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krankittoeleven · 2 years ago

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Can I do an offshoot of a tag game? inspired by the TV show tag game: Rules: 10 (non-ancient) books for people to get to know you better, or that you just really like.

I was tagged by @aeide and @brasideios

Boooks! I'm going to aim for a variety here, though a lot of these will probably lean to horror, but believe me, there is variety in horror lol. These are all the first things that came to mind in no particular order, except the first book which is...just...always...there.

This got long so I put it below a cut.

House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski - if I ever figure out what it is about haunted or weird houses, liminal spaces, and abandoned places etc. that I enjoy so much I think I will figure out something about myself. I mean, I know it has to do with solitude and emptiness or something, but it has to be more than that. Anyway, HOL is insane in its presentation, and I think should be experienced at least once, but it takes several readings to see everything (I think this will be perfectly clear after reading it once, but I know not everyone can devote that much time to one book). My favorite fun fact that I've heard about HOL is that MZD didn't intend to write a horror story, but instead a romance, and it just happened to take place in what some people consider a spoopy book.

Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams & Mark Carwardine - I think if I were to HIGHLY RECOMMEND any book on this list for a broad audience, this would be THE ONE. The premise is that DNA and Mark go on trips around the world to seek out some of the most endangered animals on the planet and to bring to the public eye the conservation efforts etc. surrounding those animals (this was in the 90s). The book is funny, inspirational, heartwarming and heartbreaking, sometimes bleak, sometimes delightful, and always fascinating. It has inspired a lot of conservation efforts since it was published, even now, long after DNA's death, which I think would make him very happy. My favorite story is about their crew trying to buy condoms in China so they could waterproof their mics to record river dolphins. CLASSIC.

John Dies at the End by David Wong - Horror, Humor and Satire all come together to create an incredibly entertaining read. This is one of my overall favorite books, its just weird, stupid and funny. It's best if you don't take it too seriously.

The Terror by Dan Simmons - one of my favorite historical fiction books (based around the disappearance of the HMS Terror and HMS Erebus, two British Naval ships lost in the artic). It is the slowest of slow burn, slow creep suspense. If you enjoy audiobooks I highly recommend this one in audio, it is a long read at about 800 pages, but reading it is it's own experience. I really like reading about people exploring really treacherous place so this fits the bill.

When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris - I have always loved David Sedaris' stories, he has been a constant presence in my life for many years and I am always amazed at how open he is about his family life (much to the chagrin of his family sometimes lol). This collection in particular holds a special place for me because it helped me get through quitting smoking, which was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I had read the book previously and knew that the last story, When You are Engulfed in Flames, was about David's own experience quitting smoking. I listened to the audiobook a lot during that time, usually while crying quietly under a blanket. LOL

Glamorama by Bret Easton Elis - I'm usually pretty loathe to recommend this to anyone, lest they think I am a psychopath, but seriously this is one of the best satires of consumerism ever written if you can just get past the blood and gore. If you don't know who Bret Easton Elis is, he wrote American Psycho. If you don't know what American Psycho is then skip this book (and maybe skip it even if you do) LOL

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami - I can see why this is one of Murakami's lesser know liked works, but I think it is one of the easiest to comprehend as well (IDK maybe Murakami purists like being confused and saying HUH? a lot). There is an exceptional amount of character growth and discovery to this story and it was not anything near what I thought it would be so that probably scored it some extra points. This isn't even my fave Murakami book, but it's what popped into my head.

The King in Yellow by Robert W Chambers - I feel like I would be doing all of my blog names a disservice if I didn't at least mention TKIY. Have you seen the yellow sign?

Help a Bear is Eating Me by Mykle Hansen - look, everything you need to know about this book is in the title. Also, it's pretty funny.

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - much like House of Leaves, I will never get over this story. Technically is a short story, but you can by it on its own so that makes it a book in my eyes lol Although this wasn't intended to be horror, as far as I know, it is one of the most horrifying things I've ever read. Without agency and autonomy we are nothing.

I will tag @theinkandthesea @mini-uzzy @liminalspacecowboah @troublemakingrebel @getfuckedyahoo @akashadarkblade @ainulindaelynn, @erzsebetrosztoczy and whoever else wants to.

#books #tag game

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kairosclerosis--liberosis · 1 year ago

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November 2023

Before anything else, I am devastated about Palestine, and continuously try to share and search information through all my other social medias. Honestly, it's haunting to think about the holidays with what's happening to them and other parts of the world that are violently mistreated over and over again. I crave for humanity to come together to end all wars and just have peace for once. I just wanted to express this before this month's post.

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November was a long one, so long in fact- I started writing this post on the 16th.

There's this amazingly annoying thing that always happens to me around this time of the year, and that's that I start reflecting a little too much on my past. I mean, I tend to do this a lot but now, I've recently discovered (thanks to my therapist) that these repetitive, tiring, and lingering thoughts might be chalked up to something chemically wrong with me, which honestly feels like a relief compared to me feeling like I can't just let sh*t go. Basically, she thinks I may have a form of OCD (I legit don't care about sharing this because being vocal about mental health has always been top priority to me).

So, I've been assigned this task where every time I feel anxious or see myself grasping on to the same things for way too long, I have to write it down. So, look out world! If you see me outside writing down on a tiny white notebook, that's literally me documenting my anxiety.

Anyways, I'm eager to keep getting to the bottom of this, because it is exhausting always wondering how one scenario could've played out 34,958 different ways, among other things. I sometimes sense that it also has a lot to do with untreated trauma. My whole life I've just kind of sprinted on to the next thing instead of taking a moment and really digest what I just went through, and I think it's all catching up to me now that I live a calm life- which is ironic.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm unhappy, in fact- it's actually that I'm so genuinely glad for where I am now, that it kind of triggers my nervousness of it being taken away from me.

Anyways, I've been keeping more track of that part of me, I guess it's all part of the healing journey.

It's now the 20th, and I've been actively keeping myself busy and filling up my days with chores or just stepping outside and breathing fresh air (I stay indoors 5/7 days a week because of work so...that's something). I'm also still on a weight-loss/fitness journey and I don't talk about it on social media but I've lost over 30 pounds and am currently in my "ideal" weight- according to my nutritionist. This took a year. I've never been a thin person, and I don't think I ever will, but I do feel stronger and a bit more toned, which is nice.

College is blegh. I honestly just want to graduate. The education system on this island is not getting any better and it's concerning. I hope to be done by May.

I've been getting into Audiobooks lately and I love it! It's a great way to catch up with all the reads I just can't get around to. So far I've heard "The Woman In Me" by Britney Spears and "I'm Glad My Mom Died" by Jennette McCurdy. Both were super impactful and worth the listen. I have a few other books lined up before the year ends.

Oh! I'm officially traveling again soon. It'll be over a year since I last left the island and I'm really looking forward to it. It'll be my first ever girls trip! I'm nervous but also excited.

Thanksgiving is this week and all I can say is that I'm grateful for the way life has played out for me, the good and the bad, it has all led me to where I am now, and who I am today. I'm grateful for the people in my life, my husband, my fur babies, my home...I'm grateful to be alive.

I hope you, reader, are doing okay as well.

Here's wishing for the world to get a bit better each day.

#barbjournals

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rayadraws · 4 years ago

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So I was listening to mr lover man by Ricky Montgomery (AMAZING SONG) and I thought omg, what if Genos got hurt so badly that he had to stay a year with kuseno to get repairs. Of course Saitama could visit, but couldn’t take Genos home, not even for holidays. And poor pining Saitama is all depressed and Genos hates himself for getting hurt and AAA the angst~

Hhhhhhhh

Tags: hurt/comfort, mild angst with happy ending, established relationship, G-rated

Genos had had several close calls. It wasn’t always easy to tell, ’cause the guy would do everything to hide it, like a sick animal pretending it was feeling fine. And it was hard sometimes to even tell what was serious when it came to him - losing an arm or a leg or both was annoying, but not life threatening in the least, like it would be for a regular person.

There was no denying it this time, though. When Saitama found him in the rubble, he felt his stomach drop. The image haunted him even days after. He didn’t even dare pick Genos up from where he laid, he was scared of making it worse, with all those... bits exposed. He just guarded him until the drones arrived and then he went home, unable to eat or read or do anything, so he went to bed at 8 pm and tried desperately to forget this day had even happened.

The phone didn’t ring until almost a full day later and when Saitama picked it up, it wasn’t Genos on the other end but his doc. Saitama had never heard him sound so grim before.

”How is he? Itching to get back up yet?”

”Saitama-kun, are you sitting down?”

It was bad. Really bad.

Kuseno had a bunch of complicated terms for it, but from what Saitama gathered basically the connection between Genos’ brain and his body had been severed, which was really dangerous, for obvious reasons. There was a risk of brain damage, but there was also apparently a risk that his brain wouldn’t correct right to his cyborg body again, or any cyborg body, if those connection points had been too badly damaged. Which would be really, really bad. Brain damage would be kinder. Without a body, there would barely be any life left for Genos, he’d be little more than a brain in a jar.

The doctor kept him in a medically induced coma for what felt like forever. At least Genos didn’t have muscles that would atrophy from lack of use in the meantime.

When he finally woke up again, they had no idea what to expect. Kuseno had warned Saitama that Genos probably wouldn’t move or say much, if anything at all. He’d been put in a new body, one that was set up more for people undergoing full body modification surgery for the first time - kinda like a bubble-wrapped edition. No weapons, no fancy scanners - as little as possible for a badly jostled brain to deal with. Just enough to be a person.

”Hey, bud, how are you feeling?”

Genos just looked at him, not moving as much as a muscle. His face looked the same as before... all this. His hair might have been a bit shorter, Saitama thought. Easier to care for while he recovered. And of course, all the cables and wires connected at the back of his neck, so thick they almost formed a pillow under his head where he laid on the table, covered only with a thin blanket.

Genos could be stoic, but he rarely tried to hide his feelings around Saitama. It was unnerving to see him so still. Saitama couldn’t even tell if he recognized him or not.

Kuseno clapped Saitama’s shoulder as he made his way towards the exit later, but he couldn’t make any hopeful promises.

The next time Saitama came to visit, things were better, thank goodness. Genos could move now, a little bit. Mostly his facial muscles, but enough that Saitama could tell he was happy to see him. Over a month since the accident had already passed at this point, so he was happy to finally see some improvement.

The third visit, Genos was in a foul mood already by the time Saitama arrived. That was unlike him (at least around Saitama). Kuseno explained he was upset because of how long his recovery was predicted to take, which he’d just been informed of.

A year.

If they were lucky.

No monster fighting. No shopping. No tracking the mad cyborg. Genos was going to be stuck in the lab for months and months, watching the world go on without him while he struggled to even move his toes.

Genos could be stoic. He wasn’t that day. Nor was he raging, though. He couldn’t control his body enough to be. The tears flowed quietly as Saitama held his head in his lap and tried to tell him that it would be okay. That his stuff would be waiting for him until he was ready. Saitama too. And he’d visit, as often as he could and Genos wanted him to. He’d bring him his favourite stuff, his notebooks and the chocolate he had hid among the frozen peas back home. The stupid plushie version of himself that Saitama suspected Genos had commissioned someone to make for him. By the fourth visit, all the things he’d brought last time were lined up so Genos could look at them whenever he wanted. He looked pleased at that, at least.

He still wasn’t speaking, couldn’t move anything below the neck. Didn’t even have his own room - lab wasn’t set up like that - but they’d made this one corner all his. Kuseno had pulled down a TV, a radio, audiobooks. A potted plant, though Saitama had no idea what kind it was. At least it added a bit of life. This portion of the lab didn’t have windows, so the doc had hung up a poster of a forest instead. It was as nice as you could make such a place. And in the middle of it all laid Genos, propped up like a grumpy-looking doll, probably wishing he was anywhere else.

About four months in, he started to talk again, which was nice, though it was hard to understand what he was trying to say most of the time. At first it was mostly grunts and sighs, he struggled to form actual words. But at least he could point and make gestures now, if you gave him time, so he could point at what he wanted. He couldn’t write yet, but he could flip the TV channels and change the radio station, giving him at least that little bit of control of his life. And he could eat and drink again, even if he spilled a lot. Must be nice though, to be able to finally do some stuff on his own at least. Saitama couldn’t imagine how bored and frustrated he must be, he was normally so active.

They celebrated Christmas down in the lab that year. Saitama had asked Kuseno if he couldn’t at least take Genos to the nearest town, just for a couple hours, but doc said it was essential Genos was hooked up to all those cables 24/7. Poor guy. But they had cake together and Genos even managed to murmur a ’murry chrysmaz’, which was both sad and cute.

Saitama got him gifts too, a book about space that looked cool and a Gudetama plushie and a hoodie that was really warm and soft. Genos gestured that he wanted to wear it immediately, so Saitama helped him out of the Qseno Tech one and pulled the hoodie over his head.

It contrasted nicely with his arms, which Saitama told him. These arms weren’t polished grey or black like most of Genos’ designs, but white with black accents. They looked so... peaceful, by comparison. Didn’t even have blasters, just soft pads for grip, almost like pawpads. Genos sat completely still as he let Saitama feel his hand over, interlacing their fingers.

Without warning, Saitama felt his eyes starting to burn. He took a deep breath, trying to will it away, but that only made it worse. He looked away, until he felt Genos’ fingers squeezing his.

”Shen...shei.”

He broke down.

It was Genos’ turn to comfort Saitama, which felt wrong, but he was so good at it. He held Saitama in his arms, resting his chin on his shoulder, until he got it all out, which took forever.

”It’s not the same without you there. It’s so lonely...”

”Clean-n?”

”If I’ve... kept it tidy?”

”Yus.”

”Uhh...”

”Shenshei!”

When Saitama dared meet Genos’ eyes, he was giving him that disapproving stare that he knew well from when he was slacking off.

”I’ll make sure the place is spotless when you return home.”

”Goo. Call Kin.”

”I guess I can invite King over.”

”Foobooki. Ban. Moomen.”

”Fine, I do have friends.”

Genos reached up to wipe a tear off his cheek. ”Yus.”

Inviting people over meant he had to tidy up. It was a lot and he completely misjudged how long it would take. He was only halfway done when King showed up and he tried to apologize, but King didn’t say much, just helped him with the rest. They got pizza and played video games and it was almost like normal. Apartment looked a lot less glum now, too. Wouldn’t need to be embarrassed when Genos got back home. If he could keep it up for another six months.

”I’d come earlier, if you’d only let me in, Saitama.”

”Yeah, I know.”

”You’re welcome to visit me too.”

”Yeah yeah.”

They played in silence for a while.

”You wanna talk about it?”

”It’s lonely without him.”

”Yeah. But he’s doing better, right?”

”Yeah. He can sit up now.”

”Is it taking that long to fix his body?”

”S’not his body, it’s his brain.”

”Oh.”

They went back to being quiet. After Saitama’s character had gotten his ass kicked half a dozen times, he told King to go home. He was hesitant, asking Saitama twice if he’d be okay. He promised he would be. Besides, Fubuki was coming over the next day. They were going to sort the mountains of get well-letters Genos’ fans had sent him after word finally got out that Demon Cyborg was on extended sick leave. He’d asked them to keep that stuff at the HA, but apparently they had had enough of that and were going to dump the boxes at the apartment the next morning. Saitama didn’t look forward to it.

Fubuki showed up looking very casual, for being her. Saitama wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen her in pants before, nevermind sweats, even if they were brand name. She brought food too, fruit and bread and stuff like that. But she didn’t ask any stupid questions, just shook her head at the stack of boxes of fanmail.

”We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

”Yup.”

”If you’d started months ago, it wouldn’t be this much work now.”

”Yup.”

Still, it wasn’t that bad once they got started. Most of the stuff they threw away, but they kept the treats and a few of the plushies. Saitama helped himself to one box of chocolate, but put the rest aside for Genos. Some kids had sent in drawings and those they kept too. They ate while they worked, taking care to not stain the letters.

”This one’s for you,” Fubuki said suddenly.

”Hate mail again.”

”No, nothing like that.”

”...”

”Listen. ’I read about Demon Cyborg and they say you’ve been seen walking alone in City Z. It breaks me heart to think of you being separated, you seem so close in all the photos. Please know that both of you are in our hearts. Best wishes.”

”Oh, well, that’s new.”

”We’ve all been worried, you know. For both of you.”

Saitama fiddled with the letter in his hands. ”It’s been rough. But it will be okay.”

Before he had the chance to stop her, Fubuki engulfed him in a hug.

He’d warned Genos that he was bringing him fan stuff today. Kuseno had encouraged Genos to read some of the letters, but he didn’t show much interest. They split the treats though and piled the plushies up on the least full shelf above the bed. The smallest one, a fuzzy cat, Saitama placed carefully on top of the potted plant. It was blooming, tiny delicate pink flowers.

”You know, I’ve never seen my cactus bloom, even after all these years,” Saitama remarked.

”Too bad,” Genos replied. His speech was getting clearer and clearer. He wasn’t chatting quite as much as he did… before all this, because it still required a fair deal of effort from him, but it was still a big improvement.

”Maybe I’ll bring cake, next time.”

”If you want.”

Genos didn’t remember his real birthdate. He didn’t remember much of the day his doctor found him either, but Kuseno did, of course. They’d picked that date as a stand-in birthday. They kept it simple, cause Genos didn’t like being surrounded by too many people and all, but they’d eat cake and Saitama always got him a little gift, usually slippers or oven mitts or something else that was practical. He’d waffled for like a week what to go for this time, especially with it being such a weird year and all. He still hadn't made up his mind .

Saitama took another letter from the pile and read it aloud. Reading vetted fanmail wasn’t so bad. They didn’t have to worry about weird or gross stuff, though Fubuki’s tolerance for allowing that had proven higher than Saitama’s.

”’In conclusion, get well soon’. That one was sweet, right?”

”I guess.”

”Oh come on, Demon Cyborg, with your ’hard exterior but fragile self within, so barely contained’.”

Genos snorted. It was like a balm, seeing him slowly return to his old self. That also meant he was getting increasingly restless, though. He’d already left his bed three times, now that Kuseno let him go without all the neck cables, once dutifully during physical therapy while supervised, twice at night when neither Saitama nor Kuseno were there to reel him in. The first of those times he didn’t get far, didn’t even leave the room, but the second he fell down a flight of stairs.

Thank goodness for his exceptionally hard head, or they might have had to put a helmet on him.

Saitama got it, though. Genos hadn’t like, lost any intelligence, or forgotten more stuff than, well, he already had. He still had his goals and interests and all that. And his body was still state of the art and ready to rock. The problem was getting the two - his brain and his body - to work together again. It was all way too complicated for Saitama, even when the doc tried to dumb it down for him, but at least Genos was going in the right direction.

The day came when Kuseno said it was okay for Genos to leave the lab for a few hours. They made a birthday date out of it, since they hadn’t had a proper date in nearly a year and his stand-in birthday was so close. It was hard to be left alone, though. People kept pointing and whispering and Genos didn’t want to deal with any of that. In the end, they bought tea and fancy cupcakes to go and then clambered into the nearest woods. Saitama had a bench or something in mind, or even just finding a nice patch of grass, but Genos had other plans.

”No, stop that.”

No response.

”Oi! Don’t!”

”Don’t worry, Sensei.”

He kept going higher. Into the damned tree.

”Genos! If you fall down your old man’s gonna skin me alive!”

”I will not fall.”

The next branch creaked worryingly under Genos’ weight, but he kept going. Slowly, but with great determination. What had gotten into the guy’s head?

There was nothing for it, then. With a great sigh, Saitama put the paper bag to his mouth, grabbing the edge with his teeth so he’d have his hands free. Branch by branch, he followed Genos up the tree.

About ten metres up, the stem of the tree split into two, leaving enough room for the two of them. With an exaggerated show of pretend-annoyance, Saitama made himself comfortable, placing the bag between them. Peering inside, he was pleased to note he hadn’t spilled anything. He looked up again. Genos was sitting with his eyes closed, hair moving in the breeze. He looked like an animal that had been released into the wild after a life of captivity. Maybe you wouldn’t think so looking at him, but Saitama knew Genos much preferred this environment to a busy city.

”Are you happy now, nature boy?” He nudged his companion in the side and handed him his paper cup. It couldn’t be more than lukewarm at this point, but his tea smelled real nice when Genos took off the lid to drink.

”Very pleased,” he all but purred.

”Can’t blame you, I guess.” And then, after a brief pause, ”I’m glad to see it. I’m glad you’re okay. You scared us, you know.”

”I know. I was scared too. And frustrated.”

”Don’t blame you.”

They didn’t say anything else. They didn’t need to. They said the rest through their actions, the held hands, the lingering gazes. The kiss, tasting of tea and pastries.

Saitama had no idea when he woke up that morning that he’d spend his afternoon kissing in a tree, but he had no complaints. Not until it was time to get down, anyway.

”We can jump.”

”Kuseno made me promise I’d return you without as much as a scratch and you already have a patch of mud on your shoulder. We’re not taking chances.”

”It will be fine.”

Somehow, it had escaped Saitama’s mind how goddamn stubborn his boyfriend was.

”How about I hold you and we jump together.”

”Sensei…”

”It’ll be like, romantic.”

”...Alright.”

Fortunately, Saitama hadn’t forgotten how much of a sap he could be.

It was a mess to stand up in the tree, nevermind getting into position, but eventually they figured it out. Genos grabbed Saitama’s shoulders and latched on, piggyback style, making sure to hold on to the bag as well, so it could be recycled back in town. Like that, they jumped down, and then continued. Apparently Genos couldn’t walk, now. Or rather, he’d decided he didn’t want to, that latching on to Saitama like a koala was better. Give that guy an inch…

When they got back inside the lab, Kuseno instantly looked worried upon seeing Genos being carried, but Saitama assured him that he was fine. He didn’t mention the tree climbing.

He was tempted to stay the night, but Genos was already really tired from the day out. Tussling his hair, he gave him a peck on the forehead and said his goodbyes, promising to be back soon.

That turned out to not be the case, but only because Genos was allowed to go home first. He called Saitama two days later, letting him know he’d be home soon. He sounded so happy, like an excited puppy. He just wanted to stop on the way and shop some stuff, so they could have a nice meal together once he was back.

Saitama never fury-cleaned the apartment with as much intensity as he did that morning.

And then, Genos stood there, wearing that baggy Qseno Tech hoodie and shining like the sun itself. He’d still need frequent checkups for a while and no monster fights for another month, at least, but he was back.

He was back.

”Welcome home,” Saitama smiled at him.

#writing #ahhhh this was fun #thank you so much for the idea!#ficlet

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televinita · 4 years ago

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Books Read In 2020: The Why

In a tradition I accidentally started for myself in 2016 and now quite enjoy, at the end of the year I look back at my reading list and answer the question, why did you read this particular book?

Below, my 100 reads of 2020 are split into groups by target readership age, plus nonfiction at the end, now with a bonus note about how I heard of it. Which I probably won’t continue to do next year, but it was fun to try.

ADULT FICTION

I read each of these books because...

A Glitter of Gold - Liz Johnson. 2019. It had me at "her pirate tour business," but between the shipwreck & the museum-director love interest it was like BLOOD & TREASURE ROMANCE AU LET'S GOOO.

How I heard of it: a book blog

The Last Woman in the Forest - Diane Les Becquets. 2019. Recommended by a dog lover; I'm down for a thriller about a woman who has a dream dog-inclusive job like this.

How I heard of it: a book blog

Good Omens - Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman. 1990. I really enjoyed the miniseries and wanted to see if the book everyone loved so much was as good (for the record: it was not. at least not if you’ve seen the miniseries first; otherwise they are probably equal).

This Is Home - Lisa Duffy. 2019. Attractive cover + I flipped it open to a random page and just liked the writing style.

How I heard of it: library

Dear Mr. Knightley - Katherine Reay. 2013. I'd had this on the back burner for a while because the MC sounded like me, and one day I got sick of not being able to find any fluffy contemporary romances with beta male heroes and decided Matthew Gray Gubler was gonna star in this one. (spoiler alert: it is a good book but that did not work)

How I heard of it: a book blog

Rubbernecker - Belinda Bauer. 2013. Criminal Minds sent me into a tailspin so I went hunting for books to cast Spencer Reid in again; the Asperger's/case-solving/difficult relationship with mother combo sounded promising. (spoiler alert: the med-student element + his social cluelessness proved too strong and I was only able to picture the kid from The Good Doctor)

How I heard of it: Googling keywords

The Swiss Affair - Emylia Hall. 2013. I got a random hankering for a student/teacher novel, and after scrutinizing the library catalog this was the only one that fit my parameters for gender, lack of adultery, and focus on romance over sex.

How I heard of it: library

Love At First Bark - Debbie Burns. 2019. I was trying to cast Wes/Jules [Dollface] in a romance novel, so I browsed through a Goodreads friend's "dog-romance" shelf and accidentally landed in a Jeid AU [Criminal Minds]. Which may or may not have been a large part of what turned me into a Jeid shipper (outside canon only).

The Mermaids Singing - Val McDermid. 1995. One final attempt to cast Reid in a novel -- a user in a Reddit post asking for this very thing suggested this, and "profiler with idiosyncracies" certainly fit.

The Wire in the Blood [and 9 subsequent novels] - Val McDermid, spanning 1997-2019. Turns out aside from being British, Reid paints onto Tony Hill EXCEPTIONALLY well, and I accidentally found myself with a little Jeid AU in the process, so obviously I read the entire series. Good crime-solving fun and all that.

Horse - Talley English. 2018. Random library pull because I connected with the writing style and it appeared to actually focus on horses.

How I heard of it: library

A Sparkle of Silver - Liz Johnson. 2018. I liked the author's other book and this was pretty much a remix of the same story, but now with a cool mansion/estate setting.

How I heard of it: looking up other books by this author

Everyone Is Beautiful - Katherine Center. 2009. Went looking for stories about strong marriages, found this on a Goodreads list of "second chance marriage" books, tripped into something like a season 9 Jim/Pam scenario. How I heard of it: Googling keywords

The Lost Husband - Katherine Center. 2013. Loved the previous book of hers I read, and the "starting life over on a goat farm" angle sounded like an ideal life to try on.

How I heard of it: looking up more from this author

The Shadow Year - Hannah Richell. 2013. Fixing up an old house?? I am THERE. Doing this in two timelines, one of which involves off-the-grid homesteading, is even better.

How I heard of it: used book sale

Mandrake Root - Janet Diebold. 1946. I needed a non-library book to bring on vacation, and after spinning in circles over what I thought would appeal to my mood in that setting, my brain randomly said "reread this one."

How I heard of it: estate sale

Path of the Jaguar - Vickie Britton & Loretta Jackson. 1989. Bought cheap for cheap thrills: a Yucatan adventure/mystery. Read now so I could get rid of it. How I heard of it: library sale

Burying Water - K.A. Tucker. 2014. The library didn't have The Simple Wild, but they DID have a book w/ an equally pretty cover that talked about a badly beaten young amnesiac (!) recovering on a horse farm (!!). What is: my top romance trope (hurt/comfort, bonus points for animals and rural setting).

How I heard of it: library

Happiness for Beginners - Katherine Center. Established quality author + summertime hiking inspiration.

How I heard of it: looking up more from this author

The Visitors - Simon Sylvester. Cool cover + setting, and a teenage protagonist usually makes adult fiction more accessible. How I heard of it: Goodreads

Becoming Rain - K.A. Tucker. 2014. I was in this companion novel solely for mentions of Alex and any people by the last name of Wells, but figured I might as well read all of it to ensure I didn't miss any. How I heard of it: looking up more from this author

The Guest List - Lucy Foley. 2020. Honestly, it just sounded like a cool thriller (and cool setting). How I heard of it: a book blog

You Deserve Nothing - Alexander Maksik. 2011. Fell down a Will/Rachel [Glee] rabbit hole and ravaged the student/teacher keyword in my library catalog again to scratch the itch.

The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson. 1959. Mom's been trying to get me to read this for years, and this time when it came up in conversation it was the right time of year, so I randomly decided to give it a shot. How I heard of it: Mom

The Walker in Shadows - Barbara Michaels. 1979. Gothic ghost story + beautiful architectural details in a historic house = yeah!

How I heard of it: Goodwill

YOUNG ADULT

People Like Us - Dane Mele. 2018. Needed an audiobook; a girls' boarding school murder mystery seemed most likely to hold my attention of the limited options. How I heard of it: Library

The Possibility of Now - Kim Culbertson. 2016. I will read anything by this author, and girl having a meltdown over a test = me. How I heard of it: looking up other books by this author

Rob&Sara.com - P.J. Petersen & Ivy Ruckman. 2004. Mostly I wanted to go back to my high school days and enjoy the format of a novel written in emails, but also, I like Ruckman. How I heard of it: used book sale

For Real - Alison Cherry. 2014. Fictional Amazing Race!! + awesome summery cover + sisters How I heard of it: library sale

The Summer After You + Me - Jennifer Salvato Doktorski. 2015. The awesome summery cover, mostly. How I heard of it: a book blog

You'd Be Mine - Erin Hahn. 2019. Gorgeous cover + the chance to vicariously follow a budding young country music star on tour for the summer.

How I heard of it: a book blog

Juniors - Kaui Hart Hemmings. 2015. The neat setting(s): a live-in guest on a wealthy estate in Hawaii. How I heard of it: Dollar store

Lion Boy's White Brother - Alden G. Stevens. 1951. Bought cheap because vintage juvenile book in a unique setting. Read now to see if I could get rid of it (NOPE).

How I heard of it: used bookstore

The O.C.: Spring Break - Aury Wallington. 2005. I keep meaning to finish this short series, and it was an easy title to count for my Mount TBR challenge.

How I heard of it: used book sale

Echo Island - Edward Karlow. 2017. Bought cheap because of the beautiful summery cover; easy read for Mount TBR so I could get rid of it. How I heard of it: library sale

Confessions of a High School Disaster - Emma Chastain. 2017. Read because of THE SUPER CUTE SUMMERY COVER (and diary format).

How I heard of it: Dollar store

Kentucky Daughter - Carol J. Scott. 1985. Working my way down the “Inappropriate Student/Teacher Relationships in YA" list because I'm in that kind of mood this year; chose this because 80s books tend to deliver the subject best*, the character reminded me of the girl in Send No Blessings, and Open Library had it. *this one was just blatant sexual harassment, though, and belonged very literally on that list

How I heard of it: Goodreads

What They Always Tell Us - Martin Wilson. 2008. I sorted the library catalog to see the oldest contemporary YA novels they still have before they get weeded, and "loner being taken under the wing of his older brother's (male) friend and falling in love with him" hit a couple of good tropes. How I heard of it: library

Bobby's Watching - Ted Pickford. 1993. Browsing around on OpenLibrary and saw they FINALLY had a copy of this book that scared me too much to finish as a kid, and which I've wanted to revisit ever since I remembered what it's called (Interlibrary Loan doesn't have it and it's Not Cheap to buy).

How I heard of it: library

Powwow Summer - Nahanni Shingoose. 2019. Always interested in modern-day Indigenous girls connecting w/ their heritage, especially if they're from my home state's tribe.

How I heard of it: a book blog

The Princesses of Iowa - M. Molly Backes. 2012. Appealing cover + heft suggesting a solid Midwestern contemporary, plus I liked the student teacher element (without a slash this time, as in "college student who is almost a teacher")

How I heard of it: library

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - Ann Brashares. 2001. The Second Summer of the Sisterhood - Ann Brashares. 2003.

Long-intended reread of a college fave because I wanted see Mike Vogel in the movie, and it was summer so the stars aligned. Continued because the first book was as good as I remembered. (I would have kept going but Life distracted me for a bit and by the time I was back on track, it was no longer summer) How I heard of it: I...can't remember. Am the worst!

The Distance From Me To You - Marina Gessner a.k.a. Nina de Gramont. 2015. Hiking inspiration + an appealing-sounding romance. How I heard of it: Goodreads

Where Have All the Tigers Gone? - Lynn Hall. 1989. Will read any of her books, but specifically read this one because it seemed fairly autobiographical, and I read it NOW because it seemed durable enough to take on vacation. How I heard of it: looking up books by this author

And Both Were Young - Madeline L'Engle. 1949 (text of 1983 edition w/ material from original manuscript added back). Something reminded me of its existence and I requested it because it was the only non-animal-focused vintage teen novel I could physically get my hands on before Interlibrary Loan opened back up, and I had a craving for just that.

How I heard of it: library

The Other Side of Lost - Jessi Kirby. 2018. Established quality author + throw me ALL the thru-hike novels!

How I heard of it: Goodreads

The Vow - Jessica Martinez. 2013. Perfect scenario to run an Abed/Annie [Community] AU!

How I heard of it: I want to say...an article on a book website (not personal blog this time) back in 2013.

Moon and Me - Hadley Irwin. 1981. Was just in the mood to read an 80s teen novel and this one helped me knock off a title for the Mount TBR challenge. From an author I like, w/ bonus horse content.

How I heard of it: used book sale.

Suicide Notes From Beautiful Girls - Lynn Weingarten. 2015. I bought a blind bag at the library sale and this was one of the only contemporary YA novels in it; figured I might as well read it since I'd liked a previous book of hers.

How I heard of it: Library

History Is All You Left Me - Adam Silvera. 2016.

With the Glee rabbit hole came a Klaine spiral; this was my season 4 Tragic AU dream for them and I've been saving it for a Klainey day ever since it was published. (No I am not sorry for that horrid pun.)

How I heard of it: googling keywords

The Museum of Heartbreak - Meg Leder. 2016. The cool cover/concept of a "museum" of items reeled me in; I bought a copy a while ago 'cause the library didn't have it. Read now to see if I could get rid of it (NOPE).

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Me & Mr. J - Rachel McIntyre. 2015. Student/teacher novel that looked especially appealingly tame so I'd been saving it, but then Open Library notified me it was now only available in 1-hour increments, and I got paranoid it would disappear altogether (it's not cheap to buy or available via ILL), so I wanted it in my brain.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Dear Evan Hansen - Val Emmich w/ Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul. 2018. Fell in love with the DEH soundtrack. Play's summary sounded good -- getting to experience it in YA novel form?? Amazing.

How I heard of it: Wikipedia

Saddle a Thunderbolt - Jo Sykes. 1967

Bought a while ago because vintage horse story. Read now specifically to alleviate my pre-homesickness about moving by imagining living in an even more beautiful place than home.

How I heard of it: either a used book sale or a used bookstore...

Learning to Breathe - Janice Lynn Mather. 2018. This was mentioned on a lost-book forum and "girl with unplanned pregnancy supports herself by getting a job cleaning" piqued my interest; the setting (Bahamas) and cover made it better.

How I heard of it: Reddit

Everglades Adventure - James Ralph Johnson. 1970. Standard vintage boys' adventure-in-nature story; I like those.

How I heard of it: Goodwill

CHILDREN’S/MIDDLE GRADE

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott. 1868. Seeing the new movie and falling head over heels was what it took to FINALLY convince me to reread this childhood fave.

How I heard of it: can't remember; I was a kid

A Little Princess - Frances Hodgson Burnett. 1905. I was perusing a lot of books about classic children's books and it started to bug me that I had skipped this appealing-sounding one as a kid.

How I heard of it: can't remember; I was a kid

Little Men - Louisa May Alcott. 1871. LW sparked a fandom revival and I wanted more detail about the Marches' adult lives (esp. Jo & Bhaer), even on the fringes.

How I heard of it: library

Lady and the Tramp - Ward Greene. I saw a quote from the new movie under a gifset on Tumblr that sounded like it came from a book, and upon Googling out that one existed, I obviously could not allow the book version of a beloved childhood animal-movie fave to go unread. Especially after finding out it was super rare so reading it would be a privilege.

The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett. 1910. Read for the same reason as A Little Princess. Can’t have one without the other, you know.

How I heard of it: was a kid; can't remember

The Mother-Daughter Book Club - Heather Vogel Fredericks. 2007. Much Ado About Anne - Heather Vogel Fredericks. 2008.

Always thought the series looked cute/reminded me of The Teashop Girls, but the fact that the first book they read is Little Women gave me the impetus to finally read this one. First book was darling so I continued to the next (but failed to continue beyond because COVID shut the library down until I was out of the mood).

How I heard of it: library

Nature Girl - Jane Kelley. 2010. I wanted walking inspiration.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

From You to Me - K.A. Holt. 2018. Mistook it for a similar-looking book I'd seen at the same time (See You On A Starry Night), but figured I'd give the 8th grade bucket list idea a shot once I had it. How I heard of it: Goodreads

Semiprecious - D. Anne Love. 2006. Cute cover + I'm starting to be a big fan of what I call "contemporary historical," for stories set mid-20th century.

How I heard of it: library

Dandy's Mountain - Thomas Fall. 1967. Vintage horse-inclusive children's book in a rural setting, I'm sold. Not to mention, love reading a summer setting in summer.

How I heard of it: used book sale

Littler Women: A Modern Retelling - Laura Schaefer. 2017. The only way to make the Little Women MORE magical is to make them younger, modern, and written by a proven quality author.

How I heard of it: a book blog

Behind The Attic Wall - Sylvia Cassedy. 315 pg/1983.

A Goodreads friend strongly recommended it as similar to but better than Mandy, and reading about it in 100 Best Books For Children sealed the deal. Read now for the Mount TBR challenge.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

The Jigsaw Jungle - Kristin Levine. 2018. I am a COMPLETE sucker for books told in non-traditional/scrapbook-esque format.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Runt - Marion Dane Bauer. 2002. Wolf story by a quality author. Read now after owning it for a decade to see if I could get rid of it.

How I heard of it: used book sale

The King of the Cats - Rene Guillot. 1959. Bought cheap for a quick read because vintage animal story. Read now so I could get rid of it.

How I heard of it: used book sale

Just The Beginning - Betty Miles. 1976. Found cheap; always down to read a vintage book about an average girl (and I wanted to know how she'd cope with her mom being "a cleaning lady in a town full of classmates who HAVE cleaning ladies").

How I heard of it: used book sale

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J.K. Rowling. 1997. Been meaning to reread the series for a while now; finally got motivation to check out the illustrated edition 'cause Christmastime.

How I heard of it: originally Mom; a book blog for this edition

Echo Mountain - Lauren Wolk. 2020. Almost entirely because of the incredible clipart cover, promising me nature and a dog (and because I could get it as an e-audiobook from the library).

How I heard of it: a book blog

Knock Three Times - Cressida Cowell. 2019. I needed another audiobook for bedtime/walks and I know that David Tennant will provide.

How I heard of it: more by this author (more accurately, narrator)

NONFICTION

The Red Leather Diary: Reclaiming A Life Through The Pages Of A Lost Journal - Lily Koppel. 2008. I'm kind of obsessed with the concept of historical 5-year diaries -- and finding one like this is The Dream.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life - Anne Bogel. 2018. Attractive and compact book about the pleasures of being a reader? A headspace I want to be in.

How I heard of it: library

100 Best Books for Children - Anita Silvey. 2004. I'm big on looking at lists of books for children this year. These are the kind of books I know, love, and want to hear people talk about, now that I know books about these books exist.

How I heard of it: library

The Coming of Saska - Doreen Tovey Originally bought because it was cheap and featured animals, I needed a non-library book to bring on vacation, and this one is a durable ex-library copy in plastic wrap that featured a similar setting to where I was going, so: thematic.

Cats in the Belfry - Doreen Tovey. 1957. Wanted more of her books, and lo and behold the library had the first one.

How I heard of it: more by this author

Sorry Not Sorry - Naya Rivera. 2016. I'll read anything the Glee kids write, and this doubled as an easy number for the Mount TBR challenge.

How I heard of it: entertainment news websites

Living Large in Our Little House - Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell. 2016. I love tiny houses. And this one specifically mentioned living with dogs. And had color photographs.

How I heard of it: used bookstore

I'm Your Biggest Fan: Awkward Encounters and Assorted Misadventures in Celebrity Journalism. - Kate Coyne. 2016. Found cheap at a library sale -- loved the chapter headings and the fact that they were all about celebrities I knew.

Adrift - Tami Oldham Ashcraft w/ Suesea McGearheart. 1998/2018 edition. The movie was so awesome that I couldn't wait for more details about the real story in her own words.

I'll Be Gone In The Dark [NF] - Michelle McNamara. 2018. Been reading a lot of true crime write-ups on Reddit lately; decided it was time to pick up this well-received one.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

Dear Evan Hansen: Waving Through A Window - Steven Levenson. 2017. Much like The Grimmerie for Wicked, once I fell in love with the DEH soundtrack and looked up the plot summary, I wanted to read the musical's detailed background/behind the scenes story + libretto before I watched it.

How I heard of it: Wikipedia

Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune - Bill Dedman & Paul Clark Newell. 2013. Love me a story about a mansion (or three). Or the reclusive and insanely wealth heiress who owns them, that works too.

How I heard of it: Goodreads

JUVENILE NONFICTION Mascots: Military Mascots from Ancient Egypt to Modern Korea - Fairfax Downey. 1954. Animal book from an author I like; read now to see if I could get rid of it (yes).

How I heard of it: secondhand bookstore

Come on, Seabiscuit - Ralph Moody. 1963. Bought because vintage kids' horse book; read now to see if I could get rid of it (and to count it towards my Mount TBR challenge 'cause it was short).

How I heard of it: secondhand bookstore

#why i read

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hyena-frog · 4 years ago

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Hey I’m sure you’ve been asked before but what’s your opinion on the audiobooks of Red Rising? Personally I think Tim Gerard Reynolds’ narration as Darrow is what elevated the series to being my absolute favorite. As for the other narrators in IG and DA, Ephrim’s narrator really grew on me and I’m so sad Ephrim is gone. I’m glad Lyria got recast in Dark Age. I skip her chapters when I re-listen to IG. I think Lysander’s first narrator was much better. His new voice sounds 40 but he’s only 20

Sorry it took me so long to answer this! Fun fact, but you actually sent this around the same time I decided to re-read Iron Gold (via the audiobook) to help flesh out a theory post I’m drafting. So I didn’t want to answer until I’d gotten a taste of each narrator. That’s some A+ psychic premonition on your part.

Unfortunately, I’ve yet to finish the IG audiobook because of Real Life but I’ve at least heard all of the narrators, so even if I’m still not very far in, I’ll give my opinions on them.

So, confession time, Dark Age is the first Red Rising audiobook I have ever listened to, even though I've heard good things about the RR audiobooks in general. Audiobooks aren’t really my thing. But I was taking too long to read that monster of a book, so I figured listening and reading at the same time would help me finish it faster. And boy, did it!

Now, Iron Gold is the second audiobook I’m listening to... I’m going about this all backwards, it seems. So, I’m going to give my opinions on the narrators in the order I experienced them.

Dark Age —

Tim Gerard Reynolds:

The GOAT. I’ve only heard good things about his narration, including from Pierce Brown himself at both signings I’ve been to. Now that I’ve experienced it for myself, I have to agree! I’m definitely going to need to listen to the original trilogy audiobooks at some point to get more of this guy.

He made you feel every ounce of exhaustion Dark Age Darrow felt, especially in Part I, and during the finale. His rare moments of levity (Sevro’s Palace) were delivered impeccably. His character voices were enjoyable; his Rhonna was great and his Atalantia gave me the creeps. Any moment Darrow thought of Virginia made me feel the full gamut of emotions. Anytime he summoned his righteous anger and went into Reaper mode, Reynolds sucked you in with the drama of it all.

Darrow’s always been my favorite but hearing Reynold’s interpretation of Darrow’s inner narrative really elevated why he’s a fantastic character. This guy is great.

John Curless:

Honestly? If Reynolds weren’t in the picture, he’d be my #1. Calling him my second favorite narrator doesn’t do him justice. His Ephraim injected much needed comedy into this narrative. Curless balanced Ephraim’s other nuances very well too. His deep psychological issues, his continued grief over Trigg, his budding love for the kids. It was beautifully executed.

One chapter that still haunts me is when Pax forces him off the Z cold turkey. Curless nailed Ephraim going into withdrawal. He was frightening and it was great. I also loved his reunion with Volga, even if his Volga voice was jarring to me after hearing Moira Quirk’s interpretation for most of the book. On that note, his generic Obsidian accent (Scandinavian-ish) never became too annoying and he differentiated the main players pretty well (namely Ozgard and Sefi). I really liked his Sefi voice. Quiet and whispery, very Sefi.

Don’t talk to me about Ephraim’s fate, I’m still in pain. 😭 I actually liked IG Ephraim a lot, not as a person but I thought his story was interesting. But his DA development was incredible. He really grew on me, and the fact he won’t be back, meaning Curless’ amazing narration won’t be back, is devastating.

James Langdon:

I didn’t mind his Lysander too much. I mean, I hate Lysander, but I thought he did a decent job portraying him. Maybe it’s just because he was my first Lysander voice. Although, I do agree he sounds too old for the role, but then again, Reynolds sounds too old for Red Rising Darrow (16) so? -shrug-

My main complaint with this guy is that sometimes, during the height of the action, he sounds as detached as a BBC newscaster. Which is fine, when Lysander uses the Mind’s Eye, but even when he’s full on panicking, this guy sounds so levelheaded.

His character voices are... ok. The growly voice he puts on for Ajax, and little bit for Cicero, is a bit weird. His Atalantia is sensual and creepy af and I loved his Atlas voice. One chapter that stands out to me is Kalindora’s confession toward the end. Langdon blew me out of the water with that one. Kalindora was never my favorite, but he made me really feel for her in that scene.

Moira Quirk:

I love her. I think she’s great. She has a very strong voice that pulls you along the story with ease. I think Lyria has the best DA story line and Quirk’s narration only made it better. She embodied Lyria’s temperament wonderfully; the anger, the kindness, and the stubborn resolve to keep living after initially giving up.

I keep harping on about character voices but they’re important, alright? Quirk’s character voices are some of the best. Her Victra is high and mighty and I felt Lyria’s annoyance along with her. But she also did Victra’s vulnerable moments wonderfully. I LOVE Quirk’s Volga. She’s so cute! Her accent reminds me of Sypha Belnades from the Netflix Castlevania series, which is not at all correct regionally, but it’s so adorable that it is officially The Volga Voice in my mind.

Not much else to say on this one, except, I hope the next book keeps this Lyria or I will be so sad.

Rendah Heywood:

Hail Sovereign! Another amazing narrator. At first I wasn’t sure what to think because I didn’t have any headcanon for what Virginia’s voice sounds like, but Heywood’s narration quickly convinced me this is The Virginia Voice. Very classy, very calm, could kill you but chooses not to, so don’t push her, understood?

She really gets across Virgnia’s main frustration of being smarter than everyone and being right like 99.9% of the time but rarely being listened to, VERY well, without making her seem unnecessarily whiny or something. It’s just a fact that she’s smarter than everyone else and the worlds would be better place if you took her advice.

Virgnia’s always been a bit of a mystery but Heywood really makes her into a Real Person, you know? Her fun interactions with Holiday and Theodora, her devastation after the Senate upheaval, her drive to escape from her captors... Expertly portrayed.

Her character voices are pretty good. I thought her Sevro was hilarious. I’m already missing her voice in IG (since I’m reading these backwards). I’m really looking forward to her return in the next book... Virginia will still be a POV character in the next one, right Pierce? Right??

Iron Gold —

Tim Gerard Reynolds:

I’m repeating this guy only to say: Reynolds is making sure I feel every molecule of exhaustion in Darrow’s body and I’m not very far in. I’ve already read IG, and I’m just coming off DA, so I know it won’t let up but still... have mercy on me.

John Curless:

Repeating again to say, goddamn, does this guy nail Ephraim’s development between books really well. IG Ephraim is no fun at all. Barely cracked a joke yet and is still very much wallowing in grief... Curless’ narration really makes IG Ephraim bearable, tbh.

Julian Elfer:

Hmmm. I don’t know if I’d agree he’s better than James Langdon. They’re both ok to me. Elfer is certainly more age appropriate. However, he’s a bit monotone and his reading cadence is a little annoying to me. He sounds like someone reading his own writing at a book club more than a professional narrator. I don’t mean that as an insult! He’s pleasant enough to listen to but he’s not on the same level as the others imo.

Idk. I’m still not very far into the IG audiobook, so it’s not fair to compare him to Langdon without the full picture. Maybe he gets better. However so far both Lysander narrators are. OK. That said, I don’t think Elfer is atrocious enough to warrant a re-cast? I heard people complained about him and Lyria’s IG narrator and that’s why they were changed... but Elfer isn’t terrible so I’m confused on that one.

Aedin Moloney:

Oh dear. I hate to be so blunt but... I hate her narration. A lot. Coming off of Quirk’s incredible Lyria, Moloney’s performance is... jarring, to say the least. She doesn’t give Lyria the same spunk that Quirk does. Moloney’s Lyria is too out of character for me. Lyria’s life is a shitshow and her weirdly whimsical voice is way too out of place. And during the more frenetic scenes, she’s way over the top.

I guess the problem with this narrator is she gives Lyria Too Much. Lyria is a very practical, very down-to-earth person, not prone to expressing a lot of deep emotion. Quirk balanced this very well, making her inner narrative just emotional enough without contradicting her outer expression. Meanwhile, I can barely follow along with what Moloney was saying when Tiran got shot because she was So Distressed and Hysterical. Good thing I had the book open.

Again, I’m not very far in, so maybe she gets better... idk. Take my opinions on Elfer and Moloney with a grain of salt because I haven’t finished IG yet.

Thank you for the ask! I’d love to hear opinions from anyone else on the second trilogy narrators (because I think we all agree Reynolds is great).

#red rising #iron gold #dark age #red rising trilogy #iron gold trilogy #paraphernalia-wagon #my post

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laniakeabooks · 6 years ago

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January Wrap Up

I read 11 books in January which is a personal record. I’ve included the synopsis pulled directly from Goodreads and my (short) thoughts on the book. If you’d like a longer review of any of the books I read this month, feel free to request it!

The Innocence Treatment by Ari Goelman - ⭐⭐⭐

Lauren has a disorder that makes her believe everything her friends tell her--and she believes everyone is her friend. Her innocence puts her at constant risk, so when she gets the opportunity to have an operation to correct her condition, she seizes it. But after the surgery, Lauren is changed. Is she a paranoid lunatic with violent tendencies? Or a clear-eyed observer of the world who does what needs to be done?

Told in journal entries and therapy session transcripts, The Innocence Treatment is a collection of Lauren's papers, annotated by her sister long after the events of the novel. A compelling YA debut thriller that is part speculative fiction and part shocking tell-all of genetic engineering and government secrets, Lauren's story is ultimately an electrifying, propulsive, and spine-tingling read.

Nothing I found particularly impressive… it had potential but didn’t quite meet it.

The Memory Book by Lara Avery - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sammie was always a girl with a plan: graduate at the top of her class and get out of her small town as soon as humanly possible. Nothing will stand in her way--not even a rare genetic disorder the doctors say will slowly start to steal her memories and then her health. What she needs is a new plan.

So the Memory Book is born: Sammie's notes to her future self, a document of moments great and small. It's where she'll record every perfect detail of her first date with longtime crush, Stuart--a brilliant young writer who is home for the summer. And where she'll admit how much she's missed her childhood best friend, Cooper, and even take some of the blame for the fight that ended their friendship.

Through a mix of heartfelt journal entries, mementos, and guest posts from friends and family, readers will fall in love with Sammie, a brave and remarkable girl who learns to live and love life fully, even though it's not the life she planned.

I am shocked. I never expected to like a contemporary this much... especially "sick-lit" or whatever people are calling it. Maybe it was because I found a lot of what Sammie said to be so relatable, or maybe because NPC is exactly the type of disease I'd like to research in my future. Maybe it's because one of my greatest fears is getting dementia and losing my memory.

Whatever it was, I hope I can find it again in another book.

Vox by Christina Dalcher - ⭐⭐

Set in an America where half the population has been silenced, VOX is the harrowing, unforgettable story of what one woman will do to protect herself and her daughter.

On the day the government decrees that women are no longer allowed more than 100 words daily, Dr. Jean McClellan is in denial—this can't happen here. Not in America. Not to her.

This is just the beginning.

Soon women can no longer hold jobs. Girls are no longer taught to read or write. Females no longer have a voice. Before, the average person spoke sixteen thousand words a day, but now women only have one hundred to make themselves heard.

But this is not the end.

For herself, her daughter, and every woman silenced, Jean will reclaim her voice

Uh, yeah, not impressed. Disappointed. Annoyed. It felt like Dalcher was trying too hard and was clearly ridding on the coattails of The Handmaid’s Tale’s recent re-emergence.

Also, the narrator on the audiobook and pronounce Wernicke’s area which just grated on my nerves and honestly pissed me off.

First We Were IV by Alexandra Sirowy - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It started for pranks, fun, and forever memories.

A secret society – for the four of us.

The rules: Never lie. Never tell. Love each other.

We made the pledge and danced under the blood moon on the meteorite in the orchard. In the spot we found the dead girl five years earlier. And discovered the ancient drawings way before that.

Nothing could break the four of us apart – I thought.

But then, others wanted in. Our seaside town had secrets. History.

We wanted revenge.

We broke the rules. We lied. We told. We loved each other too much, not enough, and in ways we weren’t supposed to.

Our invention ratcheted out of control.

What started as a secret society, ended as justice. Revenge. Death. Rebellion.

Wooooowwwww... I am starting off this year with some pretty good reads. Granted, I read probably 3/4 of this one in emerge on my birthday after having twisted my knee skiing the day before...

This book didn't take the path I thought it would. It just felt like the climax and conclusion occurred in the same paragraph? I don't know maybe that's just me...

I'd love to see this as a TV show (maybe Netflix since they tend to do a rocking job).

Day 21 by Cass Morgan - ⭐⭐⭐

It's been 21 days since the hundred landed on Earth. They're the only humans to set foot on the planet in centuries...or so they thought. Facing an unknown enemy, Wells attempts to keep the group together. Clarke strikes out for Mount Weather, in search of other Colonists, while Bellamy is determined to rescue his sister, no matter the cost. And back on the ship, Glass faces an unthinkable choice between the love of her life and life itself.

In this pulse-pounding sequel to Kass Morgan's The 100, secrets are revealed, beliefs are challenged, and relationships are tested. And the hundred will struggle to survive the only way they can -- together.

I still much prefer the Netflix adaptation. Although I enjoy this recovering from an apocalyptic event storyline the books take, I find that they lack the action that I love so much in the show… not to mention that my favourite characters don’t exist.

52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lexington Larrabee has never to work a day in her life. After all, she’s the heiress to the multi-billion-dollar Larrabee Media empire. And heiresses are not supposed to work. But then again, they’re not supposed to crash brand new Mercedes convertibles into convenience stores on Sunset Blvd either.

Which is why, on Lexi’s eighteen birthday, her ever-absent, tycoon father decides to take a more proactive approach to her wayward life. Every week for the next year, she will have to take on a different low-wage job if she ever wants to receive her beloved trust fund. But if there’s anything worse than working as a maid, a dishwasher, and a fast-food restaurant employee, it’s dealing with Luke, the arrogant, albeit moderately attractive, college intern her father has assigned to keep tabs on her.

In a hilarious “comedy of heiress” about family, forgiveness, good intentions, and best of all, second chances, Lexi learns that love can be unconditional, money can be immaterial, and, regardless of age, everyone needs a little saving. And although she might have 52 reasons to hate her father, she only needs one reason to love him.

Be prepared for a spoiled, bratty, unlikable main character. If you can’t stand characters like this, then I suggest avoiding this read, especially since we are trapped in her head (1st person narration) for the duration of the book. However, Lexi does have a great character arc, so if you are able to tolerate her for the first half of the book, you’ll actually start to like her.

Another contemporary I really enjoyed… not sure if this is because I’m not as picky when it comes to my favourite and least favourite genres anymore, but then again it my just be that I stumbled across two contemporaries that suited my fancy this month.

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Romy Silvers is the only surviving crew-member of a spaceship travelling to a new planet, on a mission to establish a second home for humanity amongst the stars. Alone in space, she is the loneliest girl in the universe until she hears about a new ship which has launched from Earth – with a single passenger on board. A boy called J.

Their only communication with each other is via email – and due to the distance between them, their messages take months to transmit across space. And yet Romy finds herself falling in love.

But what does Romy really know about J? And what do the mysterious messages which have started arriving from Earth really mean?

Sometimes, there’s something worse than being alone . . .

Okay. First of all, the UK paperback cover is gorgeous. This would have one hundred percent been a cover buy if the synopsis hadn’t also intrigued me.

I went in thinking that it would be a space-based romance, but boy was I wrong. And good thing too. I’m not a huge fan of romance (more like I tolerate it for a good plot), and this book did not focus of the blooming romance as much as I thought it would.

Space, suspense, beautiful cover? Sign me up!

Crash by Lisa McMann - ⭐⭐⭐

Jules lives with her family above their restaurant, which means she smells like pizza most of the time and drives their double-meatball-shaped food truck to school. It’s not a recipe for popularity, but she can handle that.

What she can’t handle is the recurring vision that haunts her. Over and over, Jules sees a careening truck hit a building and explode...and nine body bags in the snow.

The vision is everywhere—on billboards, television screens, windows—and she’s the only one who sees it. And the more she sees it, the more she sees. The vision is giving her clues, and soon Jules knows what she has to do. Because now she can see the face in one of the body bags, and it’s someone she knows. Someone she has been in love with for as long as she can remember.

In this riveting start to a gripping trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Lisa McMann, Jules has to act—and act fast—to keep her vision from becoming reality.

Not bad but not amazing either. It’s your typical psychic teen struggling with her newly found gifts and trying to prevent a tragedy. I’ll continue on with the trilogy since I have the bind up, they’re quick reads, and they’re a good distraction from my stressful studies… so basically just what I need.

Bang by Lisa McMann - ⭐⭐⭐

Jules should be happy. She saved a lot of people’s lives and she’s finally with Sawyer, pretty much the guy of her dreams. But the nightmare’s not over, because she somehow managed to pass the psycho vision stuff to Sawyer. Excellent.

Feeling responsible for what he’s going through and knowing that people’s lives are at stake, Jules is determined to help him figure it all out. But Sawyer’s vision is so awful he can barely describe it, much less make sense of it. All he can tell her is there’s a gun, and eleven ear-splitting shots. Bang.

Jules and Sawyer have to work out the details fast, because the visions are getting worse and that means only one thing: time is running out. But every clue they see takes them down the wrong path. If they can’t prevent the vision from happening, lives will be lost. And they may be among the casualties…

This second book in the Visions series took an interesting turn on the whole psychic thing, but a lot of the book was spent going back and forth between “No I don’t want to do this” to “Yes I’m in” and “No I don’t want to help” to, again… “Yes I’m in” which was kind of a drag.

Number of Pages Read: 3438

Average Rating: 3.5

Favourite Book of the Month: The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James

The cover, the space adventure, the thriller-type aspect to the plot… everything I love all in one.

Least Favourite Book of the Month: Vox by Christina Dalcher

I was just… really disappointed.

Keep up with me on Goodreads! (https://www.goodreads.com/LaniakeaBooks)

#books #ya books #book #YA book #book review #book reviews #goodreads #booklr #bookstagram

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elizadoolittlethings · 6 years ago

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Toby Hadoke’s adaptation of Nigel Kneale’s The Road aired on October 27 to great acclaim. Here, Hadoke talks about the necessary alterations for the story, as well as its tributes to the first production…NB This portion of the interview contains major spoilers for The Road. If you’ve not heard it yet, do so now!

Do we know if Nigel Kneale ever considered The Road as a radio script? It’s clear that what Brian Hodgson and the Radiophonic Workshop did back in 1963 was what he was after from the start – it was never going to be a big visual thing.

One of the big comments I got back from [Radio 4 Commissioning Editor] Jeremy Howe when we first pitched it was: “How is this going to work with the climax relying on a juxtaposition of the sound that we can hear and the visuals of the characters in the time period they are in, and the incongruity of hearing those sounds laid over the image of the people in that period clothing?”

He was quite right about that. Charlotte Riches who’s produced it has been a great advocate of mine and done pretty much everything I’ve done for radio; she’s an extremely experienced producer, and is brilliant and very hot on scripts. She said that the edit on the final five minutes of the play was the biggest and hardest job she’d had, and she’d produced hundreds of hours of radio drama. She gave herself a five-day edit on this because she knew this was going to be a biggie.

When you can see the pictures, you know where you’re supposed to be looking; when you’re listening on radio you have to create the points of view and it’s difficult to go, “Are we now with the haunting, or are we still in the woods, and those in the woods can hear the haunting?” On telly, we can see the people who can hear the haunting listening, so we have an anchor. On the radio, you go, “Why are we suddenly with the haunting?” It was really confusing to work out where the listener’s point of view was.

They say the pictures are better on radio – but when you need to create a very specific one, it has to be much harder. I think it works – there’s a lot of very clear audio cues placing us in the period before we get the stuff that’s out of place. Therefore we know the juxtaposition has to be doing something. In the radio version you’re giving us all their reactions through the haunting…

We had to keep cutting back to them. In the original, the haunting is just a series of fractured sounds, whereas in ours, it was Charlotte’s idea that we needed a narrative in the haunting to follow. We have a mother and a lost daughter character in the haunting who are entirely our invention, so we have a little mini story to follow within the haunting itself, otherwise we weren’t quite sure if it wasn’t going to be too fragmented and too confusing to follow.

All the dialogue in the haunting is entirely new, and we planned that quite hard… apart from the object that you can hear that is taken from the original BBC tapes. Although the play doesn’t exist, I had a bit of a brainwave. I dropped Mark Ayres an email and said, “I don’t suppose in your hall of records for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop the sound effects for The Road exist?” and he said, “I’ve got a tape here that says The Road.” He’s a superstar and sent me what was there, and we seeded a couple of bits in just because it’s a play about sound travelling through time, so why not have sound from the original play travelling through time to us? I thought that was nicely appropriate and a nice nod to the great people who went before us.

The original version was post-Cuba with the threat of nuclear holocaust very present – did you consider changing what the tragedy was that caused the haunting or did you want to keep it as close to the original as possible?

Unfortunately Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un came along and Putin as well in a sense – so I think a nuclear holocaust is something that’s still possible, and I didn’t think there was anything else it could be. It needed to be the present day, sure, but although we’ve got them listening to the news on the car radio, I didn’t want it to be too specific. Although it’s intended very much that the day of the haunting is the day that we’re listening to it – it’s happening to us – I thought it would sound a bit hokey if I embedded it too much in the very present in terms of our immediate references.

I think it would have worked in the 1980s when the BBC very kindly did a nuclear holocaust season and they showed The War Game, and Threads was on. I remember it was the first nightmare I ever had – I slept in my sister’s room because I watched The War Game and it scared the shit out of me. It was a real threat – I lived in the countryside, and my mum still lives there; there was a radar dome on the hill and we’d always talk about that if there was a nuclear attack, they’d take out that radar dome so we’d be in the fallout anyway. We wouldn’t escape by being in the country.

It definitely was a present and terrifying threat and I just think there’s nothing else that would quite match it. The world could be wiped out by flood or famine, but I don’t think that gives you as visceral a kick.

The big difficulty we had was with one of the sounds: I thought we should have one of those nuclear sirens going off, but I made some enquires. I asked a couple of MPs and Andrew Smith (who wrote Full Circle for Doctor Who and is a former police officer), as well as Tom Harris, the former MP, about what would happen in the event of a nuclear holocaust, and the consensus was that sound is now outmoded. That alarm wouldn’t happen.

The argument, though, was people still associate it with a nuclear attack, and we should use it but in the end Charlotte made the decision not to. I would have been comfortable using it, because it’s a really useful shorthand. We didn’t, and I think that helped to divorce ourselves from the 1960s setting, but it did mean we did not have available to an aural shorthand that says immediately, “There’s a nuclear bomb!”

So you have to find a way of doing it in the dialogue without having someone say, “I always thought I’d die in a nuclear war!” Or, “Look Jane, here’s a warhead!”

The mother and daughter bit sells that – as they’re describing the cloud. The bit that’s haunted me [and still gives me goosebumps when I transcribe this a few weeks later] is the mother saying, “Close your eyes and make a wish.”

That’s the bit that Charlotte really loved; she said when she read it she got chills down her spine. That’s nice because I wrote that bit!

The actors in the haunting include some quite well known actors, and the girl is the daughter of the producer. Nigel Kneale’s biographer, Andy Murray, is in there somewhere – he lives round the corner from me.

How much of the 40 minutes up to the haunting did you have to rework for radio, and how much could you keep scenes intact?

Unlike [Matthew Graham’s radio play of] The Stone Tape – which I thought was very good, but was a very different retelling of the story with new characters etc. – I felt we had a slight responsibility to present the play that we cannot experience because the tape was destroyed. In the shadow of Nigel Kneale I am humbly shrouded – I had no desire to go, “And what is Hadoke’s take on Kneale’s work?” This is very much my attempt to bring the brilliance of Nigel Kneale to a current and wide audience.

There are some brilliant lines in there, but by the very nature of radio, there are changes. On telly, if you have someone talking to somebody else for two pages, you can keep cutting back to the other person for their reactions to remind you they’re in the scene. You can’t do that on radio. Some of Charlotte’s notes would be – “Jethro speaks here, he hasn’t spoken since page 32, we need to bring him in beforehand, even if it’s to drop off a drink or cough, or something.”

There were various practical things: when we get to the woods, the cart gets stuck on a knot, and that’s just to bring us into the scene. A lot of that is Charlotte’s producing experience, creating the picture for the listener.

The big thing that we brought in to it was because the scenes were quite long – which they can be on television, and certainly could be on television in 1963. For this we needed all the stuff in the woods between Big Jeff and Lukey. In the teleplay it starts off with them setting up and then they bugger off pretty quickly. In this, the stuff with Big Jeff and Lukey and Tetsy that we keep cutting back to is largely mine, setting up the ghost story and having more of the history of the haunting cut with the philosophical discourse. It was felt that we needed to have a bit more toing and froing and to get in the wood location, where the climax takes place, quite a lot earlier. Most of the stuff between those characters, and the stuff about the bones, was all new just to have a bit of a mystery around the haunting.

I had fewer characters at my disposal so I had to roll a couple into one. In the original there’s a character called Sam, played by Rodney Bewes, who is Tetsy’s sweetheart and they’re in the woods. I think it was Charlotte’s idea we roll them into one, and Sam’s the dog now! And it gives Tetsy a bigger role now.

There was a whole big team of guys helping the Squire and in my first draft I’d written lots of grunts, and cries of “You up there!” We just pared that down to Big Jeff and Lukey who do all the factotuming, because a big load of extras grunting is great on television to fill the picture but on radio it’s not particularly helpful.

In terms of the characters and the main thrusts of their arguments, the dialogue has been tweaked here and there, but large chunks are 100% Kneale. It was already great, so why mess with it?

How involved with the casting were you?

This is the great relationship I have with Charlotte – she knows I’m an acting geek. I didn’t know you could do this until we first did a play together; she said, “Who do you think?” and I suggested a few names… and they were all in it!

We were originally going to do this in Manchester and we were going to use all local actors for the supporting parts, which I’m passionate about because I think the BBC should use more local actors when they’re recording in a place. But because we’d got Mark Gatiss it looked like we’d have to do it in London, and if we were going to be in London, and it’s only a day [recording], we decided to aim high!

We batted a few ideas back and forth. I suggested Hattie Morahan straightaway just because 1) she’s a brilliant radio actress and 2) her dad directed the original which again I thought was a beautiful tie in to the past. Charlotte knew Hattie because she’d done loads of radio. I hadn’t known their connection. Hattie was a yes pretty quickly.

Mark I mentioned was a fan in the pitch – but I didn’t ask him if he’d be in it until we got the go ahead. He was definitely the first person to be contacted, before I’d written the script but after the commission. It then depended on his availability. We were on standby for quite a while – you can’t cast until you’ve got a date – but then we got a date finally from Mark and we moved pretty quickly.

Knowing we had Mark early on we knew would bring people to it – audience-wise and cast-wise. Actors know they’re going to be in a production that people are going to want to take some notice of and if it’s got the nod from somebody who can pick and choose their work, that helps.

I wasn’t 100% certain Mark would want to do it, because he tried to remake it and wasn’t successful so I thought he might be pissed off that somebody else had. He’d also done a readthrough of it on stage a few years ago, so maybe he’d played the part and got it out of his system. He’s always been very nice to me when I met him, so the approach wasn’t totally out of the blue and I thought he wouldn’t tell me to piss off, he would let me down gently. That’s the fear when you get in touch [with actors] out of the blue: you don’t want them to be rude to you, but I knew from my limited experience that Mark wouldn’t be mean, so I went for it.

Francis Magee is a brilliant actor and an old mate of mine and I wanted to give him a job – not that he needs one! He never stops working! I love him to death and I could just imagine him as Lukey so I suggested him.

I worked with Colin McFarlane years and years ago; he’s got a brilliant voice. I suggested him.

We had a few names in the frame for Big Jeff and then Emily, the production assistant, suggested Ralph Ineson because she always wanted to work with him. I said, “Go on offer it to him. It’s a little role at the bottom of the credits, he’s not going to go for it…” and he said yes. I wasn’t going to argue with that – he’s got the perfect voice for a tall Northern man.

Tetsy was quite hard to cast – Susan Wokoma was the only part I didn’t cast. I’d not worked with her before but she’s very much of the moment and brought a very different energy to it. She was Charlotte’s suggestion.

Then Adrian Scarborough – we had loads of ideas for Sir Timothy and there was an actor in the frame who couldn’t do it. It’s a potentially very boring part because he’s slightly stiff and credulous. I needed somebody who was able to bring a slightly different energy to it. I thought of Adrian whose work I’d always liked – I’ve seen him on stage a lot. He’s an interesting left field idea so I suggested him and Charlotte went, “ooh let’s try him”. I thought he’d be good but he’s even better than I thought. It’s a tricky part and he’s made it really sing. I’m really happy with what he did with it.

Has this whetted your appetite for more Kneale adaptations?

It’s really helped me with my Quatermass book because [Nigel Kneale’s widow] Judith Kerr came to the recording. I’d been trying to get in touch with her to talk about the Quatermass book, but I’d never been able to get past the agent. She came to the recording of The Road, she was delightful, I chanced my arm and said I’m doing a book on Quatermass. I took her for dinner, and she took me round to the house. She’s got the Thing from The Quatermass Experiment out of a plastic bag in the corner of the office; she took me up to Nigel’s office where there’s a Martian sitting in the corner and gave me access to stuff I had no idea existed.

[Added October 29] Have you been pleased with the play’s reception?

I’m staggered – the response had been amazing. I mean, I knew there’d be a small coterie of people like me who would be keen on it (but then they might have hated it because it’s not 100% the original, so even they were a worry!) but the response has been huge. We trended on Twitter! And loads of people who knew nothing about the play before have got in touch to say how great it was an how floored they were by the ending. Someone even Tweeted to say it’s got his 11 year old son into radio drama which has made me overjoyed!

And then last night I got an email from Judith Kerr saying how much she enjoyed it and that “Tom would have loved it.” I’m not afraid to say that got me a bit emotional. So job done. It’s been a totally thrilling experience from start to finish and I’m very lucky to have had this opportunity.

The Road is available to listen on iPlayer. Read our review here

The first, spoiler-free, part of this interview explains how Toby came to adapt The Road

Photos from the recording (c) Toby Hadoke and used with kind permission.

#MG #mark gatiss #the road #toby hadoke #nigel kneale #bbc radio 4 #interview #all things MG

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aussiereader · 3 years ago

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AUGUST BOOK WRAP UP

I had a pretty good reading month this month and ended up reading 23 books.

My thoughts are below.

First book I read was a graphic novel called 'This was our Pact' by Ryan Andrews. This was a cute little graphic novel about a friendship between two boys who go on an adventure to find out where some lanterns go, being the only two that stuck by the pact they made.

What I enjoyed about this book was the friendship that built between the two boys. And since the main character is a kid he makes a bad decision like all kids do. I like that this is a realistic story about kids and it was very adorable growing into the story.

I gave this book 4 stars.

The second book I read was called I'm With Stupid by Geoff Harbach. This was a book where a football player isolates himself from a town by picking a school that made them believe he was betraying them. He befriends and becomes a mentor for a kid who isn't as popular and he's trying to figure out his steps when he graduates high school.

What I enjoyed about this book was that he didn't let himself ignore a kid who needed help and let himself be a protector for him.

I gave this book a 3.5 star.

I then read the Twisted Tale of Frozen Let It Go. This book is a story of what if Elsa and Anna never knew each other.

What I liked about this story and this whole series was that they build the stories behind these famous stories more, and give some of them more personality and a bigger story then just the short and thrown together story. Kristoff was actually a more built out character and this book also answered the question about what would happen if Elsa and Hans were a couple.

I gave this book a 4 star rating.

The fourth book I read was Mystery of the Midnight Rider by Carolyn Keene. This is a Nancy Drew Mystery. Nancy Drew is a child detective who solves mysteries around her town of River Heights with her boyfriend and best friends.

What I liked about this book was childhood purposes, I loved this series when I was a little kid and teenager. This story knows what it is, they are mysteries for young girls and teenagers.

I gave this book a 4 star rating.

I then read Reckless by Gemma Rogers. This was a story of a woman who develops a relationship with a student and then ends up being stalked by that student when she ends it.

My god this book was dark. Izzy, our main character has just moved into this town with her family to have a fresh start. But this book goes alot into the dangers of those relationships. I enjoyed the dark feel of this book, alot more then I should have but there was something that kept sucking me in, and there were moments when I didn't like the main character at all because she was making so many stupid decisions, but when this book went dark, they did it right.

I gave this book a 4 star rating.

I then listened to the audiobook of Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren. This is about a woman who gets betrayed by someone she trusted and then they meet up again years later and find their way back to each other again.

I don't read alot of romance but for a readathon I needed something to fill the prompt and I read this. My god I didn't like this book, why would any woman go back to someone who betrayed everything about their trust and hurt her so much. I kept wanting this girl to just stop going back to him, even though I knew where the story was going, but I really didn't like that as the main plot. I did like the writing of it though, Christina Lauren can write, but I just didn't like the story plot itself.

I gave this book a 3 star rating.

I then read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. I don't really know how to describe what this book is about aside from a woman who starts a bookclub and writes to many friends about it.

I wanted to get into this book, but it was written in a way I couldn't follow, which is why I was happy I found the audiobook of it so that someone else could read it to me. I do recommend this to someone who is into this genre of book, but it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be.

I gave this book a 3 star rating.

I then listened to the audiobook of Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson. This story is about a girl who realises her best friend is missing and is the only one who seems to care.

My god I loved this book. The way that it went into so many different topics and covered them well, and presented the story of trying to search for a missing black girl so well. This story was good from start to finish and I think more people need to read this book.

I gave this book a 4 star rating.

I then read Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan. This is the the 4th book in the Percy Jackson series and it continues to follow the story of Percy Jackson and his friends as they prepare for the final battle.

This was my favourite book in the story so far and it continues to tell the story quite well and is a great continuation of the story.

I gave this book a 4 star rating.

I then read 17 Marigold Lane by R.M Gilmore. This is the story of a girl who finds out she's dying and befriends an autistic boy who has been hidden away from the world.

God, this book made me feel so many emotions. I went from feeling happy and sad, but then also angry because I met the parents and hated them almost immediately because of how they treated or didn't care about their son. Everyone should read this book because it goes into some deep topics and teaches quite well about aspererger's and what it actually does to people.

I gave this book a 4 star rating. It would've been a 5 star, but the parents annoyed me too much.

I then did an audiobook for the story Dead Girl Walking by Linda Joy Singleton. This was a story about a girl who dies and finds her way back to the wrong body.

I enjoyed parts of this book because it was funny, but it wasn't the most well written book I've ever seen. It was fine for what it is, but it could've been more and done alot better.

I gave this book a 3 star rating.

The next book I read was Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. This is a story of a couple that turns dark when his wife turns up missing.

I kept this book synopsis vague because otherwise it gives away the premise of the story, but it is definitely worth reading. The twists in this book were semi predictable, but I still liked the way they played it out.

I gave this book a 3.5 star rating.

I then read Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian by Rick Riordan. This is the final book in the 5 book series and what all of the book so far have been building up to, the final battle of the Gods.

I thought this was a amazing closer to the series and was executed well. Like this is what it's been building up to and this is what the story is essentially and I loved the way it was done. This is a story that I think everyone should read at some point, whether you, or your kids.

I gave this book a 4 star rating.

The next book I read was Don't Believe It by Charlie Donlea. I originally read this book because I read two more of Charlie Donlea's stories and enjoyed them, and I didn't really like this book as much as those. I think because of the ending more then anything else is what made me not like it much. Normally the endings are what I like the most about his stories, but this one just fell short for me.

So this became a 3.5 star rating.

I then listened the audiobook for The House on the Cerulean Sea by T.J Klune. This is a book about a social worker that gets sent to a house to inspect and complete a report.

I wanted to like this book, but I think parts of it went downhill and wasn't the way I wanted it to go. I think my rating would've been lower if I read the book physically, and I can't pick why I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. But normally I do end up liking less hyped books more then hyped ones.

I gave this book a 3 star rating.

I then read The Taken by Inbali Iserles. This is the first book in a series called Foxcraft. This is a story of a fox trying to find her way back to her family who has all disappeared.

I thought this book was cute for what it was, but I was clearly not the target audience for this book since it's clearly made for kids. But for what it was I enjoyed it, as it's quite a fun adventure story and I would read it again if I ever had children around.

I gave this book a 3 star rating.

I then read Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly. This is a retelling of Snow White which goes more on the fairytale rather then the Disney movie, since it uses more then just the poisoned apple approach. I did enjoy this book and it definitely built on the naivety of Snow White as a child, and her building inside herself to become a queen. Some parts of it were cliche, but since it was based off a fairytale they were able to be slipped past in my mind.

I gave this book a 4 star rating.

I then read the graphic novel 'Miles Morales: Shockwaves'. This is exactly what it was a Spiderman graphic novel that is based off the Into The Spiderverse story rather then the known story. I did enjoy this book for what it was but I can't really be too disappointed because it's a graphic novel so there wasn't much depth to it.

I gave this book a 3.5 star rating.

I then read Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. This is a story of a young girl falls through a rabbit hole into a whole new world. I didn't like this book as much as I wanted to, and I know it was a book made for children, but it wasn't as good as it could've been even for kids.

I gave this book a 3 star rating.

Then I read The House by the Sea by Louise Douglas. This is a story about a couple who get sent back to an old house in England, that was left to them, but the house has haunted memories included. I don't really know what I was expecting from this book, but I kind of enjoyed it. I haven't heard people talking about this book at all, but I think it was actually quite a good story, even if I picked half of the ending, but the other half I didn't.

I gave this book a 4 star rating.

Then I finally read the Tale of Magic by Chris Colfer. This is a fantasy story where magic has been banned in the world and our main character needs to change that. I actually didn't like this book at the start, maybe because of the sexist beliefs in it. But I did end up actually enjoying it, even if it took a few things from other fantasy stories.

I gave this book a 4 star rating.

The final book I read was the audiobook of Growing up Disabled in Australia. This is a collection of short stories from disabled adults in Australia. I don't like giving a strong opinion on non fiction, so I won't go into it. I also don't rate people's real stories so this is it for this book.

This is my wrap up and I actually had a very good reading month. The most I've read in a while.

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redditnosleep · 7 years ago

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The Terrifying Note Addressed To My Six-year-old Son

by Creeping_dread

This story has a free audiobook available!

Carrie and I met about sixteen years ago—late 2001, I think—at a church picnic. I was relatively new to town, so when one of my co-workers asked me to tag along with him on a Sunday afternoon, I took him up on it. I’d always heard churches and supermarkets were the best places to meet wholesome, single women, and that turned out to be right. That afternoon, I met the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She was standing behind a bowl of fried chicken, her greasy apron reading Union Street Methodist Church, laughing as she doled out legs and thighs and breasts to people’s plates. I remember her blonde hair was pulled up in a tight ponytail and swung to the side as she turned her head. Like a cheerleader or something. I was hooked from the moment I saw her.

After lunch, I struck up a conversation with her and we hit it off immediately. We started dating soon after, and were married In October of 2002. That was the best day of my life. The second best was the day Kyle was born.

Reading the note that psycho sent to the paper tore my heart in two. My first thought was, Not MY Carrie. Even though she denied ever cheating on me, I couldn’t get the image of my wife of fifteen years in a car with some other guy—doing THAT, no less—out of my head. By the time she got home last night, I was angry. Seething, actually. As soon as she stepped through the door, I confronted her, the newspaper clutched in my hand.

Me: Why weren’t you answering your texts?

Carrie: Sorry babe, I got busy. You know how my boss is. I can’t have my phone out while I’m working.

Me: You’ve always been able to text before. What’s going on?

The look on her face told me everything. She wasn’t a good liar and I could tell something was up. For some reason, this made me less angry. She looked hurt.

Carrie: Nothing, Dean. (She wouldn’t look at me. She moved into the living room where Kyle was, watching tv, and told him to go to his room. She started randomly picking up things off the couch like she was cleaning.)

Me: I know that look—you’re a terrible liar. Babe, please, Andrew is missing and this psycho has him. If any part of that letter is true, you have to tell me. Whatever it is, we’ll get through it. (It felt like a lie, hot and searing in my throat, but I said it anyway).

She stared at me, tears welling in her eyes, and then she just broke down. She crumpled onto the couch and sat there with her head in her hands, sobbing. I sat down beside her and rubbed her back.

Me: Carrie, it’s okay. (My heart was thumping out of my chest at this point. It’s such a terrible feeling to know you may be seconds away from hearing something that can never be taken back. And might change everything).

Carrie: (between sobs) I didn’t think it had anything to do with this…

Me: What? What is it? Just tell me.

Carrie: I swear, it was a mistake.. I never meant for it to happen.

Me: Just tell me, Carrie. Please.

Carrie: (She wiped the mascara off her face) It was that weekend you were out of town with some of your friends. Camping, I think. It was so long ago. Eight or nine years.

Me: I remember. (I’d gotten together with some college buddies, which didn’t happen very often. We hadn’t made it back until late Sunday night).

Carrie: Me and the girls went to the bar that Friday night. I swear, I didn’t think I drank that much. I had a couple beers, I think, but no liquor and no shots. And there was this guy there, and…

Me: And WHAT Carrie?

Carrie: (She looked at me finally.) Don’t make me say it.

Me: It’s TRUE??

Carrie: Oh God, I’m so sorry. I remember sitting at the bar, next to Jenny, and a guy coming up and talking to us. Next thing I remember is sitting in his car in that parking lot by the river. I couldn’t remember how I got there. I was so ashamed….I swear, we didn’t have sex….he wanted to but I said no….

Me: (I’m tearing up by this point, holding back anger). Just some random guy? In a parking lot? Jesus Christ, I’m trying to understand, Carrie.

Carrie: I know it doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know what happened—I’ve never done anything like that before. And no, not random. That’s the fucked up part about all of this. I met him at the church.

Me: At church? OUR church?

Carrie: That Friday was a service day. We were going to Gentle Hills, the nursing home on Silver, to visit the residents. The youth group does this thing called “clowning”, where they dress up as clowns and paint their faces and bring balloons to the nursing home residents who can’t get out. They absolutely love it. I brought the idea to the adult Sunday school class and they wanted to do it too. When we met at the church, that guy was there. I’d never noticed him at church, but I assumed he was just someone’s friend. Dean?

I was speechless by this point, tears rolling down my face. Devastated. But I didn’t have to tell her that. She knew.

Carrie: I’m so sorry.

Me: Did he tell you his name?

Carrie: Ray, I think. (She sniffled). If he told me his last name, I don’t remember. Dean, I know what you’re thinking. It couldn’t be the same guy. He was just a normal guy. Jeans, button down shirt. Clean cut. He seemed pretty drunk, but otherwise he seemed normal. I think he said he was an accountant. He did make some joke about us making good-looking children together, but I just chalked it up to him trying to tell me I was pretty. I think I joked about not wanting to ever have kids. That was obviously before we had Kyle. Maybe this psycho saw us somehow? Maybe he was out there by the river. I don’t know.

Me: Have you seen this guy since then?

She looked like she didn’t want to answer.

Me: Carrie?

Carrie: He called me. The next day. I guess I’d given him my number. He said he wanted to see me again, that he was in love with me. I was so ashamed, I didn’t know what to say. I just hung the phone up on him, blocked his number. I swear, I never saw him again. I just wanted to forget about it.

Me: Never?

Carrie: I haven’t seen or heard from him since. I swear to God. (She turned to face me). Dean, I’m so, so sorry. I don’t have any excuse for what happened. I guess I drank more than I should have, and I made a terrible mistake. I know I’ve ruined everything. And now all this with the kids. Please, babe…

I got up right then and left her on the couch, sobbing. If I would have said anything, it would have been it’s over, but I couldn’t bring myself to say that either. I loved Carrie. Still do. But I knew I had to get away from her, for a little while at least. I blamed her for not telling me about what happened as soon as we got the first note from Kyle, even though there really was no reason for her to think the two things were related.

I went into Kyle’s room and sat down on his bed. He was on the floor playing with some figurines. When he saw me sit down, he looked up and asked me if the bad man was coming to get him. Is that why mommy’s crying. I got down on the floor and hugged him close. I hadn’t told him about Andrew, yet. Wasn’t sure if I ever would.

No, I won’t let that happen buddy. Not ever, understand? I’m your Dad, and my job is to protect you. And that’s what I’m gonna do. I promise. I think—I hope—he believed me. I didn’t talk to Carrie for the rest of the night. Avoiding her felt awful, especially with what she was dealing with. But I didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t stand the thought of talking to her.

Late that night, probably around 10, Detective Carr called. I got off the couch and walked onto the back porch as he talked. Carrie was asleep in the bedroom and I didn’t want to wake her.

He’d gone out to the retired detective’s house and talked to him about the Kerrington case. The detective remembered it well, he said—people don’t go missing in our small town very often, apparently, and this case was particularly troubling to him. Young girl from a good family suddenly disappears without a trace and he couldn’t bring her home. It still haunted him.

He confirmed the information Carr found on the missing person’s report. Suzanne was last seen at a 24-hour gym. The friend who’d seen her—Emily, he recalled—said Suzanne was excited about seeing a guy she’d met the night before. She wanted to work on her arms so they’d look good in a sleeveless top. Weird things like that, I remember for some reason. She was a good girl for being 21 years old. She never frequented the bars around town and never got in any trouble. Her main social outlet was her church, he said.

My heart skipped a beat when he said it. What church?

Union Street, Detective Carr answered. Why.

Union Street. Our church.

I knew I had to tell Carr about what Carrie did. Telling him made it even more real, somehow, and the wound was ripped open again as I recounted every detail.

Even though Carrie didn’t think the guy she cheated with was the same guy who’d taken Andrew, Detective Carr DID. And Union Street was the connection. Carrie had met “Ray” at Union Street, and maybe Suzanne had too. If that was correct, they may be the same person. He wondered at first why Carrie didn’t recognize Suzanne’s name from church, but I told him Carrie hadn’t moved to town until sometime in ’99. Detective Carr agreed: Suzanne’s case would have been long out of the public eye by then. He got off the phone hastily, saying he had some leads to track down. I knew he wouldn’t be sleeping any time soon.

After I hung up the phone, I sat on the back porch and looked into the blackness of the backyard, where Kyle stood as a stranger crept through the gate and left the terrifying note that started all of this.

Why the note to Kyle? Why now, after almost ten years?

I knew one thing. Whoever this creep was, he liked to dress up as a fucking clown.

And he used the church as his hunting ground.

I climbed back on the couch, but didn’t sleep well. I knew there’d be a crew at 3 Orange Circle in the morning, ripping up a newly poured concrete floor, and I kept picturing the shallow grave they’d surely find beneath, with the bones of Susie Kerrington inside. I hoped Andrew wouldn’t suffer the same fate.

This morning, there was no article in the paper as I’d hoped. There wouldn’t have been time for Detective Carr to get the information to them. However, I was listening to the radio at breakfast and during the morning show they interviewed Detective Carr. He instructed people to stay indoors after dark and make sure all doors and windows were safely secured. Then, he gave a description of the subject they were looking for.

Early-to-mid forties (Carrie's and my age), probably college educated. Clean cut. Regular job, possibly an accountant at one time. It’s possible he projects the image of a put-together adult, but alone feels more like a child. He may moonlight at children’s parties doing balloon animals or face painting, or could possibly be a mall Santa or Easter Bunny. He also may attend children’s tee ball games, so be on the lookout for anyone who fits that description who isn’t a relative of one of the children playing. May be named Ray.

He’s smart, he continued. And cunning. He wants the attention he’s getting. It’s what fuels him, which also means it’s possible he’s mentally ill. He’s killed once and he may again. DO NOT confront this individual if you see him. CALL THE POLICE.

On the way back from Kyle’s school, I drove by 3 Orange Circle. There were two police cruisers and a construction truck out front. They’d put some crime scene tape up and I could see someone holding two buckets coming from around the back of the house. He reached the front yard and dumped what appeared to be broken chunks of concrete into a green dumpster bag. I guess that was the only way to get them out of the basement. Then, he turned back toward the back of the house. I could almost hear the jackhammer doing its brutal work down there in the dark.

#creepy #horror story #stalking #kidnapping #series #author: Creeping_dread #terrifying notes series

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poetrybooksya · 7 years ago

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DISCUSSION: My Reading Pressures as a Book Blogger

Here's another addition of my new Discussion segment on the blog, thanks to Vivatramp for the 100 Book Blog Post Ideas! This time, I'm here to discuss my reading pressures as a book blogger.

The Pressure to Read "New, Best-Selling" Books - It's not that I don't have many new books, in fact, I don't even buy books very often. I either order E-books from Overdrive, or borrow from my library. The book collection I do have, are of older books that are still beloved in general. Like Twilight, Harry Potter, Divergent, The Hunger Games, Anomaly by Tonya Kuper, fan favorites like that are proudly addressed on my small shelf. So this pressure to read all the new books to stay "relevant" in the community haunts me because I feel like I'm not interested in them. I am, I just don't have the shelf-space to read, like and buy them for the aesthetics.

The Pressure to Read Quickly - This kind of goes in line with my first reading pressure from before, but now I have an even bigger pressure to read as fast as I can. Which is hard to do when you work 5 times a week at a crazy-busy part-time job, there's little time for me to really rush through a book. Also, when I get home, I sometimes don't want to read; I want to sleep haha! And then, there are days where I have to get up early in the morning and work all over again, and then I feel even worse when I have a book I've been wanting to read for so long, but can't take 10,20, 30 minutes to sit and read a chapter a day...So you can imagine this pressure is more of an insecurity, really, since I'm so jealous of some booktubers and bloggers who can read 3-4 books per week. Show me your magic!

The Pressure to Kmow Popular Books - I have a collection of fan favorites, but I don't know every single popular book out there, like Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo, Adam Silvera. I know of them, based on the amount of praise they get, but I don't know how good they really are. So when I get a comment like, "Did you read Six of Crows? It's SOO GOOD!" I just smile and nod, because I feel like an airhead for not jumping on the bandwagon already. And I know you don't have to, but there's this unwritten rule that you do if you want to be known for something.

The Pressure to Read Audiobooks - I've never read an audiobook in my life, like ever. I've heard samples of them, based on curiosity, but I've never had the interest to go out and buy an audiobook. I know Audible is really popular, but isn't the whole thing with that to buy one audiobook per session, like one book per month? [If I'm wrong, please correct me!!] But yeah, I've never had the pleasure to use audiobooks. Plus, I've heard they're pretty expensive. I don't know, maybe there's a cheaper, less complicated way to how audiobooks work? How are they read, on your phone, laptop, IPad? Do you have to download software to read one book?

The Pressure to Have the Best, Most Aesthetic Instagram - This is more of another insecurity than a pressure, but I feel like if you don't have the best IG with the most HD look, with the best lighting, props, photography, then you wont make it as a blogger. Which is stupid, because not everyone has an IG or even cares about it, but that's what's been on my mind for the past couple years. My IG is pretty basic to be honest haha! I try to at least filter my photos before publishing, but since I'm not a photographer, there's always a weird, grainy dark feeling to all of my photos. I don't want to come off like I'm trying too hard. But when you see your peers earn thousands upon thousands of Likes and comments about how amazing these photos are, you start to feel the pressure to find a Crash Course on epic photography.

What are some reading pressures you have? Leave comments below!

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Thanks for reading!

via Blogger http://poemsbyayoungartist.blogspot.com/2018/03/discussion-my-reading-pressures-as-book.html

#booktube #discussion #March 2018 #personal March 22 #2018 at 10:00AM

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lair-of-books · 6 years ago

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Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This weeks topic is the top 10 books on your Fall 2018 TBR. I’m actually happy this is the topic because it made me put pen to paper and outline the books I’ve been meaning to get to but for one reason or another, haven’t. These also happen to be books I ABSOLUTELY feel in my core, will be 5 star reads. I may be wrong but given how some of my blogging buddies have spoken about these books, I have a feeling I’m in for a treat so let’s do this!

*These are in no particular order*

September 18th: Books On My Fall 2018 TBR

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers – This book has shamefully been sitting on my shelf collecting dust for far too long! Having discovered it on Booktube YEARS ago & hearing all of the GUSH reviews, I just knew the Sci-Fi lover in me would appreciate this title. Diverse Character driven books will always be a MUST read for me

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor– Why do I feel like I already know the characters in this book on a personal level? I can’t wait to meet Lazlo on the page though haha! Laini is one of my top 3 fave authors of all time, she holds the #1 spot. This means that I get excited when book news makes its rounds but I also strangely cannot bring myself to read the book. Laini’s books are the only books to give me hangovers and everything else that follows it typically suffers a bit SMH. I own a copy of Muse of Nightmares though so a binge session is coming later this month 😉

Sleeping Giants (Themis Files #1) by Sylvain Neuvel – Hi! Hello! My name is Lilly & I cannot resist Sci-fi books written in mixed media format ever since the Illuminae Files. This is another book I’ve owned for too long but now that the other books in this series are out I really have no excuse not to get to. Also, I hear the audiobooks are A+ in performance

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang – Now this one has quite the buzz behind it & from what I’ve heard it’s well deserved. An Asian inspired Fantasy, magic, and a military school?!? why I haven’t read this is BEYOND me since it seems to check off all my boxes for a MUST read

CIRCE by Madeline Miller – Greek Mythology has always managed to reign in my attention for as long as I can remember. I was that kid reading The Iliad and the Odyssey in 7th grade who had to read ahead of the required reading chapters in class smh. Prioritizing this one above all others for October.

City Of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakraborty – This book just spews magic right from the very cover. I feel it in my core that this will be a 5 star read. “an imaginative alchemy of The Golem and the Jinni, The Grace of Kings, and One Thousand and One Nights, in which the future of a magical Middle Eastern kingdom rests in the hands of a clever and defiant young con artist with miraculous healing gifts” —Yea hard to pass up with this blurb

Fruits Basket (Volume 1) by Natsuki Takaya – I actually read the first 40 pages to Fruits Basket while waiting in B&N for a appointment. Engrossed in what I read, I’m not sure why I never returned to buy a copy but that has since been remedied & I’m ready to dive back in. Basically this one is about a girl who is orphaned & she decides to set up a tent to live in but it’s on a wealthy clans family. This family has a bit of a secret, when embraced by the opposite sex, they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. HELLA intrigued!

Vicious (Villains #1) by V.E. Schwab – Ok, so this one is about college buddies turned arch-nemeses with Supernatural abilities in the mix as well. This is another book where I feel as If I know the characters, Victor & Eli! I’ll see you in the pages! also it’s Schwab so I couldn’t help myself and totes ordered myself the exclusive Owlcrate edition for Vengeful *yupppp I never said I don’t have a problem*

The Diviners by Libba Bray – I’ve been counting down the days till October to read this book. Not only is it hella diverse but it takes place in the 20’s which is my favorite time period in history. I have both the physical and audiobook copy & will most likely read them in both formats at the same time. It’s a chunker of a book so it’ll be nice to listen to when I cant read at work, also I’ve heard Libba Bray narrates & SLAYYYYYS the performance for each character

Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare- Last but NEVER least is this beauty of a book! Last time I was in this world was probably last year when I read Tales of the Shadowhunter Academy & miss it something bad! I will be buddy reading LM with Melanie from Meltotheany who is currently reading all of the TMI & TID books, giving me all of the feels reliving my reading experience with some of my favorite fictional characters of all time!

Hello Bookworms! this week I went with books from my backlist cause they’re the ones that haunt me the MOST! Which books on your Fall TBR are you looking forward to? If you’ve read any of the books I’ve mentioned, feel free to offer up some words of encouragement for your favorites 😉

FOLLOW LAIR OF BOOKS ON…

Instagram: @LairOfBooks

Twitter: @LairOfBooks

Goodreads: LairOfBook

Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Fall 2018 TBR Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to

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chronicles-of-a-paper-heart · 6 years ago

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It’s already been a few days since June started, but I wasn’t really reading a lot anyway, so that’s fine.

I still have a lot of Review Copies/ Netgalley ARCs and I want to focus again this month on those books. And knock some books off my TBR shelf that have been on there FOREVER! So my usual categories for picking my monthly TBR won’t work this month. So I have five new-ish ones to fit my wishes this month. If you’ve seen my other TBR posts you know that I always have ridiculously large TBRs and I really tried to tone that down this month … but that wasn’t as successful as I hoped. There are just too many great books out there (and on my shelves) to read.

Aaaannd without further ado, let’s see the books I’m planning to read this month.

The first category is:

Books I started last month

I don’t think I’ll finish The Wise Man’s Fear this month though. I listen to this on audiobook and I still have around 28 hours left … so yeah. And on top of that, I’m not exactly in the mood to pick this up. Though I do enjoy the story. I think y’all know what this series is about, so in favour of keeping this as short as possible, I’m not gonna summarize every book.

WHYYYYYY IS THIS NOT FUNCTIONING LIKE I WANT IT TO??? Acomaf is reread for me. I found the audiobook on my MP3 Player and just started to listen and was immediately hooked again. I love this book so much! Hands down my favourite of the three.

AHHH Also audiobooking Ice like Fire, so you can see, I’m quite packed with stuff to listen too. But I’m hoping to actually finish it this week. I feel like I can’t really appreciate the story if I have such long breaks in between. And I really want to love this. And I hope to get to the third and final book Frost like Night in July.

RC/ARCs

Scarborough Fair is told in two alternating timelines. One is about Alice and her lady’s maid Mary who visit Scarborough in 1899 and are being followed. The other one is Rose in 2016 and she visits her Gran with her mother and meets Dan, a boy who works in the amusement arcade. I started this two days ago and so far I’m enjoying it. But I fear I’m in a reading slump right now, so it’s going very slowly.

I requested Her Name was Rose a few days ago and was quite surprised to be approved. But it sounds very intriguing! So I can’t wait to dive into this. Emily witnesses the death of Rose and after thinking that Rose has everything Emily ever wanted, she decides to step in and take her place. But no one’s life is perfect and not everything is as it seems.

Izara – Das ewige Feuer was on my May TBR too I’m afraid. But I haven’t gotten around to it yet. It’s quite long (500+ pages) and I didn’t have that much time in May. Hopefully, I get to it this month because it does sound like something I would enjoy. I honestly can’t tell you very much about it (and it’s a German release so you might not care anyway) but a friend of mine recommended it and I do trust her.

I always wanted to read a book by Yrsa Sidurdadottir and DNA (The Legacy) sounds really good. (And it fits one of my reading challenges, so that’s a bonus!) It’s the first in a new series and follows Detective Huldar and Psychologist Freyja. Freyja doesn’t trust the police in general and Huldar in particular, but they have to work together to protect a young girl and solve this murder.

Old TBR Books

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is an East Asian Retelling of The Evil Queen. Don’t need to know any more. Sign me up. I’m all here for evil characters, their origin stories and following their ruthless path to power. I got this book in a Fairyloot subscription box and I plan to finish all those this year.

I first heard about Doon on Sasha Alsbergs Booktube channel Bookutopia and she recommended it. It is kinda in the vein of Outlander. It follows two friends who travel to Scotland and find there some instructions which transports them to another land? Another time? Something like that. I got it used about two years ago or so and I want to finally knock it off my TBR shelf.

Haunting Violet is another one I found used in my book buying phase were I bought everything that was cheap and sounded at least mildly interesting. Now, I want to either read them all (this year? hopefully?) or just get rid of them if they don’t interest me anymore. But this one does sound quite cool. It is Historical Fiction/Fantasy/Paranormal/Mystery aka everything you want. It follows a young girl who doesn’t really believe in ghosts even though she has the ability to see them.

Continuing Series

I’ve heard a lot of mixed things about A Court of Frost and Starlight, but it’s short and now I know not to expect much of a plot so I do think I’ll enjoy it for what it is. And I’m excited to read it.

I’ve wanted to read Queens of Fennbirn since the day it came out! And I still haven’t. WHY??? I loved the Three Dark Crowns books and can’t wait for books three to come out in … october? This includes two short stories: The Young Queens which follows the three sisters from birth to their claiming ceremonies and The Oracle Queen which revolves around Elsabet, the oracle Queen who went mad and her catastrophic reign, or so the legend says. But what happened really?

So these are the 12 (11 if you don’t count A Wise Man’s Fear) books I want to try and read this month.

*All cover images were taken from Goodreads

Have you read any of these? Or plan to this month?

June TBR It's already been a few days since June started, but I wasn't really reading a lot anyway, so that's fine.

#tbr

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menuh · 7 years ago

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The audiobook Doug is listening to in House of Cards:

A Tale of Two Cities

Book 2, Chapter 13: The Fellow of No Delicacy

(I guess Doug is a slow reader!)

If Sydney Carton ever shone anywhere, he certainly never shone in the house of Doctor Manette. He had been there often, during a whole year, and had always been the same moody and morose lounger there. When he cared to talk, he talked well; but, the cloud of caring for nothing, which overshadowed him with such a fatal darkness, was very rarely pierced by the light within him.

And yet he did care something for the streets that environed that house, and for the senseless stones that made their pavements. Many a night he vaguely and unhappily wandered there, when wine had brought no transitory gladness to him; many a dreary daybreak revealed his solitary figure lingering there, and still lingering there when the first beams of the sun brought into strong relief, removed beauties of architecture in spires of churches and lofty buildings, as perhaps the quiet time brought some sense of better things, else forgotten and unattainable, into his mind. Of late, the neglected bed in the Temple Court had known him more scantily than ever; and often when he had thrown himself upon it no longer than a few minutes, he had got up again, and haunted that neighbourhood.

On a day in August, when Mr. Stryver (after notifying to his jackal that “he had thought better of that marrying matter”) had carried his delicacy into Devonshire, and when the sight and scent of flowers in the City streets had some waifs of goodness in them for the worst, of health for the sickliest, and of youth for the oldest, Sydney’s feet still trod those stones. From being irresolute and purposeless, his feet became animated by an intention, and, in the working out of that intention, they took him to the Doctor’s door.

He was shown up-stairs, and found Lucie at her work, alone. She had never been quite at her ease with him, and received him with some little embarrassment as he seated himself near her table. But, looking up at his face in the interchange of the first few common-places, she observed a change in it.

“I fear you are not well, Mr. Carton!”

“No. But the life I lead, Miss Manette, is not conducive to health. What is to be expected of, or by, such profligates?”

“Is it not—forgive me; I have begun the question on my lips—a pity to live no better life?”

“God knows it is a shame!”

“Then why not change it?”

Looking gently at him again, she was surprised and saddened to see that there were tears in his eyes. There were tears in his voice too, as he answered:

“It is too late for that. I shall never be better than I am. I shall sink lower, and be worse.”

He leaned an elbow on her table, and covered his eyes with his hand. The table trembled in the silence that followed.

She had never seen him softened, and was much distressed. He knew her to be so, without looking at her, and said:

“Pray forgive me, Miss Manette. I break down before the knowledge of what I want to say to you. Will you hear me?”

“If it will do you any good, Mr. Carton, if it would make you happier, it would make me very glad!”

“God bless you for your sweet compassion!”

He unshaded his face after a little while, and spoke steadily.

“Don’t be afraid to hear me. Don’t shrink from anything I say. I am like one who died young. All my life might have been.”

“No, Mr. Carton. I am sure that the best part of it might still be; I am sure that you might be much, much worthier of yourself.”

“Say of you, Miss Manette, and although I know better—although in the mystery of my own wretched heart I know better—I shall never forget it!”

She was pale and trembling. He came to her relief with a fixed despair of himself which made the interview unlike any other that could have been holden.

“If it had been possible, Miss Manette, that you could have returned the love of the man you see before yourself—flung away, wasted, drunken, poor creature of misuse as you know him to be—he would have been conscious this day and hour, in spite of his happiness, that he would bring you to misery, bring you to sorrow and repentance, blight you, disgrace you, pull you down with him. I know very well that you can have no tenderness for me; I ask for none; I am even thankful that it cannot be.”

“Without it, can I not save you, Mr. Carton? Can I not recall you—forgive me again!—to a better course? Can I in no way repay your confidence? I know this is a confidence,” she modestly said, after a little hesitation, and in earnest tears, “I know you would say this to no one else. Can I turn it to no good account for yourself, Mr. Carton?”

He shook his head.

“To none. No, Miss Manette, to none. If you will hear me through a very little more, all you can ever do for me is done. I wish you to know that you have been the last dream of my soul. In my degradation I have not been so degraded but that the sight of you with your father, and of this home made such a home by you, has stirred old shadows that I thought had died out of me. Since I knew you, I have been troubled by a remorse that I thought would never reproach me again, and have heard whispers from old voices impelling me upward, that I thought were silent for ever. I have had unformed ideas of striving afresh, beginning anew, shaking off sloth and sensuality, and fighting out the abandoned fight. A dream, all a dream, that ends in nothing, and leaves the sleeper where he lay down, but I wish you to know that you inspired it.”

“Will nothing of it remain? O Mr. Carton, think again! Try again!”

“No, Miss Manette; all through it, I have known myself to be quite undeserving. And yet I have had the weakness, and have still the weakness, to wish you to know with what a sudden mastery you kindled me, heap of ashes that I am, into fire—a fire, however, inseparable in its nature from myself, quickening nothing, lighting nothing, doing no service, idly burning away.”

“Since it is my misfortune, Mr. Carton, to have made you more unhappy than you were before you knew me—”

“Don’t say that, Miss Manette, for you would have reclaimed me, if anything could. You will not be the cause of my becoming worse.”

“Since the state of your mind that you describe, is, at all events, attributable to some influence of mine—this is what I mean, if I can make it plain—can I use no influence to serve you? Have I no power for good, with you, at all?”

“The utmost good that I am capable of now, Miss Manette, I have come here to realise. Let me carry through the rest of my misdirected life, the remembrance that I opened my heart to you, last of all the world; and that there was something left in me at this time which you could deplore and pity.”

“Which I entreated you to believe, again and again, most fervently, with all my heart, was capable of better things, Mr. Carton!”

“Entreat me to believe it no more, Miss Manette. I have proved myself, and I know better. I distress you; I draw fast to an end. Will you let me believe, when I recall this day, that the last confidence of my life was reposed in your pure and innocent breast, and that it lies there alone, and will be shared by no one?”

“If that will be a consolation to you, yes.”

“Not even by the dearest one ever to be known to you?”

“Mr. Carton,” she answered, after an agitated pause, “the secret is yours, not mine; and I promise to respect it.”

“Thank you. And again, God bless you.”

He put her hand to his lips, and moved towards the door.

“Be under no apprehension, Miss Manette, of my ever resuming this conversation by so much as a passing word. I will never refer to it again. If I were dead, that could not be surer than it is henceforth. In the hour of my death, I shall hold sacred the one good remembrance—and shall thank and bless you for it—that my last avowal of myself was made to you, and that my name, and faults, and miseries were gently carried in your heart. May it otherwise be light and happy!”

He was so unlike what he had ever shown himself to be, and it was so sad to think how much he had thrown away, and how much he every day kept down and perverted, that Lucie Manette wept mournfully for him as he stood looking back at her.

“Be comforted!” he said, “I am not worth such feeling, Miss Manette. An hour or two hence, and the low companions and low habits that I scorn but yield to, will render me less worth such tears as those, than any wretch who creeps along the streets. Be comforted! But, within myself, I shall always be, towards you, what I am now, though outwardly I shall be what you have heretofore seen me. The last supplication but one I make to you, is, that you will believe this of me.”

“I will, Mr. Carton.”

“My last supplication of all, is this; and with it, I will relieve you of a visitor with whom I well know you have nothing in unison, and between whom and you there is an impassable space. It is useless to say it, I know, but it rises out of my soul. For you, and for any dear to you, I would do anything. If my career were of that better kind that there was any opportunity or capacity of sacrifice in it, I would embrace any sacrifice for you and for those dear to you. Try to hold me in your mind, at some quiet times, as ardent and sincere in this one thing. The time will come, the time will not be long in coming, when new ties will be formed about you—ties that will bind you yet more tenderly and strongly to the home you so adorn—the dearest ties that will ever grace and gladden you. O Miss Manette, when the little picture of a happy father’s face looks up in yours, when you see your own bright beauty springing up anew at your feet, think now and then that there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you!”

He said, “Farewell!” said a last “God bless you!” and left her.

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jlswainsboro · 7 years ago

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Damnation: Bonus Edition by Author Anna Lowe

Blue Moon Saloon Series: Prequel & First Book

Blurb: DAMNATION Voted BEST SHIFTER BOOK 2016 by Reality Bites Magazine! He hasn’t forgotten her, and she sure hasn’t forgiven him. Jessica Macks is a she-wolf on the run from a band of murderous rogues. When she finds a job at a shifter bar, it seems like a safe haven from her hunted life on the road. But the minute she walks through the swinging doors of the Blue Moon Saloon and comes face-to-face with the man she once loved, she’s tempted to march right back out. No way, no how is she risking her heart to that infuriating alpha bear again. Simon Voss thought he lost everything in an ambush months before: his home, his family, his past. His new job at the Blue Moon Saloon is a desperately needed fresh start on life. Then along comes Jessica, the irresistible she-wolf his clan forced him to reject years before. When Simon is obliged to hire Jessica and work side by side with the one woman to ever make his bear go wild, he’s half in heaven, half in hell. He hasn’t forgotten her, and she sure as hell hasn’t forgiven him. Is this just another path to heartbreak or his last chance to claim his destined mate? PERFECTION A sexy bear, a stubborn she-wolf, and a very cozy den. It’s a stormy winter’s night in the mountains, and she-wolf Jessica Macks is desperate to find shelter. So desperate, she’ll even settle for an unoccupied bear den, despite all the warnings she’s heard about her pack’s mysterious neighbors. It doesn’t take long before unwanted company in the form of bear shifter Simon Voss comes lumbering in. The two can let out their claws and fight, or they can lower their defenses and keep each other warm. But the instinct to survive isn’t the only force at work in that cozy den — destiny is, too. Before Jessica and Simon know it, they’re cuddled together in human form and letting warm heat right over to hot as they give in to temptation for the very first time. BONUS MATERIALS - Exclusive bonus epilogue, The Mating Bite - The "making of" the Blue Moon Saloon series - The "making of" Damnation - Bonus recipe - Bonus games - Sneak peeks Behind the doors of the Blue Moon Saloon, alpha shifters confront their darkest fears and their deepest desires. Each book is a complete standalone story — no cliffhangers! * Paranormal romances with adult content. Featuring strong heroines, alpha heroes, werewolves and shapeshifters, red-hot cowboys, romantic westerns, paranormal suspense, action-adventure romance, and fantasy romance! *

REVIEW:

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS !!! Title: Damnation Bonus Edition Series: Blue Moon Saloon Author: Anna Lowe Designation: Standalone Paranormal Romance, No Cliffhanger, HEA, Compilation of Perfection (the Series Prequel - approximately 60 pages), and Damnation, Book One of the Series (approximately 155 pages), Plus Bonus Epilogue and other Extras (approximately 20 pages) Reading Platform: Kindle & Audiobook Editions My Rating: FIVE DIVINELY ENTERTAINING STARS***** I adore paranormal romance, and no one does it better than Anna Lowe! I've been a fan of Lowe's work for several years and enjoy everything she writes, but Damnation and the Blue Moon Saloon Series have become my new favorites! But I'm not the only one who loves it. Damnation was voted Best Shifter Book for 2016 by Reality Bites Magazine. Wow! And yes, it's that good! I became officially hooked two years ago after reading Desert Moon, the first release in Lowe's The Wolves of Twin Moon Ranch Series and have followed her work since. I've been a lover of the written word for over 60 years and during that time, I've read an incalculable number of books, written by a diverse collection of talented authors. So when I say Anna Lowe is one of my favorites, that's quite a recommendation. It's a little hard to explain but I'll try. Lowe is what I like to call a triple threat. lol... I know it sounds a little ominous but it's really not. You see, some authors are stronger in certain aspects of the process than others. They may have a great idea for a book or series but have difficulties developing the story and translating their thoughts to written words, while some may be good with words and story development but lack creativity and ideas. Lowe can create it, develop it, and write it, but Lowe's talent doesn't stop there. She's not only a truly gifted storyteller and skilled wordsmith, she's also one of the most reliable authors in the romance genre today, consistently penning unique and highly imaginative storylines, set in vividly depicted worlds, populated with fascinating characters who will surely capture your imagination as well as your heart. Lowe's books are all well crafted and well edited with beautiful covers. And Damnation is no exception! In addition to having my nose stuck in a book for a few hours every day, I frequently listen to audiobooks and Damnation was available so, naturally, I snagged the Audible version as well. There's nothing like listening to the characters of a story come to life through the voice of a talented narrator and I truly enjoy the artist Lowe uses for her books. Kelsey Osborne does a fabulous job and has quickly become one of my favorites. Osborne's reading and narration skills are exceptional, enhanced by her pleasing pitch, soothing dulcet tone, delightful and sometimes amusing voice inflections, rhythmic effortless cadence, and always correct pronunciations. But as usual I digress, especially when I talk about my favorite authors, so let's discuss a few details about the story itself.

Perfection is a delightfully entertaining prequel to Damnation and the actual beginning of the Blue Moon Saloon Series. It sets the stage for Simon and Jessica's relationship, giving the details of their initial meeting. It also lays the groundwork for the underlying conflict throughout the series with emphasis on the unlikely mating of two different species and in this first book, it's a wolf and bear shifter. Although Jessica's pack live near Simon's clan in Montana, they are natural enemies and don't generally associate together. In this short introduction, Lowe gives the reader all the nitty, gritty details of Jess and Simon's activities while trying to survive the freezing cold after becoming stranded together in the woods during a terrible snowstorm. And it's delicious!

Damnation is an emotionally gripping, fast-paced, well-crafted second chance paranormal romance filled to the brim with pulse-pounding danger, agonizing drama, malevolent enemies, heart-wrenching angst, fiery passion, steamy sex, dreamy romance and laugh-out-loud humor. The narrative is beautifully written in the third person with his and her perspectives. The dialogue is smart, snappy, well executed and flows effortlessly. But hands down, my favorite component of every Lowe story is her cast of relatable characters. I found them to be intriguing, engaging, well developed, and at times, hilarious. I was immediately smitten with the two protagonists, beautiful, plucky she-wolf Jessica 'Jess' Macks and handsome, burly bear-shifter Simon Voss. These two could not have been more different but complemented each other perfectly, and together were an absolute riot. My emotions ran the full gambit while reading this story. I sniffed, snorted, giggled, sobbed and raged through the entire book. And there were quite a few times, I wanted to give Simon and Jess a swift kick in the butt but by the end, I was happy, satisfied and well entertained. Did I like this book? No, I LOVED it! Would I recommend it? You bet and I am but for adult readers only since it does contain some steamy, dreamy love scenes, however, I highly recommend the muffins for all ages! They're so yummy! Will I read this author again? Absolutely! I've already purchased Temptation, the second book of the series, and can hardly wait to dive in! And finally, was I entertained? Completely! Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read!

Two unlikely lovers thrown together by chance, divided by obligation, haunted by loss, reunited by fate.... but will destiny grant them the second chance they each so desperately desire? We'll see! No spoilers from me but I will say this... A beautiful, strong but heartbroken she-wolf and her sister on the run for their lives after losing their entire family in an attack by rogue wolves, now urgently seeking a place to belong and call home-check! A handsome, determined bear shifter and his brother, both tortured by past failures and mistakes, desperately seeking a second chance-check! Heinous enemies with evil machinations-check! Danger, drama, heartache, loss, and angst-check! Fiery passion, steamy sex, sweet romance, a sprinkling of humor, and a heartwarming second chance at love- you bet! That and a whole lot more, including a very important lesson.... Bad guys don't always wear black, especially when he's a purist vigilante named Whyte!

***This edition includes Damnation, Book One of the Blue Moon Series, plus the novelette length prequel entitled Perfection, and an exclusive bonus epilogue available only in this release along with a few other super-duper extras. Both Damnation and Perfection are also available for purchase separately but the goodies are only included in this edition... like the berry chocolate chip muffin recipe baked by one of the characters in the book. Yum! And believe me, I should know! While I was reading/listening to Damnation and got to the scene where Simon and his bear get upset because Jess is selling 'his' muffins, I simply could not resist the craving. I tried, really, really tried but once I get muffins on the brain, there's no turning back, so I baked a batched using the bonus recipe. Surely, you know what's coming next, right? Yup, as soon as they were out of the oven, I promptly sat down and ate half of them while finishing the book and the remaining half the next day. And OMG.... they were sooo delicious! Now I understand why Simon's bear didn't want to share! lol...

#paranormal romance secondchance adultcontent

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