!”  Shit, if I saw me, I would run the opposite direction ASAP.  And I mean that honestly, thinking of it objectively.  

Now, most days this does not bother me.  I’m not crying myself to sleep every night because no one wants to smooch me.  Most days I am happy with my friends and my cats and I don’t need romance.  But then I’ll read something, or listen to a song, or see a show, and it hits me all at once how much I wish I had some kind of romance in my life.  I am a terrible romantic at heart, which actually I find kind of funny given my personality.  I’m not saying I want grandiose gestures of love.  Even something simple like “hey I heard this song and I thought of you <3” would make me melt into a big old puddle of goo.  I’m easy to please.  

But I guess it’s not in the cards for me.  I’m not getting any younger.  Tick tock.  I guess I will just have to content myself with writing and reading and occasionally watching stuff.  

[justanoutlawfic]

I Belong With You (You Belong With Me): Go Ask Alice

Summary: Lacey & James get to know more about each other. Turns out they're both nerds, just for different things.

Also on AO3

Storybrooke, Maine (October 28th, 2011)

 James attempted to peek through the newspaper that covered the windows but could only see the stories splashed across the pages, rather than the contents inside. He didn’t quite understand why the library had been locked up for so many years, but it bothered him to no end. He loved books. He could spend his lunch break, his evenings alone and the weekends getting lost in numerous adventures. From Jane Austen to George Orwell to Mary Shelley, he was never far from a novel. However, he was limited to the ones he had in his personal collection and what he could order off the internet. The mail system worked strangely in their little hamlet and it took forever to get anything in. If there was a library, at the very least it would be easier to borrow a huge stack and return them for more.

 The last time he asked Regina Mills about it, she said that there wasn’t anyone interested in running the place. According to her, the last librarian had died long before he was born and no one else had been interested in the job. It was such a shame too. He knew he wasn’t the only one that longed for a library. His eyes glanced towards Henry, the mayor’s son. The young boy was looking longingly at the building as well. A large leather-bound book was tucked under his right arm and he had a frown on his face. His head tilted up towards the clock expectantly. James looked up towards it as well, but couldn’t tell what was wrong. Everyone had been abuzz about the clock being fixed, but it didn’t seem like Henry was happy about it.

 Before James could move to say anything to Henry, the latter took off in the direction of a yellow Volkswagen bug. James shook his head. He had heard all about their town’s newcomer and the trouble she had been causing the mayor. On the one hand, he understood the appeal of wanting to get the child you gave up. On the other, Regina never lost. Even his own father was careful around her. Emma Swan had no clue what she was up against.

 Then again, if she was this determined, maybe Regina didn’t know what she had coming either.

 James turned to head back home; he had a long walk ahead of him. As he was doing so, he found himself face to face with Lacey. She was out of her waitress uniform and wearing a black sports bra along with matching leggings. Her auburn hair had been pulled back in a ponytail, showing off her sharp facial features. God, she was so beautiful. James had been in relationships before, but they never lasted very long. Albert made sure of that. No one was ever good enough or even if they were, Albert found something wrong with James. Sometimes he’d pick women for his son, only to say that he had changed his mind. As a result, James found himself a stuttering mess most of the time. He knew that there was no way Albert would ever approve of Lacey French. Yet, he also didn’t care.

 “We just seem to be running into each other everywhere,” he managed to give her a nervous smile.

Lacey shrugged, jogging in place. Her ponytail bounced along with the rest of her body. “I guess so.”

James stuffed his hands into his pockets. “You headed to work?”

“No…just on a run.”

He could’ve smacked himself. Why would she go to work like that? “Of course, right…”

“Look…I’m sorry about the other day. Just please don’t tell your dad, the last thing I need is Albert Spencer up my ass again.”

James’ brows furrowed. “Why are you sorry? And why would I tell my dad?”

Lacey frowned as the jogging slowly came to a halt. “I was a jerk to you. And I mean, your dad is one of the biggest assholes in Storybrooke…”

“So, you thought I’d just rat you out.” James bit his lip. “Not that I actually wanted to talk to you or anything.”

“Well, I mean…yeah.”

 James ducked his head. Of course. A pretty girl like Lacey and all she could think about was his scary father. God, why did Albert have to ruin everything for him?

 “I didn’t plan on saying anything to my dad. I didn’t even care how you talked to me, I thought it was funny. I thought…” He trailed off, not wanting to embarrass himself further. “You know what? Never mind, it doesn’t matter.”

 He started to walk away, ignoring the burning embarrassment in his stomach. James only made it halfway down the block when he heard Lacey calling for him. When he turned around, she was jogging his way.

 “I guess I’m an idiot. I tend to see myself and not much else,” she admitted. “It’s not a great flaw.”

“You’re not the only one in the world with it.”

“Still something I should probably work on.” She rubbed her forearm. “Look, I feel like I owe you a drink.”

“Oh, you don’t have to…”

“James.” Lacey gave him a Look. “A girl like me is offering to take you to the Rabbit Hole and buy you alcohol. Think about if you wanna turn that down.”

 James didn’t have to think twice. He offered her his sweatshirt since they were going to be heading into an establishment which made her do the cute head tilt. Ultimately, she accepted it, though she left it unzipped.

 “It is just the Rabbit Hole, after all,” she said.

 James had never been inside the bar in question. The last time he even had a drop of alcohol was to celebrate getting his undergrad and that was just a bit of champagne. The minute he stepped into the place; he knew it was different. It reeked of sweat, beer and nuts. AC/DC blared over the jukebox. The place was crowded with people. Some were around the tables, most settled by the pool tables. James was definitely the most overdressed of the bunch. The girls wore mini-skirts and tank tops, while the guys were in jeans. He had been walking home from work and was still in a burgundy sweater, corduroy pants and his dockers. As a waiter bumped into him, he worried about his glasses breaking.

 God, you are such a dweeb.

 There was that voice again. Where did it come from?

 Lacey lead him over to the bar. “What do you drink?” She asked, finding them two stools.

“I um, I don’t.”

She gave him a weird look. “You’re kidding.”

The tips of his ears turned pink. “I mean…I’m just not a bar guy. My brother and I had a six pack on our 21st?”

Lacey let out an intoxicating, adorable, vibrant laugh that absorbed James’ soul. “That is precious,” she said. “We’ll start you off easy.”

A guy dressed in a leather jacket with messy brown hair approached them from the other side of the bar. “Lacey,” he smirked at her. “The usual?”

“You know me so well, Keith,” she said. “And for my new friend, a rum and coke.”

Keith glanced in James’ direction and frowned. “Alrighty then,” he mumbled, before walking away.

 James felt even more out of place. Keith was clearly Lacey’s type. What was he doing here? Was this some kind of sick joke? Maybe he should think up an excuse and leave…

 “So, you were stalking the library,” Lacey interrupted his thoughts. “You like books or something?”

James blinked a few times. “Oh, um…yeah. I love them a lot actually. My minor was English Literature.”

“A college man.” Lacey let out a low whistle. “Very nice. Who’s your favorite author?”

“Probably Mary Shelley. Frankenstein is just one of the best books of that era. The responsibility of the doctor, the monster attempting to fight his nature but ultimately failing, the romances in the book too and the parental dynamics…” He trailed off with a shrug. “Sorry, I probably sound like a nerd right now.”

Lacey shook her head. “Nah, I think it’s cool you’re so passionate about it. I used to love reading when I was younger. My mother and I had a book club for a bit. Well, I don’t even know if you could call it that. We’d give each other book recommendations and then talk about them.”

 James watched as a haunting look overtook Lacey’s eyes. It was gone as quickly as it appeared, but he had never seen her so serious. Keith placed the drinks down and she quickly took a sip of her Jack Daniels.

 “Anyway, I don’t have much time for reading now but I probably get like you do about books, when music is involved.”

James tilted his head. “Oh really?” He picked up his own drink and took a big sip. The rum burned his throat and he nearly choked on it. Lacey smirked a bit.

“You okay there?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he set the drink back down and plucked out the cherry instead. “Guess I’m just not as good as you are with the liquor.”

“Takes years of practice and an alcoholic father, trust me.”

“Your dad is…”

“Moe French. He owns the flower shop.”

“Game of Thorns, I always loved the name.”

“I picked it. He wanted to call it “Rosie’s” or something stupid like that. We don’t even know a Rose” She rolled her eyes. “Told him people would be more attracted to a pop culture reference.”

“It was definitely the better choice.”

“Anyway, yeah, music. I have actual vinyls. My mom left me her record player.”

James grinned. “Seriously? I haven’t seen one of those in ages.”

“You know there’s this great record shop on Third, Dante’s. I’d probably spend all my check from Granny’s there if I could.” She took another swig of her drink. “I found a signed copy of Surrealistic Pillow that I’ve been saving up for, for months.”

“That’s…”

Lacey’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “White Rabbit.” He must have still looked confused, because she grabbed hold of his hands and shook them. “Jefferson Airplane, they pioneered psychedelic rock.”

“Oh…”

“You don’t know what that means, do you?”

“Do you know what iambic petameter is?” Lacey’s mouth formed a thin line. “Then we both have something to teach the other.”

Lacey giggled. “I guess we do.”

 James felt something buzzing in his pocket and reluctantly pulled his hand away from Lacey. He fumbled around for a bit before finding his phone. His father’s name lit up the screen, causing a lump to build. He slid the green bar across and held it to his ear.

 “Hey Dad,” he tried to be heard above the noise of the bar without shouting. “What’s up?”

“What’s up?” Albert repeated incredulously. “Where are you?”

“Just uh…with a friend.” Lacey gave him a puzzled look. “I’m gonna be home a bit late tonight…”

“You need to get to the hospital. Something’s happened.”

James could feel his heart beat faster. “Is David okay? Did he have another scare?”

“No, he’s awake.”

James blinked several times before the news registered. “I…I’ll be right there.”

 He hung up the phone before his dad could say anything else and then stared at the lock screen. It was a picture of him and David before everything went wrong. They had dinner after the latter left Kathryn. He was happy. Everything was going well. Who would’ve guessed days later, his brother would be found unconscious in the woods?

 “Is everything okay?” Lacey asked.

James looked up, catching her appearance of genuine concern. “That was my um…my dad. My twin…he woke up from his coma.”

“Holy shit.”

“I…I have to call a taxi to get to the hospital…I um…I don’t have a car.”

Lacey tilted her head. “Your dad is Albert Spencer and you don’t have a car?”

“He doesn’t want me to have one.”

She stared at him for a moment. “Okay, I’d say we’d take mine but I jogged here. We can just borrow Ruby’s Camaro.”

“Lacey…”

“I only had half of one drink. I’m fine to drive, and Ruby and I borrow each other’s stuff all the time.”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“I know I don’t. I’m still going to.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

James and Lacey raced into the coma ward, both nearly out of breath. He lead her into David’s room and came to a pause in the doorway. His brother sat up in bed, the tubes still in his nose. David’s blue eyes were open wide and he was looking around at everyone. Albert stood off to one side, looking disappointed. Mary Margaret, the schoolteacher, was still in the corner. Emma was with her. He didn’t quite understand that either.

 “David,” he said, softly.

David looked in his direction and a small smile came over his face. “Hi,” he whispered.

“It’s about time you showed up,” Albert said, gruffly. He stormed over to his son. “What took you so long?”

James immediately ducked his head. “I’m sorry, there was a lot of traffic on Main Street…”

“It’s not as if it matters,” Emma cut in. “It took us time to get him back.”

“Get him back?”

“Your idiot brother woke up from his coma and decided that was the perfect time to take an evening stroll.” Albert threw his hands in the air. “I got really lucky with my sons; I tell you that much.”

“Oh yes, they were far blessed to be given you,” Lacey mumbled.

 Everyone in the room turned to the woman who wore James’ sweatshirt. Albert looked between her and his son, his eyes narrowing.

 “And you are?”

“Lacey French.” She took a step forward. Her chin jutted outwards. “Your son and I were hanging out when he got the call, and I gave him a ride.”

“Right, Miss French.” Albert looked her up and down. “I thank you for getting James here, but this really is a family matter.” He looked back at Mary Margaret and Emma too, as if to communicate the same message. “Surely, the three of you understand.”

 Mary Margaret looked hesitant but nodded. She walked out of the room with Emma following behind her. Sheriff Hubert was waiting not far out the door to ask them a few questions, in no doubt about David’s disappearance. Lacey stood firm, her eyes on Albert for a few moments. Finally, she turned to James and began to shrug off his sweatshirt. He held up a hand to stop her.

 “You can keep it,” he whispered. “It’s chilly out.”

Lacey nodded. “I’ll see you at the diner tomorrow. We’ll make sure to have your order ready.”

 Sparing Albert one last glare, she left the ward. David and James were left with their disapproving father who stared at the eldest twin. James simply moved closer to his brother and ran his fingers through his hair, mumbling questions to him about him waking up, where he had gone, etc. Even so, he wasn’t stupid.

 Albert wasn’t done with the topic of Lacey French.

[haveamagicalday]

My 2018 Reads

Let me start by saying that I have read almost 100 books this year (some short stories but I like to count those too) I’m going to make a separate list for my top ten but here are the other ones!

4 Stars

Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake 

This is the third book in the Three Dark Crowns series. It’s a dark tale about three sisters who have to compete against each other for the crown. There are a lot of characters to follow which means they aren’t always that well developed but the story is so so enthralling.

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas 

Loosely based on real events, the novel follows Monica whose older sister was one of five cheerleaders to die under mystery circumstances. Five years after the deaths, Monica discovers something that could help her solve what really happened. This was a gripping read with some great twists

Beneath the Haunting Sea by Joanna Ruth Meyer

This book flew under the radar this year which is a shame because it was a great read. Talia gets banished to a dreary island where she stumbles upon ancient legends that may be more real than she realizes. I will admit, the first third of this book was a little wack. It was like a different book but it got much better once she got to the island.

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

A melancholy tale of a trio of ghosts that lure young boys to their deaths each summer. Our main character is a life long resident of the town who is just trying to make it through the summer. I’ll admit, it got a little messy in the end but for a debut novel, I thought it was very engaging. 

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

I’m late on this one, I know. Rachel commutes to work everyday. Then one day she sees something she wasn’t supposed too that leads her down a dark spiral to find out what really happened. Definitely a turn pager that has more than one mystery to solve. 

The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn

This year’s breakout mystery/suspense novel. Anna is confined to her house, spending her days in a group chat or playing online chest. When a seemingly perfect family moves in across from her, she becomes entangled in a mystery when she sees something she shouldn’t one night. An unreliable narrator will keep you guessing what’s real and what’s not.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

If you love the movie, you will love the book. An adorable, sweet read! 

3.5 Stars

Scream All Night by Derek Milman

Dario grew up on the set of various B-horror movies. That’s because his family owns the studio that makes them. Dario has tried to distance himself from his family but is forced to return when his brother invites him to a very special event involving their father. Darkly funny and unique, this was a twisted take on a young man coming to terms with his past.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Vampires are on the rise and to accommodate them all, the US government creates quarantined cities known as Coldtowns. Vampires must live in Coldtowns but for humans, it’s optional. But once you are in, it’s nearly impossible to get out. Holly Black creates an imaginative take on vampires. The book starts off a little slow but really picks up when our main character arrives at Coldtown. My only complaint is that this wasn’t a series. There was so much packed into this book that could have easily been expanded upon over the course of a few books.

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

Amber is in a coma. She can’t move or remember anything but she’s pretty sure her husband has something to do with her current state. The book alternates between past and present as Amber struggles to remember what happened to her. I found some of the twists convoluted and kooky but they were definitely original. Trigger Warning: there is a very graphic rape scene 

3 Stars

Final Girls by Riley Sager

Quincy is one of 3 media named Final Girls; the last ones standing during a horror movie like massacre that killed their friends. Now Quincy is all grown up but still trying to forget what happened the night her friends were murdered  when one of the other Final Girls shows up at her doorstep, forcing her to revisit her past.

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

A Snow White retelling with a unique twist! Mina, the future queen, has a heart made of glass, crafted by her magician father. Lynet, our Snow White, is the spitting image of her dead mother. Then one day Lynet discovers that the king had hired Mina’s father to craft Lynet out of snow in her mother’s image after she died. Alternating between Mina’s past and Lynet’s present, this is a sweet and simple fairytale retelling!

Hex Hall series by Rachel Hawkins

Sophie is a teenaged witch with wayward powers. She gets sent to Hex Hall, a magical reform school, to learn how to better control her powers. This book was a fun read. I think I would have liked it more if I were still a teenager. The stakes never really seemed all that high but it was fairly entertaining.

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning. 

The Little Mermaid from the point of view of the sea witch. Well, sort of. Evie is a witch, best friends with a prince, whose other best friend, Anna drowned when they were children. Now, a girl who bears a striking resemblance to Anna, appears on the beach one day and she is determined to make the prince fall in love with her. Honestly, I was far more interested in Annemette than Evie. I think this would have been a really interesting story from her point of view instead.

To Kill and Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Another Little Mermaid retelling but this time, the mermaid is a siren whose mission is to steal the prince’s heart. Literally. The first chapter of this book made it seem like this would be much darker than it ended up being. The romance was a little weak but still, this was an interesting take on the tale and an enjoyable read.

The Enchanted Sonata by Heather Dixon Wallwork

A Nutcracker retelling. In this version, Clara is a musician who receives a mysterious nutcracker on Christmas. She ends up whisked away to a magical world where all the children have been turned into toys and it seems that her, and her music, is the only thing that can turn them back. The Nutcracker is very dear to me, so I was overly critical of this book. It didn’t bear too much resemblance to the ballet or original fairy tale and it read more middle grade than YA. Still it was a cute read.

And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness

I absolutely loved A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness so I was excited for this. It was very different than what I was expecting. Simply put, this is Moby Dick told from the perspectives of whales. It was bizarre and I don’t really think I understood it fully but I’ve also never read Moby Dick before. The pictures were beautiful though and it is a very quick read.

Imposters by Scott Westerfeld

A new series that takes place in the Uglies universe. Frey and Rafi are twins but people only know Rafi. Frey has been raised to fight and be Rafi’s body double. I really enjoyed this book because of it’s connection to Uglies. Had I not read Uglies as a teen, I’m not sure this book would have held up on its own.

Lucy in the Sky

From the same author that did Go Ask Alice, this book is presented as a diary of a young girl that spirals out of control due to drug use. Objectively, this book isn't that great. The writing is poor, the story is unrealistic and it almost seems to glorify drugs rather than turn you off to them. BUT, it's enticing just like the other books in this series. It pulls you in and you want to keep reading. I read it in one sitting. 

From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon

Twinkle is an aspiring film director. With the help of a geeky classmate, Twinkle embarks on making her first film for a local film festival. Along the way, Twinkle learns about friendship, family and love. A delightful fluffy read for fans of romantic comedies.

What Should be Wild by Julia Fine

This is a hard book to describe. Our main character is a girl who has been kept hidden from society due to a rare gift (or curse perhaps). Anything she touches dies, and anything that’s already dead comes back to life due to her touch as well. The story was bizarre and not entirely satisfying but it certainly was intriguing. I think it boils down to a matter of taste and I’m sure others could find much more merit in it than I did! 

Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

After the death of her mother, Lina is spending the summer in Italy with a father she never knew. While there, she is given her mother’s old journal which sends her down a journey to her mother’s past. With her mother’s guidance Lina discovers the magic that Italy has to offer. A cute and heartfelt read with some classic teen romance.

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson

 Mila’s best friend is dead and she wants to know who is responsible. So why not ask her? With an old grimoire, Mila finds a sleep to bring her best friend back and accidentally brings back two other murdered girls as well. With the spell’s limited time Mila and her undead girl gang try to solve the mysterious behind their deaths. Quirky, fun but also enthralling, this is a very original book.

Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moira Fowley-Doyle

Best friends Olive and Rose begin to lose things. First it’s only small things but soon bigger things are going lost. Everything changes for the two when they meet 3 strangers in the woods and a mysterious spell book. At times, this was a very confusing read. I’m still not sure I fully understood it but the story was engaging and fairy tale like. A lovely read.

Far Far Away by Tom McNeal

A modern fairy tale like read. What starts off as a whimsical turns drastically dark as the story progresses. Our main character, Jeremy is somewhat of an outcast but attracts the attention of an outgoing and outspoken local girl. The most interesting aspect of this book is that Jeremy is able to speak to ghosts and the ghost of Jacob Grimm (who wrote all those fairy tales) has been his friend for years. Entirely random but a fantastic addition.

The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas

Another YA thriller from Thomas. This was her first novel and I think it shows. It’s weaker than the other books she has written but still good. However, the last 3rd felt like a completely different book which was a bit jarring. If you like murder mystery/unsolved crimes, you’ll like this but definitely check out her other books too!

How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather

Our main character is a descendant of Cotton Mather, the man who sentenced women to their deaths during the Salem Witch Trails. Samantha moves to Salem with her stepmother and finds that she is not welcomed by her fellow classmates, descendants of the witches. And it turns out there might actually be some magic in Salem after all. This was silly fun. I was expecting something more like Chilling Adventures of Sabrina but that’s not the tone of this book at all. The love triangle was a little annoying and there was a reveal that was bizarre but overall it was an entertaining book.

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

I absolutely loved the Cinder series and Heartless but I wasn’t feeling this one so much. There’s nothing really wrong with it, the characters are well developed and the writing is good, however I just couldn’t gather any enthusiasm for it. I will say that the writing was rather slow and I felt that the book could have been a lot shorter than it was but if you like superheroes and villains, you should like this.

2.5 Stars

Ever by Gail Carson Levine

This is a retelling of the Biblical tale about Jephthah but had more of a Greek mythology feel with a cast of many gods and goddesses. It was a weird mixture of mythology and focused on a very weak romance. I think this book was aimed more for middle grade and might be more enjoyable for them.

Midnight Sun by Trish Cook

Yes, I read the novelization of the Bella Thorne movie that came out earlier this year. Yes, it was poorly written, the plot was laughable, and the romance cheesy. But, it was a quick read that kept my interest. 

2 Stars

My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows and Brodi Ashman

I received this in my owlcrate and I’m still wondering why. The book is a retelling of Jane Eyre combined with ghostbusters because in this version, Jane can talk to ghosts. There’s also a secret ghost hunting society that wants recruit her but she’d rather be a nanny for Mr. Rochester. I really didn’t like this. The attempt at humor throughout was almost painful, the characters were dumb and I don’t understand why this book exists in the first place. I think it would have been better if it was just about Victorian era ghost hunters and not incorporate Jane Eyre in any way. This is part of a series in which the authors rewrite (very quirkily!) famous stories starring a character named Jane. From the reviews I read, their first book, My Lady Jane, was much better but I don’t even want to attempt to read it after this one.

September Girls by Bennett Madison

This is one of those books that I kept reading because of how bad it was. Sam is spending the summer in a small beach town that is overfilled with The Girls. That’s what Sam calls them because they are all blonde and beautiful. Turns out they are some sort of mermaid? It’s never really explained and they are all cursed and need to have sex with a virgin man in order to be free. Enter our sexist virgin, Sam. The women are written terribly, referred to as sluts and shanks and their asses and breasts are always mentioned. I have no idea how this book got published. But damn, was it fun to laugh at. Number of breast/chest/boob mentions: 27

Poetry (Both 5 Stars)

The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace

This book felt very personal to me (like I was reading the author’s inner thoughts) and I couldn’t always relate to some of the poems. I felt that the sequel dealt more with women’s issues on a whole and has something all women could relate too. Her poems are breathtaking though and so powerful.

The Witch Doesn’t Burn in This One by Amanda Lovelace

I picked this up out of curiosity and ended up reading it in one sitting. It is absolutely stunning. I think every woman should read this. Hell, I think every man should read this too. I can’t wait for the third one!

Short stories

The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo (5 Stars)  

Holy smokes, this was breathtaking! A collection of six short stories based on fairy tales/mythology. The stories are so utterly original though. Clever, satisfying with feminist themes. This is a must read for fairy tale lovers! 

Amazon’s Dark Corners Collection by Various Authors

I happened to see this advertised on Goodreads and got it for free on Amazon Kindle Cloud Reader. This collection is 7 short stories of the horror variety. It’s hard to rate these since they are all written by different authors. I didn’t find any of these stories all that scary though. More so just sad. Interesting, but not all that gripping. My favorite stories were Miao Dao by Joyce Carol Oates and Sleep Tight Motel by Lisa Unger but I wouldn’t really recommend the others. Trigger Warning: The Remedy deals with depression and suicide and has a rather offensive/problematic ending. 

Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman (4 Stars)

This is a very dark retelling of Snow White from the queen’s point of view. Snow White is not the darling princess she is often portrayed as. This short story is very adult but not overly graphic. You can read it for free at the link I provided. 

Matchless by Gregory Maguire (3 Stars)

A quick reimagining of The Little Match Girl. The main character isn’t the match girl but a young boy whose life intertwines with the match girl’s. This short story didn’t add anything new to the story since it’s focuses on an original character. The match girl is just briefly there. My feelings for this were mutual. 

Re-reads

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares (5/4 Stars)

One of my favorite summer rereads!

Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot  (5 stars)

Just as delightful and funny as the first time I read the series as a young teen

Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen (5 Stars

I’ve gotten into the habit of rereading this book every summer. It’s a book that can be read in one sitting and is so heartfelt.

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (5 Stars)

This is my all time favorite Sarah Dessen novel. I highly recommend all of her novels.

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black (4 Stars)

This takes place in the same world as the Cruel Prince. Some of the characters even appear in the latter novel. This is a standalone that reads like a modern fairy tale.

[nbiblioholic]

Down the TBR Hole was originally created by Lost in a Story! The point of it is to help cull your reading lists down, or maybe push higher anticipated releases up on your TBR! And maybe you all can help me along the way, and tell me if you’ve loved or hated any of these! How it works: ➽ Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf. ➽ Order on ascending date added. ➽ Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books - I do about 15-20 because my list is HUGE ➽ Read the synopses of the books ➽ Decide: keep it or should it go?

The Darkest Hour (KGI #1) by Maya Banks Avg rating: 4.16/Release: September 7, 2010 A while back I read one of the books of this series and I enjoyed it so much that I promised myself that I would start from the beginning. So here it is. And when I find the time to read it, I'll let you know if I enjoyed it as much. Verdict: Keep

Dirty Angels (Dirty Angels #1) by Karina Halle Avg rating: 3.93/Release: June 15, 2014 Because I've enjoyed so much of what I've read from this author, I've taken to adding her books to my TBR as I come across them. This one is of particular interest to me because it has a trigger warning. It's like telling me not to look at something. I'm only more curious. And... I just one-clicked! Verdict: Keep

Charmed: A Prescott Novel (Prescott Series #3) by Joanne Schwehm Avg rating: 4.09/Release: November 8, 2016 I remember helping to promote this book with my limited social media presence. I wasn't doing bookstagram yet and I was very rarely on Twitter. I didn't have a blog, much less an FB page. My attempts were miniscule at best, but they were there. I'm actually not interested in reading this book, but thought I should add it to interest others. Verdict: Delete

Nights With Parker by Alice Tribue Avg rating: 3.84/Release: September 22, 2016 I've read from this author before and enjoyed it, but this one looks like it may turn into a favorite. It's about an alpha-hole, which everyone knows are my kryptonite. Nothing makes me hotter! Verdict: Keep

Junkie (Broken Doll #1) by Heather C. Leigh Avg rating: 3.91/Release: September 13, 2016 New-to-me author! I remember being very excited to read this. Although it follows a common organized crime theme, it seemed to be a little bit different. How often is the heroine a junkie? Seriously. That alone makes me want to know more. I only wish this series was in KU so I wouldn't be scared spending my money on it. Verdict: Keep Poughkeepsie (The Poughkeepsie Brotherhood #1) by Debra Anastasia Avg rating: 3.92/Release: November 22, 2011 This author's work is usually hit-or-miss for me. I've loved some and I've... not so loved some. But this one was recommended as one I'd thoroughly enjoy. I hope I won't have to beat someone upside the head if it turns out I don't like it. Verdict: Keep

To Hate Adam Connor by Ella Maise Avg rating: 4.23/Release: June 9, 2016 I've really liked everything I've read from this author. Her stories follow a predictable theme, however, her voice makes them unique. Enjoyable stories with relatable characters. Verdict: Keep

The Silent Waters (Elements #3) by Brittainy C. Cherry Avg rating: 4.38/Release: September 22, 2016 New-to-me author! Although I've never read anything from this author, I've heard nothing but great things. I actually received a signed copy of Behind The Bars, which I haven't read yet (on my side TBR - and yes I have many TBR lists) so I do have an opportunity to try her work. I guess we'll see. Verdict: Delete

Covet (Splendor #1) by Janet Nissenson Avg rating: 4.47/Release: June 21, 2016 I actually read the third book of this series and although I usually love whatever I read from this author, I didn't love this. I see no reason to continue. Verdict: Delete Hot For Teacher Anthology Avg rating: 4.35/Release: October 18, 2016 Dang it, I really wanted to read this when it was released. But as many of you know, wanting and reality aren't always aligned. I'm unable to find this anthology on Amazon so I guess I missed my chance. 😭😭😭 Verdict: Delete The Lion's Lady (Crown's Spies #1) by Julie Garwood Avg rating: 4.17/Release: March 1, 1991 I'm embarrassed to say that's it's been a while since I've read a book from this author. Embarrassed because I used to be quite addicted to her writing. If you could see my huge library of her books, you'd understand. So to say I'm excited to jump back into one of her worlds would be an understatement. Verdict: Keep

Maneuver (Men of Inked: Southside #1) by Chelle Bliss Avg rating: 4.23/Release: July 31, 2018 I happened to get the first series, Men of Inked, a boxset for FREE on Amazon. I haven't had the chance to read it yet, but I'd like to before I dive into this one. From what I remember of this author, her books don't have descriptive sex scenes, which annoyed me, but I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Those covers need sex! Verdict: Keep

Disclaim (Deliver #3) by Pam Godwin Avg rating: 4.32/Release: August 31, 2016 I won a signed copy of Deliver from a Goodreads giveaway but haven't had the chance to read it yet. Since it's recommended that I read that and Vanquish before reading this one, I guess this book has to wait. Verdict: Keep

Can't Own This (Can't Touch This #2) by Tess Hunter Avg rating: 4.17/Release: ? There's no release date yet for this book. I enjoyed the first one of the series and I'm still looking forward to this one. Honestly, I don't think there's a Pepper Winters book out there that I wouldn't purchase. Verdict: Keep

Spied by J.M. Miller Avg rating: 4.08/Release: October 20, 2016 New-to-me author! I'm not sure what prompted me to add this one. It wasn't recommended and I've never even heard of it before. After reading the blurb, I'm not feeling the pull. Verdict: Delete The Heart of a Killer (The Killer #1) by Jaci Burton Avg rating: 3.90/Release: October 25, 2011 I don't think I've read a book from this author since 2015. And I think what I did read was sports romance. This story seems completely different from what I've experienced from her and I'm excited to see what's to come of it. Verdict: Keep

Meeting The Unpredictable by Riann C. Miller Avg rating: 4.20/Release: September 29, 2016 I can't remember the last time I've read anything from this author. Definitely not one of my go-tos, however, I do know a lot of people who love her work. I'm not the biggest fan of new adult stories, but I've been told that this one is an exception and is full of feels, so I guess we'll see if it is. Verdict: Keep

The Player by Claire Contreras Avg rating: 4.04/Release: October  10, 2016 Even if I wasn't already a fan of this survivor of an author, even if I wasn't already excited to read this book, have the seen the freaking cover?! Yeah, I'm definitely not passing this one up! Verdict: Keep

The Studying Hours (How to Date a Douchebag #1) by Sara Ney Avg rating: 3.86/Release: September 13, 2016 I actually have this book already sitting on my kindle. Funny thing is, I've read all of the other books in this series and feel like I know the characters from this one already. Hopefully I'll get to this one sometime soon. Verdict: Keep

Roping The Virgin (Cowboys & Virgins #2) by Alexa Riley Avg rating: 3.82/Release: September 25, 2016 There isn't a time in my life that I'll turn down reading a book from Alexa Riley. Smut-tastic and smut-terrific pleasures is what they are. These stories are great fro reading in between meatier stories. Don't expect a whole lot of substance, but do expect a good time. Verdict: Keep Have you read any of these books before? Am I on the right track by keeping/deleting them? That's it for this edition of keeping it real with my TBR. I hope your TBR remains long and fruitful!! Happy reading!! xoxo