#anna rose johnson

[bookcoversonly]

Title: The Star That Always Stays | Author: Anna Rose Johnson | Publisher: Holiday House (2022)

[bensbooks]

ARC Review: The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry

Lucy, a spirited French-Ojibwe orphan, is sent to the stormy waters of Lake Superior to live with a mysterious family of lighthouse-keepers—and, she hopes, to find the legendary necklace her father spent his life seeking… Selena Lucy Landry (named for a ship, as every sailor’s child should be) has been frightened of the water ever since she lost her father at sea. But with no one else to care for her, she’s sent to foster with the Martins—a large Anishinaabe family living on a lighthouse in the middle of stormy Lake Superior. The Martin family is big, hard-working, and close, and Lucy—who has always been a dreamer—struggles to fit in. Can she go one day without ruining the laundry or forgetting the sweeping? Will she ever be less afraid of the lake? Although life at the lighthouse isn’t what Lucy hoped for, it is beautiful—ships come and go, waves pound the rocks—and it has one major It’s near the site of a famous shipwreck, a shipwreck that went down with a treasure her father wanted more than anything . If Lucy can find that treasure—a priceless ruby necklace—won’t it be like having Papa back again, just a little bit? But someone else is hunting for the treasure, too. And as the lighthouse company becomes increasingly skeptical that the Martins can juggle Lucy and their duties, Lucy and the Martin children will need to find the necklace quickly—or they may not have a home at all.

My review:

It's 1912, and burdened by multiple deaths, ten year old Lucy is being handed off to a new family. Lucy's father died searching for a necklace from a shipwreck, and now young Lucy is determined to finish what he started even if she has to combat her fear of the ocean to do so. She moves in with the Martins; husband, wife, and six kids - who live in a lighthouse.

Often slipping into characters of her own making, Lucy is able to gain courage to deal with things that she may otherwise struggle with. And struggle she does, since living with the Martin's is no easy feat. The other kids don't warm up to her, she keeps messing up their careful way of life, and there's the fact she's living in a lighthouse near where her father died.

I enjoyed this book, it was well written and the characters felt real. The book connects the reader to the characters and plot through the brighter-than-life main character, and use of local and familial history. There was beautiful ties to Lucy and the Martin's indigenous heritage, that allowed the characters to connect to each other outside their familial bond.

[eemcintyre]

Me and this chart is the equivalent of the man with the string board meme

An exhaustive-as-I-could-make-it chart of the actresses I think look alike and how they are all c o n n e c t e d do you see my vision

In order from left to right, from the top row down:

Jeanne Damas

Michelle Trachtenberg

Anna Karina

Cate Blanchett

Julianna Margulies

Nancy Kerrigan

Nicole Kidman

Kim Novak

Virna Lisi

Brittany Snow

Dakota Johnson

Penelope Cruz

Anne Hathaway

Connie Sellecca

Isabella Rossellini

Helen Schneider

Grace Kelly

Diane Kruger

Alison Doody

Sarah Wynter

Sophia Myles

Kate Winslet

Victoria Pedretti

Liv Tyler

Michelle Monaghan

Rebecca Ferguson

Ingrid Bergman

Nastassja Kinski

Helen Mirren

Jennifer Lawrence

Hayley Mills

Diane Lane

Julia Stiles

Kat Dennings

Mary Page Keller

Laura Prepon

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Elisabeth Shue

Maggie Lawson

Alicia Silverstone

Madchen Amick

Phoebe Tonkin

Dagmara Dominczyk

Megan Fox

Ana de Armas

Olivia Munn

Rachel Leigh Cook

Katie Holmes

Sarah Clarke

Jennifer Morrison

Charlize Theron

Melora Hardin

Ashley Judd

Katherine Heigl

Jeanne Tripplehorn

Kelly McGillis

Alanis Morissette

Michelle Borth

Sasha Alexander

Marion Cotillard

Rose Byrne

Natalie Portman

Keira Knightley

Sadie Robertson

Sharon Tate

Sheryl Lee

Amanda Logan

Stephanie Beatriz

Amy Winehouse

Maggie Wheeler

Zooey Deschanel

Katy Perry

Salma Hayek

Queen Letizia of Spain

Kate Middleton

Hilarie Burton

Stephanie J. Block

Olivia Wilde

Courteney Cox

Demi Moore

Jennifer Connelly

Sarah Vickers

Sarah Topham

Pamela Sue Martin

Reiko Aylesworth

Megan Boone

Cobie Smulders

Andie MacDowell

Julia Roberts

Carla Gugino

Jennifer Garner

Rachel McAdams

Felicity Jones

Sherry Stringfield

Cybill Shepherd

Ellen Barkin

Cameron Diaz

Juliette Lewis

Cindy Williams

Ginnifer Goodwin

Sherilyn Fenn

Hedy Lamarr

Dita von Teese

Audrey Tautou

Jamie Alexander

Lauren Graham

Kelly Preston

Melissa Fumero

Sarah Greene

Christina Ricci

[variansgoggles]

Outsiders Musical characters and their real names also including actors names :)

Greasers

Ponyboy Curtis - Brody Grant

Johnny Cade - Sky Lakota-Lynch

Sodapop Curtis - Jason Schmidt

Darrel Curtis - Brent Comer

Dally (Dallas) Winston - Joshua Boone

Two-Bit (Keith) Matthews - Daryl Tofa

Ace Evans(?)- Tilly Evans Krueger

Steve Randle - Renni Anthony Magee

Socs

Bob (Robert) Sheldon - Kevin William Paul

Cherry (Sherri) Valance - Emma Pittman

Paul Holden - Dan Berry

Marcia Meyrink - SarahGrace Mariani

Beverly Jitney-Bush - Melody Rose

Clark (Brill) Brillstein - Barton Cowperthwaite

Chet Baker - RJ Higton

Trip (Terrence Dip) - Sean Harrison Jones (formerly Kevin Csolak)

Swings/Alts/2nd track characters

Greasers

Ponyboy - Trevor Wayne, Josh Strobl

Johnny Cade - Josh Strobl, Daryl Tofa

Dallas Winston - Daryl Tofa, Wonza Johnson

Steve - Jordan Chin, Andre Malcolm, Ryo Kamibayashi

Sodapop - Victor Carillo Tracey, Dan Berry

Two-Bit - Jordan Chin, Renni Anthony Magee, Henry Julian Gendron

Darrel Curtis - Victor Tracey, Dan Berry

Ace - Milena J. Comeau, Anna Bermudez

Socs

Bob/Cop - RJ Higton, Sean Harrison Jones, Barton Cowperthwaite

Paul - Victor Carillo Tracey, Ryo Kamibayashi, Sean Harrison Jones (?)

Cherry - Maggie Kuntz, Melody Rose, SarahGrace Mariani

Marcia - Melody Rose, Maggie Kuntz, Anna Bermudez

Beverly - Maggie Kuntz, Milena J. Comeau, Anna Bermudez

Chet - Henry Julian Gendron

Trip - Victor Carillo Tracey, Henry Julian Gendron

Brill - Henry Julian Gendron, Ryo Kamibayashi

Only Socs for the Rumble

Melvin - Melody Rose

Sergei - SarahGrace Mariani

Rogelio - Anna Bermudez

Glen - Maggie Kuntz

Martin - Milena J. Comeau

If anyone has further information I will update this thank youuu!! And if y’all have any Soc boy headcanons I will love you forever (I love Trip/Sean sm yet there’s nothing on him anywhere 😭 fun fact he was Action in 2021 west side story 🤭)

[bootleglesbian]

available bootlegs

this is everything i currently have available (updated 06/18/24). if you have anything to trade i generally prefer that but i am open to gifting any of the titles that are not starred! as a rule, if no cast is listed or only some members are listed, that means that i do not know the cast but i am happy to send a screenshot if you would like (and if anyone is interested in helping me identify unknown casts or dates of any files, let me know!).

green = video, pink = audio, starred = trade or donations only

*Anastasia (Hartford Theatre pre-Broadway run - Christy Altomare, Derek Klena)

*Anastasia (Broadway - Christy Altomare, Derek Klena)

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Broadway, 06/24/18 - Melissa Benoist)

Beetlejuice (Broadway, 10/31/19 aka Halloween)

Book of Mormon (Broadway - Ben Platt)

Come From Away (Broadway - Jenn Collela)

Falsettos (Proshot)

Falsettos (Broadway - ORC, not proshot)

Falsettos (Tour - Max von Essen, Nick Adams, Eden Espinosa, Nick Blaemire, Audrey Cardwell, Bryonha Marie Parham)

*Falsettos (Tour - Max von Essen, Nicka Adams, Eden Espinosa, Nick Blaemire, Audrey Cardwell, Bryonha Marie Parham)

Freaky Friday (La Jolla)

*Ghost (Broadway - Caissie Levy)

Hamilton (Broadway - Lexi Lawson)

Hamilton (First National Tour - Michael Luwoye, Solea Pffeifer, Joshua Henry, Emmy Raver Lampman, Isaiah Johnson, Jordan Donica, Mathenee Treco, Ruben J. Carbajal, Amber Iman, Rory O'Malley)

*Hamilton (Chicago Act 1 only - Karen Olivo, Ariana Afsar, Samantha Marie Ware, Miguel Cervantes, Joshua Henry)

*Hamilton (Broadway - OBC, not proshot)

*The Last Five Years (Off-Broadway - Betsy Wolfe, Adam Kantor)

*Lempicka (Broadway, 03/38/24 - Eden Espinosa, Amber Iman, Andrew Samonsky, George Abud, Natalie Joy Johnson, Zoe Glick, Nathaniel Stampley, Beth Leavel)

*Mean Girls (Broadway, 02/22/20 - Renee Rapp, Erika Henningson, Barrett Wilbert Weed, Grey Henson, Kate Rockwell, Krystina Alabado, Kyle Selig)

*Mean Girls (National Tour)

*Mystery of Edwin Drood (Broadway - Stephanie J. Block, Betsy Wolfe, Jessie Mueller)

*The Prom (Alliance Theatre pre-Broadway - Caitlin Kinnunen, Anna Grace Barlow)

*She Loves Me (Broadway - ORC proshot)

Waitress (ART pre-Broadway run - Jessie Mueller, Jeanna de Waal, Keala Settle, Drew Gehling, Joe Tippett, Dakin Matthews, Christopher Fitzgerald, Eric Anderson)

*Waitress (Broadway - Jessie Mueller, Keala Settle, Molly Jobe, Drew Gehling)

*Waitress (Broadway - Sara Barielles, Chris Diamantopoulos, Charity Angel Dawson, Molly Jobe, Will Swenson, Christopher Fitzgerald)

*Waitress (Broadway, 06/19/17 - Betsy Wolfe, Drew Gehling)

Waitress (Broadway, 12/14/17 - Stephanie Torns, Jason Mraz)

Waitress (Broadway - Shoshana Bean, Jeremy Jordan)

*Waitress (Broadway - Shoshana Bean, Jeremy Jordan)

Waitress (Broadway, 02/03/19 - Sara Bareilles, Gavin Creel)

Waitress (Tour, 08/26/18)

Wicked (Broadway, 02/01/15 - Caroline Bowman, Kara Lindsey)

Wicked (Broadway, 02/10/13 - Donna Vivino, Ali Mauzey, Kyle Dean Massey, Randy Danson, Adam Grupper, Catherine Charlebois, F. Michael Haynie, Tom Flynn)

Wicked (unknown - Eden Espinosa, Megan Hilty)

*Wicked (Broadway - Stephanie J. Block, Annaleigh Ashford)

*Wicked (Broadway - Lindsay Mendez, Katie Rose Clark)

[out-of-the-forest-i-come]

Queer Pirate Books

In Deeper Waters; by F.T. Lukens

Running Close to the Wind; by Alexandra Rowland, coming out June 11th!

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea; by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

A Clash of Steel; by C.B. Lee

Compass Rose; Anna Burke (sci-fi)

The Abyss Surrounds Us; by Emily Skrutskie (sci-fi)

The Forever Sea; by Joshua Phillip Johnson

The Black God's Drums; by P. Djèlí Clark (scif-fi)

Peter Darling; by Austin Chant

A Song of Silver and Gold; by Mel Karibian

The Wicked Bargain; Gabe Cole Novoa

Escape to Pirate Island; by Niamh Murphy

A Pirate's Life for Tea (Tomes and Tea, Book 2); by Rebecca Thorne

The Unbinding of Mary Reade; by Miriam McNamara

[ladiesonfilm-indices]

Ladies A->F

Abella Danger ————————| 14.0

Abigail Mac ——————————| 12.5

Abigaile Johnson —————| 12.0

Adria Rae ————————————| 15.0 ⭐️

Adriana Chechik ———|🥈| 19.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Adrienne Róka ————————| 10.0

Agatha Vega ——————————| 13.5

Airi Kijima ——————————| 12.5

Akira May ————————————| 12.0

Alex Grey ————————————| 13.0

Alex Mae —————————————| 12.0

Alexa Flexy ——————————| 14.5 ⭐️

Alexa Tomas ——————————| 16.0 ⭐️

Alice Von V ——————————| 13.0

Alina Li —————————————| 13.0

Allison Parks ————————| 9.0

Ally Tate ————————————| 13.5

Amia Miley ———————————| 11.5

Amirah Adara —————————| 16.0

Amy Shine ————————————| 8.5

Anastasia Martzipanova| 10.0

Angel Dark ———————————| 16.5 ⭐️

Angel Hott ———————————| 14.5 ⭐️

Angel Youngs —————————| 13.0

Angelica Bella ———————| 14.5 ⭐️⭐️

Angelina Crow ————————| 15.0 ⭐️

Anita Blond ——————————| 14.0

Anna Polina ——————————| 9.0

Apolonia Lapiedra ————| 15.0

April Olsen ——————————| 15.0

Ariana Cortez ————————| 11.5

Ariana Marie —————————| 17.0 ⭐️⭐️

Ashley Tervort ———————| 13.0

Aspen Rae ————————————| 13.0

Asuna Fox ————————————| 10.0

Autumn Falls —————————| 9.5

Ayaka Mutou ——————————| 13.0

Blondie ——————————————| 14.0 ⭐️

Baby Nicols ——————————| 12.0

Bonnie Dolce —————————| 9.5

Bree Olson ———————————| 14.0 ⭐️

Callie Calypso ———————| 12.0

Candee Licious ———————| 11.5

Carter Cruise ————————| 15.5

Cayenne Klein ————————| 15.5 ⭐️

Christen Courtney ————| 11.0

Christina Bella ——————| 13.0

Cindy Shine ——————————| 14.0

Cindy Starfall ———————| 13.0

Clara Trinity ————————| 13.5

Claudia Jamsson ——————| 14.0

Claudia Rossi ————————| 13.0

Cléa Gaultier ————————| 12.0

Cris Bathory —————————| 10.0

Crystal Greenvelle ———| 14.5

Cynthia Fox ——————————| 10.0

Destiny Cruz —————————| 14.0

Dharma Jones —————————| 10.0

Dora Venter ——————————| 13.0 ⭐️

Elena Koshka —————————| 8.0

Eliza Rose Watson ————| 12.0

Elsa Jean ————————————| 12.0

Emelie Crystal ———————| 14.0

Emily Willis —————————| 14.0

Emma Bugg ————————————| 12.0

Emma Hix —————————————| 16.0

Eva Elfie ————————————| 9.0

Eva Lovia ————————————| 14.5

Evelina Darling ——————| 12.0

Florencia Onori ——————| 9.5

Freya Mayer ——————————| 13.0

[radiantrookie]

VA's in both Red vs Blue and RWBY

Lindsay Jones:

RWBY:

Ruby Rose

Red vs Blue:

Vanessa Kimball

Chain Girl

Female Simmons

Apovos

Arryn Zech:

RWBY:

Blake Belladonna

Red vs Blue:

Dr Emily Grey

Barbara Dunkelman:

RWBY:

Yang Xiao Long

Red vs Blue:

Katie Jensen

Caboose's mental image of Donut (Season 14)

Bonus: Mama Boomstick (Death battle)

Miles Luna:

RWBY:

Jaune Arc

Red vs Blue:

Felix (Isaac Gates)

Johnson MacGruff

Hutch

Cronut

Sigma (Restoration)

Lavernius Tucker (Save the Date PSA and Season 12 Teaser Trailer)

Franklin Delano Donut (Season 11: S.O.S.)

Jen Brown:

RWBY:

Pyrrha Nikos

Lisa Lavender

Red vs Blue:

Agent Carolina

Malcom's Mom

Samantha Ireland:

RWBY:

Nora Valkyrie

Red vs Blue:

CT (Connie)

Burnie Burns:

RWBY:

Taiyang Xiao Long

Red vs Blue:

Leonard Church (Alpha/Epsilon)

Lopez the Heavy

VIC

The Warthog

Red Zealot

Yellow Church

Omega AI

Theta AI

Lorenzo

Shannon McCormick:

RWBY:

Ozpin

Red vs Blue:

Agent Washington (David)

Lopez 2.0 (Dos.O)

Agent Iowa (Mike)

Kathleen Zuelch:

RWBY:

Glynda Goodwitch

Red vs Blue:

Agent Texas (Tex/Allison)

Joel Heyman:

RWBY:

Bartholomew Oobleck

Red vs Blue:

Michael J Caboose

Gray G. Haddock:

RWBY:

Roman Torchwick

Red vs Blue:

Locus (Samuel Ortez)

Donald Doyle

Ryan Haywood:

RWBY:

Peter Port

Red vs Blue:

John Elizabeth Andersmith

Marlowe

Diesel (Originally)

Kerry Shawcross:

RWBY:

Neptune Vasilias

Floyd the Geist

Pyke Rite

Red vs Blue:

Charles Palomo

Agent Utah

Agent Georgia

Michael Jones:

RWBY:

Sun Wukong

Red vs Blue:

Chain Guy

B.B. Ghanoush

Ashley Burns:

RWBY:

Coco Adel

Red vs Blue:

Female Lopez

Female Church

Elizabeth Maxwell:

RWBY:

Winter Schnee

Little Weiss'

Red vs Blue:

Agent Ohio (Vera)

Anna Hullum:

RWBY:

Raven Branwen

Red vs Blue:

Female Sarge

Dylan Andrews (Restoration)

Shane Newville:

RWBY:

Russel Thrush

Atlesian Knight-130

Red vs Blue:

Freckles

Gavin Free:

RWBY:

Scarlet David

Red vs Blue:

Jones

Pounder McJones

Maggie Tominey:

RWBY:

Melanie Malachite

Miltia Malachite

Red vs Blue:

Female Donut

Jessica Nigiri:

RWBY:

Cinder Fall

Red vs Blue:

Simmons's Pink Lieutenant

Katie Newville:

RWBY:

Emerald Sustrai

Red vs Blue:

Cyclops/CC

Bonus:

Jen Taylor:

RWBY:

Salem

Halo:

Cortana

Edit: Thanks to @joltning for telling me about Agent Utah and Agent Georgia

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🩷 Sapphic BIPOC Books for Sapphic September

💜 Too often, books by authors of color get shelved out of view in favor of books written by well-known, already-established white authors. No more! In this amazing era of writing, there are more sapphic books by authors of color (about characters of color) than ever before! Here are a few sapphic BIPOC books to consider adding to your TBR! Spread the word about these books to give them the attention they deserve.

🩷 Girls of Paper and Fire -Natasha Ngan 🩷 You Should See Me in a Crown - Leah Johnson 🩷 Once Ghosted, Twice Shy - Alyssa Cole 🩷 Cinderella Is Dead - Kalynn Bayron

💜 Friday I'm in Love - Camryn Garret 💜 The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali - Sabina Khan 💜 Wild Beauty - Anna-Marie McLemore 💜 Last Night at the Telegraph Club - Malinda Lo

🩷 Gay the Pray Away - Natalie Naudus 🩷 D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding - Chencia C. Higgins 🩷 The Good Luck Girls - Charlotte Nicole Davis 🩷 Clap When You Land - Elizabeth Acevedo

💜 The Midnight Lie - Marie Rutkoski 💜 Tell Me How You Really Feel - Aminah Mae Safi 💜 We Set the Dark on Fire - Tehlor Kay Mejia 💜 The Henna Wars - Adiba Jaigirdar

🩷 All of Us with Wings - Michelle Ruiz Keil 🩷 How to Find a Princess - Alyssa Cole 🩷 Cinderella Is Dead - Kalynn Bayron 🩷 Sorry, Bro - Taleen Voskuni

💜 Wish You Weren’t Here - Erin Baldwin 💜 Girl, Serpent, Thorn - Melissa Bashardoust 💜 We Didn’t Ask for This - Ali Alsaid 💜 The Grief Keeper - Alexandra Villasante

🩷 Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Really Feel - Sara Farizan 🩷 Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me - Mariko Temaki 🩷 It’s Not Like It’s a Secret - Misa Sugiura 🩷 Everything Leads to You - Nina LaCour

💜 You Exist Too Much - Zaina Arafat 💜 The Skin and Its Girl - Sarah Cypher 💜 Hijab Butch Blues - Lamya H 💜 Roses in the Mouth of a Lion - Bushra Rehman

🩷 Faebound - Saara El-Arifi 🩷 Legendborn - Tracy Deonn 🩷 The Weight of Stars - K. Ancrum 🩷 Dread Nation - Justina Ireland

💜 I’ll Be The One - Lyla Lee 💜 Not Your Sidekick - C.B. Lee 💜 Honey Girl - Morgan Rogers 💜 Every Body Looking - Candice Iloh

[sapphicreadsdb]

Hi do you by chance have any sapphic fantasy recs? preferably adult fantasy but YA is fine too

sure! tho this could will get quite long... no links, sorry!, bc it was kicking up a fuss with those for some reason

+ = ya

pennyblade by j.l. worrad

lady hotspur by tessa gratton

sofi and the bone song by adrienne tooley (+)

she who became the sun by shelley parker chan

the scapegracers by h.a. clarke (+)

the third daughter by adrienne tooley (+)

the daughters of izdihar by hadeer elsbai

the malevolent seven by sebastien de castell

blackheart knights by laure eve

the warden by daniel m. ford

the unbroken by c.l. clark

dark earth by rebecca stott

witch king by martha wells

scorpica by g.r. macallister

the mirror empire by kameron hurley

now she is witch by kirsty logan

silverglass by j.f. rivkin

the woman who loved the moon and other stories by elizabeth a. lynn

...(this answer is how i discover there's a character limit per block so. doing this in chunks.)

fire logic by laurie j. marks

a restless truth by freya marske

when angels left the old country by sacha lamb (+)

the traitor baru cormorant by seth dickinson

an archive of brightness by kelsey socha

the bladed faith by david dalglish

the winged histories by sofia samatar

dragonoak by sam farren

the forever sea by joshua phillip johnson

into the broken lands by tanya huff

the jasmine throne by tasha suri

daughter of redwinter by ed mcdonald

the last magician by lisa maxwell (+)

the fire opal mechanism by fran wilde

...

the black coast by mike brooks

high times in the low parliament by kelly robson

foundryside by robert jackson bennett

the enterprise of death by jesse bullington

mamo by sas milledge (+)

from dust, a flame by rebecca podos (+)

uncommon charm by emily bergslien & kat weaver

wild and wicked things by francesca may

the unspoken name by a.k. larkwood

brother red by adrian selby

the final strife by saara el-arifi

way of the argosi by sebastien de castell (+)

the bone shard daughter by andrea stewart

ghost wood song by erica waters (+)

into the crooked place by alexandra christo (+)

ashes of the sun by django wexler

the midnight girls by alicia jasinska (+)

the midnight lie by marie rutkoski (+)

the never tilting world by rin chupeco (+)

water horse by melissa scott

...

a master of djinn by p. djeli clark

the good luck girls by charlotte nicole davis (+)

among thieves by m.j. kuhn

black water sister by zen cho

the velocity of revolution by marshall ryan maresca

sweet & bitter magic by adrienne tooley (+)

the dark tide by alicia jasinska (+)

the library of the unwritten by a.j. hackwith

a dark and hollow star by ashley shuttleworth (+)

the chosen and the beautiful by nghi vo

the councillor by e.j. beaton

these feathered flames by alexandra overy (+)

the factory witches of lowell by c.s. malerich

fireheart tiger by aliette de bodard

...

city of lies by sam hawke

bestiary by k-ming chang

the raven and the reindeer by t. kingfisher

the winter duke by claire eliza bartlett (+)

master of poisons by andrea hairston

the empress of salt and fortune by nghi vo

night flowers shirking from the light of the sun by li xing

down comes the night by allison saft (+)

wench by maxine kaplan (+)

girls made of snow and glass by melissa bashardoust (+)

girls of paper and fire by natasha ngan (+)

the impossible contract by k.a. doore

burning roses by s.l. huang

the house of shattered wings by aliette de bodard

not for use in navigation by iona datt sharma

weak heart by ban gilmartin

girl, serpent, thorn by melissa bashardoust (+)

the devil's blade by mark alder

...

we set the dark on fire by tehlor kay mejia (+)

the true queen by zen cho

moontangled by stephanie burgis

a portable shelter by kirsty logan

sing the four quarters by tanya huff

all the bad apples by moira fowley doyle (+)

the drowning eyes by emily foster

the priory of the orange tree by samantha shannon

miranda in milan by katharine duckett

the afterward by e.k. johnston (+)

thorn by anna burke

penhallow amid passing things by iona datt sharma

in the vanishers' palace by aliette de bodard

summer of salt by katrina leno (+)

the gracekeepers by kirsty logan

out of the blue by sophie cameron (+)

black wolves by kate elliott

the circle by sara b. elfgren & mats strandberg (+)

unspoken by sarah rees brennan (+)

thistlefoot by gennarose nethercott

passing strange by ellen klages

(and breathe)

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Anna North at Vox:

Before the 1960s, it was really hard to get divorced in America. Typically, the only way to do it was to convince a judge that your spouse had committed some form of wrongdoing, like adultery, abandonment, or “cruelty” (that is, abuse). This could be difficult: “Even if you could prove you had been hit, that didn’t necessarily mean it rose to the level of cruelty that justified a divorce,” said Marcia Zug, a family law professor at the University of South Carolina.

Then came a revolution: In 1969, then-Gov. Ronald Reagan of California (who was himself divorced) signed the nation’s first no-fault divorce law, allowing people to end their marriages without proving they’d been wronged. The move was a recognition that “people were going to get out of marriages,” Zug said, and gave them a way to do that without resorting to subterfuge. Similar laws soon swept the country, and rates of domestic violence and spousal murder began to drop as people — especially women — gained more freedom to leave dangerous situations.  Today, however, a counter-revolution is brewing: Conservative commentators and lawmakers are calling for an end to no-fault divorce, arguing that it has harmed men and even destroyed the fabric of society. Oklahoma state Sen. Dusty Deevers, for example, introduced a bill in January to ban his state’s version of no-fault divorce. The Texas Republican Party added a call to end the practice to its 2022 platform (the plank is preserved in the 2024 version). Federal lawmakers like Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) and House Speaker Mike Johnson, as well as former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, have spoken out in favor of tightening divorce laws. 

If this sounds outlandish or like easily dismissed political posturing — surely Republicans don’t want to turn back the clock on marital law more than 50 years — it’s worth looking back at, say, how rhetorical attacks on abortion, birth control, and IVF have become reality. And that will cause huge problems, especially for anyone experiencing abuse. “Any barrier to divorce is a really big challenge for survivors,” said Marium Durrani, vice president of policy at the National Domestic Violence Hotline. “What it really ends up doing is prolonging their forced entanglement with an abusive partner.” [...]

Republicans in multiple states are eyeing divorce restrictions

Pushback against no-fault divorce dates back decades. In the 1990s and early 2000s, three states passed covenant marriage laws, allowing couples to opt into signing a contract allowing divorce only under circumstances like abuse or abandonment. Some backers of the laws intended them to send a larger anti-divorce message, the Maryland Daily Record reported in 2001. Speaker Johnson, then a lawyer in Louisiana, was an early adopter of covenant marriage, entering one with his wife Kelly in 1999. 

More recently, high-profile conservative commentators have taken up the anti-divorce cause. Last year, the popular right-wing podcaster Steven Crowder announced his own unwilling split. “My then-wife decided that she didn’t want to be married anymore,” he complained, “and in the state of Texas, that is completely permitted.”

That could change. As Tessa Stuart noted in Rolling Stone, the Texas Republican party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor’s office, and could likely make its platform — the one calling on the state legislature to “rescind unilateral no-fault divorce laws” — a reality if it chose. The Louisiana and Nebraska Republican parties have also considered or adopted similar language.  

[...]

Ending no-fault divorce would have major consequences

Opponents of no-fault divorce argue that it is hurting families and American culture. Making divorce too easy causes “social upheaval, unfettered dishonesty, lawlessness, violence towards women, war on men, and expendability of children,” Deevers wrote last year in the American Reformer, a Christian publication. “To devalue marriage is to devalue the family is to undermine the foundation of a thriving society.” It’s worth noting that though the no-fault laws initially led to spikes in divorce, rates then began to drop, and reached a 50-year low in 2019, CNN reports. But today, an end to no-fault divorce would cause enormous financial, logistical, and emotional strain for people who are trying to end their marriages, experts say. Proving fault requires a trial, something many divorcing couples today avoid, said Kristen Marinaccio, a New Jersey-based family law attorney. A divorce trial is time-consuming and costly, putting the partner with less money at an immediate disadvantage. It can also be “really, really traumatizing” to have to take the stand against an ex-partner, Marinaccio said. There’s also no guarantee that judges will always decide cases fairly. In the days of fault-based divorce, courts were often unwilling to intervene in marriages even in cases of abuse, Zug said.  No-fault divorce can be easier on children, who don’t have to experience their parents facing each other in a trial, experts say. Research suggests that allowing such divorces increased women’s power in marriages and even reduced women’s suicide rates. A return to the old ways would turn back the clock on this progress, scholars say.

The Christian Right’s war on no-fault divorce is closely linked to their wars on IVF, abortion, birth control, and LGBTQ+ rights, as seek to roll back the clock to an era when straight white Christian men ruled the roost without pushback.

[leastdatablebracket]

Here's the bracket for round 1! I intend to start posting matches tomorrow.

Group 1 (Matches 1-16)

Sam Wayne (Scarlet Hollow) VS Penny (Stardew Valley)

Joy Johnson-Johjima (Monster Prom) VS Vladamir (Moonlight Lovers)

P.S. Elle (Romancelvania) VS Saint Germain (Code: Realize)

Bram Galeborn (Tales of the Wild) VS Jumin Han (Mystic Messenger)

Edgar Morton (To Love & Protect) VS Zen (Mystic Messenger)

Nowi (Fire Emblem Awakening) VS Elise (Fire Emblem Fates)

Maison Talo (House Hunted) VS Sam (Stardew Valley)

Akihiko Sanada (Persona 3 Portable) VS Sam Dalton (Choices - The Nanny Affair)

Ota Kisaki (Kissed by the Baddest Bidder) VS Casavir (Neverwinter Nights 2)

Anna (Fire Emblem Engage) VS Yang (Piofiore Fated Memories)

Isabela (Dragon Age 2) VS Shuu Iwamine (Hatoful Boyfriend)

Liam de Lioncourt (Monster Prom) VS Sunder (Boyfriend Dungeon)

Cassandra Pentaghast (Dragon Age Inquisition) VS Curie (Fallout 4)

Cliff (Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town) VS Sylvain Jose Gautier (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Hanatsubaki Gorō (Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s First Love) VS Leliana (Dragon Age Origins)

Barbatos (Obey Me) VS Solas (Dragon Age Inquisition)

Group 2 (Matches 17-32)

Nightowl (Blooming Panic: Full Bloom Edition) VS Isako Toriumi (Persona 3)

Adam/Ava du Mortain (Wayhaven Chronicles) VS Drake Walker (Choices - The Royal Romance)

Taro Majima (Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side 2nd Season) VS Vace (I Was a Teenage Exocolonist)

Yoosung Kim (Mystic Messenger) VS Siren Head (Siren Head Dating Sim)

Rick (Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town) VS V (Mystic Messenger)

Ken Amada (Persona 3 Portable) VS Lorenz Hellman Gloucester (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Bigfoot (Dialtown) VS Damien Ramsey (Magical Diary)

Merrill (Dragon Age 2) VS Landon (High School Dreams Best Friends Forever)

Vyn Richter (Tears of Themis) VS Sumire Yoshizawa (Persona 5 Royal)

Sebastian (Stardew Valley) VS Triss Merigold (Witcher 3)

Rock (Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life) VS Morrigan (Dragon Age Origins)

Gray (Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town) VS Calculester Hewlett-Packard (Monster Prom)

Harry Choi (The Ssum) VS Ichiko Ohya (Persona 5)

Sadayo Kawakami (Persona 5) VS Randy Jade (Dialtown)

Kevan (Long Live the Queen) VS Camellia (Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous)

Ace (Heart no Kuni no Alice) VS Rhea (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Group 3 (Matches 33-48)

Ilessa (Romancelvania) VS Dolce (Rune Factory 4)

Sothis (Fire Emblem: Three Houses) VS Laito Sakamaki (Diabolik Lovers)

Cameron Conner (Wylde Flowers) VS Sera (Dragon Age Inquisition)

Elliott (Stardew Valley) VS Shane (Stardew Valley)

Mikah Hudson (Save Me, Sherlock) VS Harvey (Stardew Valley)

Towa Wakasa (Sweet Fuse: At Your Side) VS Shiloh Fields (XOXO Droplets)

Arsene Lupin (Code: Realize) VS Blackwall (Dragon Age Inquisition)

Vere (Touchstarved) VS Shiki (Togainu no Chi)

Sebastian Vael (Dragon Age 2) VS Toma (Amnesia: Memories)

Sakura (Fire Emblem Fates) VS Ethan Ramsey (Choices - Open Heart)

Warren (Life is Strange) VS Ryoma (Fire Emblem Fates)

Katherine (Catherine) VS Jonah (Boyfriend Dungeon)

Anders (Dragon Age 2) VS Dorian Grey (OZMAFIA!!)

Skye (Harvest Moon DS Cute) VS Tammy (I Was a Teenage Exocolonist)

Fenris (Dragon Age 2) VS Dys (I Was a Teenage Exocolonist)

Peter King (Your Boyfriend Game) VS Eisuke Ichinomiya (Kissed by the Baddest Bidder)

Group 4 (Matches 49-64)

Tharja (Fire Emblem Awakening) VS Jacob Taylor (Mass Effect 2)

Elanee (Neverwinter Nights 2) VS Megaricus (Kaichu - The Kaiju Dating Sim)

Joseph Christiansen (Dream Daddy) VS Naoto Shirogane (Persona 4)

Mr. Pages (Mask of the Rose) VS Soleil (Fire Emblem Fates)

Baxter Ward (Our Life: Beginnings & Always) VS Ryouta Kazama (Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side 4)

Colonel Sanders (I Love You, Colonel Sanders!) VS Kappa (Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town)

Andy (Romance Club) VS Micah Yujin (Error143)

Anomen Delryn (Baldur’s Gate 2) VS Koolie Sterling (Tentador Leches)

Canus Espada (Cafe Enchante) VS Nah (Fire Emblem Awakening)

Doctor (Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town) VS Lucy (Your Boyfriend Game)

Amber (Rune Factory 4) VS Marco (Lovelink)

Alfani (OZMAFIA!!) VS Makoto Niijima (Persona 5)

Haley (Stardew Valley) VS Azura (Fire Emblem Fates)

Zevran Arainai (Dragon Age Origins) VS Kai (Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town)

Yuri (Doki Doki Literature Club) VS The Red Prince (Divinity: Original Sin 2)

Lucio Morgasson (The Arcana) VS Cullen Rutherford (Dragon Age Inquisition)

[collinsportmaine]

Nicholas Hoult as Thomas Hutter

Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter

Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Friedrich

Emma Corrin as Anna Harding

Willem Dafoe as Prof. Albin Von Franz

[isfjmel-phleg]

June 2024 Books

I have been tired and unmotivated most of the month, so I ended up mostly rereading random things, including a lot of pretty light stuff.

The Sylvia Game by Vivien Alcock (reread)

Weird story that may not be Great Literature but continues to be Rebekah Bait.

The Lost Years of Merlin by T. A. Barron

Although the second half of the book didn't work for me as well as the first, I did especially appreciate Emrys/Merlin's relationship with his mother and his struggle with fearing his powers.

The Star That Always Stays by Anna Rose Johnson (reread)

The family relationships of this story are its greatest charm. Believable sibling dynamics, especially. The setting and the style and the general feel of a classic children's story are lovely, and the featuring of a protagonist in the 1910s who has Ojibwe ancestry is fresh and interesting. I found this book still enjoyable the second time around.

Thematically, though, I think there could have been some more nuance. At times, it seemed to veer into dealing with serious emotional concerns like struggling with major life changes beyond one's control by advising Just Stop Being So Negative And Choose Joy--a very simplified solution to a complex concern.

A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag by Gordon Korman (reread)

Another one of those early Korman books that make me wonder if he was familiar with Psmith--this story features both the impersonation of a terrible Canadian poet and the desire to avoid working in an uncle's fish business as a plot-driving motivation.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic by Betty MacDonald (reread)

I did not grasp as a child how very, very 1950s these stories are!

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (reread)

I reread this one with the intention of analyzing its portrayal of emotional neglect, and that is indeed very much there, but I got a bit distracted by realizing that there's an argument for Anne's having ADHD. It would explain a lot of her behaviors. (Why didn't the recent adaptation take that route instead of the nonsense they opted for?)

Spineless by Samantha San Miguel (reread)

Heavier on the adventure than the historical fiction side of things, but good fun, with some nice characterization. There's a sequel coming out this fall that I'm planning to read.

Magic in My Shoes by Constance Savery (reread)

Very light compared to many of Savery's other books, but also very rereadable.

The Memoirs of Jack Chelwood by Constance Savery (reread)

I already talked about this here.

The Reb and the Redcoats by Constance Savery (reread)

I have nothing intelligent to say about this one, but it's always a pleasure to reread.

Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster (reread)

The protagonist's engaging voice makes the letters fun to read, but this time I was deeply weirded out by the romance. She's being groomed by an older man who has financial power over her and whom she views in a parental/guardian-like role, he's pulling all the strings and controlling aspects of her life that are none of his business and keeping her dependent on him, and his in-person interactions with her can be unpleasant also. By the end, I was more worried than happy for her. I think the set-up of "correspondent turns out to be someone you've met in real life and leads to falling in love" can be done in a way that's sincerely romantic (more in the vein of The Shop Around the Corner or You've Got Mail), but this particular version of that plot has not aged well.

When Patty Went to College by Jean Webster (reread)

...so as a refresher I reread this one, which features a lively heroine's escapades at college without a creepy romantic relationship.

The White Feather by P. G. Wodehouse (reread)

See the essay here.

Comics

The Ray 1992 and 1994 (reread)

For the sake of analysis for posts this month. This is the one time of year that DC acknowledges that their current version of Ray (who is practically a different character from the 90s version and exists in a completely different continuity) exists, and that version is rather one-note, so I wanted, at least for my own amusement, to delve into the original version of the character, who is rather multi-faceted.

Wayne Family Adventures Vol. 4 (reread)

I read these as they were released, but I own a print copy now.

Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Vol. 1-2

A gift from my brother! This was my first experience with DW in comic form, and it was fun. I appreciated the presence of a companion who is a library assistant (not a librarian! there's a difference! and don't I know it).

The Flash Vol. 9: Full Stop

I picked this up at a library book sale quite a while ago when I was still able to go to those :/ This is post-Flashpoint stuff, I think? and I'm very post-Crisis in my leanings, so it was confusing for me without full context.

Superboy Book One: Trouble in Paradise (reread)

This is the only collection of Kon's solo, covering #1-10 and #0. It begins with Knockout and ends with him and Tana starting to officially date. I've read these issues before multiple times, but they will never not be worrying.

Batman: Under the Red Hood: The Deluxe Edition (partial reread)

All the feels. Can I please erase from my brain what happens between Jason and Talia though.

[domquixotedospobresblog]

The terrific cast in Robert Eggers’ ‘NOSFERATU.’

•Willem Dafoe as Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz

•Bill Skarsgård as Count Orlok

•Emma Corrin as Anna Harding

•Nicholas Hoult as Thomas Hutter

•Simon McBurney as Knock

•Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter

•Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Friedrich Harding

•Ralph Ineson as Dr. Wilhelm Sievers

Nosferatu is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States by Focus Features on December 25, 2024.

[sondheim-girly]

Is this the full cast of the outsiders?

Brody Grant

Sky Lakota Lynch

Joshua Boone

Brent Comer

Jason Schmidt

Emma Pittman

Daryl Tofa

Kevin William Paul

Dan Berry

Jordan Chin

Milena J Comeau

Barton Cowperthwaite

Kevin Csolak

Tilly Evans-Krueger

Henry Julian Gendron

RJ Higton

Wonza Johnson

Sean Harrison Jones

Maggie Kuntz

Renni Anthony Magee

Sarahgrace Mariani

Melody Rose

Josh Strobl

Victor Carrillo Tracey

Trever Wayne

Anna K Bermudez

Ryo Kamibayashi

let me know if I'm missing anyone!