#blake wrapped

[no-where-new-hero]

✣ Blake Wrapped: 5 Star Reads 📖

The first half of this post can be found HERE, and these were my 5-star reads for the second half of the year (in rough order). Tagging @batrachised, who was interested in recommendations!

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh I posted a lot about this when I read it because in my opinion it’s one of the best SFF novels I’ve come across in a while. It reminded me of DWJ’s Hexwood, which is already high praise, but it’s a fabulous character study with incredible dynamics. It’s another new book with truly horrible marketing, imo—the whole “queer sci-fi” angle gives the impression of a Gideon the Ninth rip-off, but there’s much more political and social commentary with fabulous world-building. Highly, highly recommend this one.

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan I loved the first book in this duology, but this one was exquisite to new heights. Even though it was never that overt, it did a lot of great meta-commentary work on the chosen one trope vs the doomed by the narrative trope, especially their intersection with gender expectations. The prose was simply gorgeous, occasionally philosophical, always sure-handed. I recommend the whole duology, though mostly so that you can get to this one.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson I picked this up in my library’s for sale room, and it was the best choice I made this year. I can’t believe I had been missing out on Jackson for so long. It’s a ghost story and a Gothic novel and a girl book and feels a bit like the shadow side of an LM Montgomery story. The language and characters are rich and strange and is so thoroughly a Blake Book of all time. I want to be able to write something like this someday.

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang The reports of its readability are true—I went through this in three hours. I get why people complain about certain elements in this, but it also lives up to the hype, in my opinion. I might be the target audience as an aspiring author (who got throughly traumatized by the portrayal of terminally online author culture lmao) but I do think those dynamics and circumstances are its strength, more so than the social commentaries on Asian American tokenization, etc.

How Long ’Til Black Future Month? by N. K. Jemisin I don’t often read short fiction, but I was in the mood for some good SFF shorts to learn from, so picked this up. Jemisin is a master of form—her ability to depict a world in such a brief span, to make such deep characters with such clever scenarios is unmatched. Certainly, there are some better examples than others, but the best makes me wish there were a whole novel set in that world.

Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson This one is a slight cheat because it’s not Jackson’s best, but it’s also a Blake Book of all time, so how could I not give it five stars? I wish I had discovered it in college, if just to be able to be insufferable and call myself “irl Natalie Waite” everywhere. It’s such a Tumblr book too—the veiled queerness, the Plath vibes, the dark academia setting, the unhinged vibes. The prose is gorgeous and unsettling and is such a good portrayal of a character.

[torpublishinggroup]

TOR WRAPPED 2023

Books for every Spotify Wrapped listener class! 

VAMPIRE

Masters of Death by Olivie Blake

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

Mordew by Alex Pheby

HYPNOTIST

The Library of the Dead by T. L. Huchu

Daughter of Redwinter by Ed McDonald

Spring’s Arcana by Lilith Saintcrow

ALCHEMIST

The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller

The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

SHAPESHIFTER

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

The Warden by Daniel M. Ford

Wolfsong by TJ Klune

FANATIC

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab

TIME TRAVELER

Kinning by Nisi Shawl

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

MASTERMIND

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow

Exadelic by Jon Evans

COLLECTOR

The Wolfe at the Door by Gene Wolfe

Cassiel’s Servant by Jacqueline Carey

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan

[chaikachi]

"unburdened i surrender to a softer side"

a little bit of Blang for @bumblebyweek-blog

[avalencias]

unguarded, I surrender to the softer side

you can thank @kienava for this one 😌

[evermoredeluxe]

haim sisters were there too! wouldn't be surprised if more of her friends were able to make it and we just haven't seen them in pics yet

[hazbinshusk]

me when other people question my spotify wrapped:

[theosconfessions]

screaming into the void over them this morning. someone tell blake to buy his family a house so teddie bear and nellie can have their own rooms. also rivers muscles are purely to knock sid tf out if he needs to .

@ohsosims

[scattered-winter]

[thepalestrose]

This might be my favorite single line of the entire volume so far.

Something something what could Ruby ever do to feel like she's done enough? Something something while her team and Jaune should support and love her, real change only comes from within. Something something, measuring up to Summer Rose.

[yoursecretadmires]

I'm jealous with everyone because they have Spotify wrapped and I don't have it. I just used telegram to download a song😔 I don't want to download a Spotify because I'm broke as hell. So I will do my own telegram wrapped.

1.Newjeans. -How Sweet

2.Bigbang. -Home Sweet Home

3.Doja Cat. -Agora Hills

4.The neighborhood -Reflection

5. Bruno mars. -Die with smile.

[no-where-new-hero]

♫ Blake Wrapped #2: Music 2024 🎶

My Spotify Wrapped was accurate enough this year, but my favorite songs of the year still deserve their own post. More or less ranked:

Love Wins All - IU

The emotion I feel when I listen to this song needs a new word. None of the old ones count. I’d give this MV an award if I could.

Not Strong Enough - boygenius

They’re right, there’s something in the static and I’ve been having revelations. About how good the song is.

Good Luck Babe - Chappell Roan

Pop song of the year. No competition.

i miss you, i’m sorry - Gracie Abrams

My Spotify #1 because it vibes perfectly with some stories I was writing this year, but I do consider that a skewing of the stats.

Funeral - Phoebe Bridgers

No one does autumnal melancholy like Phoebe.

Can You Hear My Heart - Epik High, LeeHi

The angst! The edge! Perfectly representative of the OTP.

Grip - Bastille & Seeb

Dan is a poet, full stop.

Bad Omens - 5SOS

Don’t ask me why I suddenly decided to get into boy band music as the year wound down to its devastating close. Escapism, maybe?

Lie With You - Ten

It feels like 84 years since I first heard this in February, but still a phenomenal solo outing from my best baby girl.

The Rizzness - Taemin

No it’s not a good song, but there was something so specifically unhinged about doing grad school homework with this on loop.

[remusfinglupin]

January Wrap-Up

- Alone With You in the Ether: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- 10 Things That Never Happened: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- The Atlas Complex: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- The Ghostkeeper: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- Gwen & Art Are Not In Love: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- Every Time You Hear That Song: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- The Only Girl in Town: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- The Henna Wars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- Playing For Keeps: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

[blake-me-up-inside]

Yeah, that makes sense. I have a LOT of RWBY on my main playlist lol

Bmblb is #17 if you were wondering.

[nympippi]

Okay mostly everyone voted yes on the brinney fanart and I might post more later but! I still hope y’all like these two I drew earlier today ^^

I feel like in any relationship Finn has he definitely lets them wear his letterman, and I find it very cute!

[rickrifft]

I promise I'm mentally well fr

[justplainsimon]

Just got flashbanged

*pop artist*

*pop artist*

*pop artist*

*pop artist*

You are not Neurotypical.

*pop artist*

*pop artist*