#beth brower

[fictionadventurer]

"My true love is the evening walk, that last hour of daylight that has its way with sunlight, shadow, and soul."

-The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Volume 1, by Beth Brower

[cultivating-wildflowers]

2024 Reading - September

Another productive month. Which I know would rub some readers the wrong way, and sometimes that mindset isn't great for me either, but as a girlie who likes her lists? I'm happy getting to check off stuff.

The biggest accomplishment this month was FINALLY finishing The Disorderly Knights. It took me so long that by the end of the story, I'd already forgotten what happened at the beginning. But it's done, and I have the next book on my shelf. For next year. Maybe.

Total books: 10  |  New reads: 9  |   2024 TBR completed: 2 (1 DNF) / 29/36 total   |   2024 Reading Goal: 63/100

August | October

potential reading list from September 1st

#1 - The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown - 5/5 stars

After hearing people rave about the movie and then the book, I snagged a cheap copy from my local used bookstore and decided to check it out.

It was so so worth it. Absolutely breathtaking. All of the assorted narratives--the different characters, the historical background, the technical details--came together so perfectly and resulted in a captivating story. I love every bit of it. I cried.

#2 - In the Forests of Serre by Patricia A. McKillip - 5/5 stars ('24 TBR)

This is exactly the sort of story I was craving. Absolutely spellbinding.

More like this: I had the sense this story reminded me of something else I've read, but I'm blanking on it just now. If I remember, I'll come back here. It might have been a fairy tale kind of story. It's a bit like the first Earthsea book. Perhaps Robin McKinley, Patricia C. Wrede, Madeleine L'Engel, Shannon Hale.... Diana Wynne Jones. It feels like a Ghibli movie.

#3 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol 2 by Beth Brower - 4/5 stars

A fun installment! I am quickly losing track of the cast, but I can totally see the author's vision of this being a delightful period drama.

#4 - The Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett - 4/5 stars

Note to anyone I've recommended this series to: I unfortunately have to retract that hearty recommendation and replace it with...several caveats.

I finished! Honestly, I don't know why it took so long, because once I made myself sit still and read it was easy-ish going; I just had trouble sitting still.

Ok, so "easy" is not the right word. With this series, the first half of each book tends to be a slow build-up, while the end careens rapidly downhill to the conclusion and the ever-brilliant (and painful) reveal.

And, uh.... This got much darker and more intense than I was prepared for. (If I made a habit of reading more in this line, I might have seen that coming, but epics aren't my usual fare.) Narratively, it all worked very well, but it was right on the edge of what I can tolerate.

Still, with 200 pages left to go, I absolutely planned to keep reading the series, well aware that it would be...an experience. Then I saw a blurb for both Book Four and Book Five, skimmed some super vague reviews for Book Four ("Five Stars. owowowowowowowowowowww") and freaked out. And, against all my usual inclinations, hunted for spoilers. And now I'm scared. (But, weirdly, less stressed about the conclusion? Which is an odd experience.)

#5 - Od Magic by Patricia A. McKillip - 3/5 stars (audio)

This confirms my suspicion that McKillip is one of those hit-or-miss authors for me. The first book of hers that I read was The Changeling Sea, six years ago, and I remember absolutely nothing about it. Then In the Forests of Serre blew me away. Od Magic? Another middling story.

Don't get me wrong; McKillip's writing is gorgeous. It immediately draws you in, connects you to living, breathing characters, and paints the most vivid pictures. But the story here just kind of...wanders along. It's a pleasant journey, but not very exciting.

Note: I didn't dive into "Od Magic" because of how much I loved "In the Forests of Serre". I needed an "O" title, and realized McKillip had a few. 😅

#6 - Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - 5/5 stars (reread, audio)

We all know I love this. 'Nuff said.

#7 - Yours From the Tower by Sally Nicholls - 4/5 stars

Another Tumblr rec! And a read that had the unfortunate pressure of me getting to it on the heels of 1) a so-so fantasy and 2) a historical fiction adventure that wrung me out. I did my best not to go into it with any expectations outside of being pleasantly charmed, and charmed I was. 90% of it was a fun, light read with just a touch of drama, but my stars, the end had me rolling. There's something so fun about epistolary novels when it comes to twists and big reveals.

#8 - Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher - 5/5 stars (audio)

A gorgeous little story.

#9 - Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher - 4/5 stars (audio)

Largely enjoyable, but the ending felt rushed.

#10 - The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke - 4/5 stars

An impulse pick from the library. I wanted something short and sweet and discovered this after finishing Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. As is becoming a habit with Clarke's writing, I enjoyed this book. I loved the variety of styles and tones within the collection.

DNF*

The Element of Fire by Martha Wells - Not a bad story, but by the 15% mark I remained bored and vaguely confused and unable to pay attention, so I gave up. I like Wells's writing style (obviously), but this was evidently her debut and is a bit dull around the edges. For some reason it reminded me vaguely of The Curse of Chalion, which I love, so might be worth checking out if you enjoy Lois McMaster Bujold. Goodreads also shows that fans of T. Kingfisher might enjoy this one as well. (Note: Paladin's Grace [below] also had the same general feel as The Element of Fire and The Curse of Chalion)

The Anthropology of Turquoise: Reflections on Desert, Sea, Stone, and Sky by Ellen Meloy ('24 TBR) - I was hoping for a more scientific exploration of color. Instead, this book is a collection of (in my and my friends' opinions) weirdly stuffy, stilted essays. I don't usually mind slow, descriptive/lyrical writing, but this is something else. If you don't mind a deeply personal and conversational writing style and a book you can sit with for several months, definitely check this one out, because it has merit; it's just not for me.

Zao's Tales by J.A. Sommer - I'm still vaguely unclear on how this book arrived on my shelf (it was a gift from my mother and she bought it to support someone?). Decidedly not for me. Also...now I don't have a "Z" title for my alphabet challenge lol.

just kidding, I found another one that was kind of on my radar and ordered it from the library, whoo

Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher - I'm learning that Kingfisher really straddles the line on what I'm willing to tolerate content-wise. This one was a "no" based on that.

The Sea at the End of Everything by Emily McCosh - The writing style was not for me. Sorry, Ruby.

*I'm starting to wonder if I should bother recording books I DNF.... They make up fully a third of the books I've picked up this year.

Currently Reading:

The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead by Max Brooks - just started

[daonedaonlysk]

DOES ANYOEN KNOW OF THE UNSELECTED JOURNALS EMMA M LION BY BETH BROWER??? IM DESPERATELY TRYING TO FIND FANART BC THEY’RE MY GF’S FAVORITE! IF ANYONE KNOWS OF ANY PLS PLS PLS LMK!!!!!!

[bookshelf-in-progress]

I love how a well-written romance is so often structured as a mystery. A person starts with a certain idea about another person, and over the course of the story, they uncover more evidence that gives them a fuller picture of who the other person truly is. They learn about layers to the personality and backstory that give the other person more depth. They learn how the other person's personality meshes with theirs. Even the third-act misunderstanding fits the mystery structure--it looks like they've uncovered the final secret to the other person's identity, which is that they're not the worthy person they seemed to be, but then discover that they misinterpreted that evidence, or the other person takes steps to apologize and repair the level of trust. When the mystery is resolved, they've reached a full understanding of each other and know they've found a partner they can trust their whole future to.

[lempickathemusical]

We do not control the world  We control one flat rectangle of canvas at a time LEMPICKA (2024)

[theangelblood]

Supernatural, The Winchesters and Dead Boy Detectives cast and crew crossovers (pt.1)

Andi Armaganian - directed 1 episode of TW and 2 episodes of DBD

Richard Speight Jr. - Loki, Gabriel, The Trixter in SPN and Loki in TW, directed 11 episodes of SPN and 1 episode of TW

Amanda Tapping - Naomi in SPN, directed 1 episode of DBD

Glen Winter - directed 1 episode of DBD and 1 episode of TW, executive producer on TW

Steve Yockey - co executive producer, producer, co producer, executive story editor and writer on SPN, executive producer, writer, creator of DBD

Jeremy Carver - executive producer, co producer of SPN, executive producer of DBD

Ruth Connell - Rowena MacLeod in SPN and TW, Night Nurse in DBD

Burnley Duffield - Brad in DBD, Billy Whitfield and Ryan McAnn in SPN

Shafin Karim - Local Doctor in DBD, Jamie Hamed in SPN

Kailey Spear - Jen, Beth, Chastity Group Member, Undead Woman the First in DBD

Sharon Taylor - Ardat, Crossroads Demon in SPN, Officer Parris in DBD

Christine Chatelain - Jenny, Dr. Ellen Piccolo in SPN, Stacey Devlin in DBD

Gerry Rousseau - Bill Gibson, Billy Beard in SPN, Old Settler Ghost in DBD

Amanda Gray - Dead Witch, Kansas Deputy in SPN, Shushing Mom in DBD

Brad Loree - Officer in SPN, Salesperson in DBD

James Dreichel - Bobby 2 in SPN, assistant hairstylist on DBD

Jay Julier - 3rd assistant director, additional 2nd director - SPN, 2nd assistant director - DBD

Christopher Donaldson - storyboard artist on TW and DBD

Nadine Schaefer - production assistant: set - SPN, graphic designer - DBD

Greg Crawford - adr mixer - TW and DBD

Seth Brower - encore VFX - TW, compositor encore VFX - DBD

Diego Galtieri - digital composer - TW and DBD

Swear I'm gonna finish this list one day😅

[lululawrence]

Okay who else out there has read or at least heard of the unselected journals of Emma M Lion by Beth Brower?

I just might be obsessed and I want all the things and to talk to all the people about them, but because the books are almost impossible to get ahold of without purchasing them, there’s just not much content out there.

[constantvigilante]

Thanks for the tag, @as-dreamers-do! :)

Last Song I Listened To: So You Are Tired by Sufjan Steven's. Spotify alerted me that he had a new song out so I had to check it out! I used to be big into his Illinois and Michigan albums back in the day, and his first set of Christmas albums (though my roommates hate those) but I haven't really checked out his newer stuff. Good song. Sad, painfully fragile. Just what you want from him.

Currently Watching: We finally managed to get Only Murders in the Building to work on the TV so we watched the first episode of the new season tonight! Started Mentopolis last week, finished up the first season of Fantasy High this week, and my gym show is Kimi no Todoke because I needed something sweet and harmless.

Currently Reading: I just finished The Q by Beth Brower (who also wrote my best beloved Emma M Lion) so I'm sort of between books at the moment. I should probably start the next Annotated Austen, which looks like it will be Mansfield Park... which I read last year and almost don't feel ready to reread even with annotations? I might need a bit longer or to wait until I've finished one of the poetry books I'm in the middle of (Selected Poems of Mark Strand and Jenny Joseph's The Thinking Heart). ...and I'm following the Blue Castle book club tags, with no intention to follow along in the book because I reread that last year too. I just love seeing people's reactions! ...oh blast, and I forgot I still haven't finished Our Lady of Kingdoms.

Current Obsession: I'm back in an HP RPG, Marauder Era this time so... I'm really interested in the 70s at the moment and everything my characters are into (poetry, folk music, art deco jewelry, disco) even if I don't always have time to research. Deeply obsessed with D20 and Brennan Lee Mulligan (and Worlds Beyond Number! So good! Please release this week's episode!) And this feels like it's meant to be about media but in the summer I want to eat fruit all the time and right now I'm very into frozen grapes. So delicious, so refreshing.

Tagging @magnetocerebro , @scarvenartist and @melliabee and anyone else who wants to do it!

[clarythericebot]

Beth Brower's Books of Imirillia just gut-punched me. I think I read them all in the course of a week? they were so good alkdjsf

[fictionadventurer]

The Electrical Menagerie by Mollie E. Reeder. One of my favorite indie fantasies and entirely clean.

The Galleries of Stone trilogy by C.J. Milbrandt is a cozy, clean middle-grade (but in the classic lit kind of way where there's also a lot of good plotlines for adults) domestic fantasy with great characters and worldbuilding (if you can get past some stylistic awkwardness).

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower are 1880s historical fiction with some light fantasy elements. The later couple of books have some kissing and thinking-about-kissing but that's as far as it goes.

Unseen Beauty by Amity Thompson is a good Beauty and the Beast retelling from the POV of one of the invisible servants.

Any of you have recommendations for fantasy or sci-fi without much sexual content?

Self-published or Christian works welcome but only if they're high quality (i.e. not worse than general market fiction).

And, of course, I have to add I've read everything by Tolkien and Lewis.

[fictionadventurer]

"If the structure of your world ever evaporates, I will still be here."

I think The Q might contain one of the greatest declarations of friendship/love ever.

[cultivating-wildflowers]

2024 Reading - August

There I was at the beginning of the month all worried about my potential page count for August, and then I went and read well beyond that. It's fine. I'm just a baby. The good news is that I seem to have caught my reading stride again--I actually wanted to spend my evenings reading a physical book, and didn't feel like reading was a slog. And even though I'm only halfway toward my original reading goal for the year, I've made good progress through my digital TBR.

Total books: 9  |  New reads: 8  |   2024 TBR completed: 1 (0 DNF) / 27/36 total   |   2024 Reading Goal: 53/100

July | September

potential reading list from August 1st

First of all, please admire this graph:

I haven't read this many pages in a month in like two years. (This does count pages and hours I read for books I ultimately DNF.)

Moving on.

#1 - The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol 1 by Beth Brower - 5/5 stars

A quick, charming read with surprising depth. I actually cried at one point. And I definitely want to read more. It’s a pity each volume is so small and that none are available through any library in the state.

Note from end-of-the-month Phoebe: I bought Volume 2. And another book by the same author.

#2 - Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke - 5/5 stars ('24 TBR)

Expertly crafted historical setting effortlessly blended with the dangerously fantastical. Rich, complex characters who are people of their time. A totally engrossing writing style with asides and footnotes and sharp dialogue that left me laughing with delight. So many tiny elements that combined to make up exactly the sort of story I crave. I wasn't expecting to be enthralled, but I was from the first page. Maybe it rewired my brain a little bit.

I will grant it's not for everyone, but it was PERFECT for me. Just don't ask me what the plot is.

Reasons you may not like it: 1) It's huge and a bit of a time investment. 2) It is largely character-driven and, while well-paced, doesn't have a lot of external pressure to keep the story exciting. 3) It's somewhat verbose, in a Tolkien sort of way. 4) Something of an open ending (which, weirdly, didn't bother me?). 5) As the magic tips from human to fairy, it develops a dark and occult flavor. This is nice for people who like their fairies to remain distinctly wicked within the narrative (rather than roguishly morally gray), but there are decidedly dark elements. I tried to watch the show a few years ago and didn't make it through the first episode, and as I recall it was because the fairies came off a tad too dark for me. Somehow it was better on the page.

#3 - Escape from Camp 14: One Man’s Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West by Blaine Harden - 4/5 stars

This is both the biography of a man who escaped the North Korean prison camp where he was born, and also a biography of North Korea itself over the past 50-odd years. Sparse and somewhat stilted, full of facts and figures, it reads more like an article than a story. I'll say it's an important story, despite the surrounding controversy, but the writing style didn't do it any favors.

Note regarding the peculiar controversy surrounding this book: A few years after the book was published, Shin Dong-hyuk contacted Harden and revised his story as told here. The base details remained the same, but timelines and locations had changed. Yeonmi Park faced the same controversy following the publication of her memoir of her childhood in North Korea (In Order to Live; which, weirdly, I read in August of last year), which to me says less about the veracity at the heart of both individuals' histories and more about how trauma, in particular that brought about by political violence, can impact emotions and memory. If you're interested in reading this book, definitely check out Harden's updated forward examining Shin's altered account. Harden himself repeatedly acknowledges Shin as "an unreliable narrator of his own life".

More like this: "In Order to Live" by Yeonmi Park with Maryanne Vollers; "A Long Way Gone" by Ishmael Beah; "Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

#4 - Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford - 4/5 stars (audio)

If you couldn't tell, I'm desperately trying to fill in some of the missing letters for my second year of a self-imposed alphabet titles challenge. This is my fifth attempt at a "T". Attempts three and four are below in the DNFs. I decided to bank on an extreme change of pace with this one.

A solid middle grade adventure, and one I'll definitely recommend in future. Fun and unpredictable and my head hurts, because time travel always does that to me. Ridiculously short chapters, for some reason.

More like this: A bit like "A Wrinkle in Time", a bit like "Meet the Robinsons" (the movie; haven't read the books).

#5 - The Empty Grave by Jonathan Stroud - 4/5 stars

I DNF'd this last year after trying and failing for a month to get into it. I had definitely been in the perfect mood when I started the series last year, but for some reason The Empty Grave gave me no end of trouble, and I gave it up about a quarter of the way through.

Not so this time. This time it took me all of four days to finish.

Thankfully this follows the tradition of refreshing the reader's memory of previous events in the series, because I'd forgotten some of the pertinent details. Either because of my foggy memory or because of something else in the story, the ending fell kind of flat for me, like it was missing an element to deliver a good emotional conclusion, or like it didn’t fully satisfy the stakes set up at the start of the book. I consider this series more young adult than middle grade, but the way it wrapped up definitely felt middle grade in style.

Still a solid ending for sure, just a little confusing.

#6 - A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle - 5/5 stars (reread) - 50th read of the year!

Comfort book my belovéd.

#7 - The Swamp Fox: How Francis Marion Saved the American Revolution by John Oller - 4/5 stars (audio)

Francis Marion is one of my dad's favorite figures of the Revolutionary War, and man, I can see why.

The writing itself is somewhat dry, crammed full of names and dates technical details of battles; but Oller manages to weave a solid narrative as he combs through the legends surrounding Marion and picks out the facts.

More like this: "Lion of Liberty" by Harlow Giles Unger.

#8 - Heidi by Johanna Spyri - 4/5 stars (audio)

"Heidi" was one of the movies I watched on repeat as a kid. Not the Shirley Temple version, but the 1968 made-for-TV version that apparently took some liberties with the plot. (But according to Wikipedia, it's most memorable for interrupting a football game for its premier.)

The book is a cozy classic children's book, plain and simple. It feels a bit like The Secret Garden with an orphan coming to an unfamiliar place and thriving there (plus helping an invalid thrive as well); and a bit like L.M. Montgomery pushing all of us to get outside and breathe some fresh air.

#9 - The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany - 4/5 stars (audio)

Absolutely gorgeous.

You might like this is you like: The Ballad of the White Horse by G.K. Chesterton; or the narrative style of the legends told by characters in the Queen's Thief series.

Useless fun fact: Lord Dunsany's name was Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett.

DNF

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell - Hilarious two-star reviews proved it's not something worth finishing and it doesn't deliver on the premise. (It's not even about Hamnet. It's a "re-imagining" of Anne/Agnes Hathaway-Shakespeare and guess what. She's a strong, wild woman who practices witchcraft in late 16th century England. Groundbreaking. I need to stop skimming summaries.)

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert - Got about a third of the way through this one before I realized...I just didn't care. The premise was good, and the delivery was kind of meh but not bad--which, considering how rarely I read newer YA these days, was actually a point in its favor. But then we got to the reveal and I went "Wait. That's it?" and lost interest. I don't think magical realism is for me. Also, it didn't affect my decision to stop reading, but I didn't like the audiobook narrator.

Tales from the Hinterland by Melissa Albert - A companion book to the Hazel Wood duology, presented as the book-within-a-book that the Hazel Wood revolves around. I read a couple of the stories out of curiosity, but the allure of that book-within-a-book is gone when it's told in the same voice as the actual story.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith - I...have no idea. What is this? I got a little over halfway through it before it got to be too much and I gave up. I liked the writing voice well enough but the story meandered along a plodding, darkly sentimental route and I got lost. And a little disgusted.

Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart - I wanted to like it, but it was too bawdy for me.

The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley - Robin is such a hit-or-miss author for me, and this one was a solid miss. The premise was too absurd for me to stick it out. I might have given it another chapter, but none of the characters were really grabbing me, and I wasn't fond of how McKinley chose to portray Marian.

Currently Reading:

The Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett - I swear I'll have finished this by the end of the year.

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown - I'll finish this one pretty quickly.

[christinealtomare]

addisonmvalentino: It was an incredible Happy Trails! I could not have asked for a better ending to the most amazing year of my life! Thank you to every single person who sent me happy Trails wishes yesterday, thanks to everyone who supported me this past year. I love you all! @anastasiabway you are the best! #happytrails #itsnotgoodbyeitsseeyoulater #ontonewadventures #onetowatch #littleanastasia #31cities #341 lifeontour #bestyearofmylife #livingmybestlife #thankyou @broadwaysd

[fictionadventurer]

Thanks for tagging!

last song: I've got "Fernando" by ABBA stuck in my head for unknown reasons

last movie: Last complete movie is still The Super Mario Brothers Movie

currently watching: Nothing, really

currently reading: Liar Temptress Soldier Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott and The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 1 by Beth Brower

last thing researched for writing purposes: If writing tumblr posts counts, last thing I researched was how many different kinds of bears there are. (The answer is eight).

tagging: @siena-sevenwits, @isfjmel-phleg, @scarvenartist, @freenarnian, @thatscarletflycatcher, @theamiableanachronism, @why-bless-your-heart, @cuppatealove, @lady-merian, if you feel like playing

9 People Tag

tagged by the always-fabulous @arijensineink!

Last song: Epiphany by BTS

Last movie: My Neighbor Totoro

Currently watching: Like @arijensineink I don't really/haven’t watched TV in a while… do Yoongi’s tour vlogs count?

Currently reading: Killing Commendatore, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Your Brain On Art, and just finished I Work Like a Gardener about an interview with artist Joan Miró (not very lengthy at all but so interesting, highly recommend it + his work)

Last thing researched for writing purposes: Uncommon mental illnesses/disorders

tagging @toribookworm22 @words-after-midnight @pandoras-comment-box @chickensarentcheap @marigoldispeculiar @somniphobicfox @vsnotresponding @royal1asset-if @imdefnotvanessa and I know this is a 9 people tag but whatever, open tag

[earith]

stagemanagersontour A sad day on tour as we say goodbye to people we love. #sadtrails #nothappy #homelovefamily