#but this one is a dystopian fiction that starts on today's date

[starlit-pathways]

Everyone knows that change is inevitable. From the second law of thermodynamics to Darwinian evolution, from Buddhism’s insistence that nothing is permanent and all suffering persists from our delusions of permanence to the third chapter of the Ecclesiastes (‘To everything there is a season’), change is part of life, of existence, of the common wisdom. But I don’t believe we’re dealing with all that that means. We haven’t even begun to deal with it.

– Lauren Olamina, in Parable Of The Sower by Octavia E. Butler

[therecz]

Best Literature Book Recommendations 

This blog is for all the bookworms and literary enthusiasts out there. In the hustle and bustle of our modern lives, one can find solace within the pages of a book. Books are a doorway to a world that is filled with endless possibilities, breathtaking adventures, and profound wisdom that is just waiting to be discovered. It doesn’t matter if you are a seasoned bibliophile or an aspiring reader who has just started taking his first steps into the world of literature. In this blog, you will find treasures of literature. Read on to learn more about some of the best books in literature. 

The literary recommendations in this blog are provided by the best book recommendation app. The Recz app is one of the best book suggestion apps, which has a ton of best book recommendations. Read more to find out about books that are perfect for binge reading. 

Best Literary Books to Read 

Nineteen Eighty-Four

Nineteen Eighty-Four is a dystopian science fiction novel. It is a cautionary tale written by one of the best English writers George Orwell. It is one of the top recommendations by the Recz book suggestion app. This book was published in the year 1949 and is still, to date, one of the best science fiction novels. 1984 has a rating of 4.5 out of 5. This sci-fi book has received several awards. One of the best awards that this book has garnered is the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award. 

1984 is a dystopian political fiction that has sold more than 8 million copies in the U.S. This novel is set in a dystopian future where most of the world is in a perpetual war. Great Britain is now known as Airstrip One. It has become a state of a totalitarian superstate. This new world is led by Big Brother, who is a dictator supported by an intense cult. The world is run by the thought police. With the help of the Ministry of Truth, the government has surveillance all over the state. The protagonist of the novel is Winston Smith, who is a mid-level worker at the Ministry of Truth. 

Moby Dick 

Moby Dick was first published in the year 1851. It is still relevant in today’s world. This American novel is written by Herman Melville. It has a rating of 3.5 on Goodreads. It is one of the best books recommended by Recz, an app that recommends books. Recz is considered one of the best book recommendation apps. This book is narrated by a sailor named Ishmael. Moby Dick is the story of Ahab, captain of a whaling ship. He is set to take revenge against a giant Speam whale named Moby Dick. 

Moby Dick is one of the best artworks of American literature. This book gained traction and a reputation as a great American novel in the 20th century. Authors like William Faulkner and D H Lawrence praised this novel. Lawrence denoted this book as “one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world.” If you are a book enthusiast, you should definitely read this book.

Anna Karenina 

Anna Karenina is written by one of the best novelists of Russian literature Leo Tolstoy. Anna Karenina was written in the book format in the year 1878. According to reports, Tolstoy called this book his first true novel. This book has received a rating of 4.1 out of 5 on Goodreads. Anna Karenina is widely considered as one of the greatest works of literature. This book was initially written in a series of installments. It was published from 1875 to 1877. 

This literature novel is one of the best reads recommended by the Recz app. Anna Karenina deals with themes like marriage, family, faith, and betrayal. It also deals with themes like society, desire, rural and urban life, and the Imperial Russian society. The book tells the story of the titular character Anna Karenina, who gets involved with a “dashing” cavalry officer. Trains are used as motifs throughout the novel. This novel has been adapted into various art forms. This includes opera, theatres, films, television shows, ballet, and radio drama. 

The Alchemist 

The Alchemist is a story of a young boy Santiago who is in search of a great treasure. It is written by one of the best writers, Paulo Coelho. The Alchemist is one of the best works of art and literature by Coelho. It is an allegorical novel. The Alchemist follows the journey of a young shepherd who aims to reach the Pyramids of Egypt due to his recurring dreams of finding a treasure there. The book deals with the themes of magic, wisdom, and mysticism. 

Santiago, the protagonist of the novel, goes on a journey that teaches him about the benefits of listening to our hearts. The character development of Santiago is perhaps one of the best journeys in modern literature. The genre of this book is fantasy and magical realism. According to reports, Coelho wrote this book in a period of two weeks. “When you really want something to happen, the whole universe will comprise so that your wish comes true.” The book was first published by a Brazilian publishing house called Rocco.

[elysian-phoenix-05]

WATTPAD FANFICTIONS THAT ARE ACTUALLY GREAT! (BTS EDITION) [PT 3]

Sorry for the long wait guys, I was busy with quite a lot of stuff in life 😅

Enough of me, let's get right into this!

Somewhat of a disclaimer:- expect an array of ships in the books I'm recommending, as I don't mind any ships as long as the story is great. And, of course, all the books are a work of fiction, and I hope you treat the story as such. Of course, some of these would handle mature topics, from occasional smut to depression, suicidal tendencies, etc.

11. IVY GATES

Ivy gates, written by @chimchimicorn

THE INTRODUCTION

A woman's job was to serve in any way told, and to produce healthy children. . Any women that disobeyed, would be punished severely. . The story of a poor girl who was purchased by the General, and how they changed each other and began to fight for the freedom of women

GENRE

Dystopian, romance

SHIPS

Jimin x female

RATINGS

⭐⭐⭐⭐

12. JUNGKOOK: THE FRIENDLY GHOST

Jungkook: the friendly ghost, written by @annieDD

THE INTRODUCTION

She moves into a new apartment. He's stuck. No one can see him. But she can.

GENRE

Romance, comedy

SHIPS

Jungkook x female

RATINGS

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

13. FLAMES

Flames, written by @Masquerade16

THE INTRODUCTION

*Notification from Twitter* [Taps open the bird app to see a notification from Taehyung]

Jimin's eyes widen, "That bitch IS WHAT?!?"

Taehyung and Jimin have been friends for a while, as long as they can remember, but when nerdy Taehyung starts dating the jock of the school, Jungkook, Jimin is fused with jealousy he never thought he would feel in his life. But only one problem, Jungkook has the biggest crush on Jimin.

GENRE

Romance, comedy

SHIPS

Jungkook x Jimin x Taehyung

RATINGS

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

14. BABY MAMA

Baby Mama, written by @jiminiums

THE INTRODUCTION

"I-I have a kid?"

In which Park Jimin the heir of Dk group, discovers that he is a father to the four-year-old girl with his estranged girlfriend

GENRE

Romance

SHIPS

Jimin x female

RATINGS

⭐⭐⭐⭐

15. WRONG NUMBER

Wrong number, written by @k16b13

THE INTRODUCTION

The text messages between a girl who doesn't care for labels and a boy who is labeled worldwide as the hottest male alive and all started from a simple wrong number situation

GENRE

Romance, comedy

SHIPS

Jungkook x female

RATINGS

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

FIND ALL THE PARTS HERE!!

PART 1/PART 2/PART 3/ PART 4/ PART 5

Okay, so that's it for today! Have a nice day, everyone! Go and read these books, and do give me your reviews/opinions regarding the book.

Until then take care!

[sends lots of hugs, love, and support!]

💜💜💜

[xxblackballoonxx]

First - a note to say that Electric and The Heart Underneath will be back soon! Been a bit of a crazy week.

Second - Serious post below. As much as I hate politics, this cannot go unchecked or unnoticed.

Roe v. Wade has been overturned by the US Supreme Court. This was a Supreme Court case from 1973 that was a landmark decision ruling that the Constitution of the United States protects a woman's liberty to choose to have an abortion. While everyone's personal opinions on abortion can vary, the most important thing this ruling did was set a precedent to allow for proper, medically supervised abortions to happen. This has led to better healthcare for women (though its still not great).

Today's incredibly stupid decision to overturn the case, by incredibly stupid men, means that abortion rights are down to the states and are no longer protected by federal ruling. US states have very powerful rights, each in many ways operates as it's own country, and this means that at least 13 states are lined up to ban abortion within 30 days, due to "trigger" laws that had already been passed in those states regarding future decisions about Roe v. Wade.

Why does this matter? It matters because women are now second class citizens. We are at the whim of our state governments. Women will be forced to carry pregnancies to term that they did not want, but also pregnancies that are not viable, which will kill women. This includes pregnancies that are the result of rape. Women will be forced to go outside of their home states for abortion options. Women will be treated as cattle.

But it goes beyond this, a door has been opened and what we're looking at is really, really bad. Potential bans on contraception, gay marriage, women's health rights, and women's rights in general are now on the table.

So, what do we do? First, if you are a woman in the US and you use a period cycle tracking app, delete it immediately. There are verified concerns that your data may be tracked to determine early stages of pregnancy.

Second, if you live in a state where abortion is already heavily restricted and may soon be banned, Google support for obtaining emergency contraception to have on hand. There are also a vast array of social media accounts that provide links for more support.

Third, and this is the most important. As women we must not only take back our rights, but take control. And how do we do this? We no longer give men power over us. No more dating apps. No more male BS. No more random hookups, no more sex. Take away what a man wants and what he thinks he's owed, and we are in full control. The revolution is now. For too long, there has been a toxic line of thought, engrained in cultures around the world, that men are number one, that they are "owed" a good job, a wife, a nice house, to be taken care of. They are taught from a young age that they do not have to compromise, while women are taught they must compromise. FUCK. THAT.

If you are a woman that backs this decision, you need to think about why. And where you will be 10, 20, 30 years from now if this kind of rights stripping continues. Will you even be allowed to go out without your husband's permission? You reap what you sow.

The Handmaid's Tale, The Hunger Games, all of the dystopian fiction, it's all not that far away. But this is just the start of a long war. A war of a population against it's very fractured and fraught government. Do not forget that a handful of dumb men backed by brainwashed women made this decision, this is not a decision made by the people of America. It is time to reclaim this country for what it is suppose to symbolize: Freedom. Safety. Progression. Equality. Well, let's really make it those things.

Voting is so important, but remember that the US political system is very much a game, and all sides are at fault for inciting each other, for being unable to come to agreements, for making deals that reach one goal, but drop another equally important one. You are voting for a pre-determined list of candidates. Why and how were they chosen?

If you need to talk, need help seeking medical care outside of your state, or just need to commiserate, message me. No man will control my life. Especially not a bunch of old dudes with egos big enough to think they can control the MAJORITY of the US population, which is 167M+ women. Let's not let them destroy us and destroy our country that so many lived and died for.

And men, if you're reading this? You better be supporting the hell out of all the women in your life and make your voice heard as well.

[writingdotcoffee]

#151: My Favourite Writing Podcasts

Podcasts are a treasure. If you can think of a topic, somebody is probably making a podcast about it. Needless to say, there are many podcasts about writing.

I put on a podcast when I'm out for a jog, and when I'm doing the dishes. I’ve learned so much from podcasts over the years. I love listening to podcasts.

Podcasts are somewhere between a lecture and conversation with a friend. Over time, after you've listened to the same show for a while, you start to feel like you know the host, although you probably never met. It's uncanny.

Audiobooks are great too. But podcasts are a little more casual. With an audiobook, I feel obliged to pay close attention so I don't miss anything. I don't feel the same pressure when listening to podcasts.

Today, I’d like to shout out five of my favourite writing podcasts. These are the tried and tested ones that I’ve been listening to for months and years (in no particular order).

The Career Author Podcast

I’ve listened to The Career Author since episode one. The show is hosted by J Thorn and Zach Bohannon and covers a wide range of topics related to running your author business – from production to marketing strategies and even things like accounting.

J and Zach co-write dystopian fiction and run events for authors.

The Creative Penn

The Creative Penn is a staple of the indie author podcasting scene hosted by Joanna Penn. The first episode aired all the way back in 2009, and although Joanna has considered quitting in the past, the show continues into the 2020s.

Stay up-to-date on publishing news and get advice from hundreds of guests including Steven Pressfield and Austin Kleon.

Writing Excuses

Writing Excuses is geared more towards traditionally published writers — mostly because the hosts of the show – Mary Robinette Kowal, Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Howard Tayler – come from that background.

The episodes are short and sweet, focused on craft and genre writing. The archives go back 15 full seasons – lots to learn.

The Writer’s Well

Originally known as The Petal to the Metal, The Writer’s Well is hosted by J Thorn and Rachael Herron. They ask each other a surprise, writing-related question and talk about their answers.

Expect a laid-back conversation and plenty of good advice.

Our Opinions Are Correct

OOAC is a genre-based podcast focusing primarily on science fiction stories in any form – books, films, TV shows. The hosts are Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders — both best-selling authors. Even though this podcast doesn’t specifically give writing advice, it’s great to hear some of the big names of the genre think about stories.

Expect in-depth discussions and lots of sci-fi book and movie recommendations.

BONUS: Akimbo by Seth Godin

Akimbo isn’t a writing podcast, but it’s so good that I can’t leave it out. Seth Godin is a famous marketer but also a best-selling author and prolific blogger. Because of that, many episodes are relevant to writing.

I’ve listened to all the episodes of Akimbo, and I think you should too!

And that’s it. Since launching Writing Analytics, I’ve been listening to a number of business podcasts also, but we’ll leave those for another time.

Thanks for reading ❤️.

Want More?

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Past Editions

#150: The Business of Making Art, July 2020

#149: All That Matters Is What You Leave on the Page, July 2020

#148: Keeping a Victory Log, June 2020

#147: Finishing things is a skill, June 2020

#146: Black Lives Matter, June 2020

[trilobiter]

The other day I read an article by a film critic who recently watched all the Harry Potter movies in a row, for the very first time. The backdrop of course was, do these movies hold up as movies, regardless of the hateful, transphobic associations with J.K. Rowling or the literary quality of the source books (which the film critic had also never read). The critic liked some things, disliked others, and I suppose the whole affair was a wash.

It made me think about my own association with Harry Potter, a series that I was not really engaged with at all until 2012. Around that time I saw all the movies and read the books, and had some engagement with broader Harry Potter fandom (a Pottermore account that got limited use, for example).

The thing is, I might never have done this if not for the fact that I was dating some one who was really into Harry Potter. I didn't really need that series in my life, but I did have a need to share things with her and enjoy things together. In light of that film critic's article, I started thinking about my experience with Harry Potter, and how much of my enjoyment came from the series' real merit, and how much of it came from a motivated desire to enjoy. Either way, I did enjoy it.

So I figured, I'll take a look at some documentation of my thoughts from that time. I just took a peak at the goodreads reviews I wrote for books 2-7 (I didn't write one for the first, apparently). Half of them got four stars, and half of them got five stars. Looking at them mainly through the lens I use for young adult fiction, I gave them a lot of credit for tackling serious themes, and for what I seem to have perceived at the time as a self-conscious critique of the idea of "escapism" into a world that is as nightmarishly dystopian as anything our world can come up with. In 2021, I'm a little less inclined to see it that way.

I'm not interested in rereading the books to be sure, but today I'd probably adjust most of those ratings at least a star downward. My "young adult fiction lens" was pretty new at the time, and I think I was easily impressed. For whatever reason, I also felt the need to say that Chamber of Secrets and Halfblood Prince were among my favorites. That's probably an unpopular opinion, but I will be not be defending or retracting it at this time. Perhaps my lens was simply whack.

My review of Goblet of Fire makes note of one of my biggest problems with the series the first time around: the contempt in which the world and the narrative hold Hermione for her outraged condemnation of slavery. Slavery! Yes, there was a point to be made about white saviorism in Hermione's attitude (though assuming Hermione is white is also a whole thing that I won't be getting into right now), but if Rowling was trying to make that point she did not do it well. I rarely pointed out specific problems in my reviews, but the nonsense about "S.P.E.W." stuck out as something that needed mentioning.

At the time, I gave Rowling the benefit of the doubt when she wrote something that seemed off like that. Whether that was because I wanted to assume the best about something so many people liked, or specifically something that my now ex-girlfriend liked so much, is difficult to say. In those days, I was not looking for a reason to write off Harry Potter, but maybe if I was coming at it today, "S.P.E.W." would be the reason.

Today, virtually every time I see a reference to Harry Potter online, it's about the struggle to reconcile what good qualities it has, or the positive aspects of fandom, with the heinous views of its author. But in the real world, I still find people casually engaging in the fandom in ways that don't seem to acknowledge that anything has changed. I know a transgender teenager who wears a Slytherin sweatshirt to school sometimes, and that sure is something to think about. I don't really know what that means!

Then again, I still wear a "Hairy Otter" shirt that I got from the aquarium years ago, because I think it's adorably funny. Make of it what you will.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hi :) I... really wanna read a fanfic or two but I can't find one I vibe with xD So... do you know one that's not too long (around 100k words maybe), has hurt and comfort, smut (am I allowed to ask about that?? Ahhhh) and a happy ending? Top!lock would be a bonus but it's not necessary. And if it's a nice AU (like... any kind but no crossovers pls), it would be perfect! :D By the way, I found your blog only a few hours ago and I already feel really comfy and Idk, kinda at home here ^-^

Hi Nonny!!!

Welcome to my corner of the Tumblrsphere!!! I’m so happy you’ve found me, LOL, because I love all my followers and friends! <3

First of all, I think it’s super cute that “not too long” to you is “around 100K” LOL LOL LOL!!! <3 That said, I’d argue all my fic recs are fabulous, LOL. But again, I’m stupidly proud of the wonderful lists I’ve accumulated, because it satisfies my organization kink LOL. And yes, you’re ALWAYS allowed to ask for smut here LOL. 

ANYWAY, so I’m gonna use this ask as an excuse to post up a long-overdue part two to my 50 to 100K fic list! But first, here’s some past lists for the genres you’re looking for:

FIC MASTER PAGES: PG1 || PG 2 || PG 3

Toplock (Mar 2020)

Omegaverse

Please Check PG 3 for all my AU fic lists. There’s a lot :)

Hurt / Comfort Pt. 1: Under 5K Words 

Hurt / Comfort Pt. 2: 5K to 10K Words

Fandom Favourites / Popular Fics

I hope those will get you started! So now, here’s the main event!! Hope you enjoy them!

50 - 100 K WORDS Pt. 2 (Novel Length)

See also:

Fics Under 2000 w.

Fics Under 2000 w. Pt. 2

Fics Under 2000 w. Pt. 3

E-Rated Johnlock for Newcomers Pt 1 (Short Fics under 20K)

Novella Length Fics: 25 to 50K (Aug. 2019)

Novel Length Fics: 50 to 100K (Nov. 2018)

Novel Length Fics: 100K+ w. (May 2019)

Long S3/Post-S3 Fics (20K+ w.) [Apr 2020]

Top 20 Fave 40K+ w. Fics (April 2017)

Smut-Free Fics Over 50K (Aug 2019)

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by SilentAuror (E, 50,635 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S4/S4 Divergence, Case Fic, For a Case / Reverse Fake-Relationship, Conferences, Marriage Equality, Travelling / New York, Pride, Homophobia, Bottomlock, Marriage Proposal, John POV, Sexuality, Love Confessions, Emotional Love Making, Public Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, Passionate Kissing, Needy/Clingy Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Touching / Hand Holding, Bed Sharing, Little Spoon Sherlock, Intense Orgasms) – John and Sherlock go to New York to attend a conference run by the National Defence of Traditional Marriage Coalition in order to investigate the potential bombing of the annual Manhattan Pride parade. As the conference unfolds, John finds himself repulsed by the toxic ideology being presented, which becomes relevent to his own unacknowledged issues and his friendship with Sherlock...

Repairing the Broken Things by BakerTumblings (M, 75,252 w., 15 Ch. || S4 Compliant, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Medical Trauma, Hospitals, Big Brother Mycroft, Misunderstandings, Realizations, Severe Accident, John Whump, Pneumonia, Medical Procedures, Bed Sharing, First Time, Healing, Happy Ending) – "I'm calling today to notify you that there's been an accident."

Points by lifeonmars (E, 53,791 w., 42 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || HLV Rewrite / Canon Divergence, Married Life, Pregnancy / Baby Watson, Drinking to Cope, Boxing / Fisticuffs, Clueless John, Angst, Minor Medical Drama, Tattoos, Christmas, First Kiss/Time, Eventual Happy Ending, Love Confessions, Doctor John, Sexuality Crisis, Slow Burn, Case Fic, Drugging, Blow/Hand Job, Emotional Love Making, Parenthood, Passage of Time) – What if His Last Vow never happened? This fic picks up a few months after John and Mary's wedding, in an alternate universe where Magnussen doesn't exist, but Mary is still pregnant. Life continues -- just in a different direction. And slowly, Sherlock and John find their way to each other.

Never Change a Running System by Lorelei_Lee (E, 54,246 w. || Pre-TRF, Romance, Humour, Drama, Sex Toys, Anal, Rimming, Masturbation, Frottage, Blow Jobs, Public Sex, First Kiss / Time, Virgin Sherlock / Loss of Virginity, Accidental Voyeurism, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Experiments, Naive Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Jealous Sherlock, Possessive Sherlock, Straight With an Exception John, Hand Jobs) – Sherlock discovers his sexuality – with far-reaching consequences for John.

A Hundred Crimson Sols by elldotsee (E, 55,536 w. || Astronauts AU || Mars Exploration / Space Travel, Slow Burn, Shy Sherlock, Scientist Sherlock / Biomed Engineer John, Alternating POV, Mutual Pining, UST, Angst with Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Injuries, Suicidal Ideation, Zero-G Sex) – Will Holmes is a chemical researcher recognized widely for his contributions to the new Mars exploration program. Thanks to his ground-breaking developments, the IMMC (International Mars Mission Corporation) is one step closer to Martian colonization. Will and his team of scientists are headed out on the first of three manned missions before the first group of settlers arrive. Three days before launch, one of the crew has to be replaced. Will panics because...new people. The replacement is of course one John Watson, biomedical engineer and space hottie who was pretty sure he had retired from actual space exploration and was now content to work in the nice, quiet research lab. Can the crew survive this TOTALLY ROUTINE trip? Will they be able to endure each other for the looooooong trip in close quarters? Gonna be a wild ride... prepare for blast off. Part 1 of the SpaceBois go to Space series

The Thing Is by TSylvestris (E, 56,743 w. || Case Fic, Dev. Rel., Anal/Oral, Blow Jobs, Meddling Mycroft, Drama, Romance, Humour, Casual Encounters, Pining Idiots, Possessive Sherlock, Orgasm Delay, Rough / Alley Sex, Public Sex, John Whump, Drugged John, Emotional Love Making, Awkward Relationship, Marriage of Convenience, Switchlock) – The problem with living with Sherlock, John thought, was that you never, never, ever knew the significance of anything. Like your flatmate's nose buried in your hair. Whilst you're in bed. Part 1 of Nitroglycerine

One Little Change by jadztone (E, 58,312 w. || ASiB Divergence, Fake Relationship, Bed Sharing, Mutual Pining, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss / Time, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Bi John / Gay Demisexual Sherlock, Switchlock, Alternating POV, Jealousy, Misunderstandings, Case Fic, Angst with Happy Ending, Emotional Love Making, Butt Plugs, Cuddles) – Our story begins right after John and Sherlock's first meeting with Irene Adler in September. It splits off into an AU that imagines them taking a case where they act as bait to hook a killer targeting closeted gays in secret relationships. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, many things happen that have our boys wondering if maybe they have a chance with each other. Then Irene fakes her death on Christmas Eve, and things get a lot more complicated - especially since they still have a killer to catch.

floating through a dark blue sky by Lediona (M, 58,966 w. || Notting Hilll AU || POV John, Celebrity Sherlock, First Date / Time / Kiss, Past Drug Addiction, Angst with a Happy Ending) – Of course, I’d seen his films and always thought he was, well, brilliant -- but, you know, a million miles from the world I live in. Or, when John is the owner of a travel book shop and the famous Sherlock Holmes stops in one day.

The Burning by SrebrnaFH (M, 60,658 w. || Reverse Reichenbach, Suicide, Depression, Hurt Sherlock / John, Separation, BAMF John, Good Big Brother Mycroft, Angst, Implied/Referenced Torture, Fake Character Death, Rescue Mission, Reconciliation / Reunion, Hospitalization, Marriage Proposal, Illnesses, Physical Therapy, Happily Ever After) – Something went very, very wrong. John had seemed, if not happy, then reasonably content with his life. Sherlock had never predicted something like THIS might have happened. Not in his worst nightmares. He was the lousiest friend ever, apparently. At least Mycroft found him something to occupy his mind with, so that he didn't have to go back to 221B and stare at the walls and the chair, where John Watson would never sit again.

This Thing All Things Devours by cypress_tree (E, 63,844 w., 15 Ch. || In Time AU || Science Fiction, Dystopian Universe, First Meetings, Action / Adventure, Romance) – In 2169, time is money—literally. Humans are genetically engineered to stop aging at 25, when the numbers on their arm start counting down from one year. When that time is up, they die. The only way to get more time is to earn it, borrow it, or steal it.John Watson lives day-to-day in the crowded slums of Zone 13. He never imagined living any differently—until he meets the practically-immortal Sherlock, and helps him on a case to track a local time-thief...

The Bells of King's College by SilentAuror (E, 64,019 w., 5 Ch. || Post-S4, Missed Opportunities, Angst with Happy Ending, Fake Relationship, Case Fic, John POV, Jealous John, John in Denial, Travelling / Holidays, Virgin Sherlock, Wedding Proposals) – It's only been two weeks since Eurus Holmes disrupted their lives when Mycroft sends John and Sherlock to Cambridge to pose as an engaged couple at a wedding show in the hopes of solving six unsolved deaths...

Hell Sent, Heaven Bound by ConsultingHound (M, 64,381 w, 16 Ch. || Angels / Demons AU ||  Fallen Angel Sherlock / Angel Cop John, Alternate First Meeting, Slow Burn, Case Fic, John & Lestrade are Friends Before Sherlock, BAMF John, Mind Palace John, Friends to Lovers, John in Denial, Sherlock Picks Out John’s Clothing, Clubbing / Dancing, Mildly Jealous John, Awkwardness, Kidnapping, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Sacrifice, Worried / Anxious Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, Immortal to Mortal) – Ex-War healer and current angelic guard John Watson is not having the best day. He overslept, he’s underpaid, and now there’s someone tagging the Council’s building walls. However things may be about to get interesting: there’s an unusual stranger hanging around (the definition of tall, dark, and handsome), a literal underground cult is brewing, and rumblings are coming from hell. Can he keep his neighbourhood safe, how and why is he being connected to all this, and who the hell is Sherlock Holmes?

White Knight by DiscordantWords (M, 69,840 w., 13 Ch. || S4 Compliant/Post S4, Marriage For a Case, Jealous John, Pining John, Janine / Sherlock Fake Relationship, Serial Killers, Case Fic, Undercover as a Couple, Weddings, John is a Mess, Misunderstandings, Wedding Planning, Jealousy, Drunkenness, Love Confessions, Angst with Happy Ending) – Green. The word green was used to convey a great many things. Illness. Envy. Inexperience. Standing there amidst Janine's chattering bridesmaids, watching Sherlock furrow his brow and study fabric swatches, watching him smile and simper and flirt, John thought it a remarkably apt colour choice. Because he felt quite sick to his stomach, he feared the source of said sickness might very well be jealousy, and he had absolutely no idea at all what to do about it. Or: Sherlock needs to fake a relationship for a case. He doesn't ask John.

Being John Watson-ish by elwinglyre (E, 69,902 w., 17 Ch. || Bodysnatcher AU || Author John, Cranky Sherlock, Angst, Sexual Tension, First Kiss / Time, Falling in Love, BAMF John, Past Soldier John, Feelings, Inside Someone’s Brain, Shy Sherlock, Sherlock Loves John, POV Sherlock, Switchlock, Slow Burn, Internal Dialogue, Mental Turmoil) – When consulting detective Sherlock Holmes steps on one toe too many at a crime scene, he's consigned to a desk job in an archaic office on the seventh-and-a-half floor of the New Scotland Yard. It’s in this bleak office that Sherlock discovers a portal into the mind of renowned author John Watson. Grander than his mind palace, this new wonderland affords Sherlock new vistas of experimentation. To learn more about the mystery behind the portal, Sherlock seeks out and befriends Watson. But then it all goes wrong when others find the secret portal door—including the man whose brain he visits.

Just To Hold You Close by sussexbound (E, 70,841 w., 18 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting, Sherlock POV, ASD Sherlock, PTSD John, Demisexual Sherlock, Bisexual John, Cuddling/Snuggling, Platonic Cuddling, Enthusiastic Consent, Bed Sharing, Love Confessions, First Kiss/Time, Sexual Tension, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Cuddle Negotiations, For a Case Until It Isn’t, Hair Petting, Sexual Negotiation, Anxiety, Trust Issues, Slow Burn, Panic Attacks, Frottage, Hand/Blow Jobs, Referenced Self Harm / Abuse / Suicidal Ideation, First Kiss/Time, Anal) – When a woman is murdered and the last person to see her alive is recently invalided army vet turned reluctant (and prickly) professional cuddler, John Watson, Sherlock Holmes is pulled into a world of intimacy and intrigue he never could have imagined. John is a conundrum and mystery: frank yet reserved, tender yet angry, open yet afraid. Sherlock is instantly drawn into his orbit, and begins to feel and desire things he never has before.

The Vapor Variant by 88thParallel (M, 72,684 w., 18 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-THoB, John Whump, Protective Sherlock, Guilty Sherlock, Anxious/Worried Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, PTSD John, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Suspense, Virus, Sickfic, Big Brother Mycroft) – They stood face to face in the middle of a clearing. The dim light of the moon barely allowed Sherlock to see the glassy terror in John’s eyes and the sweat that glistened off his forehead. His nose was bleeding again, blood dripping in a slow stream from his right nostril. They were both gasping for air, John’s eyes locked on Sherlock’s. There was no recognition there, just wild animal fear. Time stood still for an eternal few seconds, and Sherlock took a shaky breath. “John—”Spell broken, John spun and bolted back into the woods. Still heaving for air, Sherlock took off after him.

Summit Fever by J_Baillier (M, 78,802 w., 18 Ch. || Mountain Climber AU || POV John, Angst, Tragedy, Suicidal Ideation, The Himalayas, Mountain Guide / Doctor John, Mount Climber Sherlock, Loneliness, Drama, Suspense, Slow Burn, Injured Sherlock / Sherlock Whump, Pining John) – After graduating from medical school, John Watson followed his heart to the Himalayas. Ten years later, he's a haunted cynic working for his ex-lover's trekking and mountaineering company. Will leading an expedition to Annapurna I—the most lethal of all the world's highest mountains—shake John out of his reverie, and who is the mystery client added to the group at the last minute?

The Monument of Memory by J_Baillier (M, 79,663 w., 14 Ch. || Post S4 Fix It Fic / S4 is Canon, Angst, Family Drama, Guilt, Case Fic, John Loves Sherlock, Complicated Feelings, Mentalism / Hypnosis, Murder, Grieving John, Sherlock is a Bit Not Good, Team Work, Trust Issues, BAMF John, Psychological Trauma, Protective John, Autistic-Spectrum Sherlock, Parentlock, John POV) –  A genius traumatised by a past he's only beginning to recall. The psychopath sister that time forgot. A missing woman and a mentalist who may or may not be a murderer. And, in the middle of it all, stands John Watson.

Thermocline by J_Baillier (M, 83,557 w., 14 Ch. || Scuba Diving AU || Adventure, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Marine Archaeology, Asexual Sherlock, Horny John, Relationship Drama, Technical/Scuba/Wreck Diving, Slow Burn, Underwater /  Medical Peril, Doctor John, Hurt Sherlock, Anxious Sherlock, John POV, Protective John, Body Appreciation) – John "Five Oceans" Watson — technical dive instructor, dive accident analyst and weapon of mass seduction — meets recluse professor of maritime archaeology Holmes. As they head out to a remote archipelago off the coast of Guatemala to study and film its shipwrecks for a documentary, will sparks fly or fizzle out?

The Summer Boy by khorazir (T, 94,706 w., 6 Ch. || Post S3/Post TAB/Alternate S4, Friends to Lovers, Flashbacks, Sussex, Bullying, 1980′s Kid Sherlock, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Inexperienced Sherlock, Grief/Mourning, Pining Sherlock, Background Case Fic) – About half a year after the fateful events at Appledore, Sherlock and John embark on a private case in Sussex. For Sherlock, it’s a journey into his past, bringing up memories both happy and sad that he has locked away for almost thirty years. For John, it means coming to terms with the present – and a potential future with Sherlock. Part 1 of the The Summer Boy series

Northwest Passage by Kryptaria (E, 95,157 w., 27 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Canadian AU ||  BAMF!John, Canadian John, PTSD, Anal / Oral Sex, Rimming, Emotional Hurt / Comfort, Drug Rehab, Falling in Love, Pining Sherlock, Love Confessions, Sherlock’s Violin, Panic Attacks, Switching, Anxious / Protective Sherlock, Hugs for Comfort, Suicide Mentions, Healing Each Other) – Seven years ago, Captain John Watson of the Canadian Forces Medical Service withdrew from society, seeking a simple, isolated life in the distant northern wilderness of Canada. Though he survives from one day to the next, he doesn't truly live until someone from his dark past calls in a favor and turns his world upside-down with the introduction of Sherlock Holmes." Part 1 of Tales from the Northwest

31_Days_of_Porn_Challenge_2017 Series by distantstarlight (E, 96,540 w. across 31 stories || Prompt Ficlets, Assorted Kinks, PWP) – A collection in response to the 31 Days of Porn Challenge issued by AtlinMerrik! Thanks for doing that because this has been buttload of fun (that joke never gets old). All stories will be brief stand-alone one-shots.

The Baker Street Nativity by SwissMiss (E, 99,662 w., 23 Ch. || Nativity! AU || Teacher Sherlock / TA John, Pining, Sherlock POV, UST, Angst, Christmas, Music/Song Fic, Anal / BJ’s, First Kiss / Time) – Fusion between Sherlock (BBC) and Nativity! (2009 movie starring Martin Freeman). Sherlock is a primary school teacher and John is assigned to be his classroom assistant. Together, they are charged with putting on the school's Nativity play. What could possibly go wrong? Part 1 of The Baker Street Nativity Verse

Given In Evidence by verityburns (M, 97,884 w., 19 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-TRF, Angst, Drama, Case Fic, Romance, BAMF!John, Submissive Sherlock, First Kiss, Humour) – Coming back from the dead can be a complicated business. With a new case on the horizon, rebuilding a life is one thing... rebuilding a friendship quite another. For Sherlock and John, things may never be just the same...

[maisstories]

I Need Your Help

To be more precise, my girlfriend needs your help. The reason I am the one writing this text is because right now she is so depressed and discouraged that she doesn’t have the strength to believe asking for help would make a difference, and that… that terrifies me.

For those who don’t know us, I am Mai, and my girlfriend is Kari. Under different circumstances, we should have our lives all nicely sorted out, but as we are all aware, we live in the kind of dystopian world society at large likes to pretend only happens in fiction. Especially Kari. You see, I’m from Spain, and Kari is from the US. This means an entire ocean separates us (otherwise I would’ve bundled her up and brought her home, believe me).

Kari is a poor wlw who lives in a very conservative area (as in, Bible Belt conservative). She has ADHD, which went untreated most of her life, hampering her at every turn. First, because she grew up in a very conservative Catholic family and most Catholic families just Don’t Believe in Those Things. Now… well, now because she has no medical insurance and can’t afford to pay for medication. Cute, isn’t it? And that’s not even the best part. Kari has depression, that I mentioned, but this whole situation, and the hopelessness it causes her, has brought forth suicidal ideation. I don’t have the words to express just how scared I am by this. It paralyzes me. There is nothing, physically nothing I can do if they ever get the better of her.

To add to this, it has been made abundantly clear to Kari that her parents won’t help her if she becomes homeless. They didn’t want a child to begin with. A gay child? Yeah, no, forget about it.

(On a bit of a bright note, Kari has two adopted cats, which are the cutest fur balls over. They’re her closest emotional support most days, and I am very grateful for them. I can’t cuddle her or be physically there for her at all, but I can at least ask her to go cuddle them. They’re not even on the particularly scratchy side for cats).

Currently, Kari has a job, but despite taking on as many extra hours as possible, she cannot make enough money for rent. In fact, she cannot make many other basic necessities, which I will list here because they’re important, I am worried sick, and we really do need help:

-Work: Kari lost her previous job for one of those completely absurd, US-only reasons back in late October. I say absurd because any company trying to pull that shit here in Spain, and most likely anywhere in the European Union, would’ve been fined out of business. But hey, Country of Freedom and all that, isn’t it? She finally found a new job mid-November. Lower pay, though, which means it doesn’t help her cover full rent.

-Rent: As many people in the US will know, and others not from the US will have heard, rent outside of isolated areas is ridiculously expensive, especially for such a large and unpopulated country. The Wonders of Capitalism. As such, Kari is forced to pay a truly monstrous amount of money for a minuscule space to live in, one that ate up most of her previous salary and that surpasses her current one.

-Bills: Let’s not forget these. She rations. As much as she can. Electricity, water, internet… she goes for cheapest and least use, so far as to monitor her use of water during showers, but this still adds to her expenses.

-Food: Now’s where things get to a truly awful degree. When she moved to the place she lives in now (and if anyone wants the story that led to this move, please ask, because that’s an entirely other level of fucked up), she had to apply for food stamps, because she had barely no money left to feed herself and her two adopted cats after all the mandatory expenses. Food stamps people don’t look at the money you have left after bills, they just look at your income, so she was allotted $16. Useful, right? Anyway, fast forward to late October: Kari loses her job, so, obviously, one of the first things she does is contact the food stamps people to update her situation and have her allotment reevaluated. No response. Contact again. No response. This keeps going on. Mid-November, she gets a new job (still no response from the food stamps people despite the many attempts to contact them). Last Friday, her food supplies consisted of a bit of chicken, two fish fillets, and a couple eggs. I do not kid you. Today, the food stamp people finally answered her call: they won’t look into her case until, at least, December.

That’s it for the basics. As you see, it’s a wonderful situation.

Now, my role in this, as I’m sure some of you are wondering.

Let me start by saying this: I am a heavily disabled woman (nearly blind) living in an isolated area with the worst public transport system this side of the Mediterranean Sea. I am incapable of even getting out of home without assistance and someone to drive me at the moment. This means, having a job where I currently live is out of the question (I’m working on getting a job somewhere else where I’ll be able to live on my own. Sort of). My only source of income right now is my Patreon account, the earnings of which go fully to Kari because my girlfriend’s wellbeing matters to me much more than anything I could ever need for myself. I may say whatever I want about my parents’ belief that my relationship isn’t real because they don’t believe you can forge real connections through the internet (or the fact they want me to have a BOYfriend because they want grandchildren), but at least they’re so terrified I’ll break the moment I step outside on my own that they take good care of me.

Still, unfortunately, I’m only a writer, and a writer’s Patreon doesn’t make enough money to cover for such serious issues.

But Kari is the most important person in my life. I’m not exaggerating. I never thought I’d fall in love. I’ve always been the weird one out, the blind kid teachers coddled too much out of pity so other kids disliked and picked on, the one who was so odd that didn’t even fit with the weird kids in school. That happened everywhere, anywhere I went. Even in some fandom groups. It came to the point I stopped trying. It came to the point I thought once my parents died I wouldn’t have anyone. I’d stopped making plans for the future. There was no future for me.

And then I met Kari. She can make me smile with a silly gif and an obscure quote I thought no one else knew at 3am when I’m on the verge of tears because I feel trapped in my own house; she can get me excited about doing a joint cosplay in the distant future when I’d given up on cosplay years ago because I had no one who wanted to go to cons with me; she listens to my stupid history rants and even shows interest in them, when the most I’m used to getting are eye rolls and a change of topic.

Kari is the best that’s happened to me. Ever. And I want her to be happy. I want her to not have to worry about rent; I want her to be able to buy herself a chocolate bar because she feels like it without having to feel guilty for wasting the money. I want her to be able to live without the fear of being evicted every month, without having to worry about tomorrow’s meals because she ran out of food stamps and the fridge has only a can of soup left for the weekend. I want her to be able to go to the doctor when she’s sick and buy the medication she needs to get better.

But I don’t have the power to do this. Not now, not yet. So I’m asking you, everyone out there, to please help us. Help her.

And, I’m afraid, November is an awful month for Kari. Due to the late date at which she found her new job, she is missing a large chunk of rent. I’m doing everything in my power to gather money, and I ask —no, beg— you to help. Donate something, anything. Even if it is small, many small donations can make a difference.

Originally, we wanted to do a GoFundMe page with a three-month goal of 975 dollars to cover that period’s expenses (yes, guys, we’re missing about 500 this month. It’s that horrible), but every single crowdfunding website we have found works through bank accounts. Banks in the US are sharks; they tax you for not having enough income, for not having enough activity… Basically, if you’re poor in the US, you have to pay to have a bank account that will never have any money in it because the bank will eat it up. So, until we find an alternate crowdfunding site that allows to collect through paypal, we have set us several other safe forms through which you guys can donate to help Kari.

Paypal.Me: https://paypal.me/findyourwaycrafts

Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/findyourway

Kari has a crafts store, because she is a fantastic artist (and you should totally check it out), with much stuff already on it and other stuff planned to come:

Store: https://findyourway.storenvy.com/

Store Tumblr: https://findyourwaycrafts.tumblr.com/

However, these things take time to take off, and we are running out of time in November. So please, please, help us cover the remainder of Kari’s rent for this month. Even if it’s just a dollar, three, five, a purchase of a necklace. Anything. Please, help us. Help Kari keep a roof over her head this Winter.

[journeyintotheshelves]

Tuesday’s Treats is a weekly blog post dedicated to newly released books that I’m most excited for. (Books are in no particular order.)

All books featured this week will be released: May 19, 2020

1. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: Suzanne Collins (goodreads) (book depository)

I cannot believe that it’s 2020, and we’re getting a new Hunger Games book, but here we are. Watch me impatiently wait for my copy in the mail. (And if I get spoiled before then I will riot.)

YA Dystopian; Scholastic, Hardcover (US)

2. Date Me, Bryson Keller: Kevin van Whye (goodreads) (book depository)

Everyone at Fairvale Academy knows about Bryson Keller and his dare: he must date someone new each week, namely the first person to ask him out Monday morning. Kai didn’t think Bryson would say yes when he asked him, but when Kai asks Bryson to secretly go out with him Bryson does just that. But Kai knows that he only said yes because of the dare, and stories about a gay boy liking a straight boy never end in romance. But as they spend the week together, Kai learns more about Bryson and their relationship starts to feel more real than he ever thought it would.

YA Contemporary Fiction, Romance, LGBTQIA+; Random House, Hardcover (US)

3. Just a Boy and a Girl in a Little Canoe: Sarah Mlynowski (goodreads) (book depository)

Sam’s summer is turning out less than perfect: Eli, her boyfriend, has gone to Europe for the summer, and she’s going to be a camp counselor to the one place she’s sworn to never go back to: Camp Blue Springs. Sam’s convinced that this summer is going to be the worst yet. That is, until she meets Gavin, the camp’s sailing instructor (and resident hottie). Sam loves Eli, but this summer may turn out to be exactly what she needs.

This book just reminds me of stories I loved to read in the summer when I was a pre-teen/early teenager, so a bit excited to pick this one up and enjoy the nostalgia.

YA Contemporary Fiction, Romance; HarperTeen/HarperCollins, Hardcover (US)

4. Breath Like Water: Anna Jarzab (goodreads) (book depository)

Susannah is a world champion swimmer and is ready for greatness and a successful career. But when she starts slowing down and can’t figure out why, she beings to struggle to keep her dreams afloat. As she does so, two new people enter her life that will change everything: a new coach, and another swimmer named Harry.

Harry becomes one of her biggest supporters as Susannah makes her push back to becoming the best, and their relationship grows from friendship to love. But as they get closer, there are outside forces that are pulling them apart, and Susannah has to learn how to balance all of her desires or risk losing one.

YA Contemporary Fiction, Romance; Inkyard Press/Harlequin, Hardcover (US)

5. We Are Not From Here: Jenny Torres Sanchez (goodreads) (book depository)

Pulga, Chico, and Pequeña know that their town is dangerous, but their families have tried to create a warm community. But when the threats grow, the three teens know that they only have one option: to run for the border for freedom and safety. Traveling from Guatemala through Mexico to the U.S. border, they follow the route of La Bestia, a train route, the group make the dangerous journey with nothing but the bags on their backs towards the hope of a better life.

Inspired by real, current events, I have a feeling that this book will cement itself in the YA canon, similar to The Hate U Give, as an important book that should be read by all.

YA Contemporary Fiction; Philomel/Penguin, Hardcover (US)

It's finally starting to feel a bit like summer with all of the contemporaries that were released today AND one of the biggest YA releases of the year! Check out this week's stacked Tuesday's Treats post here: Tuesday’s Treats is a weekly blog post dedicated to newly released books that I’m most excited for.

[charlesxavirs]

how erik learned how to find charles in a crowd / cherik

apparently its x-men day, and i’m also steadfastly ignoring my creative writing coursework because i refuse to write dystopian fiction, so have some shameless, au fluff <3

Erik has always been aware of metal: the way it hums around him, the pull of the magnetic fields, buzzing concentrically around the cutlery in the drawers, the iron circling his veins. It was as natural as hearing the constant wailing of sirens and screech of tyres outside his window at three in the morning, or as familiar as the smell of latkes wafting from their tiny kitchen at Hanukkah. Metal was merely an extension of his own senses, primitive and necessary to navigate his everyday life.

Erik has also always been aware of Charles: his dowdy cardigans, soft hair that curled at the ends when it was due a trim, the way his eyes lit up when he found something even remotely fascinating. Charles had been a constant presence throughout his whole life, from when they were young with scabby knees and an inexhaustible sources of energy, all the way through high school, sharing the awkward and often mortifying process of growing into their own skin (though Erik did a lot more growing than Charles, as Erik so often liked to remind him.)

Both were things he could not discernibly pin a start date on. His awareness for metal and Charles were seemingly infinite, lasting as long as he can remember, with no memories to suggest they were never there otherwise.

Erik can, however, pin an exact time and date on when he became aware of both at the same time.

He was fifteen. It was 12:32 pm. Erik was eating his lunch. Charles had told him earlier that day that he might be a bit late, mouth moving a hundred miles a minute as he mentioned something about an appointment that Sharon was taking him to and he was afraid he was going to miss the end of his History lesson because the subject they were studying was absolutely enthralling, and so on, and so forth.

Over the past decade of knowing Charles, Erik had become particularly good at gleaning the necessary information from Charles’s rants whilst staying blissfully ear-blind to the rest of his rambling commentary. Today, though, he didn’t manage to extract an exact time, but it wasn’t a problem. Charles knew to meet Erik at their usual place under the bleachers.

He catalogued the metal around him as he waited, extending invisible fingers over the metal frame of the bleachers, the cars in the nearby parking lot, the coins in his pocket, an unfamiliar pair of wires, both bent to an arch and held down with individual squares of steel. They were approaching, nearer and nearer, approaching the spot where Erik sat, and he could it now, looming over him, coming right up close just as-

Just as Charles bloomed warm in his mind.

Whipping his head around, Erik caught Charles just as he was coming to sit down, greeting Erik with a tight lipped smile, and that wasn’t right. That never happened. First, Erik felt Charles in his mind, then Charles would grin at him, toothy and wide, and Erik would hope that Charles didn’t clock onto the warm surge of affection that prompted. That’s the way it always went.

Charles’s smile faltered, and Erik knew he had caught wind of the tail end of his thoughts, but it remained toothless and tight as he sat in front of Erik, pulling his backpack off his shoulders and letting it fall to the ground.

“Hello Erik,” Charles greeted at the same moment he decided to scratch his upper lip, effectively covering his mouth with his hand. When he spoke, it sounded like his mouth was full. Erik guessed at a filling, perhaps, but those strange metal bands were still there, Erik could feel them.

“Everything alright, Charles?” Erik asked as Charles unwrapped his sandwich, and the only reply he got was a nod as Charles opened his mouth to take a bite. It was then Erik caught a glimpse of silver, and everything clicked.

Before either of them knew what was happening, Erik’s hand was cupping Charles’s cheek and Charles had thrown his sandwich to the ground with a surprised squeak.

“Charles,” Erik said, voice even despite the fact his mind was a screaming mess as he felt a warm tongue brush against the metal. “Charles, are you wearing braces?”

A beat passed between them, nobody saying anything, and Erik thought he must be the biggest idiot in the universe because his hand was still on Charles’s face and he started to extract it when Charles burst into a fully blown babble.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know how to tell you, because I know how fine tuned you are to metal, especially steel, and I didn’t want you to feel like you had to hold back your awareness because it was stuck onto my teeth and-”

“Charles-”

“-the dentist, well orthodontist, I suppose, said I should hopefully only have them on for a year, maybe less, please God, and Christ they hurt like bugger, but it’ll be fine-”

“Charles-”

“-Cain had his put on a few months ago and they haven’t killed him yet, soft prat, so I think i’ll be okay, I have to go back every four weeks so I’m hoping I won’t miss any more history for appointments and I hope I get used to them soon because-”

“Charles!”

“-I can’t say there the most flattering and, oh who am I kidding, they’re bloody awful, aren’t they? I knew I should’ve asked for the ceramic ones, at least then you wouldn’t be able to see the bloody traintracks and mmmf!”

To this day, Erik still doesn’t know what came over him. Maybe it was the way the extra intrusion in his mouth made Charles’s lips look even more rosy and plush than usual, or maybe it was the fact that the melodic hum of the steel against the velvety heat of Charles’s mouth felt divine against Erik’s awareness, or maybe it was the past seven years of pining after his best friend that finally broke the dam. Whatever the cause, Erik gripped Charles’s face in both hands, trying to be mindful of his tender mouth, and crashed their lips together, effectively silencing Charles.

The presence in his head was silent, and with a broken sense of devastation, Erik started to withdraw. This seemed to kick Charles into gear, as he was kissing back with enthusiasm, his mind light and airy inside Erik’s head, and Erik almost passed out at the soft moan that managed to slip past Charles’s lips.

Gently pulling away, Erik breathed heavily into the space between them, his thumb brushing gently against Charles’s burning cheek, his blue eyes staring dazedly back up at him.

“I like them.” Erik breathed. Charles finally gave him that toothy grin, braces and all. Erik had no choice but to kiss him again.

He missed the braces, when they eventually went. They allowed Erik to keep a tab on Charles, let him single him out in a crowd with ease. Sometimes, he ran invisible fingertips over the wires and brackets, just like the way Charles was always lounging at the edges of his consciousness: just because he could. It was intimate, tracking metal that was so closely connected to Charles, and he would admit, albeit grudgingly, to mourning the loss of the braces when Charles had them taken off, though he supposed Charles’s even wider grin now that his teeth were straight was an alright consolation.

Charles’s watch allowed him to follow Charles around after that, but it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t personal, and it wasn’t nearly as satisfying.

The only thing that came close came ten years after Charles had had his braces put on, when Erik slid a thin band of gold onto the fourth finger of Charles left hand. Just like the first time, he kissed Charles until he grinned, running his powers over the mellowed thrum of the gold. When Erik pulled away, and Charles grinned brightly up at him, Erik had no choice but to kiss him again.

[squiddybeifong]

Fluffy Q, BabsRae with 12? 💕💕💕💕 it’s been a Hot Second since either of us wrote for them & I miss that 💕

Table for Two, Chapter Three

12. Who falls asleep on who? What is their reaction when the other falls asleep on them?

From this list of fluffy prompts:

–

Despite being early January, Gotham hadn’t been burdened by too much snow. A small blanket had covered the ground but the sidewalk had yet to be turned into a slurry mess. Which was very useful since Raven’s idea of bringing out the ‘big guns’ was taking Barbara to her absolute favorite place in all of Gotham: Robinson Park. Staying on the south end so that the sunny glare from the snow was hidden by Gotham City Hall, the two found their way to a remarkably dry park bench hidden under an elm’s branches. Barbara held a plastic box in one hand, the other wrapped around Raven’s arm. For balance, of course.

Snickering as she brushed the snowflakes clinging off her hair, Raven let her bag drop to her feet as she took a seat next to the librarian. She slid her arm down until they were practically holding hands, grinning at the redhead as she popped open the plastic.

“Dried peaches,” Barbara murmured. Raven raised a brow and she flushed, “Have you ever tried them? They’re my favorites.”

Raven shrugged, “Can’t say I have.” The waitress plucked a piece out and rested an elbow on the bench’s back, curious as she tried one. Babs watched her as she ate her own slice, feeling an odd sort of leisure in the coziness of their little scene.

That leisure somewhat broke as Raven curled against her side, her cheek warm through the heavy coat that the redhead wore. Barbara cuddled back and they fell into a comfortable silence, blinking away the occasional snowflake off their lashes as they snacked and people watched. But even the hilarity of watching people do their best ice-skating impressions couldn’t keep the yawn from escaping her. Raven lazily rested her chin on the librarian’s shoulder, her smile a bit timid despite the bold move, “Sleepy?”

“Yeah,” Running a hand through her hair, green eyes suddenly went wide as she met Raven’s gaze. She flushed and tried to explain, lest her date get the wrong idea, “I had a big test Wednesday, a double shift last night then a morning class earlier today.”

Her heartbeat would’ve relaxed when the waitress seemed to understand, although the small smile that curled her lips was more than enough to get Babs’ heart thumping all over again. “Masochist,” Raven murmured, amused and impressed at the librarian’s resolve. She watched as freckles were consumed in a blush as the redhead fiddled with the side of her glasses. Her words came out fast, as if she wasn’t sure whether or not to say something so impulsive on just their second date, “Well, it’s worth it if I get to spend the rest of my day with you.”

Raven’s shoulders shook as she held back her chuckle. Feeling charmed, she smiled at the comment and pecked the outside of her date’s coat. Emerald eyes widened behind the glasses and she cuddled closer, sighing out, “So you’re warm, cute, and a nerd.”

Barbara let out a groan at her teasing, smothering her giggles with her palm as warmth seeped into her. She leaned closer for more cuddles, enchanted at the knowledge that Raven thought she was cute. Her thoughts short circuited as the budding baker wrapped her arms around her waist as they settled down, their breaths puffing in the air as a warm, amused silence enveloped them. After another moment, Barbara licked her lips and spoke again, “You don’t mind the quiet?”

Gray eyes flicked up to her face. “You’re a librarian,” The waitress deadpanned. Raven chuckled again, “I thought that was a part of your job.”

“Well, yeah. But you don’t need to be if you don’t want to.”

Her past disasters of first (well, second) dates came to mind as Raven looked at her for a moment. Babs wondered if she was being a bit too on the nose before the shorter woman simply hummed, sneaking another peach as she sunk down to rest her cheek on the redhead’s shoulder again, “I like the quiet. It’s nice.”

“Yeah?”

“Mmhmm,” Raven squeezed her hand and let them lay in their laps. She smiled as Babs intertwined their gloved fingers. Her eyes closed and a snicker escaped her as the redhead murmured, “Reminds me of that Pulp Fiction quote.”

Raven lifted her head and smirked at her date, “Wow, a librarian who knows pop culture movie references? You’re just the whole package, huh?”

She batted her lashes at Babs, her teasing lessened at the way her eyes flicked to the redhead’s mouth. Barbara bit her lip and leaned in, nervously giggling as their noses bumped. Her hand came to cup the waitress’ cheek and Raven tilted up to kiss her.

It was a slow, lazy, timid kiss, no more than a peck. They reluctantly pulled apart as their ears filled with the sound of the ice slurry squishing under a passing car’s tires. Raven gazed at her through half-lidded lids, licking her lips once and then reaching up to kiss her again. Babs hummed as she grabbed onto the waitress’ shoulders, leaning her weight on the bench’s back as she smiled into the embrace.

They separated again, their cheeks burning. Babs could only quietly whisper, “Woah…”

Raven nodded, her fingers fanning out over her waist, “Yeah…”

A beat, then they leaned in for one more peck, giggles bursting out of them as Barbara’s glasses jerked up when their foreheads touched. Gray eyes were shiny as Raven booped their noses again. Her words came out in a murmur, “I like hanging out with you like this…”

The redhead smiled and hummed as she urged Raven’s face into her scarf, holding her as they got comfy again on the bench. She ran her fingers over the violet-dyed strands as they sunk into another bout of quiet, simply enjoying each other’s presence as the snow started coming down a bit faster.

Everything was… calm.

Despite her rapidly beating heart and the taste of Raven’s chapstick on her lips, Babs felt her tired lids drooping down as she let herself get swept up in the warmth and weight of her date leaning against her. Vaguely, she rationalized her actions as being so tired from her previous all-nighter, but her thoughts trailed off as the spicy mango of Raven’s shampoo lulled her to sleep.

Raven lifted her head as the arms around her loosened just a tad, her eyes snapping open as a quiet snore sounded above her.

She bit back an incredulous laugh, burying her face in the soft cotton of Babs’ scarf. Snickering, she muttered into the fabric, “No fucking way.” Still the waitress paused before she moved, unsure of exactly how to get up without waking her. Before she could even begin to think of anything, a car let out an indignantly long honk. Barbara shifted at the noise, a quiet huff escaping her as she started to wake up.

Raven raised her chin to look at her, letting out a squawk as a blob of snow fell from the branches above them. The waitress winced, more concerned at Babs’ gasp than the cold seeping through her own clothes.

“Sorry about that,” She murmured, hastily moving onto her knees and brushing the snow off her date’s shoulders. Gray eyes critically ran over the redhead’s face, narrowing in worry at how exhausted the librarian really was. Pale hands rubbed at some crystals that clung to freckled cheeks, her smile timid, “You’re gonna wear yourself out, you know.”

“I thought that was your job.” Babs impishly leaned forward at her own words, booping her nose to Raven’s. She savored the wide, flustered gaze aimed her way for only a moment, then her eyes widened comically as her sleep deprived mind realized exactly what she just said.

Blushing but focused, Raven ran a tongue over her teeth, “My apartment’s a few blocks from here.” The waitress murmured out something in another language under her breath as she worriedly brushed aside Babs’ hair to feel her forehead. A part of her was buzzing at the intimacy of the act and the blatancy of the redhead’s accidental slip, but she was mainly concerned with how pink her cheeks were getting –and not in the good way.

She hummed and readjusted the scarf tighter around Barbara’s neck, “I know we didn’t plan it, but you could spend the night, if you’d like?”

Embarrassment and amusement lined emerald eyes, “Don’t you mean if we’d like?”

Raven snorted, the movement a bit strained with concern, “Ask Zamyatin if you want, but this half of we is fine with it.”

“Good, but I don’t have a pink slip,“ Babs teased. She held both of Raven’s hands to brace herself as she stood, shaking her head to clear the fog of not being able to quite fall asleep. The librarian pushed up her glasses to rub at her cold lashes, faltering as she realized what she said.

Raven squeezed her hands and turned towards the street, her easy (albeit worried) smile stopping the redhead before she could apologize, "Pfft, I got you to join me out here. If anything you’re D-503.”

The librarian paused at her words as Raven started leading them away from the snow-laden tree, a chuckle-turned-yawn escaping out of her a second later. Briefly, she wondered whether or not she could risk stealing another kiss but pushed the thought aside, “No one ever gets references to that.”

“We is a classic,” Raven winked and tugged on her arms, resting her palm in the crook of the taller woman’s elbow. Gray eyes glanced up at the sky once, noting how fast the snow was starting to come down, “I’ve got a copy or two back home. Let’s get you there and warm and then we’ll make all the dystopian references you want, okay?”

Babs nodded as she yawned, the move cut off by a series of sneezes. Raven furrowed her brows and cuddled closer. “I’ll get us a Lyft,” She muttered as she fumbled with her phone. A snicker came out of her when Babs immediately guessed, “Then off to the Ancient House?”

Raven didn’t look up from her phone, pressing her cheek against her date’s shoulder. She smirked and clicked her tongue, “Sleepy Babs is a Horny Babs, apparently.”

Barbara shrugged and kissed the waitress’ temple, the snowflakes on her glasses keeping her from seeing how Raven nearly dropped her phone at the move. She was still lethargic and the goth’s heat on her side was bound to make her drift off again. Green eyes blinked, opened, then closed as another yawn reminded her that she really shouldn’t do any all-nighters without caffeine, “We can still cuddle though, right?”

Raven glanced up at her face, a small hum rumbling out of her as Babs kissed her temple again, “Cars are really good for that.”

Tenderly tugging the redhead towards their car Raven nodded, her heart pounding at just how enjoyable casual affection was. Her voice was a beat faster than normal as she agreed, “Of course.”

[everymovie2020]

Demolition Man (1993)

Date watched:  28 July 2018

It seems like Saturday afternoons are when I'm in the mood for mindless 90s action movies, and after the success of Tango & Cash last weekend, I thought I'd continue with the best of Sylvester Stallone.

For anyone who hasn't seen it, a brief rundown of the plot:

Wesley Snipes is Simon Phoenix, a super bad criminal living in a dystopian LA that looks like something out of a post-apocalyptic nightmare.  Sylvester Stallone is John Spartan (A+ character names in this movie), the cop who will stop at nothing to get him, which he finally does, at the start of the movie, only it turns out that the hostages Wesley Snipes had taken hostage were in the building that was destroyed, and somehow Sylvester Stallone gets blamed for their deaths even though he didn’t know they were in the building?

The whole first ten minutes is basically a walking advertisement for body cams. It's very he says/he says.

So without any kind of investigation into how the people died, Sylvester Stallone is found guilty of their deaths and sentenced to 40+ years in a cryo-prison.

Here's my question – this version of LA in 1996 is damn near lawless, and the technology is not that advanced, so how they fuck do they have a cryo-prison?  I don't think you're meant to question it.

So they freeze poor Sylvester Stallone and let me tell you something, I would challenge anyone who has ever watched this movie to confess that they spend the whole freezing process scene trying to spot Sly's dick, because I know I do.

Cut to THE FUTURE (2032) and Los Angeles is now a peaceful utopia without any crime at all, except for some graffiti and swearing (I'd be done for), and Wesley Snipes is up for parole and wouldn't you know it?  He busts free!  And wreaks havoc upon the city!  So they wake up Sylvester Stallone to take care of business!

And in the process of taking care of business he destroys a museum, he bangs Sandra Bullock, he figures out how to use the three seashells (is it not the greatest movie question of all time?  How do you use the three seashells?), he makes friends with Denis Leary, he does a lot of property damage, he probably gets innocent civilians killed and in the end he freezes Wesley Snipes, decapitates him and smashes his frozen head on the ground in the greatest villain death scene OF ALL TIME.

God damn is it fun.  This might be one of Wesley Snipes' greatest roles – he is delightfully unhinged and so much fun to watch.

The other thing I was thinking during this movie (and pretty much any 90s action movie I've been watching lately) is how the concept is original – waking up a hardened 90s criminal and 90s cop respectively in a beautiful peaceful utopia and having them wreak havoc upon its innocent citizens, like… they could have a lot of fun with that idea, from the costumes to the way the city looked to the sets, it all looks futuristic but not so futuristic that it turns into science fiction.

And again I'm like, why don't we have movies like this anymore?  Why are all action movies now so gritty and lacking in humour?  I'm struggling to think of a recent movie that would compare to this.

Maybe Kingsman?  But then it's a different kind of movie; not really an action movie like this, with a big action star.  Maybe a Jason Statham movie?

I just feel like some originality has been lost over the years. I'm not complaining about superhero movies because I fucking love them, but… it feels like everything is a sequel now. And everything has to be this huge event; gross a billion dollars in order to be successful, and fun action comedies have fallen by the wayside.

And don't even get me started on wtf happened to romantic comedies.  Who can I blame for the downfall of romantic comedies?  It's ridiculous.

I admit I have a soft spot for the 90s because I was a kid, and my dad and I used to go to the TT&R video shop every Saturday and I would make my selections for the week, and then proceed to watch those movies to death.  My parents never really restricted me from watching anything I wanted to, so I would've only been 9 or 10 the first time I saw this movie – not that it's particularly "bad" by today's standards, I mean, it's pretty violent but I'd say there's more graphic violence in Kingsman than in this.

So movies like this are the movies of my childhood and it's the reason I enjoy them so much, and honestly, more than the gritty action movies we have today.  I would much rather watch something big, dumb and fun than unrelenting grim violence with a washed out colour scheme.

[lilibetbombshell]

!!!REVIEW!!!

TITLE: TELL ME AN ENDING

AUTHOR: JO HARKIN

PUBLISHER: SCRIBNER

PUBLICATION DATE: MARCH 1ST, 2022

RATING: 4 / 5 STARS

Don’t let the dystopian label on this book fool you, because this book is in no way dystopian. I have no clue why it’s labeled that way, because it’s rather futuristic and not really a story that matches with the concept of a world filled with great suffering and injustice. Does the plot revolve around something that is allegedly meant to alleviate great suffering? Yes. But the rest of the world inside this book seems quite analogous to our world today, just that in the world inside this book there’s a company that you can pay to remove memories. That’s just something out of science and contemplative fiction. That’s not dystopic–it’s a thought experiment.

“Tell Me An Ending” is a deeply philosophical book, but the questions it asks aren’t new ones at all: do our memories shape who we are? Would we be the same people we are today if one of those life-shaping memories was scrubbed out as if we had taken an eraser to our brains? Or would the erasure of that memory, once accomplished, possibly put us on uneven enough ground we could find ourselves unable to navigate our lives without this deep-seated feeling that something is missing. Something is wrong. Something is lost. Could we look in the mirror and reconcile our reflection outside to the one outside?

I will tell you: this book is long, and it’s a mosaic of a story. It’s told in bits and pieces from different POVs until they all start to intersect with one another, and then the picture becomes clearer, but even at the end the picture still hasn’t been completely clarified. This is a book for readers that love to read and think about the big questions. It will take you time to read, that’s for sure. Is it an excellent book? Yes, I think so. It’s just not going to be a book for your average reader.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[thesnakesaid]

Logan’s Run by William F. Nolan #20: A book at the bottom of your to-read list

Hooooo boy... I’ve been looking forward to writing this book review since about 30 seconds into listening to the audiobook, because the whole experience of this book has been super weird.

First weird thing - the story of my reading this book begins long before me even starting this reading project. So long that I don’t even remember the details of how it came on my radar. I know that I was watching some sort of video, maybe a special feature / commentary on some movie?, and the person talking was listing off classic sci-fi stories that had been an influence on whatever movie they were talking about. At the time, I was trying to really actively work to read more sci-fi and fantasy, so I jotted down the list of books this person recommended into a note on my phone. I even remember having to google Logan’s Run, because I didn’t understand his accent completely and wasn’t sure if I have the title right. At the time, I didn’t have a TBR list at all - at least not one I had written down. This is how it ended up on my current booklist.

Years pass. It’s 2018 and I finally rolled a 20. Cool! Let the reading commence. 

Logan’s Run is a story about a futuristic society in which the younger generation has rejected the older generation for being excessive, hypocritical, opportunistic, and backwards. This conflict built up throughout the 20th century until it ultimately culminated in the Little War, a short war between the young and the old that culminated in all people over the age of 21 being killed or allowed to die off, and the younger generation of under-21s creating a social contract that ensured that once they turn 21, they will submit themselves to be euthanized. This system is sustained through automatic processes that run the government, androids that raise children, “flowers” inserted into every child’s palm that change color to indicate their age, and Sandmen, a police force specifically designed to track down and kill “runners” attempting to escape their fate of death at the age of 21.

Logan, our main character, is a Sandman. His story starts on his 21st birthday, the last day of his life, when he is tasked to track down a runner. Before this runner dies, he hands Logan a key and tells him to go find Sanctuary, a city rumored to exist specifically for runners to live out the rest of their natural lives. Logan initially decides to join forces with Jessica, another runner, to find Sanctuary with the secret intent to destroy Sanctuary as his last act of service to the world and role he was born into. However, over the course of his process of tracking down Sanctuary, he develops sympathy for Jessica and the other runners he comes across, and ultimately begins to desire to reach Sanctuary so he can live there, rather than for the purpose of destroying it.

As I was listening to this book, there were a lot of thoughts going through my head. Firstly, the premise is pretty weird - it reads like a dystopian story, but I’m not sure if that would really be a fair classification for it, because most dystopian books are supposed to represent what the logical extension of a currently popular idea would be, and the kind of negative ramifications it could have. While the premise was certainly interesting, I wouldn’t say that it is a very popular idea that the world would or could be better off without old people, especially when “old” is defined by anyone over the age of 21. (My caveat to this is that there definitely is a lot of tension between millennials/gen-z and baby boomers today - I would love to just sit down with William F. Nolan and talk about why he chose the premise he did at the time and what it’s like to watch this generational issues unfold more than 50 years after he initially published the book). Secondly, I did find it weird that Nolan didn’t go deep with the characterization in this story. There are so many cool opportunities for us to get to know Logan better as a character - what was he really thinking and feeling as he slowly became more and more converted to the side of the runners? What is it really like for 21 year olds to be the oldest and more mature members of society? Not to mention the fact that there was a love subplot between Logan and Jessica that basically had no emotional narration whatsoever. Nolan chooses to focus more on the action aspects of the story than the emotional aspects of it, which I think was a missed opportunity.

All that being said, I really liked the book! It’s hard to put my finger on what I liked about it that outweighed the criticism I just gave it - I think it’s something about how it felt really dated, but in a classic way. It made me think about what it must have been like for science fiction writers and fans back before movies and TV could create a really convincing and realistic image of the worlds that these authors were imagining.

Because of this, I was searching and searching online to read about what other people thought of the book. This leads us to the second weird thing, which is that there seems to be no��online discussion of the book anywhere! Everything I found on reddit, tumblr, etc. was all focused on the movie. Even the author’s website and social media are clearly run by his publishing company and used to advertise random things that have nothing to do with any of his books. So I ended up with this weird feeling that I was the only one in the world who is reading/has read this book even though it was clearly pretty popular at the time. This feeling got extra weird when at one point in the book, one character referred to another as “my own, my precious.” At this point, I am dying to know whether that was an intentional Lord of the Rings reference, and if so, why?? But I think that mystery might remain unsolved forever.

Anyway - this is actually the first book in a trilogy. Apparently the author even wrote two more books beyond that in the series, but they were never published. I probably won’t read the other books any time soon, but only because I have other things on my list - I would not be opposed to reading the other two books somewhere down the line.

August 18, 2018

[academiablogs]

The New Golden Age

  Every age feels that they’re witnessing the death of culture. The last gasps of a once-great civilization which has declined from misuse, ignorance, and apathy. Ask anyone above a certain age and they’ll tell you how people no longer read, or ask the right questions; people can’t appreciate true art, or enjoy an intelligent conversation. “Things used to be so good...and now look at us: we’re circling the drain.” Of course, that’s what the people over a certain age said about their time, too...

It’s inevitable, perhaps, that the older generation finds fault with the young, and sees the new literature, art, or ideas as somehow degenerate—falling short of the ideal of what “once was.” But can the opposite be true as well: that we’re living in the Golden Age right now, at least in literature? Are there more good books now than there were 10 or 20 years ago? Is there more chance for an author to find his or her audience now that they can publish their own books—agents be damned? And does the zeitgeist of #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, and #OwnVoices finally level the playing field for diverse stories and storytellers like never before?

Whatever we claim about our literary moment will be a vain speculation; in the end, only time will tell. But we can take stock of the books around us and ask one important question: could they have been published in another age? Would the early 20th century have welcomed our books and ideas? Or what about the Victorians? Or the Elizabethans? Is what we have uniquely and completely our own? If we can say “yes,” then perhaps we are existing in a moment people will one day remember and write about, and not dismiss as some generic appendix to the Great Writers of Yore.

Here’s a few suspicions I have that we are, indeed, living in a Golden Age of sorts:

Comics: 

In the past, we had to convince people that comics were a medium, and not a genre. That one comic isn’t the same as another, any more than one book (or even one fantasy novel) is the same as the one beside it. Now, people generally understand the difference between superhero comics and underground comics; historical comics and erotic comics; manga and bande desinnée. And these distinctions allow comics writers and artists to express an entire range of stories that would have never reached print even 20 years ago. And behold—superheroes are taken seriously as the modern myths they are, allowing writers to dramatically reinterpret Superman as more than a cardboard alien fallen to earth (check out Superman: American Alien!)

YA Literature: 

The fact that we can use these two terms together without risk of laughter or outrage is a case in point. “Young Adult” may have outlived its purpose, but if nothing else, it allowed storytellers a middle path between literature and children’s books. Or perhaps it merely allowed us to go back to writing the kind of clever, wise, and thrilling books they used to write for kids of all ages such as The Hobbit, The Railway Children, and The Prisoner of Zenda. When ‘serious’ writers are starting to dabble in YA, it can’t just be to hop on the bandwagon: they’ve seen the possibility that so many other writers saw who cut their teeth on it. A chance to tell new stories in a way that so-called ‘literary’ novels would scoff at—but which readers are clamoring for. An alchemic mixture of innocence and sophistication which requires the eye of cynic and the heart of a saint.

Science fiction and fantasy: 

These genres have had various golden ages in the past, most notably in the 30’s, the 50’s, and the 70’s, but the more you look, the more you realize how much great fantasy and speculative fiction is flooding the shelves. It’s finally become accepted and almost mainstream, perhaps largely thanks to film and TV learning to take it seriously, too. Star Trek spearheaded this movement way back in the 60’s, as a clever, if veiled, way to examine contemporary society. Now, as we sense ourselves losing control of our culture, dystopian literature comes to our aid, allowing us to ‘play through’ the destruction of our species—and find a way forward (Station Eleven is a case in point). Some of the works are darker than others, but few offer shopworn morals or  escapist charms; rather, the authors realize that the future is an abstraction that allows us to examine the present in a vacuum, without the taint of names and dates. Fantasy, too, has moved beyond King Arthur narratives to embrace endless cultures and traditions—in turn, stretching what it means to tell a story of myth and legend. And it’s not just for boys anymore...much of the best of both genres has been written by women, and often from a woman’s perspective. This could not have happened in any other age, golden or otherwise.

Classics:

this might seem like a non-sequitir—how can classics make our age a golden one? Don’t they represent the eternal radiance of the past? True—but how many classics were available “back then”? Ironically, much of the best literature written 100 years ago wasn’t even available for people to read. Today, anyone can amass a cheap, portable library of the greatest works from every culture without even owning a bookshelf. A lightweight, relatively inexpensive Kindle holds the equivalent of Alexandria. Even better, most of the ‘great books’ are free to download or at least absurdly cheap. There’s never been a more accessible time to become a reader. And for those who prefer hard copies, imprints such as Penguin Classics, Oxford World’s Classics, and Dover publish widely across cultures to bring us “the best books ever written” (according to Penguin’s ad copy). When else could you find any book you wanted, by any author, dead or alive, in virtually any language...and on the very day you desired it?

True, there have been better ages for literature—and many more to come. But this one should be appreciated for what it is, a time of plenty, of experimentation, and of availability. There’s more than we can hope to read in a dozen lifetimes. Yet don’t despair; we don’t have to read them all. After all, isn’t it better to die with so many unread volumes lying at your feet, than knowing you’ve consumed it all? I want to go into death with questions, mysteries, and the ambition to find more books, maybe the books that never even made it to print. And those which were lost—and destroyed—or simply forgotten. We’ve never lived in an age where we could know so much—and forget even more. It’s an exciting time to be a reader and a scholar, and for all the darkness and despair in the world, books remain our constant companion. And no tyrant or warlord has managed to figure out how to shut them up yet...they go on talking for millennia, with new writers perversely being born to meet the demand for new books, new ideas, and new Golden and Silver ages to come.

[suchagiantnerd]

28 Books, 1 Year

Well, 2020, amirite? Staying home with a 4-year-old and a baby really decreased my reading time, bringing me to my lowest total ever since starting this blog. Here we go!

1. Her Body and Other Parties / Carmen Maria Machado

I rarely feel stupid when reading fiction, but this collection of short stories left me feeling pretty stupid. Machado's writing is visceral and gorgeous but what she's trying to say is mostly beyond me. Overall, the collection (as evident by the title) looks at the ways existing in a woman's body is fraught. Sometimes we want to escape our bodies, often our bodies are harmed or taken advantage of against our will, sometimes our bodies fail us. But as for the more nitty-gritty takeaways, I couldn't get there. One story in particular is staying with me. In it, Machado invents new summaries of each and every episode of Law & Order: SVU, telling a tale of a living, breathing New York City that requires regular blood sacrifices and in which everyone has a doppelgänger. I liked it, but definitely didn't get it.

2. Moon of the Crusted Snow / Waubgeshig Rice

This wonderfully chilling read takes place on a remote reserve in Northern Ontario. Over the course of a few days, cell service stops, the internet goes down, and the power goes out. With no communication possible with other communities, the reserve's residents can only guess at what may be occurring down south. As autumn creeps toward winter, the snow piles up and panic sets in. Eventually, a visitor arrives via snowmobile and confirms the residents' worst fears about the state of civilization while also asking to stay on in the community. Can he be trusted? Will others follow? This was a tense page-turner looking at the importance of community, preparedness and leadership.

3. Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar / Cheryl Strayed

Dear Sugar's advice to a person who didn't know whether or not he wanted kids is what turned me onto her. The answer was perfect. For someone on the fence, there is no right answer, no wrong answer. But there was a simple beauty to the way she said this. In this advice column collection, Sugar answers questions about love, parenthood, friendship, loss, death, finances, education, hopes and dreams. She insists again and again that we open our hearts and give forgiveness a chance while still maintaining healthy boundaries. And through her answers (and anecdotes) she showers love and care on so many devastated readers who are often writing to her as a last resort.

4. Girlfriend in a Coma / Douglas Coupland

We start the action with a Breakfast Club-type group of teens at a party in 1979 Vancouver. One of them, Karen, ends the night in a coma and doesn’t wake up for 16 YEARS. Also, turns out she was pregnant, and gives birth while in the coma. Richard, her boyfriend, raises their daughter with the help of his parents and friends, and by the time Karen wakes up again, the world has gone downhill. Not long after she wakes up, everyone starts falling asleep and dying except for the original group of friends and Karen’s daughter. I liked this novel as I’m a sucker for everything dystopian, but I also had to ask WHY? Why this random group of teens out of all the world? Why did Karen have to be in a coma for so long? How does it tie into the apocalypse? I still don’t know guys. I still don’t know.

5. How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence / Michael Pollan

Back in the 1960s, research on LSD was banned thanks to a moral panic. But today, scientists and therapists are starting to study its uses again. Pollan takes a deep dive into the future of LSD, psilocybin (certain mushrooms, and if I remember correctly, a substance that a certain toad secretes?!) and DMT, taking various trips himself with the help of trained guides. His vivid descriptions of each trip were the highlight of the book, and I find myself, someone who has never tried anything other than pot, wanting to try microdosing in the future.

6. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine / Gail Honeyman

The first of two contrarian reviews this year, I really didn’t like this book. I found Eleanor’s character and quirks completely unbelievable, and even discovered a little hole in the plot demonstrating that she can’t be as out of touch with pop culture as Honeyman claims she is (which I can’t reveal to you because it’s also a spoiler). I think my issue is that as far as I know, the author is not neurodivergent, whereas Eleanor is. I think this does a real disservice to readers, and would much prefer to read something like this by a neurodivergent author.

7. The Story of the Lost Child / Elena Ferrante

I finally finished the Neapolitan Quartet series! The fourth and final book finds Elena and Lila in their thirties and follows them until they’re in their sixties as they navigate professional successes and failures, new aspects of motherhood, relationship woes, and a fraying friendship. The dynamics of the friendship at the core of this series speak to me so deeply and captures so much about the passion, tension, tenderness, and competition that lurk within a longtime platonic relationship.

8. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle / Stuart Turton

Dare I describe this as Downton Abbey meets Black Mirror? Aidan Bishop wakes up on the same date and in the same setting every day (Blackheath Manor on Evelyn Hardcastle’s birthday) but as a different guest or employee each time. Each night, Evelyn Hardcastle is murdered. Aidan quickly learns that his task is to find the murderer, using the different skillsets and vantage points he inherits with each subsequent body. The tension! The twists! The gorgeous setting! I loved this winding, wild novel.

9. You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance / Chani Nicholas

If you are an astrology lover and don’t know who Chani Nicholas is, you’ve been living under a rock! Follow this woman! Her practice and guidance is so inclusive - feminist, anti-racist, anti-transphobic, body positive, and all about how to discover and lean into your gifts and talents while keeping in mind the greater good and working toward a more progressive society.

10. An Ocean of Minutes / Thea Lim

I started reading this dystopian novel about a pandemic right at the start of the pandemic! Maybe not a wise decision, but it didn’t matter, because this book is a beautiful, moving read. In the near future, young couple Polly and Frank find themselves stranded in Galveston, Texas, when a deadly virus begins sweeping across the globe. Frank gets sick, and the only way that Polly can pay for his expensive life-saving treatment is if she signs up as a bonded laborer and travels to the future (yes, time-travel exists!) The couple agree to meet up in 12 years (which will really be just a few short days for Polly). However, Polly is send an extra five years into the future, and Frank is nowhere to be found. The worry I felt! Polly’s loneliness and confusion in the future! Will they find each other again? Oh boy, this was an emotional ride!

11. Where the Crawdads Sing / Delia Owens

The second of my two contrarian reviews this year, I also really disliked this book, which everyone else and their mother seemed to adore? It was bad! The plot felt really contrived, the characters were two-dimensional, and I felt icky about the author’s two Black characters and how the protagonist, Kya, interacted with them. I don’t think Delia is informed enough about the realities of the Black experience, then and now, to responsibly write Black characters. Also, the ‘twist ending’ was a snooze fest. The one redeeming factor was the author’s palpable love of and knowledge about nature. I really did enjoy reading about the coastal habitat and sea life that the Kya loved so much. Oh, what’s this novel about, you ask? It’s a combo coming-of-age / murder mystery set in the 1950s and 60s.

12. The Skin We’re In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power / Desmond Cole

Cole is a Canadian journalist and activist shining a much needed light on racism in this country. In this book, he highlights one incidence of systemic racism in action per month during the year of 2017, focussing on police brutality, harm caused by school boards and educators, the Canada 150 celebrations, and unjust immigration policies. This book packs a punch and Cole’s writing style is really accessible. It’s a great entry point into learning about the realities of racism in Canada.

13. Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds / Adrienne Maree Brown

I absolutely loved this book, though I find it hard to pin down. At its core, it encourages us to think more deeply and holistically about nature, social justice, and community. Brown is heavily influenced by Black sci-fi / dystopian master Octavia Butler, specifically Butler’s ideas around “shaping change” while living through change. It’s full of gems of wisdom, like this quote, which is one of my favourites: “Imagination is one of the spoils of colonization, which in many ways is claiming who gets to imagine the future for a given geography.” As Brown also writes about, and which we can really see in this moment, we are currently living through the tail-end of a dying society, imagined by a small few. What could we create together if everyone’s imaginings carried equal weight?

14. From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way / Jesse Thistle

Thistle’s emotional and turbulent memoir begins with a loving memory of his time as a little boy at his maternal grandparents’ home. Not long after, his parents moved the family away from their Métis community and Jesse and his two brothers soon end up in the foster care system. This experience, though relatively brief, absolutely traumatized all three of them. Later, they end up living with their paternal grandparents, who love them deeply but are extremely strict, which doesn’t work for Thistle. He hits various rock bottoms, battling with addiction, trauma and homelessness at the intersection of racism. And somehow, he manages to break free of these harmful cycles, go back to school, and become an academic and best-selling author.

15. Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present / Robyn Maynard

I would call this a must-read for Canadians. Maynard breaks down exactly how Canada surveils and punishes Blackness despite its claims of inclusivity and tolerance. She explores policing, yes, but also social work, education, immigration, and education and it’s impossible not to see the levers of systemic racism at work everywhere. Fair warning though, this is a more academic text and requires real concentration.

16. Jhumpa Lahiri / Unaccustomed Earth

This collection of short stories (the last being more of a novella) was gripping. I somehow fell in love with almost all of the characters. Lahiri writes people so skillfully. I felt their longing, hope, sorrow, grief, excitement. Most of the tales take place within the Indian community in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but some stories take us further afield. Lahiri picks a key relationship to focus on within each story - daughter/father, sister/brother, two roommates, childhood acquaintances - and lays them out gently under her microscope for us to see in all their intricate complexity.

17. Midnight Sun / Stephenie Meyer

Did you guys know I’m a Twihard? Having read all the Twilight novels (multiple times) way before I started this blog, this may be new information. But I’m a huge, pathetic fan and though I love Jacob, I will always be Team Edward. So OF COURSE I had to read this extremely long-awaited book, which is actually Twilight, but from Edward’s point of view rather than Bella’s. It was genuinely enjoyable, but not filled with nearly enough sexual tension for my liking. And of course, never ever read it unless you are also a Twilight fan.

18. The Sun and Her Flowers / Rupi Kaur

It’s Rupi being Rupi! I legitimately enjoy Rupi’s poetry, but I don’t love it. Some of the pieces really resonate, and others do nothing for me. But I do think she’s an important voice for young women, and specifically young women of colour. So much of her writing is about reclaiming your power, honouring the older generation of women who sacrificed so much and received nothing in return, and learning to love yourself in a society that is constantly trying to hurt you. Her poetry is always an uplifting read.

19. Conscious Creativity: Look, Connect, Create / Philippa Stanton

I’ve been following Philippa on Instagram for years as I adore her flat-lays and domestic foraging arrangements (if you follow me on IG, you may have seen my colour-themed #DomesticForaging homages to her work!) So when she published a book outlining her own creative process (and containing tons of her gorgeous photography), I had to read it. Stanton has included lots of activities meant to light your creative spark and inspire new ways of looking at things. She also writes about her experiences as a synesthete (someone who may “see” music as colours or who may “hear” shapes), which was fascinating. This is a book I’ll certainly go back to when I’m feeling uninspired. Want to follow her on IG? Her handle is @5tfinf.

20. Turkey Trot Murder / Leslie Meier

Guys, this review is the start of something BIG. Brad knows that I love to read books that are “in season” (I don’t want to read a book set in the summer during the winter, etc.). So he bought me this very niche Thanksgiving mystery novel to read in October. It’s alllll fluff, and very much in the “so bad it’s good” category. It also turns out that Leslie Meier may be one of the most prolific authors of all time, and so Brad signed me up to her “book of the month” fan club for my birthday this year, meaning I get a new, seasonally appropriate Meier classic each month. (You should also know that the “book of the month” fan club is entirely made up, and the letters from Leslie are actually written by Brad, and yes, he has designed a logo for the letterhead.)

21. Haunted House Murder / Leslie Meier and Lee Hollis and Barbara Ross

Wait, what? THREE authors? Yes, some of the Leslie Meier classics are actually novellas, so they are combined with novellas by two other authors into these seasonal collections. Also, Lee Hollis isn’t even real. Lee Hollis is in fact TWO PEOPLE, a brother/sister writing duo! So there are four authors involved in this spooky little collection. They all take place in small-town Maine, so yes, the settings are adorable and the plots are terrible.

22. Autumn / Karl Ove Knausgaard

I think I would describe this memoir (?) as a collection of magical noticings. While his wife is pregnant with their fourth baby, Knausgaard starts writing letters to the unborn child, telling them about, well, everything and anything. That project turned into this book, in which the writer observes everyday things like hands, toilets, fog, petrol, and snakes, and finds the beauty and wonder in all of them. Reading this book left me feeling very inspired and wanting to try and develop this skill in myself as I write.

23. The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century / Kirk Wallace Johnson

Back in 2009, Edwin Rist stole HUNDREDS of dead birds from the British Museum of Natural History. That fact alone is mind-boggling (how?), but it gets wilder. He didn’t steal them for nerdy science reasons, he stole them to sell to the Victorian fly-tying community. Yes, flies as in the things you attach to fish hooks. And no, not flies that will actually be used, but flies that are constructed as a hobby and art form. Wallace Johnson does a great job of conveying Rist’s obsessive passion for fly-tying and the desperation many fly-tiers feel as they try to track down increasingly rare and protected feathers from exotic (or extinct) birds. The author also has a journalist’s nose for sniffing out lies and half-truths and even tracks down Rist himself for a sit-down interview. I was riveted throughout the whole book, which lives at the intersection of history, science, mystery, and psychological deep-dive.

24. Yule Log Murder / Leslie Meier and Lee Hollis and Barbara Ross

The seasonal fluff dream team is back! And yes, a yule log features prominently in each novella. Once as a murder weapon, and once as a suspected murder weapon! These books also feature real recipes, some of which actually look pretty tasty!

25. Empire of Wild / Cherie Dimaline

This was a chilling page-turner and the second novel of Dimaline’s that I’ve read and devoured. She’s quickly become one of my favourite authors. In this story, Joan, a Métis woman living in the Georgian Bay area, is at the tail-end of the worst year of her life. Almost a year ago, her husband Victor disappeared into thin air after a rare argument between the couple, and Joan’s been searching for him ever since. One day, she wanders past a Christian revival tent in a Walmart parking lot, and the minister is the spitting image of Victor. She manages to have a brief conversation with him and it appears he has no memory of her or his prior life. Yet, in her gut, she KNOWS it’s him and resolves to return him to himself (and to her). This slow-burning horror novel weaves in the Métis myth of the Rogarou, a werewolf-ish creature who walks lonely roads looking for victims, to great effect.

26. Eggnog Murder / Leslie Meier and Lee Hollis and Barbara Ross

Another seasonal romp in which this time, the eggnog is the murder weapon in TWO of the stories! TWO PEOPLE IN TWO SEPARATE STORIES DIE FROM DRINKING NUT MILK EGGNOG AND NOT KNOWING IT WAS NUT MILK AND SUFFERING FROM A NUT ALLERGY. Anyways, I actually made one of the included recipes this time - eggnog muffins - and they were truly delicious!

27. Watch Over Me / Nina LaCour

This is a beautiful and haunting (both literally and figuratively) YA novel about the way trauma from our past follows us around, haunting our present. Mila, who’s just aged out of the foster care system, lands what seems to be a perfect job helping to teach younger children at a farm in Northern California. The farm is owned by an older couple who’ve become somewhat famous for taking in dozens of kids from the foster system over the years. Upon arrival, Mila falls in love, but soon starts to notice strange things about the way things are done on the farm, while also suffering from PTSD related to her own childhood traumas. Is there something sinister going on, or could this beautiful, isolated place become the home Mila’s always longed for?

28. Phases / h.duxbury

I started writing poetry again this summer, and quickly found lots of other poets sharing their work on Instagram. @hduxburypoetry (a fellow Ontarian, too!) quickly became one of my favourite accounts to follow, so when i learned that she self-published a poetry collection, I had to grab a copy. Her work is heavily inspired by nature and the changing seasons, which I’m a sucker for, so I really enjoyed it. Her poems also delve into grief, loneliness, love, and growth.

Well, there you have it! As for my 2020 faves, my top three reads were:

Empire of Wild

Unaccustomed Earth

Emergent Strategy