#books in verse are not really for me but in audiobook form it just sounds like a particularly poetic short book

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Death’s Country

YA contemporary fantasy in verse

a boy who moved from São Paulo to Miami after almost drowning in a river meets two girls, and they all fall in love with each other

but when a car accident puts one of the girls in a coma, the other two journey to the underworld to retrieve her spirit from the city of the dead

and they all must face the secrets of their pasts if they want to make it back to life

[cartograffiti]

February '24 reading diary

I finished 19 books in February, which sounded like a mistake until I realized I read most of them as audiobooks while doing manual tasks. It's always nice when my ears are on my side (says someone with a hearing disorder).

I like poetry, but I don't read enough to feel knowledgeable about it. I've been trying to read a bit from various countries, and after I enjoyed the Pablo Neruda collection so much in January, I went on to read three other poetry books.

Khalil Gibran's The Prophet is one of those works that I've seen quoted out of context so much that I was shocked to discover I didn't actually know what it's about. It's a series of prose poetry fables with a linking plot in which the titular prophet converses with the people of a city he is departing about different aspects of life. A lot of it is really beautiful and thought-provoking, and I thought it was great. It's become a popular source of quotes for weddings and inspirational goods, but I was surprised and moved to find it's also a text about multi-faith unity; Gibran was Lebanese, and Lebanon had and has striking diversity of religions.

I also really enjoyed The Poetess Counts to 100 and Bows Out, a collection by the important Venezuelan poet Ana Enriqueta Terán. I find her wordplay unusual and her subjects interesting, and even in translation, I found her work to give a powerful sense of humor and hopefulness, and a gift for creating a scene.

I did not enjoy Rupi Kaur's Milk and Honey. Kaur is one of the most famous living poets, and I had read so much praise and disdain for her work that I wanted to form my own opinion. There are turns of phrase I really liked, and it is laid out in an interesting way that means some related poems could be read either distinctly or as sections of a longer thought, which I found neat. But I found myself so grumpy the more I read of it that I ended up also reading a lot about Kaur and other people's analysis of her work, trying to contextualize why I bounced so hard off it. Many critics wrote about trying to separate her style from her content, and chose to praise just one or the other, but I am critical of both. Her style lacks personality that would tell me it was her work as opposed to any other poet's, and her content is full of basic, played-out sentiments of popular feminism and bathetic viral posts. Being reminded of "take me to a museum and then make out with me," "but they said not to touch the masterpieces," is not what I'd hoped for out of this. I do think it's a good thing and a strength of Kaur's that she is able to speak to so many people's common experiences through her clarity and intimate tone; it's a shame it didn't click with me. And unlike several professional opinions I read, I think she's completely entitled to write poetry that is not all self-revealing confessional pieces; that should not be something we demand of any art form. But it's a shame some of her verses suggest that certain kinds of shame and violence are a collective and integral part of womanhood and South Asian identity. She's only a little older than I am, and we were both students when she wrote these. I wonder whether her recent work is more sophisticated. I'm not motivated to find out.

The title of the Kaur book reminded me of some enthusiastic praise I'd read for Mary Robinette Kowal's Regency fantasy romance Shades of Milk and Honey, and I found that disappointing, too. I almost liked it; there's some great bits about making art with magic, and it's a good little world. The most interesting character doesn't get enough page time, a lot of secondary characters feel like flat loans from Austen, and the late-book resolution was forced and rushed.

In the Emelan group read, we finished! We read Melting Stones, an Evvy-centered book that I really enjoyed until it became repetitive in the second half, and feel pretty mild about, and The Will of the Empress, reuniting all the original kids as older teens, which I thought was just great. Pierce in top form, and one of the best of this setting.

Lois McMaster Bujold has a new Penric & Desdemona novella out that I haven't been able to borrow yet, but in the meantime I discovered there was one I missed. Penric is a physician mage devoted to an unusual god, which means he's benignly possessed by his demon friend Desdemona, and they have adventures and solve mysteries. This one was Knot of Shadows, about a puzzling corpse and curses. Great fun. Don't start here.

In the land of romance, I've been really enjoying Mimi Matthews's Belles of London series, about a friend group of interesting Victorian horse girls, so I read The Lily of Ludgate Hill as soon as I could. These are no-sex but sexy books with a lot of skill. I've been easily invested in each couple so far, the friends are well integrated into each other's lives even after resolving their own storylines, and their new beaus are introduced smoothly. More than that, there is a lot of consideration for the social issues and new ideas of the period. My favorite is still the first, but Anne and Felix have a strong second chance romance backstory and they're fun to see squabble and cooperate.

More romance: I finished another Gail Carriger novella, this time Defy or Defend. Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott in the Finishing School series was only learning to be a spy because her evil genius parents wanted it. Her actual dream was to marry a nice politician of not too much importance and be a domestic goddess and social power. Now an adult working for the government, her professional partner is also her perfect man, and she hopes he'll admit to mutual feelings while they're on a mission to rescue a vampire hive from dangerous disintegration. It's very much a Cold Comfort Farm or The Grand Sophy plot of a cheerful girl solving everyone's problems, which is perfect for Dimity: I love her and I love this premise. Felix's internal conflict is a bit of a nonentity, but I don't care, he's too busy adoring Dimity and taking the trans vampire to buy new clothes.

And the last romance for the month, The Companion by E.E. Ottoman. An extraordinarily efficient novella about Madeline, a writer whose spirit has been crushed by trying to break into the industry in NYC in the 1940s. A friend arranges for her to go stay with Victor, a successful author lonely in a too-big inherited house upstate. She is quickly attracted to both him and his artist neighbor Audrey, and they adore her. All three are trans, and the core of the plot is Madeline navigating these new relationships while settling into the unfamiliar safety and encouragement offered to her. In Madeline's POV, Ottoman very much treats the poly triangle as two distinct romances and a third observed at a close distance, which means doing about 2.5 times the work of most. I went wild for the execution, which felt like magic. You do have to like reading about people trying to write and cooking, which fortunately I do. Highly recommended.

A very different book about a writer that I was impressed with this month is Malice by Higashino Keigo. In translation, this is the "first" of a longer detective series that I can't remember where I heard about. That was to my advantage, because I wasn't primed for the premise, alternating between the deductions of Detective Kaga and witness statements. It quickly becomes apparent who did it, fitting best into the why-dunnit class, and using my expectations as a mystery fan against me. Higashino does not idly use an author as one of the POV characters; his profession creates a surprise that taught me something about how writing works mechanically. Very cool.

Also a book about books: Sunyi Dean's The Book Eaters. My oldest friend and I both listened to this as the audiobook wonderfully read by Katie Erich, and we both complained that the interview in the bonus material killed a little of the mystery for us. Despite that, we loved the main character, Devon, and it's full of interesting ideas. It's about a group of families who eat information instead of food. It's about...fairy tales and it has a unique form of dragon and vampire myths and a slow-burn escape from Christian cults. It's about figuring out you're gay when you're already a parent. It's weird and fascinating and upsetting. I think Dean made very smart choices about when to reveal information through flashbacks, and I think Dean sometimes over-explains things to the reader in the narration that would have been stronger if I was left to interpret them myself. L and I both think we'd be interested in another Sunyi Dean book, but not a sequel to this one. It is a complete concept.

I feel that way about Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi, too. This one is a fantasy heist with lots of backstory starring Shigidi, who is a kind of minor nightmare god, and Nnemoa, who is a kind of succubus. They have gone freelance, breaking from the corporation of Orisha and taking their own jobs through the living and spirit worlds. I particularly like Nnemoa's backstory chapters and the heist, but Aleister Crowley is involved for some reason and much less repulsive than in real life, and I was disappointed the heist is a pretty brief element. I'd like to read another Talabi book, though, and this was the first adult book I've read that features the orishas of the Yoruba religion which have been a welcome part of several recent YA fantasy books.

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water is not the Zen Cho book I thought it was when I checked it out, but I'm glad to have read it. It's a wuxia novella about a nun and some bandits involved in rebellion, told with a lot of humor and thoughtfulness about the role of holy objects through the POV of a trans bandit with his own history with the nun's order. I love Cho's style!

That was a one-sitting project audiobook, as was a full-cast play recording of The Importance of Being Earnest. This is a sensational play that I had put off reading because I thought it had probably been overhyped. It hadn't. This is the source of a lot of Oscar Wilde's best quotes, and it's a jewel of drawing-room comedy and dialogue that operates on multiple levels of significance. I'm glad I happened to listen to actors doing it, which I wasn't expecting when I tapped on the first audiobook that came up.

More old books: I found an Agatha Christie mystery I didn't like! How sad! This was The Big Four, a series of spy short stories starring Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings, compiled together into a loose novel. The effect is somewhat disjointed, and not every story shows her ingenuity. It's full of 20th century political paranoia of conspiracies and spies, with anti-Asian racism and antisemitic tropes I can often count on Christie to avoid or subvert.

And Steppenwolf, by Herman Hesse, which is a very strange and influential work of literary fiction about a man who believes--not to minimize it by putting it this way--that he has a secret wolf-self inside him, much like certain middle schoolers of my acquaintance. The edition I listened to opens with a letter from Hesse in which he remarks that this book is frequently misunderstood, which I will admit put my back up. Maybe there's stuff in your book you didn't intend, Herman! I enjoyed its vagueness, I adored the complexity embodied by Harry Haller's friend/alter-ego/mother/girlfriend/boyfriend Hermine, and I got a lot out of reading literary analysis that gave me better context for the transmigration of souls and Jungian theory. It also suffers from didactic passages, racism and antisemitism, and dogmatism about artistic quality. Very worth reading, difficult to say whether I "liked" the book.

Carrying on with Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond books, I went straight from GK into Queens' Play, which I loved every moment of. It's easier to read than the first book, as she pulled back on stylized spellings and puzzling quotations, without losing any sparkle or punch. It's sooo fun. It's sooo distressing. Spies! Plots! Assassins! Disguises! Escapes! Messy bisexuals! I told my Lymond friends this book was funnier, but that feels like the wrong word for some of the things that happen in it. Giggling and kicking my feet and crying.

And a book I am very solidly neutral on: The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros, full of vibrant personality and a great premise, but the plot gets in its own way in complexity and the pacing was a real struggle for my taste. The core cast is really strongly varied Jewish immigrant characters in Chicago in the 1890s, some teens have been murdered, there's a dybbuk, and gay kissing. I think I would have enjoyed it more when I was a teen; some YA takes me that way.

[9rophet]

No Pressure

This new year is off to a good start. I backspaced the word, great to describe the start because honestly it would take a lot for me to say that wholeheartedly. However, the transition hasn’t been bad as I’ve gotten a $100 increase to my pay, handled the bills that matter (for the most part), renewed my lease, avoided issues with my car, avoided situations that were grueling, acquired some cool new additions to my closet, and I went out of my comfort zone and attended an event around like-minded creatives and got much needed feedback on my craft there. Out of all that I don’t know where to start or which one I should talk more in-depth about. I felt an urge to journal. I’m listening to Knxwledge as I do so. It’s quite calming and just this act alone is somewhat therapeutic. Speaking of therapy, I spoke to my therapist yesterday. It was good seeing him after holiday break. I’m glad we picked up as if it wasn’t even a long time without speaking. There was no awkwardness. I really appreciate my therapist. He gives the best advice & I feel I haven’t matched with a better person to get advice or a better listener than him in my life. I don’t know if I annoy him by how much I talk about myself, but I learned to not dwell on that possibility because his opinion of me would be out of my control anyway. I mentioned to him an audiobook I’ve been listening to by Kevin Hart called Monsters and How to Tame Them & so far I swear by that book. I’ve told any friend I could get on a call about it & even went as far as to sharing it on my Instagram story and Facebook newsfeed. I’ll have to listen to it in its entirety a few times before I can quote it and speak as to why I like it so much and find my own way to discuss the concepts, but so far I’m in love with it. It’s 5 hours and some change in time length, but the comedy mixed with the harsh, hard-hitting, necessary truths put my thoughts into words and makes sense of them. I express myself though graphic design and music, I used to express myself through art by drawing, which I want to pick back up, but I think what’s been the most therapeutic way to express myself is through words and philosophy from journaling to songwriting to watching video essays to listening to the aforementioned audiobooks. It can seem like a lot when I type it out and there was certain things I left out of that last sentence to not make it any longer, but together I feel like I’m becoming a more well-rounded person. There’s things from my past I regret doing and things that I beat myself up about ’til this day partly to remind myself to never make the same mistakes again and partly out of not even knowing why. I guess that second part is what I’m trying to make sense of. I do come across memes and sayings that remind me of how human that is. I guess redemption is a tale as old as time that it’s almost a cliché. I hope I can prove to the world that I’m a good man and one day, hopefully, even a great man, but it would have to start with proving that to myself first. No pressure. 

I wanted to talk about how my creative process is not organized at all. Well it might be somewhat organized as far as the steps I take to start making something new, but typing about how I express myself kept putting a word into my head; “chaos”. It’s chaotic. I think the very act of creating is making something out of nothing, pulling together resources out of the void and or different realms to make something you see fit. It’s the closest you can come to being Godly. That might sound a bit dramatic, but in the truest form of what God has done, it holds truth. You can already see where I’m going with that so I won’t delve any deeper, but only to say it’s divine and what you create can shift reality. I’m not too well-versed in the laws of the universe, but I’m pretty sure somewhere in the discussion of that, “creation” and “creativity” has a big part. I don’t know if organizing my creative process better will bring about better results, in theory it should, but the naturalness of being chaotic holds its own benefits and qualities. Random tangent.

I’ve invested into equipment that should make creating easier, it’s just a matter of pushing myself or moving myself and putting myself in the position to use it. One thing I pray to God about is that I never lose the love for doing what I enjoy. God forbid.

My love for doing what I love is greater to me than love itself (the romantic kind).

[rodeoxqueen]

Stuck Thinking Of You-Vergil/Reader

TheLastCrusader Requested: Dante or Vergil gets immobilized in some embarrassing or inconvenient way during a job and then (Y/N) pays them company until they can be freed. How about they have a crush on (Y/N) and they don't know it is returned until the end?

Dante’s Version:https://rodeoxqueen.tumblr.com/post/638040898096201728/stuck-thinking-about-you-dantereader

Read Both Versions on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28187496

Warnings: Fluff, Romantic Comedy, Taking Care of The Twins, Vulnerability, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Characters Call Out The Writer for Her Lazy Writing

One Way To Dante's Heart Is His Stomach. For His Brother, It Is Not As Simple.

Slicing through groups of demons while twirling in the air, Vergil obliterated his enemies. He landed deftly onto the blood-soaked ground. His brother Dante had shot through another horde himself. 

After minimal time spent fighting, the infamous duo already prepared themselves to go home, a job well done. 

“You should join a circus for how much spinning and jumping you do.” Dante quipped. Vergil raised a brow. 

“With a face as hideous as yours, you would be an excellent freak show exhibit.” The elder twin snarled. 

Dante laughed, hands on his hips. 

“Oh please, I’m the prettier twin. My hairline hasn’t flinched, unlike yours.” Vergil stilled. 

“I’ll have you know-” Dante saw a demon Vergil had sliced into slowly raising its tail. It was spiked with various deadly purple needles swishing about. Disemboweled yet still alive, it hissed and whipped its tail. A whistle rang through the air as foot-long spikes flew through the air. 

“-Look out!” Dante quickly shot the demon, its head caving in like a rotten pumpkin. Vergil dodged the dart-like appendages, a mildly displeased look on his face. 

“You’re getting sloppy, Vergil.” Dante teased, shaking his coat of any poisonous darts. 

“If you weren’t so exhausting to deal with, I’d-” Vergil suddenly tensed and fell to the ground. He landed knees first before his torso and head slid onto the earth. Dante let out a breath, and then he wheezed out a laugh. 

“Oh my god, Vergil!” Vergil attempted to move from his embarrassing position, face down and rear pointed to the sky. 

“What on earth? I cannot move.” He felt numb as if he had lost control of his form. Had he missed a dart? 

Dante came around his brother’s kneeled over position. Right on his posterior, had a stray dart pierced him. 

“Poor Vergil, as if a stick up your ass wasn’t enough.” Vergil’s sounds of struggle were fruitless as his form was dumbly paralyzed. 

“Don’t you dare say it-” 

“jAcKpOt!” Dante wheezed and held onto his sword to prevent him from falling over and crying with laughter. 

“Help me at once, you oaf!” Vergil exclaimed. Dante wiped away tears of joy. 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever.” He vanished The Rebellion and gently kicked his brother to the side. Vergil landed on the dirt looking like he was in a fetal position. Dante continued laughing the whole way down the mountain, carrying Vergil over his shoulder. 

“This is incredibly undignified.” Vergil snarled. 

“Wait till (Y/N) finds out you got shot in the ass-” 

“You will do no such thing!” Vergil exclaimed. 

You were on the couch, reading a book when Dante kicked the door down. 

“Guess whaaaat!” He yelled, holding Vergil over his shoulder. He marched his way over to the beat-up sofa, gesturing for you to move over. You scooched to the end, Vergil was tossed onto the cushions. 

“Vergil, are you alright?” You asked, seeing how he refused to make eye contact with you. 

“Big brother here got jabbed by some demon. He’s not dead yet so I doubt it’s that bad.” 

Dante reached into his pocket, steadily taking out the needle that he took out of Vergil’s behind. 

He threw it like a toy dart and it landed on his desk. 

Vergil remained silent, simply biding his time before he could forget about his embarrassing ordeal. 

“Wouldn’t he be more comfortable in his room?” You asked, knowing Vergil always took to his room after a mission. Despite your many attempts to make conversation, he was quick to leave before any talk could be initiated. 

“Nah, I need you to keep an eye on him. I’m going to do whatever I want now that he can’t stop me.” 

“If you are going out and gorging yourself on those unhealthy sundaes again-” 

Dante made an evil laugh as he ran out of the shop. 

Vergil sighed. This was terrible. He watched as you examined the needle, opening your computer and a few books. 

Half an hour passed of pure silence, you flipping through books and seeing what on earth caused Vergil to stiffen up like a corpse. 

“Vergil, are you alright?” You asked again, seeing how still he was. 

“What does it look like?” He snapped. 

You raised an eyebrow at him. He sighed again. 

“My apologies. I am not very comfortable trapped in my own body.” You nodded. 

“Well, it says here that the demon that poisoned you could kill men in a second upon injection.” 

“Joy.” Vergil deadpanned. You chuckled at his expression. Vergil softened at your laughter. 

“Since you’re still alive, I’m guessing your demon side is working really hard to get all that toxic stuff out of you.” 

“The blood of Sparda will not wane to a petty demon.” He said lowly.

It wasn’t for an hour until Vergil felt his form begin to feel sensation. His hands barely twitched despite the sweat he built up from trying to move. 

Your demon side..

Vergil remembered your comment. A spark of genius hit him. If he devil triggered, he might be able to metabolize the toxins faster. He willed it within himself, grunting and trying to trigger. 

He could feel his senses slightly amplify as if his triggering process was truly forcing the poison out. Suddenly, the warm surge of his blood flowing became known to him. Yes! This was working. 

With more heaving and straining, he felt his arms slowly loosen from his sides and his legs straighten out. 

“Uhhh. Vergil?” Distracted, he felt his muscles tense again and as a final resort, his reflexes rolled him off the couch. The back of his head flared out in pain as he hit the floor.  He laid on the ground, a defeated blue devil. It was pathetic, he couldn’t even trigger his scales to come out. Grumbling, he noticed you standing near him, looking down with concern. 

“Do you need help?”

"It appears that I am stuck."

"Do you want some help?"

"I don't want your help, I’m fine."

"All right, then.”

"...."

“Are you sure you don’t want to be moved?” Vergil sighed and closed his eyes. 

"That..would be preferable.” 

You rolled up your sleeves, ready to lift him up. He smirked. 

“You should have just said so, silly!” You grin as you place your hand on his back and the pit of his knees. 

“I’m afraid I am not that light, surely lifting me would-” He stopped as you literally bridal carried him. 

“-be toiling…..” He flushed at close proximity of you. 

“How are you this strong?” He blurted. 

“The writer wanted to have a reverse damsel in distress scene. I will never exhibit this strength in future plot lines.” You said sweetly, looking at him with a smile. 

Vergil stopped, staring at your face. Although he was stone-faced as usual, his eyes drank in your wonderful features. It took him a minute to realize you had said something. 

“What did you just say?” 

“Hmm? Oh, I was asking if you wanted to be sitting up or on your side.” 

“..Sitting upright would be fine.” 

You placed him on the sofa again. 

“Is there anything you want while you’re in this situation?” Vergil tried to shrug. 

“It’s fine. I will abide by my time.” 

“You don’t have to be bored, I can play something if you want.” 

“Such as what?” You pointed to your computer. 

“I have an audiobook subscription. If you like, I can play some William Blake poetry.” Vergil raised a brow. He had never been an avid user of technology. If he were to hear any recited poetry it’d be from his own whispers. 

“You also read Blake’s works?” 

“I know you do.” Oh, you thoughtful little sparrow. 

“That would be alright with me.” You were quick to type away on your computer to find a recording. Soon, a male voice permeated the air, reading off verses robotically. 

It was a bit of an awkward moment, Vergil’s continued stone face and you observed it gravely. The recording ended shortly as you paused it. 

“You don’t seem to like it.” 

“Poetry should be spoken, not read off of like an instructions’ manual.”

“How would you do it then?” Vergil took his chance. You were not keen on working now, focused on him instead. 

“My book. It’s in my room. Retrieve it and I shall demonstrate myself.” He teased, a ghost of a grin upon his face. Damn this paralysis. 

You left, rounding up the stairs. 

You entered his room, making sure not to knock anything over. Not that you really could, the room was pristine. You easily saw the brown leather book on the dresser. The leather was well-worn and soft to the touch, a single page dog-eared. 

“So, you’re Mr. Poetry, huh?” You teased as you went down the stairs. 

“The one and only.” Vergil did not miss the old reference to Griffon, the dear bird you cried over. 

You made your way to the couch, sitting on the arm of the sofa. 

“Now which page?” You asked. Vergil stared at you.

“Just start from the beginning.” You obediently flipped to the first page. 

“So do you want to read it?” 

“How am I supposed to hold it up?” Vergil smirked at your sputters. 

“I keep forgetting!” You made your way over to him, choosing to sit on the floor by him. 

He cleared his throat. 

“I was angry with my friend:

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe:

I told it not, my wrath did grow

And I watered it in fears,

Night and morning with my tears;

And I sunned it with smiles,

And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,

Till it bore an apple bright.

And my foe beheld it shine.

And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole

When the night had veiled the pole;

In the morning glad I see

My foe outstretched beneath the tree.” 

Vergil’s voice had a timber, soothing lowness to his usually raspy tone. He was in the zone, eyes blank as he had read this millions of times. 

“It’s a nice poem. It’s a bit brutal though.” You commented. 

“It is.” 

This went on for some time, Vergil reciting while you observed and turned the pages for him. You stopped between to grab yourself and Vergil some water, giving him a blue bendy straw. As the clock hands went around, soon one voice grew the soft company of another. The crest and the trough of tones had embraced, two speakers and one poem. Eventually, you met the unique page from before. 

“The Garden of Love

I went to the Garden of Love.

And saw what I never had seen:

A Chapel was built in the midst,

Where I used to play on the green.

And the gates of this Chapel were shut,

And Thou shalt not, writ over the door;

So I turn’d to the Garden of Love,

That so many sweet flowers bore,

And I saw it was filled with graves,

And tomb-stones where flowers should be:

And priests in black gowns, were walking their rounds,

And binding with briars, my joys ; desires.” 

You tried to copy Vergil, reading off of the page, and avoiding stuttering. The observer shakily held the harp of their own vocal cords, the previous strummer lounging and watching the words take flight above his blue-eyed gaze like flittering sparrows. 

By the time you were finished with the last verse, you turned to see that Vergil’s eyes were directed at you. It’s too bad you didn’t know they were upon you for some time. You gently grazed the dog-eared page. 

“Why did you mark this page?” 

“It is a poem that reminds me of another.” You were slightly puzzled but smiled nonetheless. 

“Well, they’re very lucky to be beheld, I guess.” Vergil stared at you, his eyes bewitched to your profile. With the slope of your face, Vergil swore even the most wonderful sculptors could not capture you to your truest attractiveness. 

“I am luckier to have been in their company for the last few hours.” He rasped. You turned your face, a privilege Vergil wished he could have, to prevent from seeing a negative reaction from you. 

“Me?” You softly said. The book was forgotten, landing on Vergil’s chest. 

“I understand I do not speak to you as much as I wish. I am not as socially affable as my brother. But I do share my affections upon you, in words not of my own. In my most vulnerable, I find cherished company with you.” 

You were quiet. 

“If that’s not the case with you, I am in complete understanding. You are a kind person. You would do the same for my brother if he was in the same situation. I do not wish for this to be ill to our cooperation in this business-” 

“Say less.” You giggled, putting your finger on his lips to shush him. Vergil scrunched his nose as his ears turned red, had he said too much? Had he made a fool of himself? 

Instead, he had seen the color of pink, a shade even the finest roses could not bloom to, appear upon the apples of your cheeks. 

“I like you too, Vergil. I didn’t do all that for you to just be nice. I like getting to know you.” Despite his numbness, his heartbeat in his chest felt like the rain of an angry storm against the earth.

His chapped lips found the capacity to move. 

“Perhaps, when this wretched poison leaves my form, we may find time to do this again.” 

“I’d like that too.” Your eyes squinting with a diamond grin, Vergil made a noise of contentment. 

“It is a day I look forward to-“

“I had so much ice cream today!” Dante yelled as he walked into the shop again. 

“Whoops, you guys look like you were having a nice moment.” Dante winked at Vergil, who growled. 

“Oh hey, Dante!” 

Dante waved at you. 

“I got you guys some dinner since I know (Y/N)’s tired of dealing with shithead here. Vergil couldn’t cook for shit even when he was able-bodied.” 

“I can boil an egg.” Vergil bit back. Dante handed you some Asian takeout, still warm. 

“Don’t worry Verg, I’ll blend yours so you can drink it.” 

“It’s fine, I can help him.” You winked at Dante who waggled his eyebrows. 

The evening ended fairly well. You fed Vergil bits of vegetables and noodles while Dante read his questionable magazines. It was much too late to be going back home, so Dante threw you some blankets and pillows to stay the night. 

Although Vergil offered you his room to rest in, you shook your head. 

“Who’s going to keep you company?” Dante wolf-whistled before retreating to his room upstairs. 

“Leave us!” Vergil exclaimed. You laughed again. 

You turned off the lights and dodged random objects lying around in the dark. You found the familiar softness of pillows and your makeshift bed. 

Vergil fell asleep, feeling wanted. It was a warm sensation that spread to even his fingers, soft and supple. 

He didn’t even notice his hand had come loose and drifted to trace your cheek in both your slumbers. 

[jkottke]

My Recent Media Diet, Spring 2019 Edition

I've been keeping track of every media thing I "consume", so here are quick reviews of some things I've read, seen, heard, and experienced in the past month and a half. For books, I'm currently reading Silk Roads and listening to the audiobook of Guns, Germs, and Steel, which are rhyming in interesting ways. Looking back, I haven't listened to any significant new music in months and months. What am I missing?

Turnton kitchen scissors. Ernest Wright very kindly sent me a pair of their kitchen scissors. I've posted so much about their story that I can't really be objective at this point no matter what, so I feel ok saying the craftsmanship of these scissors is flat out amazing. (A-)

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Never not entertaining. (A-)

Tag. Kinda fun but the real-life story was better. (C+)

Alita: Battle Angel. The big eyes worked. (B)

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Liked this even more the second time around and I love reading and watching all the making-of stuff. (A-)

Cold War. Along with Roma, Spider-Verse, The Favourite, and If Beale Street Could Talk, this was one of the most beautifully shot films of 2018. Every frame a painting, indeed. (B+)

The Grinch. I wasn't expecting to sympathize so much with The Grinch here. The social safety net constructed by the upper middle class Whos totally failed the most vulnerable member of their society in a particularly heartless way. Those Whos kinda had it coming. (B)

Mortal Engines. Why was this panned so much? It wasn't great but it was entertaining...this and Alita felt similar to me. (B)

Leaving Neverland. I wrote some thoughts about this here. (A)

Why Is This Happening? The Uninhabitable Earth with David Wallace-Wells. Fascinating and scary interview of David Wallace-Wells about his new book, The Uninhabitable Earth. Weirdly, I felt almost hopeful at the end of it though. (A)

Captain Marvel. I liked Brie Larson in this role very much. Looking forward to seeing more in Avengers: Endgame. (B+)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Great movie. Very few films have matched the inventiveness of its action sequences since it came out. (A)

Apollo 11. The nearest IMAX theater is more than a 3-hour drive from where I live, so I had to watch this in a tiny theater with what sounded like a single speaker located at the front of the room. This greatly diminished the intended effect of the pristine 65mm footage. (B)

Living more than a 3-hour drive from the nearest IMAX theater. (F)

The History of English Podcast. This was recommended to me by a reader because of this post. I listened to a pair of episodes about surnames: What's In a Name? and Trade Names. Super interesting stuff. (A-)

Kohler 10282-AK-CP shower head. My shower head sucked, I replaced it with this one, and now my shower head doesn't suck anymore. (B+)

Salt Fat Acid Heat. The Salt episode intensified my desire to go to Japan. (B+)

Aquaman. Not as good as Wonder Woman, but way better than Justice League or any of the other recent DC movies. (B)

Cooking As an Art, With Jerry Saltz. This podcast episode is pretty uneven in spots, but when Chang just lets Saltz talk, it's a goldmine of quotable ideas. "Pleasure is an important form of knowledge." (A-)

The Unknown Known. Late in the film, Donald Rumsfeld says to his interlocutor Errol Morris: "I think you're probably, Errol, chasing the wrong rabbit here." Morris got a bit unlucky here in his choice of subject -- by the end of the movie, we don't know anything more about Rumsfeld than when we started. (C+)

Chef's Table, Enrique Olvera. Oh man, I can't wait to go to Pujol next week. (A-)

Kindle Paperwhite. I upgraded from my old Paperwhite. I like the flat screen, that it's lighter, and the waterproofing is going to come in handy, but the speed and screen quality are pretty much exactly the same. Are e-ink interfaces already as sharp & responsive as they are ever going to be? (A)

Bumblebee. Entertaining, but I still have a problem with the Transformers movies because the robots are so overly detailed that it's hard to know where to look when they're on-screen. They should be more abstract and iconic (a la Scott McCloud's Big Triangle in Understanding Comics). (B+)

Emily Wilson on Translations and Language. Having not read multiple translations of Homer, some of this was over my head, but the rest was really interesting. (A-)

Generative.fm. Been listening to this while working more or less constantly for the past week, mostly the "Otherness" and "Meditation" tracks. (A-)

Past installments of my media diet are available here.

[hermanwatts]

Sensor Sweep: The Night Land, Fritz Leiber, Scott Oden, Viking Prince

Horror Fiction (Too Much Horror Fiction): Known for penning the novel The Night of the Hunter upon which the classic 1955 movie was based, Davis Grubb (1919-1980) was a West Virginia native well-versed in the pride, poverty, tribulations and superstitions that were endemic to that region. This collection of short stories ranging over 20 years, Twelve Tales of Suspense and the Supernatural (paperback edition from Fawcett Crest, June 1965) includes some Weird Tales works as well as tales first published in popular magazines like Ellery Queen, Nero Wolfe, Woman’s Home Companion, and Collier’s.

  Science Fiction (Classics of Science Fiction): The Night Land by William Hope Hodgson is not the kind of book you can recommend people rush out and buy. It is legendary for being difficult to read, and many consider it boring and tedious. However, The Night Land is one of those cult classics that have inspired a selective group of writers and readers. I had no trouble listening to an unabridged audiobook edition of the book that was just over eighteen hours long. I think hearing it rather than reading let me appreciate the archaic style Hodgson developed for telling his story.

Science Fiction (Strange at Ecbatan): Fritz Leiber was born on Christmas Eve in 1910. He died in 1992. One of my favorites among his novels, The Sinful Ones, and its earlier version, “You’re All Alone.” The Sinful Ones had an odd publication history. It began as a novella called “You’re All Alone”, slated for John Campbell’s fantasy companion to Astounding, Unknown. When the World War II paper shortage killed Unknown, Fritz Leiber had to abandon it.

Publishing (Kairos): Some significant context: digging under the following data points turned up that it predominantly applies to oldpub. In that regard, they make for a pretty accurate snapshot of oldpub’s readership ca. 2014. What do we find?

Women prefer to read books written by women.

Men prefer to read books written by men.

Women read more fiction than men–about four times more according to some sources.

Women like reading new books more than men do.

Pulp Magazines (Wasteland and Sky): Welcome to our final installment of this short series on Ron Goulart’s Cheap Thrills history of pulp book. Even though it has only been three entries, we have been through much. But now it is time cover what I believe the majority of the readers of this blog have the most interest in.

In this last entry we will cover the concluding three chapters of the work, hopefully leaving us with one last impression of what the pulps were truly about. In the previous post I discussed the majority of the book to show just how many similarities there were between the old and the new, and how heroes and hope were the mainstays of the form.

Fiction (DMR Books): Sax Rohmer exploded onto the pop lit scene in 1913 with the publication of The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu—published in the U.S. as The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu. Sax’s tale of the machinations of the “Devil Doctor” was an instant sensation. Rohmer would write two more Fu-Manchu—or “Fu Manchu” as it came to be spelled—novels in the next four years. He wouldn’t write another such novel for nearly fifteen years, but the impact of those first three reverberated for decades.

Comic Books (Broadswords & Blasters): Most Sword & Sorcery fans consider “Crom the Barbarian” by Gardener F. Fox and John Giunta (Out of This World #1, June 1950) the first true S&S comic. One can make the case that even earlier was the Prince Valiant comic strip back in 1937. This strip by Hal Foster influenced everything that came after. Prince Valiant follows the adventures of a knight in Arthurian times, has an encounter with a dinosaur and a witch. Does that make it S&S? Not really since the bulk of the strip isn’t supernatural but a costume drama. Fox’s Crom is truly a Howardian pastiche like no other.

Old Science Fiction (Pulp net): Captain Future, published by Thrilling (aka Ned Pine‘s Better), was probably its third most-popular pulp hero and possibly the only explicitly sf pulp hero. Editor Mort Weisinger developed the idea for the character, but main author Edmond Hamilton took that idea and turned it into Captain Future. Most likely people today would remember him from the poster in the TV series The Big Bang Theory, which is a blowup of one of the pulp covers.

Sherlock Holmes (The Passing Tramp): In January 1959 madly prolific Wisconsin author August Deleth (1909-1971), the so-called sage of Sauk City, wrote in a column in the Madison Capital Times about a recent query he had had from a reader that had obviously hit home.  Late in the previous year he had published The Return of Solar Pons, his latest volume of adventures about Solars Pons, a detective who had started off as a Sherlock Holmes pastiche but taken on a life and (admittedly much narrower) following of his own; and the Derleth reader in question had written Derleth questioning why the author spent so much time on these stories, when he was “certainly capable of better things.”

Westerns (Brain Leakage): The Benteen name was the one Haas used when writing the Fargo series, about professional soldier of fortune Neal Fargo. Taking place in the early 1900s, the Fargo series sees its hero traveling around the world, taking dangerous jobs for money. A rough wanderer with a talent for fighting, Fargo has been described by fans of the series as “Conan with a shotgun.” And that’s pretty damn accurate. Alaska Steel is #3 in the series, but like all good pulp or adventure fiction, you can read them in any order.

RPG (Emperor Ponders): I recently read a Twitter conversation about high-level cleric characters in D&D and their effects on the game, and I thought about writing something on that. But as usually happens, I can’t tell the difference between things I have already written or just things I have thought about, because as it turns out, I already had a post about this very same thing.

Gaming (Rlyeh Reviews): If you are of a certain age, then you will remember Apocalypse. Not the ‘Apocalypse’, but Apocalypse: The Game of Nuclear Devastation, a board game published by Games Workshop in 1980 in bookcase format along with Valley of the Four Winds and Warlock. It saw generals fighting for territory in a near future Europe in conflicts that would quickly escalate into nuclear confrontations and inevitably, nuclear devastation.

Pop Culture (Walker’s Retreat): I’ve said plenty on Corporate IP ownership, and that the quality of Corporate-owned pop culture productions depend greatly on the adherance of to a concept of stewardship. If a regime holds to it, you get good stuff. If not, you get trash. Regimes turn over, so this can happen to IPs in a cyclical format. For reasons I won’t go into here, the regime that control the Gundam property have been more good than bad about being stewards of the property in the last decade and as Gundam’s 40th anniversary goes on we’re seeing this continue. The below is from the GundamOfficial channel on YouTube.

History (Didact’s Reach): The Kings and Generals channel on YouTube features a great many superb videos on many historical figures, battles, and civilisations of the past, with a distinct focus on military history. One of the best videos out of the bunch – and given the quality of their catalogue, that is saying something – is about the legendary Roman general and military commander, Nero Claudius Drusus (or Tiberius Claudius Nero – it is not quite clear exactly what his true birth name was). We know him today as Germanicus, one of the few truly unsullied heroes of the early Roman empire. His wars against the Germanic tribes, and the way in which he comported himself in these wars, is worthy of study.

Author Interview (Paint Monk): If you’ve been following Marvel’s re-acquisition of our favorite Cimmerian for the past year, then you’ve probably already caught on to one of the shining highlights of an otherwise uneven relaunch of Savage Sword of Conan — Author Scott Oden’s brilliant novella, The Shadow of Vengeance. Set after Robert E. Howard’s “The Devil in Iron” (Weird Tales, August 1934), Oden takes us on a breathtaking adventure of daring and swashbuckling sword and sorcery that is immediately reminiscent of Howard’s legendary writing.

Fiction (DMR Books): Being out of town, I stopped by a bookstore/newsstand. There was Bard II. I was familiar with the protagonist of the novel, Felimid Mac Fal, from a Keith Taylor story in the classic Swords Against Darkness II. The Maitz cover was gorgeous and the blurbs sounded cool, so I bought it. It was a rainy day, so when I got home, I proceeded to dive into Taylor’s book. As is usual with the Bard novels—as I learned later—it starts in media res, with a full-on sea battle in progress by the second or third page.

Sensor Sweep: The Night Land, Fritz Leiber, Scott Oden, Viking Prince published first on https://sixchexus.weebly.com/

[scarletwelly-boots]

Books of 2016

I read 39 books in 2016. I decided to try a Reading Challenge (unfortunately the source escapes me), and I enjoyed it so much that I’m doing another one in 2017. I’m going to briefly review the books I read in 2016, and whether I would recommend you read them. Hopefully I can figure out how to make the cut.

Haha I figured it out! Okay, let’s get started. Each entry will be numbered with its title and author. In parentheses I will put the entry of the reading challenge it fell under, so you can do the reading challenge too, if you like. I will not be including entries I didn’t read a book for. I will review each book briefly and end each part with whether or not I recommend the book.

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by JK Rowling (A book with more than 500 pages): Okay, I’ll admit I’ve already read this book. In the spring I decided to reread all the Harry Potter books. The reread helped me come to terms with how misguided I was as a Snape-pologist and showed me that I should absolutely hate the emotionally manipulative ass Dumbledore actually is. Order of the Phoenix still remains my favorite book in the series. Yes, I recommend it, but it would help to read the previous four books.

2. Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen (a classic romance): I have already seen a movie adaptation, but it was more interesting to read. The language is tedious but well worth the read. I do recommend seeing the movie first, because it helps with comprehension if you have an adaptation already in mind. It was Austen’s attempt at a gothic-esque thriller but of course maintains her Georgian marriage-for-love, empowered females themes. If you like Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice, I recommend Northanger Abbey, though I preferred the previous two novels.

3. Carry On, by Rainbow Rowell (a book published this year): Guys, I’ll admit it. I’ve read this twice this year. It’s not great, mostly watered-down, generic-brand Harry Potter mashed into a single novel. Awesome? No. Gay? Hella. If you ship Drarry and wish it was canon, this is the novel for you. If you’re very HP-snobbish, I have a list of better drarry fanfiction for you that is cheaper, longer, and more fulfilling. It was interesting, cute, and the Dumbledore-like character gets his comeuppance for being an emotionally manipulative ass, which was satisfying. However, the novel pretends that the word ‘bisexual’ doesn’t exist, which for a bisexual reader was irritating. Do I recommend it? If you like shitty drarry fanfiction that lasts for 500 pages, sure. If you want better fanfiction that’s just not in a book form, I think you’ll have much better luck reading the complete works of Saras_Girl on AO3.

4. Testament of Youth, by Vera Brittain (a book that became a movie): I started this World War 1 autobiography in 2014 in anticipation for the movie starring Colin Morgan. I had to set it aside for the remainder of that year and the next due to emotional exhaustion. It’s not a happy book. If you lost six close people in your life in the course of three months that you still hadn’t recovered from, and then the love of your life dumped you over email, you would have to stop reading too. It’s also six hundred pages, which is intimidating. If you don’t like sad books, you won’t like this book. I highly recommend it, though, even if nonfiction or autobiographies aren’t your thing. Just do yourself a favor and don’t see the film, the talented and attractive Colin Morgan aside. I should’ve known consolidating six hundred pages into two hours was gonna be shitty. Please read the book. You don’t need to see the movie.

5. Letters from Skye, by Jessica Brockmole (a book written by someone under 30): I guessed to make this one fit on the challenge list. In reminding myself the name of the author (aka googling the book), I noticed that this has also become a movie. I have not seen it, but I think this is more adaptable to film than the previous book. Two timelines intersect in this epistolary novel that I listened to on tape: Elspeth from the Isle of Skye and her American beau Davy during World War 1, and Elspeth’s daughter Margaret during World War 2. It wasn’t bad. It was cute with a happy ending. And the audiobook was great because every character was a different reader, and their accents fit the character’s nationality. I recommend it.

6. Let’s Talk About Diabetes with Owls, by David Sedaris (a funny book): I’ll be honest with you. I read a lot of Sedaris this year and I can’t keep them straight. I will say this, however: the audiobooks, voiced by Sedaris himself, are better than just reading the novel. And he’s very funny in everything he writes. I don’t remember which stories are in this book, but I recommend it.

7. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, JK Rowling (A book by a female author): See #1. Book 6 of the HP series. Yes I recommend it.

8. Wicked, Gregory Maguire (a book with a one-word title): I’m not done with this one yet, but I’m close so I’ve included it. I’ve seen the musical and have had the songs memorized for close to ten years now. Guys, the book is so much better. It’s more interesting, has more characters, Morrible is horrible. Fiyero is POC, Elphaba is implied to be bi or pan (at least that’s how I see it), Elphie and Nessarose have a little brother named Shell, implied gay munchkin college boys. Guys, it’s wonderful. I’m not done yet, I kind of hate all the characters for some reason or other, and I highly recommend it anyway.

9. Green but for a Season, CS Pacat (a short story): Don’t read until you’ve read the Captive Prince trilogy. This short story follows two side characters in the middle of Prince’s Gambit, and it makes what we know about Jord and Aimeric so much more tragic. It’s actually changed some of my opinions of Aimeric. It’s really short and I wish it was longer, but I recommend it (AFTER you’ve read the trilogy, guys, seriously!)

10. When Marnie Was There, by Joan G. Robinson (a book set in a different country): This is a young adult novel that was recently adapted into a really great film by Studio Ghibli. The film is on par with Howl’s Moving Castle, which is my favorite movie, animated or otherwise, and I love the book even more (which was my experience with Howl, too). The twist towards the end had me sobbing all over the book. Aspects of it could be construed as queerbaiting, but the message and the bond between Marnie and Anna is so sweet that even I can forgive Robinson for some probably unintentional queerbaiting. This book is so wonderful I could wax poetic about it for ages. Highly, highly recommend.

11. The Marquis Lafayette Reconsidered (a non fiction book): I am in love with Lafayette, guys, and it’s not just because of Daveed Diggs. I read two books about him this year. This one was tedious, mostly because I am a slow-ass reader of non fiction. Lafayette was a prominent figure in two revolutions, and if that interests you then I recommend this book. If Lafayette isn’t really top of your priorities when it comes to non fiction this might bore you. I liked it though. Recommended.

12. The Dark Wife, by Sarah Diemer (a popular author’s first book): Yeah, I know I’m reaching with the “popular author” part. This is the story of Hades and Persephone as you have never seen it before. It restores the original myth in which Persephone goes to the underworld of her own free will. I mean, she goes to save herself, but she chooses to go. Hades is actually a woman. Lesbian retellings are the best retellings. But it’s so heartfelt. Persephone’s love for Hades is boundless. I highly recommend this one too.

13. When You Are Engulfed in Flames, by David Sedaris (a book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet): Another Sedaris book. See #6. Recommend.

14. Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan (a book a friend recommended): Rec’d by @hermioneisthegreatest. I think this is Percy Jackson book 2? I’m not done with the series, but I do recommend it. 

15. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Saenz (an award-winning book): Guys, guys. You don’t know beautiful until you’ve read this book. Two teenage boys who couldn’t be more different meet and come of age. And, though they hardly realize it as it happens, fall in love. It’s sweet, and cute, and heartfelt. And I fucking NEED you guys to read this book. Better yet, Hamilton/Moana/In the Heights fans, get the audiobook, like I did. Seven hours of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s voice, guys. Highly, highly, recommend.

16. The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larsson (a book based on a true story): I also listened to the audiobook for this one. Narrators read non fiction faster than I do, and it was an engaging book to listen to while driving four hours home for breaks. Recommend.

17-20. The Raven Cycle, by Maggie Stiefvater (four books: a book set in high school, a book with a love triangle, a book with a color in the title, and a book at the bottom of your to-read list, respectively): This series was really interesting, with a lot of twists and turns. Three chapters into The Raven Boys and I had promptly adopted the four boys and one girl that are the main characters. One of the main characters is bisexual and another is gay (they get together. It is glorious). It also dealt a lot with Welsh mythology, which has caught my interest ever since studying abroad in Swansea, Wales a few years ago. I read Shiver by Stiefvater, too, a few years ago, but didn’t really like it. I think Raven Cycle is way better. I recommend all four.

21. Irish Verse Anthology, various authors (a book based entirely on its cover): This is just what it sounds like: a collection of Irish poetry by a variety of poets from early times until the present. It wasn’t bad. It just took a long time to read such a small volume. If you like poetry or Irish literature, I’d recommend it. Otherwise, probably not.

22. Letters to my Daughter, by Maya Angelou (a memoir): This was the first book by Angelou I read. I’ve read some of her poems, but I really liked this. I got it on audiobook, too (going to school four hours from home and driving twenty minutes each day to student teaching will do that to you). This was a memoir of Angelou’s life and the lessons she’s learned over the years. It was really interesting, and I probably wouldn’t have picked it up if it wasn’t an audiobook. But it was good, and I recommend it.

23. Crush, by Richard Siken (a book you can finish in a day): I’ve read this innumerable times, so I knew I could finish it in a day. This is a collection of LGBT (more specifically, gay) poetry, and OH MY GOD. This is in my top five favorite books. I read it all the time. This is the book that made me fall in love with poetry, back in high school. I probably wouldn’t have read Irish Verse Anthology if I hadn’t read this amazing work. Forget the other highly, highly recommended books, put down the book(s) you’re currently reading, and read this book RIGHT NOW.

24. Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, by Sarah Vowell (a book with antonyms in the title): The second Lafayette biography I read this year. This one just focuses on Lafayette’s impact on the US. Vowell is much easier to read, and she’s funny, too. The only tedious part was that there are no chapter breaks. I recommend this if you want to read a biography about an unsung American Hero.

25. Atlas of Remote Islands, by Judith Schalansky (a book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit): This was really interesting. Each entry was on a different remote island, some deserted and some with very few inhabitants. Each entry had the map of the island, who owns it, the name for the island by the owning country and the native people, a timeline of history of the island, and a short story about it. I heard of this book on a podcast, I believe “Stuff They Don’t Want You to Know.” I really enjoyed it. It was easy to read. Recommended.

26-28. Captive Prince Trilogy, by CS Pacat (a trilogy): THIS. THIS is what you have to read before Green But For a Season. You don’t even have to read the short story if you don’t want to. But you really need to read this trilogy. It’s awesome. It’s fantasy and gay and romantic. But the romance isn’t even the central part. Laurent is my favorite asshole. Damen is so sweet and sassy as fuck. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Seriously. I can’t do this series justice.

29. Charlotte’s Web, by EB White (a book from your childhood): I read this with my student teaching class. It’s a classic. If you haven’t read it yet, it’s definitely worth the read. Recommend, especially with young readers.

30. Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller (a book that made you cry): The highly acclaimed retelling of the Illiad from the perspective of Patroclus, Achilles’ lover. Yes, it made me cry, and yes, it was worth it. It’s so wonderful and well written, and heartbreaking at the end (you know how it ends). Seriously, it was really good. Highly recommend.

31. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by JK Rowling (a book with magic): Last book in the HP series. See #1 and 7. Recommended.

32. The “Hamil-tome”, by Lin-Manuel Miranda (a book by an author you’ve never read before): I don’t remember what it’s actually called. Everything you wanted to know about the musical, the lyrics, the cast, the crew, and the Hamilton Story. If you love this groundbreaking musical, this is definitely a book for you. Recommend.

33. The Distance to Home, by Jenn Bishop (a book that takes place in your hometown): Okay, so this doesn’t take place actually in my hometown, but it’s implied to be a suburb of Chicago, so close enough. This is a middle grade novel about baseball, family, and loss. Also, I have known this author for ten years (personally. It’s her first novel). Please read. Recommend, especially for 5-6th graders. 

34. War of the Foxes, by Richard Siken (a book of poems): I made up this category so I could read this book. I didn’t know Siken had another book published. I found his tumblr this year, and flipped shit basically. This book takes on a much darker tone than the last one, and isn’t as gay and romantic. It’s mostly about war and the consequences it brings to civilians, soldiers, and the environment of the war zone. It was really interesting, but it was such a huge emotional shift from Crush that it was hard for me to understand. But see, I get different things out of Crush every time I read it, so I think when I reread this I’ll get more out of it. I recommend, just keep in mind that it’s very different from Crush. 

35. The Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry (a book set during Christmas): I love this story. I try to read it every year. It’s such a heartfelt parable about love and sacrifice. If you haven’t read it, I really recommend it. It’s very short and worth the time. 

36. The Night Circus, by Erin Morganstern (a book written by an author with your same initials): Also an audiobook. I picked this as filler. I wasn’t really interested, but guys. It exceeded my expectations. I was invested in almost every character, it was interesting, and I really enjoyed listening to it. Recommend.

37. In Search of Ancient Ireland (a book based on or turned into a TV show): This was long and tedious, but I liked it. It covers Irish history from prehistoric times until the Norman invasion in the eleventh century. It was really pretty good. Recommend.

38. The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan (a book you started but never finished): I finally read this. It was really good, much better than the movie (not much of a shock there; most books usually are). I recommend it. If you’re hinging your reasons for not reading the book on the quality of the film, I strongly recommend you give it a try.

39. The Cursed Child, by JK Rowling (a play): This book/play has received mixed reviews. Yes, there’s a lot of unnecessary plot holes. Yes, we were queerbaited. Yes, certain parts were like tropes out of a crack fanfiction. But the storyline itself was very interesting. And the clear love (brotherly, platonic, romantic, however you want to look at it) between Albus and Scorpius is just the sweetest thing. And what made me so happy because we really didn’t see this with a Malfoy in the books, is that Scorpius is KIND. And you just know Draco had to instill that into this little eleven-year-old child. Scorpius is so gd kind it’s the sweetest thing. In spite of the not so awesome points, I highly recommend this.