#d. j. machale

[roseunspindle]

What I Read in October 2024

Continuing my absurd isekai/harem obsession (why do I like these?) Well, we have a love confession in like, volume one. It's kinda fun. ^_^

A start to a cute seeimg shojo with some psychic elements. (I do wish they hadn't altered people's names from the japanese...)

I love it. Prefer it to the anime. (Why is Cain so adorable?)

The end of this book just... wouldn't have happened if Aja hadn't been so dead set on being a "i am superior and knowing" bitch.

I love Tifana so much.

I liked this one a lot less. Elf girl's parents and brother were kinda the worst.

My mom couldn't remember this book when I was saying that Tuck Everlasting was written by the same author. So I had to dig it out so she could reread it (and nautrally I did too.) ^_^

These stories were awesome! Really loved Ghost Camera but all of them were so good.

Continuing my American Girl "I can finally buy and read these books" we have Meet Addy. I'd never read this one. Poo Addy and her family.

A fun ride.

I was really bad (fun new tooth problem) so I opted to reread this series.

This had an interesting premise but was a let down. It felt like a neat, gripping story was just...waiting to happen but kept not.

I finished Moby Dick! (Via Whale Weekly!) Woo. That ending though...emotionally unwell I must say.

Finally got my hands on volume 4 and 5

Also Heaven Official's Blessing Volume 5 (says I'm at the 30 images limit)

[noybusiness]

Thanks for the mention, @minalblood! I'm glad I helped keep up your enthusiasm for continuing. Now in the home stretch!

Mary, why didn't you just knock the nice policewoman unconscious before she could take John, the way a normal person would? 😉 You'd have been out of town in moments, and she's a fraction your size (I hate to say it, but Betty doesn't make a very convincing officer for the 1970s; today, yes, but not then).

Poor Kyle. Once John's name is cleared, his folks will think he lost the plot, committed suicide and tried to frame John for it.

It was good to see Maggie in the almost-flesh and see how close she and Lata were, which hadn't been mentioned much before. She looks not unlike Mary and Dean, too. Given that it was a vampire who was said to have killed her, I have a slight suspicion we might have seen her again in Season 2 and learned she was actually turned instead of killed.

Erebus's bracelet is like the Sword of Shannara in Terry Brooks's Shannara series (which was made into a TV show called The Shannara Chronicles on MTV that is actually quite good despite diverging from the books a lot, but in ways that actually do more with the post-apocalyptic theme the books set up and the individual characters). It gives its wielder the power of truth to use on others but they have to endure it themself first. 

Also, I appreciate them using one of the relatively obscure primordial Greek deities. A Dictionary of Classical Mythology was one of the first books my parents gave me to read as a little kid. My early passions were Greek mythology and family trees (which I combined in a family tree poster of the Greek gods, heroes and monsters - the heroes and monsters are all related to the gods and therefore to each other - for Home Room in middle school).

I don't think Millie, John or Mary has canonically been taken in on suspicion of being delusional, but it's an interesting idea and would make a good fanfic (although Mary would be sprung by her parents pretty quickly, I imagine, legally or not). In Season 6 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, we learned Buffy had been briefly institutionalized before the first season after she famously burned down the gym to destroy vampires at her old high school in LA, before moving to Sunnydale.

Would definitely be interested in those real-time notes!

 "There are two kinds of people in this world. People who hate and fear clowns... and clowns." - The Quillan Games by D.J. MacHale

I'm back and I'm so sorry! I won't make any promises for the last 2 ep of the Winchesters, but I will be reviewing/rewatching them anyways just ... who knows when, I dont!

But let's get started on You've got a Friend 1x11.

I hopefully will be a bit less rambly since O have a draft of my thoughts already written for this and its less... as Im watching (i can post that too if yall wanna but dunno if ull understand my handwriting)

We begin where we left off and I love that we have this scene of them needing to clean up, adds realism, adds dimension to the world. Love also that we begin with Lata being the Lata we all love - dejected in this case about her chimera paw was ruined. Queue Carlos with the teasing. The 2 of em banter a bit before Mary redirects us all to the matter at hand.

And Mary has come a long way in these episodes, because she may not join the banter (still closed off somewhat as opposed to Carlos and Lata's easy repartee) but she is going off of it and adding them into her area of interest.

But all stops when John come in blood soaked and in shock - Mary instantly worried he might be hurt, but nope, not this time.

I am so happy to see them portray the actual shock and numbness John is feeling, then the guilt and sadness, just all the reaction to Kyle's death really. And considering the survivor's guilt John is lugging around, it makes it even more heartbreaking. I also love seeing that Mary is the level headed one here - she,.imo, is clearly pushing down the grief to focus on John's issues here, hell we see very little of her grieving in this episode and everytime we do, she's quick to redirect that feeling into action - sometimes into violence point blank. She does it here, asking what the Akrida could want, she does it even moreso with Millie, where she does open up a bit since Millie is offering comfort, but then it turns into Millie coming with a plan which directly leads to Mary wanting to storm the police station guns blazing and the ep ends with Mary and John discussing Kyle (also god Mary looks absolutely exhausted here, fuck) but Mary derails it by saying they need to find Dean instead. She's def not allowing herself the moment to deal with Kyle's death which may prove relevant when discussing next episode.

I'd forgotten this ep was the Lata episode. Like ep 8 was Carlos', this one is Lata's. And god does it hurt.

1st, move the feather boa, Carlos!

2nd, I do genuinely believe Lata and Maggie were together. Everything in this episode points that way to me (but especialy the sweetpea nickname) We'll round back to this though.

The other thing we note in the sequence in Maggie's room is how close Carlos and Lata are to each other. Which we knew, but I always love seeing it again in action.

Before we continue with the emotional core of this ep, we have to get back to plot with Betty! I love Betty..I also can't blame her for being ....hesitant to say the least. Like imagine what she's seen so far: the guy who, before leaving to the marines illegally, proposed to her, is suddently interacting with, apparently, imfamous Mary Campbell, who is seen at several murder/investigation scenes suddenly appears ro have killed someone? And she already knows John had anger issues before hand. Like i get her here. And still shes trying to be nice while doing her job.

Which leads me to the next part, her job. So the detective... he's wording (even with him being really Akrida) echoes a lot of corrupt cop rethoric which only gets further emphasized when he later threatens to have John... killed 'accidently'. And, on top of them, speaking pf policw corruption even a 'good cop' like Betty becomes complicit simply because of the power the Akrida gained via the detective role cuz she was unwittingly helping them throughout.

But god, was John a bit too cocky here. (My notes have this marked as "this is why you let villains monologue, John!"). Especially since he actually doesn't have any info on Dean. (Love that we see the pic of Dean, missed him) l.

Meanwhile Lata and Carlos have found the bracelet and it's fucked them over. Also, I fucking hate the shadows thing, very creepy. Also also it reminds me of the daeva that Meg uses in s1 of SPN. I'm also reminded of SPN with the story the detective tells John about how they'll get rid of him - SPN's own crooked cop ep featured exactly this sorta plan too, but in killing Dean.

Really though, the main thing I found interesting upon rewatch is just how much Lata is our Dean mirror in this one. Specifically, in getting targeted by the bracelet she's forced to relive a trauma (Sania's death) via Carlos acting as substitute, only this time she succeeds where prior she thought she failed (which lemme make clear, no, Lata was at no point and in no way at fault, but she did internalize that guilt - much like Dean tends to internalize guilt) . Which Dean, much like Lata ends up doing when getting involved with this universe, ends up reliving a trauma (his parents death - Mary especially) of something he failed, in his mind, to prevent/save via rescuing this universe's Mary. And much like Lata, who can't undo what happened to Sania, but can "begin to make it better" (the Hey Jude line just hit me so I had to use it), so too can Dean. It won't change what happened in his life, wont save his mom, but it will help him heal nonetheless.

Adding to this Maggie? Who opperates as a Cas parallel here - she was Lata's person, who shared everything with Lata but Lata couldn't in turn for fear of judgement/shame, who notably is dead and thus Lata can't ever reveal her secret to. Well, it hurts is what it does.

But watching this I noticed another interesting thing though, for all that the bracelet seems to work like Osiris (pulling on the guilt the person feels is most agregious), the bracelet actually seems to want the wearer to get out. Carlos is taken just as Lata begins wondering which secret it's trying to make her face and is sent to Sania's room - direct answer. Then later,.even more blatant, using Maggie's face, tries to get Lata to disclose the secret, but Lata talks around it instead til the creature takes her too.

It seems like Erebus had a test for his warriors, one he wanted them to win.

Throughout all of Lata's story, I was seething. I truly hate her family and Carlos was 100% saying exactly what I was thinking.

Another thing I appreciated though, about Carlos, is the emotional maturity. Yes they were dying and yes it was urgent that Lata disclose her secret but Carlos made certain to reassure her throughout. Tried to give her as much space as possible.

In other thoughts, Lata's mom making that "vs family" distinction, uuuh it rattled sth in me only to them have Lata say "my parents would never look at m the same way"? In the Dean Winchester show? God, the echoes of John's shitty parenting were deafening. Bur yes to eveything Carlos said. It truly wasnt Lata's fault.

And I adore also the ending conversation between Lata and Carlos (both wearing blue and god I want Carlos' coat) because yes, this kind of stuff shouldn't be forced out on anither persons whim. Lata doesn't have to tell John and Mary anything, it is her story to tell, but also yes, Carlos is right to reassure her that if she wants to share it with them, they'll likely react well like he did. And yes the reason this particular scene hit so hard is partially personal, but because of that it drove me insane in SPN where there was a tendency for people to push other to open up at their own whim (and yes, Sam did it often to mutiple people, hounding them until they cracked and spilled whatever trauma they were trying to deal with but then have nothing to give in return, no comfort or even really reaction, and yes he most of all did it to Dean a lot and it did puss me off) So yea, love this episode for the Lata and Carlos of it all!

Also I have a few questions, when Millie was trying to convince Betty about the supernatural, at one point she said "it's not like-" and cut off. She was trying to defend against the accusation of 'playing make believe). Also, Betty says sth like "Mary, I expected.this from" with relation once more to her not believing in monsters soooo.... has Mary ever been taken in under suspicion of being delusional? Was Millie? Or John?! I've questions ok i need y'alls opinions on this one.

Also, I would've soo cracked if the Akrida asked about Dean, cuz I def miss him a lot and id fucking gush about him at that point.

Anyways, that's it for this one. See you guys next time where we'll be clowning (have I mentioned I hate clowns?)

@noybusiness thanks for push earlier this month, i needed that a lot and thanks for the support for this rewatch ❤

@shallowseeker thanks the new posts, been inspiring me to get back to writing this ❤

[haveyoureadthismgyabook]

Series info:

Book 1 of Pendragon

Book 2: The Lost City of Faar

Book 3: The Never War

Book 4: The Reality Bug

Book 5: Black Water

Book 6: The Rivers of Zadaa

Book 7: The Quillan Games

Book 8: The Pilgrims of Rayne

Book 9: Raven Rise

Book 10: The Soldiers of Halla

[mbrainspaz]

today in 'experiences that I mistakenly thought were unique and personal' apparently other kids also got an inexplicable high from learning the word 'penultimate' from the Pendragon books in the 2000's.

[book--brackets]

[ichigotheringbearer]

Day 17 of Whumptober. :)

[birdybirdnerd]

ITS FATE DAY COME GETCHA FATE

[aqua-beam]

Do you have a favorite book? (Or several favorite books?)

YES.

thank you soso much for asking it gives me an ~opportunity~ XD <333

okay SO favorite bookS because my indecisiveness cannot pick just one >:DD

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

my dream, my darling, a cute book 🥺 jo is literally me and i strive to find a laurie someday and not reject him 🥺

The Hogfather by Terry Pratchett i have no words that are enough to describe this book it's so BEAUTIFUL 🥺🥺🥺

Queste of the Septimus Heap series

I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH???? like the worldbuilding the characters the writing it rewired my brain <333 also the fact that there's a dragon?? and the lore?? mwah mwah

the Pendragon series by D. J. MacHale, but specifically The Quillan Games

EXPANSIVE world + mysteries of the problem + AMAZING cohesiveness and intriguing storylines ASDFGHJKL

[dailytypographyedits]

─ D.J. MacHale, Pendragon Series

[bluefanguy]

Bluefanguy’s Book Thoughts

Pendragon: The Merchant Of Death by D.J. MacHale

Good day all and welcome to another edition of Bluefanguy’s Book Thoughts! Today’s book is Pendragon: The Merchant Of Death by D.J. MacHale. This is the first book in the Pendragon series.

Bobby Pendragon has a pretty good life. Good at school, loving family, good basketball player, and on the day of a big game has just learned the girl of his dreams has liked him back. All that changes when his Uncle Press leads him to a territory known as Denduron which Press informs Bobby they are tasked with protecting. Soon Bobby is learning he is a Traveler and his role is to protect Territories from the evil Saint Dane who is working them to a turning point where if Saint Dane is victorious, it could be the end of Denduron. Though Bobby is reluctant to join the fight, the events on Denduron make him realize it’s more than his own life at stake.

If there is ever a series I have felt does not get the recognition it deserves, it would be this one. Sci-fi and fantasy elements, traveling across worlds, and the beginning of a conflict that will have ramifications too great to comprehend just in the first book. Of course, we have young Bobby who has been thrust into an alien situation and it seems like he never gets straight answers to his questions. What hero-to-be does on his first day of saving all of existence? Yet it is his initial selfishness and frustration that makes him relatable. Entering any major life change is bound to make one feel tense and like nothing makes sense. After a few harsh lessons he begins to understand the gravity of the situation but even then he’ll have to make a few more mistakes before he can truly begin to understand his role as a Traveler.

If you love otherworldly travel, a hero beginning a new journey, and stirring characters, then you just may love this book!

Thanks for reading! Likes, reblogs, comments, questions, and followings are all appreciated. Until next time.

Bluefanguy, out.

[blogthefiresidechats]

"Don't Turn Out the Lights" by Jonathan Maberry

“Don’t Turn Out the Lights” by Jonathan Maberry

Well, I finished reading this last night and I thought I’d share. This book is a collection of short stories written by different authors. Some of the authors I am familiar with and some I’m not but it was a good book to say the least. It kind of reminds me of the “Scary Tales to Tell in the Dark” trilogy by Alvin Schwartz. I think this book is geared more towards kids (if your kids don’t scare…

[theyearofrisinglight]

Denduron feels😍

Winding road through the pine trees

Graphite on paper 

9″x12″

[book--brackets]

Summaries under the cut

Damar by Robin McKinley

This is the story of Corlath, golden-eyed king of the Free Hillfolk, son of the sons of the Lady Aerin.

And this is the story of Harry Crewe, the Homelander orphan girl who became Harimad-sol, King's Rider, and heir to the Blue Sword, Gonturan, that no woman had wielded since the Lady Aerin herself bore it into battle.

And this is the song of the kelar of the Hillfolk, the magic of the blood, the weaver of destinies...

The Railway Children by E. Nesbit

In this much-loved children's classic first published in 1906, the comfortable lives of three well-mannered siblings are greatly altered when, one evening, two men arrive at the house and take their father away. With the family's fortunes considerably reduced in his absence, the children and their mother are forced to live in a simple country cottage near a railway station. There the young trio—Roberta, Peter, and young Phyllis—befriend the porter and station master.

The youngsters' days are filled with adventure and excitement, including their successful attempt to avert a horrible train disaster; but the mysterious disappearance of their father continues to haunt them.

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George

Alone and lost—on the North Slope of Alaska

Miyax rebels against a home situation she finds intolerable. She runs away toward San Francisco, toward her pen pal, who calls her Julie. But soon Miyax is lost in the Alaskan wilderness, without food, without even a compass. Slowly she is accepted by a pack of Arctic wolves, and she comes to love them as though they were her brothers. With their help, and drawing on her father’s training, she struggles day by day to survive. In the process, she is forced to rethink her past, and to define for herself the traditional riches of Eskimo life: intelligence, fearlessness, and love.

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

The Penderwick sisters busily discover the summertime magic of Arundel estate’s sprawling gardens, treasure-filled attic, tame rabbits, and the cook who makes the best gingerbread in Massachusetts. Best of all is Jeffrey Tifton, son of Arundel’s owner, the perfect companion for their adventures. Icy-hearted Mrs. Tifton is less pleased with the Penderwicks than Jeffrey, and warns the new friends to stay out of trouble. Is that any fun? For sure the summer will be unforgettable.

The Harper Hall of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

For centuries, the world of Pern has faced a destructive force known as Thread. But the number of magnificent dragons who have protected this world and the men and women who ride them are dwindling.

As fewer dragons ride the winds and destruction falls from the sky, Menolly has only one to sing, play, and weave the music that comes to her so easily—she wishes to become a Harper. But despite her great talents, her father believes that a young girl is unworthy of such a respected position and forbids her to pursue her dreams. So Menolly runs away, taking shelter in a cave by the sea. Miraculously, she happens upon nine fire lizards that could possibly save her world...and change her life forever.

Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch

Warning: this description has not been authorized by Pseudonymous Bosch.

As much as he'd love to sing the praises of his book (he is very vain), he wouldn't want you to hear about his brave 11-year old heroes, Cass and Max-Ernest. Or about how a mysterious box of vials, the Symphony of Smells, sends them on the trail of a magician who has vanished under strange (and stinky) circumstances. And he certainly wouldn't want you to know about the hair-raising adventures that follow and the nefarious villains they face. You see, not only is the name of this book secret, the story inside is, too. For it concerns a secret. A Big Secret.

Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein

Kyle Keeley is the class clown, popular with most kids, (if not the teachers), and an ardent fan of all games: board games, word games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the building of the new town library.

Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot to be one of the first 12 kids in the library for an overnight of fun, food, and lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors remain locked. Kyle and the other winners must solve every clue and every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route. And the stakes are very high.

Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink

Caddie Woodlawn is a real adventurer. She'd rather hunt than sew and plow than bake, and tries to beat her brother's dares every chance she gets. Caddie is friends with Indians, who scare most of the neighbors -- neighbors who, like her mother and sisters, don't understand her at all.

Caddie is brave, and her story is special because it's based on the life and memories of Carol Ryrie Brink's grandmother, the real Caddie Woodlawn.

Pendragon by D. J. MacHale

BOBBY PENDRAGON is a seemingly normal fourteen-year-old boy. He has a family, a home, and even Marley, his beloved dog. But there is something very special about Bobby.

He is going to save the world.

And not just Earth as we know it. Bobby is slowly starting to realize that life in the cosmos isn't quite what he thought it was. And before he can object, he is swept off to an alternate dimension known as Denduron, a territory inhabited by strange beings, ruled by a magical tyrant, and plagued by dangerous revolution.

If Bobby wants to see his family again, he's going to have to accept his role as savior, and accept it wholeheartedly. Because, as he is about to discover, Denduron is only the beginning....

Goodnight Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian

The gruff and surly Mr Thomas Oakley is less than pleased when he is landed with a scrawny little city boy as a guest, but because it is compulsory that each villager takes in an evacuee he reluctantly agrees. It soon becomes obvious to Mister Tom that young Willie Beech is hiding something, and as the pair begin to form an unlikely bond and Willie grows in stature and in confidence he begins to forget the past. But when he has to return to war-torn London to face his mother again he retreats into his shy and awkward ways once more.

[galliproof]

national literacy month part 2!

it’s been interesting taking this month’s focus on board and remembering the books that really influenced us growing up! there are so many more of them but we’ve had fun breaking it down to just the handful of nostalgic reads that you’ve seen in these posts. 

alli’s journey:

what do you think of alli’s journey? are any of these titles nostalgic for you? how different was your journey?

let us know!✨

[birdybirdnerd]

surprise fate chapter! once again changing my posting schedule to alternating mondays bc im full of bad decisions, and want to stick somewhere else back in the rotation. so yeah. surprise chapter!

[raviniaraven]

Hey so uhh I just wrote a chapter of fan fic for the first time in nearly 6 years and it’s Saint Dane mpreg