#delia sherman

[laziestgirlintown]

I have! 😃 It's lovely! Read it, especially if you've liked Swordspoint, The Fall of Kings, and The Privilege of the Sword! And if you haven't read them, go do it right now! Modern classic queer fantasy melodrama of manners! Think Shakespeare, except you get the dirty jokes that were in 17thC slang. Must read.

[1americanconservative]

@elonmusk

These awful people all need to be voted out, either in the primaries or the general election. They sully the Capitol Building with their presence.

THESE ARE THE 158 DEMOCRATS WHO VOTED AGAINST DEPORTING SEX OFFENDERS Alabama: -Terri Sewell California: -Pete Aguilar -Ami Bera -Julia Brownley -Salud Carbajal -Tony Cárdenas -Judy Chu -Jim Costa -Mark DeSaulnier -John Garamendi -Robert Garcia -Sylvia Garcia -Jimmy Gomez -Jared Huffman -Ro Khanna -Sydney Kamlager-Dove -Barbara Lee -Ted Lieu -Zoe Lofgren -Doris Matsui -Kevin Mullin -Grace Napolitano -Nancy Pelosi -Katie Porter -Linda Sánchez -Adam Schiff -Brad Sherman -Norma Torres -Mike Thompson -Maxine Waters Colorado: -Jason Crow -Diana DeGette -Brittany Pettersen -Joe Neguse Connecticut: -Rosa DeLauro -John Larson -James Himes Delaware: -Lisa Blunt Rochester Florida: -Kathy Castor -Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick -Lois Frankel -Maxwell Frost -Darren Soto -Frederica Wilson -Debbie Wasserman Schultz Georgia: -Sanford D. Bishop Jr. -Lucy McBath -Henry “Hank” Johnson -Nikema Williams -David Scott Hawaii: -Ed Case -Jill Tokuda Illinois: -Sean Casten -Danny Davis -Jesús “Chuy” Garcia -Jonathan Jackson -Raja Krishnamoorthi -Robin Kelly -Delia Ramirez -Janice Schakowsky -Mike Quigley -Bill Foster -Brad Schneider -Lauren Underwood Indiana: -André Carson Kentucky: -Morgan McGarvey Louisiana: -Troy Carter Maine: -Chellie Pingree Maryland: -Steny Hoyer -Glenn Ivey -Kweisi Mfume -Jamie Raskin C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger -John Sarbanes -David Trone Massachusetts: -Jake Auchincloss -Katherine Clark -Bill Keating -Seth Moulton -Ayanna Pressley -Richard Neal -Lori Trahan -James McGovern Michigan: -Dan Kildee -Debbie Dingell -Rashida Tlaib -Shri Thanedar -Haley Stevens Minnesota: -Betty McCollum -Ilhan Omar -Dean Phillips Mississippi: -Bennie Thompson Missouri: -Cori Bush -Emanuel Cleaver New Hampshire: -Ann Kuster New Jersey: -Andy Kim -Rob Menendez -Donald Norcross -Bonnie Watson Coleman -Frank Pallone New Mexico: -Melanie Stansbury -Teresa Leger Fernandez New York: -Jamaal Bowman -Adriano Espaillat -Hakeem Jeffries -Yvette Clarke -Gregory Meeks -Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez -Jerrold Nadler -Nydia Velázquez -Paul Tonko -Dan Goldman -Ritchie Torres -Grace Meng -Joseph Morelle North Carolina: -Alma Adams -Valerie Foushee -Deborah Ross Ohio: -Shontel Brown -Joyce Beatty -Greg Landsman Oregon: -Earl Blumenauer -Suzanne Bonamici -Valerie Hoyle Pennsylvania: -Madeleine Dean -Mary Scanlon -Summer Lee Rhode Island: -Gabe Amo South Carolina: -James Clyburn Tennessee: -Steve Cohen Texas: -Greg Casar -Veronica Escobar -Joaquin Castro -Sylvia Garcia -Lloyd Doggett -Lizzie Fletcher -Al Green -Jasmine Crockett -Marc Veasey Vermont: -Becca Balint Virginia: -Donald Beyer -Gerald Connolly -Jennifer McClellan -Bobby Scott Washington: -Suzan DelBene -Derek Kilmer -Rick Larsen -Marilyn Strickland -Pramila Jayapal Wisconsin: -Gwen Moore -Mark Pocan Source: Newsweek

[thethirdromana]

Books I read for the first time this year - 2024 edition

I did this last year, and even though no one read it, it was fun so I'm doing it again.

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins I loved The Woman in White so much that I had to have more Wilkie Collins right away. It is aggressively of its time, but very readable and gripping all the same. And I found the ending deeply satisfying. I should read more Wilkie Collins.

Julia by Sandra Newman This is the story of 1984 retold from Julia's perspective, with extra bleakness and a somewhat odd take on the ending. I think this would have benefitted from me having read 1984 more recently. I'm glad I read it; I don't think I will ever read it again.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells I merely liked this, and feel oddly guilty for not loving it as much as the rest of tumblr seems to. Possibly this would have benefitted from me bingeing the series instead of stopping at one.

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen In the spring I decided it was time to read the two Austen novels I hadn't read before. I enjoyed Mansfield Park, though it's not destined to replace Sense and Sensibility as my favourite Austen novel. This is because Edmund, unfortunately, is a drip.

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro I loved Remains of the Day so much that I thought I should read more Ishiguro. There's the usual unreliable narrator and glimpses of hidden darkness that you'd expect from Ishiguro in Klara and the Sun, but it's a lighter read overall, which is to say it didn't devastate me in the way that the Remains of the Day did.

Persuasion by Jane Austen One of these novels that's so totemic it feels weird to review it. It's like saying I quite liked the ocean; the ocean doesn't care.

I quite liked it, though.

The Temeraire series by Naomi Novik The first of several recommendations from tumblr. I read the whole series one after another without a break. The amount that I enjoyed each novel was directly proportional to how much it was the Aubreyad with dragons - so the first and final books were my favourites.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Lots of people have this as their favourite Andy Weir novel but I am not among them. It was just a little bit too cuddly for me, I think, and I was also well into Time To Orbit: Unknown at this point (a web serial, so I've not included it on this list), which is in a similar style but better. The title pun is great, though.

The Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume This is an early detective novel from before people had really figured out how the genre should work. An interesting read but not a particularly satisfying one.

The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin An incredible book, but I found myself wishing I could have read the version of it that Le Guin might have written later on in her career, when she came to focus less on male characters.

The Riverside Trilogy by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman This was another tumblr recommendation and I loved these, with the sole exception of the ending of the Fall of Kings. Queer love, sword-fighting and some of the most lavish and enticing descriptions of food that I've ever read - this is a significant percentage of I want in a novel.

The Documents in the Case by Dorothy Sayers and Robert Eustace I can't believe I hadn't read this earlier. I love Dorothy Sayers, I love the way she observes people, and I particularly love the way this novel brings a slice of the 1920s bohemian world to life. This means I have now read all of Dorothy Sayers' novels and should probably getting cracking on the short stories.

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland Another tumblr recommendation! This felt a lot like reading fanfic - the tropes (enemies to lovers!), the writing style, the way the characters bounced off each other. I enjoyed it, though I did find myself wondering how readers who weren't used to fanfic norms would feel about it.

Spirit Level by Richy Craven This was a debut novel by someone who I've followed on Twitter (and subsequently Bluesky) for ages. It's a comedy novel about a man who can only see the ghost of his dead friend when he's drunk. I found it more sweet than funny.

Jeeves and the King of Clubs by Ben Schott Jeeves and Wooster fanfiction, but with an official licence! Entirely readable, but the best of AO3 is better.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller A gorgeous retelling of the Iliad from the perspective of Patroclus. The prose is lovely; the ending, a little wobbly.

Tall and Dark by Suzannah Rowntree Sometimes I download novels onto my Kindle, forget any of the context, and pick them up without any prior info. Usually that's great, but it served Tall and Dark badly. I thought that it was going to be the kind of novel that the opening made it seem (a governess who can see spirits fakes being a medium in a non-fantasy setting) instead of what it was (a romp with fantastical monsters). The monster romp was fun, but I'd probably have enjoyed it more if I'd read the blurb and been prepared for what to expect.

The Night Raven by Sarah Painter More women who can see ghosts, but this time in an urban fantasy context. I was not really in the mood for urban fantasy when I read this, which did a disservice to another readable book.

A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro This was Ishiguro's first novel, where he hadn't quite figured out the fine line between an unreliable narrator who hides things from the reader, and just not telling you what the fuck is going on.

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro I did not finish this, but I got about two-thirds of the way through before giving up, so it's going on the list. This is where I went from "I like Kazuo Ishiguro" to "I like some of Kazuo Ishiguro's novels". Amazing that it's possible to make an Arthurian romp set in the early Middle Ages (two of my favourite things!) so dull.

On the Beach by Nevil Shute This was the best novel I read all year. It's the story of a small group of people in Australia, waiting for a cloud of nuclear radiation that has already killed the rest of humanity to reach them. Other writers might have shown people having crazed reactions to the end of the world; Nevil Shute shows ordinary people responding in dignified and quiet ways. It was utterly devastating.

So Disdained by Nevil Shute This was a lot lighter than On the Beach and generally fun, though the heroic role played in it by Italian fascists was uncomfortable.

Circe by Madeline Miller Good, if a little bit less well-constructed than The Song of Achilles, though some of that has to be down to the source material.

The Autobiography of Mr Spock by Una McCormack It's a truly impressive feat to synthesise the assorted contradictory Spock lore into something that makes coherent sense. Una McCormack sees the world of Star Trek as a darker place than I prefer to, and as a dedicated Spirk shipper, maybe I was never going to be entirely happy with this. It's very well-written but perhaps not quite for me.

The Anglo-Saxons by Marc Morris I realised I'd got to nearly the end of the year without reading any non-fiction. This was a great way to address that. I already knew a fair bit about the Anglo-Saxon period but this was a very enjoyable way to fill in the gaps.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir I gave in to the need to know what everyone on tumblr seemed to be raving about. Lesbian necromancers in space was always going to be a winner with me, though at times it was a bit Warhammer 40k-esque (mountains of skulls! rivers of blood!) for my tastes.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Overtly feminist fiction is usually my bag, but I didn't vibe with this. It's patronising towards its autistic-coded protagonist, and I wish it didn't spend quite so much time emphasising how hot she is. I could have done without the sapient dog, too.

Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue Lesbian historical fiction featuring Anne Lister? Obviously on to a great start. The plot was a little constrained by the messiness of historical events, and there were a couple of bizarre modern references that threw me out of immersion when I reached them, which was particularly odd given how meticulous most of the research was. But I'm nitpicking: this was a gorgeous novel overall.

[books-coffee-and-the-woods]

January 2025 Reading Wrap-Up

I read 10 books this month! The photo doesn't really do this justice, as most of them were borrowed from the library and have since been returned. January was so long I honestly forgot I read a few of these.

Read in January:

The Book of Love - Kelly Link ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Blue Morning vol 2 - Shoko Hidaka ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Blue Morning vol 3 - Shoko Hidaka ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Her Body and Other Parties - Carmen Maria Machado (library book) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

xxxHolic omnibus 1 - CLAMP ⭐⭐⭐.5

Witch Hat Atelier vol 1 - Kamome Shirahama ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Witch Hat Atelier vol 2 - Kamome Shirahama (library book) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The City in Glass - Nghi Vo (library book) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Isis Trilogy - Monica Hughes (library book) ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Carrie - Stephen King (library book) ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

DNF'd:

Vassa in the Night - Sarah Porter

Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree

Currently Reading:

White as Snow - Tanith Lee (library book)

Wild Magic - Tamora Pierce

Night's Master - Tanith Lee (ebook)

Acquired in January

So my original goal was to only buy 50 books this year. Clearly I have fallen off the bandwagon with that 😅 but to keep myself accountable (and to keep better track of where my books come from) I'm going to add them to my wrap-ups.

I bought 29 physical books and 1 ebook this month, and also acquired one from the little free library! Now my goal is to not buy anything else until I visit the used bookstore again in March (yes, I have scheduled this as bimonthly Enrichment).

Books from Indigo (5):

Blue Morning vols 4-8 - Shoko Hidaka

Books from the indie bookstore near my office (5):

A Sunny Place for Shady People - Mariana Enriquez

The Vegetarian - Han Kang

Before the Coffee gets Cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi

The Chandelier - Clarice Lispector

Death in Her Hands - Ottessa Moshfegh

Books from Am*zon (the only place I could find it, I swear) (2):

The Earth is Flat - Tanith Lee

Night's Master - Tanith Lee (ebook)

Books from the used bookstore (11):

Chicks n' Chained Males - Esther Friesner

Did You Say Chicks?! - Esther Friesner

Demon Blues - Esther Friesner

Druid's Blood - Esther Friesner

Death's Master - Tanith Lee

Night's Sorceries - Tanith Lee

Gold Unicorn - Tanith Lee

Red Unicorn - Tanith Lee

Beauty - Robin McKinley

Chalice - Robin McKinley

2041: Twelve Short Stories about the Future - edited by Jane Yolen

Books from Thriftbooks (7):

Black Heart, Ivory Bones - edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

Silver Birch, Blood Moon - edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

Black Unicorn - Tanith Lee

Electric Forest - Tanith Lee

The Porcelain Dove - Delia Sherman

Hannah's Garden - Midori Snyder

The Innamorati - Midori Snyder

Books from the little free library (1):

The Murder at the Vicarage - Agatha Christie

[readingrobin]

June was the beginning of summer reading and man did I come out swinging. If you've been following me for a while, you know that summer reading is a BFD at my work and we have a competition between departments to see who can read the most. The winning department is awarded a 3D printed trophy of a pineapple to store in their office for the rest of the year. My department hasn't won since I switched roles in the library, but really that does not do anything to hurt my competitive nature. I'm a little bit behind where I want to be in my goal towards a specific point total, but it won't be hard to catch up. Gotta give Youth Services a run for their money.

Total Books Reads: 14

Total Pages Read: 5,608

Books Read:

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz (4/5) - An undeniably sweet, charming, hilarious love story that really puts you in the mood for a toasty grilled cheese. Seriously, I must have had three separate cravings while reading this comic. Each character has such a lovable personality, from Camembert's at times clueless, yet endearing nature, to Brie's sweetness and passion for her causes. They work well as a duo, their personalities a true compliment to each other. 

The artwork is absolutely stunning, especially when to comes to the outfits. It gave me flashbacks to The Prince and the Dressmaker in how articulate and gorgeous they could be. Brie's commitment to pink really makes each one of her wardrobes leap off the page, and, again, brings a great balance when seen with Cam's deeper palettes. 

I somewhat like the anachronistic aspect of the story, that you have traditional depictions of the monarchy with lavish balls and opulence that you would expect out of a fairy tale, and then someone would literally be playing with a Nintendo Switch in the next scene. It plays with the theme of steering away from tradition, depicting more contemporary, progressive-minded characters in a world that still holds onto the aesthetics of the past. 

The Bloody Chamber: And Other Stories by Angela Carter (4.5/5) - Review

The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling (3.5/5) - Trickster tales are my bread and butter: Coyote, Hermes, Loki, Crow, Anansi, each one so varied in their mischief but share a great chaotic force. This archetype has always fascinated me, particularly in how involved they are in humanity, whether that means taking an active role in a creation myth or imparting some wisdom that helps humankind develop in a world that is always in flux. This anthology sports many of these figures, as well as some original ones, and mostly gets its job done of portraying various tricksy individuals.

Like any anthology, it had its hits and its misses. My favorite was "The Fiddler of Bayou Teche" by Delia Sherman. The atmosphere of this particular story really stood out amongst the rest, as well as the voice of the narrator, who has a Cajun vernacular that sucks you even more into the setting. The inclusion of the loup garou also is a massive plus for me. Always a sucker for werewolves am I.

Other stories I enjoyed were "One Odd Shoe," "The Listeners," "Crow Roads," "A Reversal of Fortune," and "Black Rock Blues." Probably a bit of a sign that, out of 26 stories, I only resonated with a small fraction of them, but that's just how it goes. I was definitely thinking by the end that the anthology felt a bit too weighty, or perhaps I was trying to read too much in one go. A lot of the more middling stories were unfortunately stuck in the second half, so by the end it felt a little bit more of a chore to get through.

Burning Down the Haus: Punk Rock, Revolution and the Fall of the Berlin Wall by Tim Mohr (3/5) - An interesting snapshot in history of the punk movement during the time of the Berlin Wall. The author makes the bold claim that the punk presence was a cause for the fall of the wall when he doesn't really say anything to back that information up. The book mainly talks about specific people within the punk community and the challenge of trying to live a subversive lifestyle when going against the status quo could get you arrested. The journeys of some of the people were very engaging, though some did seem more fleshed out than others and many didn't get much of a resolution. I would have loved to have read some retrospectives from some of the people in the community, as it seemed that the author was in contact with them, just to get a wider scope of their stories.

Squire and Knight Vol. 1 by Scott Chantler (4/5) - A charming, funny graphic novel that champions the thought of books over brawn, shown through a young squire saving the day by using his intelligence and reason to get to the bottom of a cursed town. The art of the comic is wonderfully fall-like, the author sticking to a palette of muted oranges, yellows, blacks, and greys that also give it a distinct medieval vibe. Definitely a worthwhile quick read if you like a bit of mystery and humor with your quest narratives.

Also there's a cool looking dragon in it, which should be enough for anyone to read anything really.

Spindle's End by Robin McKinley (4/5) - Robin McKinley has such a fine way of transforming ages old stories and making them more vibrant and engaging for a modern audience. Given how passive Sleeping Beauty is in her own fairy tale at times, McKinley does a phenomenal job of making Rosie a very active agent in her own story in this retelling. Her stubborn, determined, and no nonsense attitude had an odd way of making her endlessly endearing and her rise to action in the climax, as well as her sacrifices, solidified her as a strong, layered character.

The world is so mischievously magical, to the point where fish are a myth and, if you let your kettles unattended, the magic dust settling over them may lead to a surprise of snakes in the pot. McKinley's descriptive style only adds to the mysterious wonder of this land, not making it too difficult to feel yourself instantly transported within its pages.

Since I am a big fan of female friendships that are polar opposites, like the rough and tumble Rosie and the beautiful, princess-like Peony, it's always a shame when those relationships fall second place behind the romantic interests that have all the appeal of drying plaster.  Also, how old exactly is Narl? He's already a smith by the time Rosie is a baby and she develops feelings for him by the time she's 16 having known him her whole life. I have no idea why large age gap romances with emotionally distant men are such a trend in fantasy but I really I think we've had enough of them. 

Other than that, this was a stand out read for me, which is a welcome surprise since I found her other work, like Beauty and The Outlaws of Sherwood to be a bit middling. 

Violet and Jobie in the Wild by Lynne Rae Perkins (3/5) - Read this book as it is my library's book of the summer for this year. It's a simple, sweet story that deals with adapting to new situations shown through two house mice suddenly finding themselves living in the wild. Since the story stuck mostly to lighthearted adventure, I was surprised by its somewhat bittersweet ending. It was a little more mature that what I usually expect out of stories like this, saying that sometimes people drift away from who they love to get where they need to be, and that's all right. The memory of them is what keeps that love alive and I thought that was a sweet sentiment to end on.

The Secrets of Chocolate: A Gourmand's Trip through a Top Chef's Atelier by Franckie Alarcon (2.5/5) - Has some great insight into the process of chocolate making, as well as some scrumptious illustrations that really had me craving some chocolate afterwards. It was a so so reading experience and I mainly read it to fill a category for summer reading, so I can't really give it too high a rating.

The Sandman: Act III by Neil Gaiman (5/5) - Another gorgeous installment in the Sandman Audible series. Seeing as this one collections the Orpheus story, it has some wonderful, beautiful, and melancholic music to it. The full cast brings each character to life and I continue to be impressed at how truly immersive this series is as an audiobook.

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston (4/5) - Romances aren't usually my kind of thing, but when you mix in the qualms of a struggling author with ghostly shenanigans, then that makes a title a little more enticing. It also helps that the story focuses on the vulnerabilities surrounding grief as well as love. Florence's emotional journey was such a compelling element, especially when she holds so many fears, aspirations, and insecurities that seeing her come to terms with them feels like more of a triumph.

Though there was plenty of raw emotions in this book, it never turned morose. There is something comforting about seeing Florence rekindle her love for her hometown and finding refuge in her family. Tensions run high at times, but ultimately they're there for each other and somehow make a funeral home feel like a lively place. It's an oddly cozy book at times, full of reflection and soft moments.

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley (4/5) - Firekeeper's Daughter is such a powerful, heartbreaking, but necessary book. Boulley takes the complicated life of Daunis, full of grief and pain. but also an unwavering love and devotion to her family and community. I love how the author speaks of Daunis in relation to her community, that she finds solidarity, wisdom, and support in the Elders that hold the traditions and knowledge of her heritage. Daunis comes from a mixed background, but being Ojibwe is a fundamental part of her character and how she views herself. I loved that she always felt confident in who she was, even when so many refused to recognize her place in the tribe.

I have to say, this book was hard to read at times. Daunis faces so many betrayals and moments where people try and succeed to take advantage of her. It's difficult to see a community in danger because of people who only want to use it for their own selfish desires. The stakes are what make Daunis' every move so important and, even when some decisions don't seem so smart in the moment, you know she's doing everything she can to make sure the people that she loves stay safe. 

Her relationship with Jaimie I felt was handled very maturely. It feels like a natural parallel to Travis' and Lily's, one that knows and respects the aspects of love and what comes with it and one that doesn't. Boulley makes it abundantly clear through so many plotlines that self serving actions are what truly destroy a community and harmony with its members. 

Definitely worthy of its many accolades and a great conversation starter for many of the issues it discusses. 

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall (3/5) - Review

Spider-verse by Dan Slott (4/5) - An epic Spidey tale for the ages. Though there were SEVERAL Spider people that I was not familiar with, I felt like the story handled/balanced them well enough with the more recognizable ones so it never felt too confusing. I'm sure many of them were introduced in this event series (I definitely tracked this story down solely for reading anything that involved Spiderpunk) so I didn't feel outrageously out of the loop.

While I felt that the story dragged on and off, I never got too bored with it. I wish that the omnibus I read had organized the comics so that certain character-specific issues were included at the time they happened within the overall story. Scarlet Spider, Spiderwoman, and Spiderman 2099 have separate issues that tie directly to the overall plot and are collected after its end, which make them feel like a pointless bit of catch up. They are exciting and important issues, but they could have been integrated a little more coherently.

Definitely going to see if I can track down some more Spiderverse event comics.

Edge of Spider-Geddon by Gerardo Sandoval, Jason Latour, Zac Thompson, et al. (3.5/5) - Sort of a setup for a larger event comic, but gave great introductions/reintroductions to more Spideys across the multiverse. Also, I am a simple creature, and when I see Spiderpunk on the cover, you can bet that I am going to read it in a heartbeat.

Average Rating: 3.71

[fetchmearum420]

The Congress singing broadway songs at karaoke:

Adams: On My Own from Les Mis cuz he’s basic AF

Franklin: To Be Alone With You from Ben Franklin In Paris cuz he’s iconic

Jefferson: So Much Better from Legally Blonde cuz I just feel like he’d slay it

Dickinson: Poor Unfortunate Souls from The Little Mermaid cuz hello? He actually means it.

Rutledge: Be Prepared from The Lion King cuz Duh.

Hancock: One Last Time from Hamilton cuz he’s giving George Washington from Hamilton vibes the whole time.

Hopkins: I Am Not Dead Yet from Spamalot cuz he’s goofy af.

Lee: The Lees of Old Virginia because ummm obvs.

Thomson: Chip On My Shoulder from Legally Blonde cuz I’m just getting that Emmett vibe from him.

Wilson: With You from Ghost cuz he’s a depressed lad.

McKean: Betrayed from The Producers cuz I’m just feeling it from him.

Hall: On a Clear Day You Can See Forever cuz that’s like totally his song and y’all fucking know it cuz I said so cuz he’s baby girl.

Read: Dance With You from The Prom cuz he’s gay for Wilson.

Rodney: I Dreamed a Dream from Les Mis cuz he’s dying.

Chase: Super Sea Star Savior from SpongeBob cuz he’s literally the real life Patrick Star.

Sherman: Brotherhood of Man from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying cuz I feel like he’d slay that number.

Bartlett: Maybe from Annie cuz I know he wants to get the fuck outta Congress.

Hewes: No Reason from Beetlejuice cuz he’s purple like Delia.

Morris: abstains, courteously from singing.

Witherspoon: I Don’t Know How to Love Him from Jesus Christ Superstar for obvious reasons.

Livingston: Something Was Missing from Annie cuz he has that voice to sing it.

[thislittlekumquat]

Saw all the cool (?) kids doing this on booktube for their 2023 reading, and while I don't think a tiermaker style chart is quite right for comparing some of these books (like how am I supposed to compare The Haunting of Hill House with like. How to Resist Amazon and Why?)

Anyways, S tier is my personal biases, just my absolute faves of the year, no notes. A tier is very good, would recommend to basically any reader without caveats. B tier is "If you're really into this type of thing or have the necessary historiographical context and use your critical thinking skills (as relevant), solid read, worth your time". C tier is like. I've read much worse, but honestly disappointing, though there were at least a few redeeming qualities. D tier is no, definitely skip.

I'm still figuring out how well storygraph works to non-users, but if you're curious to see any further details on these books: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/ovvlish

Titles and authors in the order they appear, because the images are small. For the manga, some I started this year, others are ongoing reads for me, and I only included one volume of each. All told it was 65 books, so you can see I read a lot of tankubon!

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries - Heather Fawcett

Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler) - Yana Toboso

Gideon the Ninth | Harrow the Ninth | Nona the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir

The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson

Witch Hat Atelier - Kamome Shirahama

Death on the Nile | The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie

My Man Jeeves - P. G. Wodehouse

Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief - Maurice Leblanc

The Ancient Magus' Bride - Kore Yamazaki

Dungeon Meshi (Delicious in Dungeon) - Ryoko Kui

Dracula - Bram Stoker

The Future of the Past - Alexander Stille

How to Resist Amazon and Why - Danny Caine

The Evil Wizard Smallbone - Delia Sherman

The Omnivore's Dilemma - Michael Pollan

Stiff - Mary Roach

A Mighty Fortress - Steven Ozment

Showa - Shigeru Mizuki

The Proud Tower - Barbara W. Tuchman

The Cruel Prince - Holly Black

Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales - Mel Gillman

The Stripping of the Altars - Eamon Duffy

Twisted Wonderland - Yana Toboso/Wakana Hazuki/Sumire Kowono

The Relic Master - Christopher Buckley

The German Empire, 1870-1918 - Michael Stürmer

Versions of History from Antiquity to the Enlightenment - Donald R. Kelley

Cast Iron Baking - Dominique De Vito

The Bear and the Nightingale - Katherine Arden

Bea Wolf - Zach Weinersmith/Boulet

Testimony of Light - Helen Greaves

The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon

The Fossil Hunter - Shelley Emling

[shrikeseams]

I feel like anyone really into celegorm/orome would also enjoy The Fall of the Kings by Delia Sherman and Ellen Kushner.

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Look I was too late to submit them but shout out to Ellen Kushner for writing Swordspoint: A Melodrama of Manners and Richard St Vier and Alec.

It's THE fantasy of manners and also have openly gay and fleshed out main characters... in 1987, which is quite long before most of the books here were published.

Also sword fights and court intrigues. You have to love that.

Honorary mentioned to Katherine Talbert from The Privilege of the Sword (2006) in the same series. She's Alec's teenage niece and quite fantastic. The book even won a Locus award.

I haven't read the last book, The Fall of the Kings, of the series (fair warning, expect a big time jump and no Richard and Alec), that Ellen Kushner wrote with her wife, Delia Sherman, but I'm looking forward to it.

Do you know what's best ? You can read these books as standalones.

who doesn't love a good sword fight?

[kynndr3dd-synn3]

🇺🇸THESE ARE THE 158 DEMOCRATS WHO VOTED AGAINST DEPORTING SEX OFFENDERS

Alabama:

-Terri Sewell

California:

-Pete Aguilar

-Ami Bera

-Julia Brownley

-Salud Carbajal

-Tony Cárdenas

-Judy Chu

-Jim Costa

-Mark DeSaulnier

-John Garamendi

-Robert Garcia

-Sylvia Garcia

-Jimmy Gomez

-Jared Huffman

-Ro Khanna

-Sydney Kamlager-Dove

-Barbara Lee

-Ted Lieu

-Zoe Lofgren

-Doris Matsui

-Kevin Mullin

-Grace Napolitano

-Nancy Pelosi

-Katie Porter

-Linda Sánchez

-Adam Schiff

-Brad Sherman

-Norma Torres

-Mike Thompson

-Maxine Waters

Colorado:

-Jason Crow

-Diana DeGette

-Brittany Pettersen

-Joe Neguse

Connecticut:

-Rosa DeLauro

-John Larson

-James Himes

Delaware:

-Lisa Blunt Rochester

Florida:

-Kathy Castor

-Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick

-Lois Frankel

-Maxwell Frost

-Darren Soto

-Frederica Wilson

-Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Georgia:

-Sanford D. Bishop Jr.

-Lucy McBath

-Henry “Hank” Johnson

-Nikema Williams

-David Scott

Hawaii:

-Ed Case

-Jill Tokuda

Illinois:

-Sean Casten

-Danny Davis

-Jesús “Chuy” Garcia

-Jonathan Jackson

-Raja Krishnamoorthi

-Robin Kelly

-Delia Ramirez

-Janice Schakowsky

-Mike Quigley

-Bill Foster

-Brad Schneider

-Lauren Underwood

Indiana:

-André Carson

Kentucky:

-Morgan McGarvey

Louisiana:

-Troy Carter

Maine:

-Chellie Pingree

Maryland:

-Steny Hoyer

-Glenn Ivey

-Kweisi Mfume

-Jamie Raskin

C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger

-John Sarbanes

-David Trone

Massachusetts:

-Jake Auchincloss

-Katherine Clark

-Bill Keating

-Seth Moulton

-Ayanna Pressley

-Richard Neal

-Lori Trahan

-James McGovern

Michigan:

-Dan Kildee

-Debbie Dingell

-Rashida Tlaib

-Shri Thanedar

-Haley Stevens

Minnesota:

-Betty McCollum

-Ilhan Omar

-Dean Phillips

Mississippi:

-Bennie Thompson

Missouri:

-Cori Bush

-Emanuel Cleaver

New Hampshire:

-Ann Kuster

New Jersey:

-Andy Kim

-Rob Menendez

-Donald Norcross

-Bonnie Watson Coleman

-Frank Pallone

New Mexico:

-Melanie Stansbury

-Teresa Leger Fernandez

New York:

-Jamaal Bowman

-Adriano Espaillat

-Hakeem Jeffries

-Yvette Clarke

-Gregory Meeks

-Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

-Jerrold Nadler

-Nydia Velázquez

-Paul Tonko

-Dan Goldman

-Ritchie Torres

-Grace Meng

-Joseph Morelle

North Carolina:

-Alma Adams

-Valerie Foushee

-Deborah Ross

Ohio:

-Shontel Brown

-Joyce Beatty

-Greg Landsman

Oregon:

-Earl Blumenauer

-Suzanne Bonamici

-Valerie Hoyle

Pennsylvania:

-Madeleine Dean

-Mary Scanlon

-Summer Lee

Rhode Island:

-Gabe Amo

South Carolina:

-James Clyburn

Tennessee:

-Steve Cohen

Texas:

-Greg Casar

-Veronica Escobar

-Joaquin Castro

-Sylvia Garcia

-Lloyd Doggett

-Lizzie Fletcher

-Al Green

-Jasmine Crockett

-Marc Veasey

Vermont:

-Becca Balint

Virginia:

-Donald Beyer

-Gerald Connolly

-Jennifer McClellan

-Bobby Scott

Washington:

-Suzan DelBene

-Derek Kilmer

-Rick Larsen

-Marilyn Strickland

-Pramila Jayapal

Wisconsin:

-Gwen Moore

-Mark Pocan

Source: Newsweek

[1americanconservative]

@elonmusk

These awful people all need to be voted out, either in the primaries or the general election. They sully the Capitol Building with their presence.

THESE ARE THE 158 DEMOCRATS WHO VOTED AGAINST DEPORTING SEX OFFENDERS Alabama: -Terri Sewell California: -Pete Aguilar -Ami Bera -Julia Brownley -Salud Carbajal -Tony Cárdenas -Judy Chu -Jim Costa -Mark DeSaulnier -John Garamendi -Robert Garcia -Sylvia Garcia -Jimmy Gomez -Jared Huffman -Ro Khanna -Sydney Kamlager-Dove -Barbara Lee -Ted Lieu -Zoe Lofgren -Doris Matsui -Kevin Mullin -Grace Napolitano -Nancy Pelosi -Katie Porter -Linda Sánchez -Adam Schiff -Brad Sherman -Norma Torres -Mike Thompson -Maxine Waters Colorado: -Jason Crow -Diana DeGette -Brittany Pettersen -Joe Neguse Connecticut: -Rosa DeLauro -John Larson -James Himes Delaware: -Lisa Blunt Rochester Florida: -Kathy Castor -Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick -Lois Frankel -Maxwell Frost -Darren Soto -Frederica Wilson -Debbie Wasserman Schultz Georgia: -Sanford D. Bishop Jr. -Lucy McBath -Henry “Hank” Johnson -Nikema Williams -David Scott Hawaii: -Ed Case -Jill Tokuda Illinois: -Sean Casten -Danny Davis -Jesús “Chuy” Garcia -Jonathan Jackson -Raja Krishnamoorthi -Robin Kelly -Delia Ramirez -Janice Schakowsky -Mike Quigley -Bill Foster -Brad Schneider -Lauren Underwood Indiana: -André Carson Kentucky: -Morgan McGarvey Louisiana: -Troy Carter Maine: -Chellie Pingree Maryland: -Steny Hoyer -Glenn Ivey -Kweisi Mfume -Jamie Raskin C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger -John Sarbanes -David Trone Massachusetts: -Jake Auchincloss -Katherine Clark -Bill Keating -Seth Moulton -Ayanna Pressley -Richard Neal -Lori Trahan -James McGovern Michigan: -Dan Kildee -Debbie Dingell -Rashida Tlaib -Shri Thanedar -Haley Stevens Minnesota: -Betty McCollum -Ilhan Omar -Dean Phillips Mississippi: -Bennie Thompson Missouri: -Cori Bush -Emanuel Cleaver New Hampshire: -Ann Kuster New Jersey: -Andy Kim -Rob Menendez -Donald Norcross -Bonnie Watson Coleman -Frank Pallone New Mexico: -Melanie Stansbury -Teresa Leger Fernandez New York: -Jamaal Bowman -Adriano Espaillat -Hakeem Jeffries -Yvette Clarke -Gregory Meeks -Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez -Jerrold Nadler -Nydia Velázquez -Paul Tonko -Dan Goldman -Ritchie Torres -Grace Meng -Joseph Morelle North Carolina: -Alma Adams -Valerie Foushee -Deborah Ross Ohio: -Shontel Brown -Joyce Beatty -Greg Landsman Oregon: -Earl Blumenauer -Suzanne Bonamici -Valerie Hoyle Pennsylvania: -Madeleine Dean -Mary Scanlon -Summer Lee Rhode Island: -Gabe Amo South Carolina: -James Clyburn Tennessee: -Steve Cohen Texas: -Greg Casar -Veronica Escobar -Joaquin Castro -Sylvia Garcia -Lloyd Doggett -Lizzie Fletcher -Al Green -Jasmine Crockett -Marc Veasey Vermont: -Becca Balint Virginia: -Donald Beyer -Gerald Connolly -Jennifer McClellan -Bobby Scott Washington: -Suzan DelBene -Derek Kilmer -Rick Larsen -Marilyn Strickland -Pramila Jayapal Wisconsin: -Gwen Moore -Mark Pocan Source: Newsweek

[wulf1]

IS YOUR ELECTED REP ONE OF THESE ?

The 158 Democrats who voted against the bill are:

Alma Adams, North Carolina

Pete Aguilar, California

Gabe Amo, Rhode Island

Jake Auchincloss, Massachusetts

Becca Balint, Vermont

Nanette Barragán, California

Joyce Beatty, Ohio

Ami Bera, California

Donald Beyer, Virginia

Sanford D. Bishop Jr., Georgia

Earl Blumenauer, Oregon

Suzanne Bonamici, Oregon

Lisa Blunt Rochester, Delaware

Jamaal Bowman, New York

Shontel Brown, Ohio

Julia Brownley, California

Cori Bush, Missouri

Salud Carbajal, California

Tony Cárdenas, California

André Carson, Indiana

Troy Carter, Louisiana

Greg Casar, Texas

Ed Case, Hawaii

Sean Casten, Illinois

Kathy Castor, Florida

Joaquin Castro, Texas

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Florida

Judy Chu, California

Katherine Clark, Massachusetts

Yvette Clarke, New York

Emanuel Cleaver, Missouri

James Clyburn, South Carolina

Steve Cohen, Tennessee

Gerald Connolly, Virginia

Luis Correa, California

Jim Costa, California

Jasmine Crockett, Texas

Jason Crow, Colorado

Danny Davis, Illinois

Madeleine Dean, Pennsylvania

Diana DeGette, Colorado

Rosa DeLauro, Connecticut

Suzan DelBene, Washington

Mark DeSaulnier, California

Debbie Dingell, Michigan

Lloyd Doggett, Texas

Veronica Escobar, Texas

Anna Eshoo, California

Adriano Espaillat, New York

Lizzie Fletcher, Texas

Bill Foster, Illinois

Valerie Foushee, North Carolina

Lois Frankel, Florida

Maxwell Frost, Florida

John Garamendi, California

Jesús "Chuy" Garcia, Illinois

Robert Garcia, California

Sylvia Garcia, Texas

Dan Goldman, New York

Jimmy Gomez, California

Al Green, Texas

James Himes, Connecticut

Steny Hoyer, Maryland

Valerie Hoyle, Oregon

Jared Huffman, California

Glenn Ivey, Maryland

Jonathan Jackson, Illinois

Sara Jacobs, California

Pramila Jayapal, Washington

Hakeem Jeffries, New York

Henry "Hank" Johnson, Georgia

Sydney Kamlager-Dove, California

Bill Keating, Massachusetts

Robin Kelly, Illinois

Ro Khanna, California

Dan Kildee, Michigan

Derek Kilmer, Washington

Andy Kim, New Jersey

Raja Krishnamoorthi, Illinois

Ann Kuster, New Hampshire

Greg Landsman, Ohio

Rick Larsen, Washington

John Larson, Connecticut

Barbara Lee, California

Summer Lee, Pennsylvania

Teresa Leger Fernandez, New Mexico

Ted Lieu, California

Zoe Lofgren, California

Doris Matsui, California

Lucy McBath, Georgia

Jennifer McClellan, Virginia

Betty McCollum, Minnesota

Morgan McGarvey, Kentucky

James McGovern, Massachusetts

Gregory Meeks, New York

Rob Menendez, New Jersey

Grace Meng, New York

Kweisi Mfume, Maryland

Gwen Moore, Wisconsin

Joseph Morelle, New York

Seth Moulton, Massachusetts

Kevin Mullin, California

Jerrold Nadler, New York

Grace Napolitano, California

Richard Neal, Massachusetts

Joe Neguse, Colorado

Donald Norcross, New Jersey

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York

Ilhan Omar, Minnesota

Frank Pallone, New Jersey

Nancy Pelosi, California

Scott Peters, California

Brittany Pettersen, Colorado

Dean Phillips, Minnesota

Chellie Pingree, Maine

Mark Pocan, Wisconsin

Katie Porter, California

Ayanna Pressley, Massachusetts

Mike Quigley, Illinois

Delia Ramirez, Illinois

Jamie Raskin, Maryland

Deborah Ross, North Carolina

Raul Ruiz, California

C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, Maryland

Linda Sánchez, California

John Sarbanes, Maryland

Mary Scanlon, Pennsylvania

Janice Schakowsky, Illinois

Adam Schiff, California

Bradley Schneider, Illinois

Robert "Bobby" Scott, Virginia

David Scott, Georgia

Terri Sewell, Alabama

Brad Sherman, California

Darren Soto, Florida

Melanie Stansbury, New Mexico

Haley Stevens, Michigan

Marilyn Strickland, Washington

Mark Takano, California

Shri Thanedar, Michigan

Mike Thompson, California

Bennie Thompson, Mississippi

Rashida Tlaib, Michigan

Jill Tokuda, Hawaii

Paul Tonko, New York

Norma Torres, California

Ritchie Torres, New York

Lori Trahan, Massachusetts

David Trone, Maryland

Lauren Underwood, Illinois

Juan Vargas, California

Marc Veasey, Texas

Nydia Velázquez, New York

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Florida

Maxine Waters, California

Bonnie Watson Coleman, New Jersey

Nikema Williams, Georgia

Frederica Wilson, Florida.

Democrats proudly against citizen

VOTE TRUMP 2024

[books-coffee-and-the-woods]

March Reading Wrap-Up!

This was a much better month than February! I read 9 books (!!), wiped some oldies off my TBR, and only DNF'd one book.

Read

Through a Brazen Mirror - Delia Sherman (started in Feb.)

The Obelisk Gate - N. K. Jemisin

The Stone Sky - N. K. Jemisin

Dragons of Spring Dawning - Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addison

Convenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata

Ordinary Monsters - J. M. Miro

We Are Bellingcat - Eliot Higgins

Blackfish City - Sam J. Miller

DNF'd

Under the Whispering Door - T. J. Klune

Currently Reading

The Night Eaters vol 1: She Eats the Night. - Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda

[rifoodwars]

Patriotic Food Production

In January of 1918, The Bristol Women's Committee on Food Conservation organized a campaign of "mutual helpfulness" in the "matter of meeting patriotic obligations." The housewives would meet informally to share recipes. "Foreign" (immigrant) women were encouraged to join.

The Bristol committee consisted of Mrs. C. T. Sherman, Mrs. J. H. Wall, Mrs. Harold DeWolf-, Mrs. William LeClair, Mrs. Frank H. Hammill, Mrs. Delia Morte, Miss Emma, August Mrs. A. L. Morgan, chairman'.

A demonstration of fish as wartime food was offered at the Home Economics Laboratory, 77 Washington street Providence on Jan. 8th, hosted by Miss Ethel Wright.

Bristol Phoenix January 8, 1918, p. 1

(A lot of other food stories appear on that page as well).

Poster from the National Archives

[atmilescross]

Playlist on repeat all day ✔️ Binge reading all my favorites ✔️ It's Hallowe'en 🎃

(oh! forgot to put Out of This World by Catherine Lundoff in the picture but I do have a copy of that as well which contains the short story "A Scent of Roses")

[shrikeseams]

I feel compelled to point out that if this dynamic is your jam, you might enjoy The Fall of Kings by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman.

Celegorm has a hunter/prey fetish and we all know he’s the prey