#annie mare

[billysjoel]

EVERYONE I KISSED SINCE YOU GOT FAMOUS (2024) written by Mae Marvel

Mae Marvel is the alias of cowriters Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare, bestselling queer authors of over a dozen acclaimed romance novels between them.

@lgbtqcreators creator bingo - book of the year

my review / my storygraph / template

[hayleyreadssapphicbooks]

If I Told You, I'd Have to Kill You by Mae Marvel

I found out before reading that Mae Marvel is a pen name for Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare. I recently read their book “Big Name Fan” so I was surprised to see this book coming out so near to that one! I will say I wasn’t that enamored with “Big Name Fan” so when I found out this book has the same writers, I went into it with lowered expectations. That being said, this book was such a delightful surprise!

The romance and chemistry between Yardley and KC is delicious and I was rooting so hard for them. Usually, romance books have two characters meet and fall in love throughout the book. But in this one they are already in love, just having issues, and have recently broken up. Working their issues out meant that instead of realizing their feelings for the first time they fall deeper and deeper in love. I enjoyed watching their beautiful connection grow and strengthen. I love that this book didn’t have the typical third-act breakup that other romance novels have. Plus, the book takes a typical spy premise (along the lines of Mr. And Mrs. Smith) and makes it queer. The two of them being in the same field and not knowing it is such a fun way for us to meet the characters. The build-up and payoff of the heist are entertaining and pulled me in! I said up until 4am to finish reading because I needed to know what happened.

If you already like Ruthie Knox or Annie Mare you will enjoy this! If you were skeptical about their work before, give this a chance! If you like romance, especially with the extra flair of espionage, this is a great read!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC!

POV: third person, past tense, two POVs

Spice: 🔥/3

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

[lgbtqreads]

October 2023 Book Deals

Adult Fiction Sunday Times-bestselling author of A MARVELLOUS LIGHT Freya Marske‘s SWORDCROSSED, pitched as Ellen Kushner’s SWORDSPOINT meets LEGENDS & LATTES; a second novel pitched as Grey’s Anatomy meets A DEADLY EDUCATION; an untitled novel; and an untitled novella, to Ruoxi Chen at Tor, in a six-figure deal, in a four-book deal, for publication in fall 2024, by Diana Fox at Fox…

[the-final-sentence]

That was how she always made it through the mystery of what came next.

Ruthie Knox & Annie Mare, from Big Name Fan

[valentina-lauricella]

Mia madre continua a parlarmi nei sogni. Mi ha detto: "Devi dire a tuo padre di non disturbarmi mentre già sto male". Per parlare, mi porta sempre su una certa spiaggia. Il mare ha onde alte, ma non mi fa paura, perché l'acqua è viva e piena di ossigeno come l'aria. C'è un alto dislivello, un salto di più di due metri di sabbia, tra la parte superiore e quella inferiore, dove si trova il bagnasciuga, della spiaggia. Si potrebbe cadere e farsi male, ma in realtà non succede, perché si riesce a scendere dal gradino con relativa facilità, anche con zoccoli a zeppa anni '70 come quelli che indossa mia madre nel sogno, e in più la sabbia è soffice. Tutto lo scenario è paurosamente libero e vivo. Le uniche cose davvero tremende di quella spiaggia dove mi porta, sono l'energia e la bellezza.

[the-sun-and-the-sea]

Odesta Week Day 6: Supernatural Saturday

Annie Cresta has one goal. 

It’s not to be selected as the volunteer for the 70th Hunger Games—she’s already done that. And despite what she tells Caesar Flickerman, it’s not even to win the Games, although losing would certainly hinder things. 

She spent ten years training at the Academy because she wants to be something. Make a name for herself. 

And when your mother is a goddess, it’s not easy to step out from under her shadow. 

It’s not like anyone knows that Annie’s mother is Aphrodite. Officially, the gods don’t exist, and the Capitol is the most powerful entity that the world has ever seen. But Annie knows, and she’s spent most of her life trying to prove to herself that she’s powerful in her own right. 

On the night before she goes into the arena, she feels anything but powerful. 

Mags, who is mentoring Annie, says that even volunteers feel nervous on the night before. It’s normal, apparently, because this is everything she’s been working towards. And if it goes wrong, she’ll never work towards anything again. But it won’t go wrong. She won’t let it. 

Her room is dark and too stifling even in its vastness, so she heads out to the balcony for some fresh air. Even the air in the Capitol feels different than the air back home. The city smog sits heavy in her lungs, or maybe she’s just imagining the tightness in her chest. 

“Can’t sleep?”

Annie startles, but the voice sounds oddly familiar. She turns around and meets eyes that are as bright as a kaleidoscope, gleaming in the city lights. The woman is foreign and familiar all at once. Her shining hair tumbles down her back, and Annie’s eyes don’t even know where to focus. They flicker from her eyes to her hair to her serene smile. 

“Aphrodite,” she says, because it feels weird to address her as ‘Mom’ when this is the first and probably only conversation they’ll have. 

Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty, and her unearthly looks are testament to that. She was born of sea foam, which is what ties her to District Four, although as a goddess she’s not bound by the Capitol’s rules. 

Her smile doesn’t waver. “Evanna.”

“You can call me Annie,” she says. “I didn’t think you were ever going to visit.”

“Tomorrow is an important day for you,” says Aphrodite. “I may not be mortal, but I know that much.”

“I don’t want your help,” says Annie before she can stop herself. “Sorry. But I have to do this on my own.”

Her mother gives an unbothered shrug. “I am not here to offer help. Only encouragement. Did you know that in some ancient cultures, I was worshiped as a warrior goddess?”

The night wind whistles through her hair. “You were?”

She nods. “This experience will test you unlike any other, but you know that already. What you may not know is that the power you’ve been searching for has been inside you all along. You are a warrior, my daughter. Not because you are mine but because of your own merit. You have always been fated to transcend these mortal games.”

Annie’s heart is in her throat. It’s getting hard to breathe, and she can’t tell if it’s fear or excitement that she’s feeling. “Are you saying I’m going to win?”

“Only you can determine that,” says Aphrodite. “Before you go, I have something for you. A gift.”

She opens her hands, and Annie looks at the small glittery object. It’s a necklace. A small white pearl hangs from a thin gold chain. Annie accepts the gift, cupping the necklace reverently in her hands. “Thank you.”

“There is no difficulty you cannot face,” she says, then disappears. 

Annie walks back into her room in a daze. Her eyelids go heavy with sudden exhaustion, so she gently sets the necklace on her bedside table and climbs into bed. 

[tuportamiviareturn]

Def Leppard - Hysteria (Long Version)

[gregor-samsung]

“ Lì, nel mare, spesso ci sei tu. Appena dentro, con l’acqua che ti arriva al ginocchio, giochi a pallavolo con un gruppo di amici e molte ragazze, e fai tuffi spettacolari per prendere la palla, e schizzi acqua con tutte le forze; il vento porta voci, risate e grida qualche volta, altre volte le trattiene e sembra di essere diventati sordi. So che ci sei sempre, so che continui a passare su questa spiaggia gran parte della tua estate e il lungomare sarà invaso da un’altra serie di ricordi che non conosco più; quando fai il gesto di levare gli occhiali da sole e quando il vento porta la tua risata verso il mio ombrellone, ho la conferma che continui a essere felice, che il tuo mondo è in questi due mesi, è in questa piccola città di mare. All’inizio, con imbarazzo, venivi a chiedermi di stare con voi - non me lo chiedevi direttamente, avremmo avuto pudore di chiedere e rispondere, ma lo dicevi in modo passabile, scherzando o prendendo il discorso alla larga. Io dicevo no, anzi non dicevo no, cercavo scuse plausibili. Alla fine, ti allontanavi, e a me sembrava che un attimo dopo sarebbe venuta tua madre a prendermi la mano e a portarmi tra voi, e all’inizio non mi avreste passato la palla, tu con la testa bassa, poi una volta e poi un’altra me l’avreste passata finalmente, e avrei cominciato a giocare, e poi a tuffarmi come te, e poi mi avresti preso in giro per un tuffo goffo o cos’altro, e le risate dei tuoi amici avrebbero fatto il resto. Non avrei potuto. Sembra che sia questo il momento di divertirsi e di vivere, sembra che l’anno abbia un prima, un durante e un dopo. E questo è il «durante» - bisogna approfittarne. A me non piace essere troppo allegro, e nemmeno troppo triste. A me non piace sapere che è questo il momento di fare qualcosa, che ci sono dei mesi irrinunciabilmente dediti alla vita, e sono i mesi d’estate. Essere allegri tutte le sere fino a notte inoltrata, è faticoso. E poi tornare a casa tardi, spogliarsi di poco e non rivestirsi, girare e rigirare il corpo sul letto caldo, e guardare le stelle fuori, perché è tutto aperto e sembra di dormire per strada - e sembra una cosa bella, ma non lo è perché non si riesce a dormire, si suda, bisogna fare una doccia, hai visto che caldo ha fatto stanotte? Non ho chiuso occhio. Un caldo così. Nel letto stai un po’ dalla parte sinistra, e quando diventa calda, passi dalla parte destra, e senti un po’ di quel fresco sulle guance e sulle anche. Poi di nuovo caldo. Puoi girare il cuscino, e poi farlo ancora una volta, ma se non fai presto ad addormentarti succede che acceleri le soluzioni, passi da una parte all’altra del letto, giri il cuscino sopra e sotto, e finisci per scaldare tutto e non ci sono più angoli freschi. Ti agiti tanto, ed è peggio. Un caldo come quello di stanotte non l’hai mai sentito. “

Francesco Piccolo, Storie di primogeniti e figli unici, Feltrinelli (collana Universale Economica n° 1483), 1998; pp. 102-103.

[eleonoramartis]

Sopralluogo in una nuova #casavacanze nel #sudovest della #Sardegna 😍

🏡 Una bellissima villa in stile #liberty di fine anni ‘60.

[primepaginequotidiani]

PRIMA PAGINA Tirreno di Oggi lunedì, 12 agosto 2024

[lospeakerscorner]

Buon compleanno, Aquarium!

150esimo compleanno dell’Aquarium di Napoli: la Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn e il Museo Darwin-Dohrn aprono le porte alla Città CITTÀ METROPOLITANA DI NAPOLI – Nella Sala Polifunzionale del Museo Darwin-Dohrn  nella mattinata divenerdì 26 gennaio si sono tenuti i festeggiamenti per i 150 anni dell’Acquario di Napoli della Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn. Centinaia le persone intervenute per…

[elodieunderglass]

History of Black jockeys in the USA: tumblr starter pack

The gif above was created by animating the motion study of “Annie G,” plate 627 of Eadweard Muybridge’s 1887 work, “Animal Locomotion”. The horse is a mare named “Annie G.” The jockey, unknown, is a Black man. It is one of the earliest motion studies on record, and captures some of the first humans and first animals to be recorded this way. (The earlier 1878 Muybridge study of the mare Sallie Gardener is more famous but you can’t really see the jockey.)

The Black jockey is referenced (fictionally) as an ancestor n Jordan Peele’s film Nope (2022) which also looks at the relationship between Black men, horses, and the consumption for entertainment of both of their bodies.

Fold into that what we are learning about today’s acceptance of the jockey-as-consumable, of their body as an accessory, of their wellbeing as mostly irrelevant; but then remember that once upon a time, people cared a lot more about horse racing. This is a big, tricky topic in American horse racing. There was a time in American history when Black jockeys were enslaved and forced into a job that we know is dangerous and consuming. Later there was a time in American history when Black jockeys were incredibly influential and important, competing equally alongside white jockeys, and they were deliberately pushed out of a sport they had mastered.

“The Undefeated Asteroid,” Edward Troye, 1864. Enslaved horse trainer Ansel Williamson, right, holding saddle. Ed Brown, jockey on left adjusting his spurs, was the young enslaved jockey. The groom is unidentified.

Press Keep Reading for an essay/signposts to resources. It’s intended as a jumping-off point for curious people and historians to learn more. TW for racial discrimination and discussion of weight.

As we know by now, jockeys are considered consumable/disposable by their sport; they are athletes whose names are less memorable than their mounts and their working conditions are tough. The sacrifices that jockeys make today to remain strong and light are hard enough when the jockey is willing. They have hard weight limits on their profession. And one of the very dark horrors of this was that young enslaved Black men of small stature and riding ability were singled out and used as jockeys. Their sacrifices would not have been willing. While this essay is about the Black athletes who willingly entered the sport post-abolition, I think it’s important to be up-front about the history of enslaved jockeys in America. Jockeys like Ed Brown (above) were forced into the job very, very young.

Horse racing is a bonkers calling, but it’s also one that people willingly follow. Post-abolition, there were many Black American jockeys who were incredible athletes, their records and statistics still impressive today. In a surge of excellence around the 1890s, Black jockeys rose to remarkable influence and power in America, becoming household names above even the horses, travelling the world, greeted with admiration, true celebrities with their faces on merchandise. At the very first Kentucky Derby, raced in 1875, 13 of the 15 jockeys were Black men.

Between 1890 and 1899, African American jockeys won the Kentucky Derby six times. By the early 1900s, they were history. The key push to exclude Black jockeys came when White jockeys began violently attacking their African American counterparts by boxing them out during races, running them into the rail, and hitting them with riding crops. These attacks prevented Black jockeys from finishing in the money, and endangered fragile and valuable racehorses. Soon after the attacks began, African American jockeys found they could not get rides. Anxiety over job insecurity appears to have played an important role in White jockeys’ actions: there were only a limited number of riding slots. White jockeys would have benefitted in any circumstances from the exclusion of Black jockeys, but in the late 1890s the US was in a depression, and unease about finding rides was especially high. Combined with a growing anti-gambling crusade that reduced attendance at racetracks and eliminated some tracks entirely, jockeys found demand for their services contracting.(National Bureau of Economic Research)

Professor Pellom McDaniels, describing the impact of this on legendary Black American jockey Isaac Burns Murphy:

MCDANIELS: If black people are supposed to be inherently inferior, to have someone who demonstrates success in material terms unravels this idea and therefore those whites during this time period who believe themselves to be inherently superior, something's broken in their psyches. And Murphy represents that kind of attack on white supremacy.

Isaac Burns Murphy, one of the best American jockeys of history, had an unprecedented rate of wins (something like 44% which is almost impossible.) he was born into slavery, but his mother managed to escape with him as a toddler to a Union Army camp. He was inducted into the Jockey’s Hall of Fame in 1955 and Eddie Arcaro was quoted, “there is no chance that his record of winning will ever be surpassed.” (How could it?!)

Today, the American Racing Museum honours many Black jockeys of history in their Hall of Fame, telling some truly incredible stories that are worth browsing.

Like James Winkfield. Born in America 1882, died France 1974. won the Kentucky Derby twice. Left America due to this rising backlash against the growing prominence of Black jockeys, the KKK in particular explicitly objecting to his celebrity and earnings by sending him death threats. Winkfield therefore rode and trained in Europe, settled in Russia, FLED THE 1919 REVOLUTION WITH 200 HORSES?, married an exiled Russian aristocrat (????) and, lest he know peace for five minutes, defended his horses from the European Nazi invasion with a pitchfork(!!!!). Fleeing WW2 to America, where the new racial segregation was now being widely embraced, Winkfield found hotels that had once welcomed the celebrity athlete suddenly turning him away (never forget that segregation was artificial and deliberate.) I am still stuck on him sneaking 200 thoroughbreds out of Russia. Here’s his Britannica article and Hall of Fame bio.

The campaign of racism and terror was successful at driving Black athletes from the profession, and Winkfield was the last Black jockey to win the Kentucky Derby. Jim Crow swept through the USA, and white people in the South comforted themselves with “lawn jockeys,” racist caricature lawn ornaments of Black men in jockey silks.

It wasn’t until the 1970s that Black jockeys began winning high-stakes races in the USA again.

Hopefully this has spurred (ha!) your interest. Here are some links if you find yourself interested in more!

American racing museum: Jockey hall of fame

Kentucky Derby Museum’s Black Heritage in Racing collection

How and Why Black Riders Were Driven from American Racetracks (summary paper, National Bureau of Economic Research)

There is no competition: the legacy of black jockeys (1975 entry in Sepia magazine preserved here. Note that James Winkfield’s picture incorrectly identified as Isaac B Murphy.)

This 1975 photo is from the article above and describes Cheryl Smith, “first Black American female jockey to hold a license.” I haven’t been able to find out much about her, but I’m not a historian - let me know if she takes your interest as a topic!

It looks like there are some big interesting books on the subject, though I haven’t read them myself. If you’re interested in doing a research project, here they are!

The Great Black Jockeys: The Lives and Times of the Men who Dominated America's First National Sport, by Ed Hotaling, 1999

Isaac Murphy: The Rise and Fall of a Black Jockey, by Katharine C Mooney, 2003

The First Kentucky Derby: Thirteen Black Jockeys, One Shady Owner, and the Little Red Horse That Wasn't Supposed to Win, by Mark Schrager, 2023.

[elaiceps-totalblog]

Bagnoli anni ' 50. Colonia estiva del Comune di Napoli per bambini disagiati.

Un bambino al mare.

Conosco un bambino così povero

che non ha mai veduto il mare:

a Ferragosto lo vado a prendere

in treno ,a Ostia lo voglio portare.

“Ecco, guarda” gli dirò

“questo è il mare, pigliane un po’!”.

Col suo secchiello, fra tanta gente,

potrà rubarne poco o niente:

ma con gli occhi che sbarrerà

il mare intero si prenderà.

Gianni Rodari

[scritti-di-aliantis]

(Foto: gentlenmensarts)

Ma te la ricordi tre anni fa, la sensazione di assoluta libertà, in quel paesino sperduto in Sardegna, vicinissimo al mare? Finalmente soli, potevo ammirarti nuda, bellissima e abbronzata, girare per quei posti abbandonati. Stasera invece, prima di andare a letto mi ti spogli davanti solo per... farti spalmare il Voltaren sulla schiena! 🙄 Ma sei sempre uno spettacolo di donna!

Aliantis

(Foto: gentlenmensarts)

[omarfor-orchestra]

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