#elizabeth is reading

[elizabethisreading]

Book Review: Mickey7 by Edward Ashton

Genre: Dystopian/science fiction

Rating: 5/5

TW: blood, death, human experimentation.

Theme Song: “Afraid” by The Neighbourhood

Summary:

Set in the distant future where humanity has begun interplanetary colonization, our story follows a man named Mickey Barnes, a resident of a beachhead colony on a foreign planet. As part of an effort to colonize the ice planet Niflheim, Mickey works as an "Expendable"—a person who performs jobs that almost guarantee their death. Whether it's testing an unpredictable new vaccine or scouting out a terrain infested with carnivorous alien creatures, Mickey is the guy for the job. And every time he dies, his superiors reprint his body with all his memories and personality, so he can continue to die for the cause again, and again, and again.

The job goes as well as it can for Mickey—until he returns from a mission where he unexpectedly lives and finds Mickey8 in his bed. With limited rations and supplies available, a commander who doesn't see multiples as human, and an impending infestation of a native alien population known as creepers, the life of Mickeys Seven and Eight hangs in the balance.

Favorite Quote:

"I've died seven goddman times," I say over my shoulder. "That's six times more than anyone should. Don't tell me what I wouldn't dare."

REVIEW BELOW

I'll begin this review by admitting I haven't read much science fiction in my time. While I like to think I read diversely in terms of genre, science fiction is one I've rarely gravitated towards (pun intended). The reason I decided to give this book a try is because it's getting a film adaptation in March, directed by Bong Joon-ho and starring my parasocial husband, Robert Pattinson.

And I must say, this might be the book that turns me into a sci-fi reader, because I loved this book.

To me, this book's biggest strength is its narrator. Mickey Barnes is such a funny and engaging narrator that I was never bored throughout the story. He deals with the absurd life or death situations he finds himself in with a dry, sarcastic sense of humor that's somewhat reminiscent of Mark Watney from Andy Weir's The Martian. Except unlike Mark Watney, who is knowledgeable enough to science his way to survival, Mickey is not the smartest guy in the room, and this makes him a relatable and refreshing main character.

Another thing that impresses me about this book is how it goes about giving exposition. When it comes to writing speculative fiction, there's a lot of talk about info-dumping. Much writing advice warns authors against vomiting up too much world-building information onto the reader, lest the story's momentum slows down and bores them. There are a fair amount of info-dumping sections in this book, but I think they work really well. This is for two reasons:

One, Mickey is a history nerd. He spends much of his time reading about past space colonies that have failed and succeeded, so him talking to us about the history of the colonies, how they work, how human space expansion has happened, etc. makes sense for his character. Add the fact that Mickey's conversational tone makes it feel like he's chatting with you personally about it rather than reading off a Wikipedia page for this world.

And secondly, much of these info-dumps happen during lower-stress points of the plot, so it never feels like the story is stopping to a halt to world-build at you. Ashton allows us to learn about the world from Mickey's restricted position on the colony during moments where we as the readers get to breathe a little.

In my opinion, the best books are the ones that are both fun and thoughtful at the some time. Enjoyable but not brainless. Mickey7 is a great example of said book.

In between its snarky narration and death-defying alien encounters, the novel has a lot of interesting ideas that it's playing with. Ashton explores not only expansionism and space colonization, but also at broader systems that treat human lives as...well, expendable. And how desperate circumstances can pushing people into jobs that quite literally kill them for the sake of empowering those at the very top.

Ideas that Bong Joon-ho will no doubt explore in his film adaptation, since systems that dehumanize people tend to be a theme in his movies.

The novel also has a lot of fun just exploring the implications of having multiple copies of the same person. At one point, Mickey describes a story of a man who once tried to take over an entire planet with an army of his own clones (with disasterous results). There's many references to the Ship of Theseus and immortality, and whether each copy of Mickey is still "the real him."

On top of all this, the book has a great supporting cast of characters. I was especially fond of Mickey's girlfriend Nasha. This woman does not give a fuck and I love her for it.

It's funny, I spent a good chunk of this book thinking, "Man if I were Nasha and I found out there were two copies of my boyfriend, I would have some fun with it." And then:

What can I say but good for her.

Even characters like Berto, who had me saying "fuck this guy" several times, he eventually grew on me. While I did find Marshall, the colony's uptight commander, a bit stereotypical and one-note, I was so satisfied when Mickey stood up to him in the end that I simply did not care.

Overall, Mickey7 is an engaging story that combines sci-fi thrills with fascinating philosophical insight, all brought to us by a fumbling but lovable main character. I look forward to reading its sequel, Antimatter Blues.

And I also look forward to seeing not one but two versions of my celebrity crush when the movie comes out.

(Mr. Pattinson hiiiiii 😉)

[loveelizabeths]

love elizabeth s.

[lazylittledragon]

i said that gale and cyra have disaster romcom energy and now it's all i can think about

[anghraine]

I'm drafting a long semi-headcanon post as I try to phrase it properly, but I'm tired right now so I'll just leave you with the conclusion:

Mr Bennet has made Elizabeth into the closest feasible approximation of the son he wanted and never had, and relates to her through that framework as much as possible. Meanwhile, Lady Catherine can't quite acknowledge that her literal daughter is a disappointment to her, and instead just openly fantasizes about a totally unrecognizable version of Anne that has never existed. Her real spiritual daughter is Darcy.

[just-bee-lieve]

the funeral

[xanthickee]

[siminiecricketart]

My series of portraits of the Riordanverse gals

[sigtheta]

...But then... I realised that it was I who was even crueler.

(8/10/2024)

[sparrowlucero]

this is the iconic dinosaur horror jurassic park wishes it was

[twosignificantfigures]

whenever i rewatch criminal minds episodes i'm always reminded that emily is actually crazy good at her job

today i was rewatching seven seconds (best cm episode ever btw nothing will ever top seven seconds) and if you look at emily's face when the uncle was explaining that maybe katie was just playing dress-up you can see in her eyes how she put the pieces together in her head that there was something going on and that the uncle may have done something to katie

it's even more obvious when you watch the clip like you see the moment when it clicks for her but she couldn't say anything unless she had proof of it

and i have to admire paget's acting here too because she was just so good at the subtle changes with just her eyes and body language she was just too good in this ep this was HER ep

i still get chills thinking about the scene where she was getting the aunt to confess what she did to katie and goes "you have robbed katie of her childhood, are you going to steal the rest of her life from her as well?" with so much fury and passion my god she is excellent

[natromi]

Insomniac Nights

Prompt: “I can't sleep, do you mind a cuddle?“

Wanda Maximoff being unable to sleep because of her nightmares, decides to choose you out of everyone for a cuddle. You think she's joking, why would she choose you? She thinks you're cute for being so naive on her growing feelings for you.

Warnings: None because this is pure fluff! Maybe like a little bit of a possessive mindset at the end but it's vague methinks.

Word Count: 390, short one to start with.

Wanda let out a sigh as she rolled from one side of her bed to the other, her head on her hands as she contemplated fighting a god for her lack of sleep. She could very well fight a god or two if she wished, maybe she would choose to fight Morpheus if he so much as appeared on her line of sight. Alas, she didn't have the energy or the mental capacity to handle a fight, let alone with the dream man.

And so she sat down, eyes on the colourless wall as she got lost in her mind for a while. She thought about how unlucky she was to get nightmares, while you were sleeping quite peacefully next door. Maybe she envied your ability to sleep so much and so well, maybe she envied that you cuddled your pillow, and not her.

As thoughts swirled around her mind, she thought of what she wanted to do. Either she could suffer by herself and try to go back to sleep, or she could ask you, her best friend, and most oblivious person in the multiverse, to cuddle her. Because obviously friends cuddled all the time!

She made up her mind after a couple minutes (which felt like hours), standing up and walking quietly to your room. Choosing to open the door quietly, as to not wake you up, she found you reading a book. A surprised look on her face as she expected you to have been sleeping by now.

Too surprised to notice your stare on hers, she broke into a soft, shy smile. The darkness hiding her flushed cheeks, your silent motion for her to walk in allowed her to close the door slowly, walking over to you. There was a silent understanding of what she wanted, and you were perfectly okay in this thought to be platonic move.

You enveloped her in your arms, a soft sigh leaving Wanda's lips as she found comfort in your body heat, the way you smelled, and your tight hold as you went back to reading. She found these moments incredibly peaceful, that she often thought about how she could ever deserve you, her most prized possession.

But you didn't know that yet, you didn't need to. You would understand soon enough that she was the only one for you.

This is my first oneshot that I publish!! I hope you guys enjoy it. Feel free to repost, send a comment or just like this. It'll mean so much to me to know that it's being liked. (:

[elizabethisreading]

Book Review: The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian

Genre: Thriller

Rating: 3/5

TW: Violence, murder, alcoholism

Theme Song: “Good Time Girl” by Sofi Tukker

Summary:

Cassandra "Cassie" Bowden is a flight attendant with a few questionable habits. Two of which include getting blackout drunk and hooking up with strange men. One of these hookups backfires when she meets wealthy businessman Alex Sokolov on a flight to Dubai and spends the night with him.

When she wakes up the next morning in his hotel room, Cassie discovers Alex next to her in bed. Dead. And covered in blood.

This discovery is just the start as Cassie is questioned by the FBI and the questions becomes, did she kill Alex Sokolov? And if she didn't, then who did?

Favorite Quote:

"She breathed in the air, lush now with the promise of twilight, and recalled Alex Sokolov's cold body beside her in bed and his blood in her hair."

REVIEW BELOW

I was inspired to read this book after watching (and loving) the HBO Max series adaptation starring Kaley Cuoco. And while I enjoyed the HBO series, it did color the way I read this book. People often say that the book is better than the adaptation, but I'd say this book is an exception to that rule.

If you're going into this book expecting a fast-paced, action-packed kind of espionage story, you're going to be disappointed. This is book is very slow burn, and it's just as much as character study of Cassie Bowden, and how the fallout of Alex's murder further illuminates her own problems and baggage.

Similar to my thoughts on Warm Bodies, The Flight Attendant takes a different approach to a similar story depending on which version you're looking at. The book is weightier with bigger thoughts on its mind, while the adaptation takes a more comedic approach. Don't go into the book expecting the same dark comedy as the show.

In my opinion, the biggest improvement the show makes from the book is the characters' relationships with each other. We're told that Cassie is this reckless, self-destructive person who ruins the lives of everyone around her, but considering she doesn't have that many close relationships, this feels all tell and no show.

In the show, the secondary characters and their relationship with Cassie are much more fleshed out. So when Cassie makes decisions that hurt them, it feels much more potent and meaningful compared to the novel.

I was specifically disappointed with the character of Miranda in the book compared to show. In the HBO max series, Miranda is a mysterious, badass hitwoman who's always kicking ass and doing interesting things. In the book, Miranda doesn't...do much? She mostly talks with her handler and follows Cassie around once Alex is dead.

She's a character we get plenty of backstory for, but it ultimately doesn't build up to much. She's a character with so much latent potential and attention, yet feels superfluous for most of the book.

Overall, I liked the book just fine, and I think it's worth giving a shot if you're a fan of the TV series. It's thoughtful and introspective, but doesn't explore its characters as far as it could.

If I had to recommend one over the other, I would stick to the TV show.

Also, shout out to what I think is a Big Bang Theory reference in this book:

[loveelizabeths]

love elizabeth s.

[bethfuller]

digital nomad.

follow me on instagram!

[kunimilktea]

Doodle dump!

Brainrot so bad i made a fanchild 💀💀💀

Also dont ask me why i have tons of colored sketches in such a short amount of time im also freaking myself out 💀

[purplink8]

My Lawlight headcanon is that-

L fell first:

But Light fell harder:

__________________________________________

Yeah yeah, I'm well aware that the first friend scene was a lie from L's side and a mind game from both sides- BUT look at Light's FACE (and no Light's a good actor but this split second of '...' + transparent eyes is not a performance imho)

He's genuinely stunned (translation: L broke him for a moment there lmao it's like, during that single moment, they're the only ones in the room!) BEFORE he realizes that they are playing a role here in front of the task force. As Ryuga and Light; which is what he tells Ryuk later:

(His eyes are hidden *clenches fists* Light is emotionally affected and does not want anybody to know that L got him. Again.

Except this time, he feels humiliated in a strange sort of way.

Despite everything, including the whole 'enemies till death do we part' thing they have going on? Light enjoyed his time with L (albeit not without the collateral damage of other people dying but I digress). He DID like playing tennis with Ryuga as he tells him. That part's not a lie! L being a good friend is not true though.

L does not want Light as his friend for real. He's bullshitting as always to catch Light off guard. This isn't new. But it. is. Personal (to Light, at least).

Only it shouldn't be! This is all part of their game, isn't it? Then why does Light feel a bit...disappointed due to it not being real? In an alternate universe, would he have liked truly being L's friend?

No! Of course not, that is a ridiculous line of thought! Additionally, just 2 chapters ago, Light was like:

Can you see the lawlight and yagamane parallels here? L intends to catch Kira!Light and poses an execution threat to Light while Misa means to date Light and poses some threats of her own:

Both L and Misa come on too strongly toward Light (one as an enemy and the other as a potential ally). Light merely wants to get rid of them both so as to achieve his keikaku with ease. While dealing with Misa, Light thinks, 'I'll be killing her eventually...I can't develop feelings. That's how most idiots screw up.'

Notice how similar this is when it comes to his dynamic with L as well? He has to kill the latter eventually too and his reaction (to when he's confronted with the fact that Rem *can* kill L at his immediate request before the fiasco of Misa getting arrested happens at least) is this below btw:

The guy is truly shocked at how easy it seems to kill someone as intelligent as L. Light does not smile or seem amused. He takes this (L's future death) very seriously (I think it's the first time he does this since his first two kills). I believe it's partly due to the begrudging respect he has toward the genius detective and partly because of the 'what-if's in his mind.

His eyes, blown wide, are unreadable except for the astonished look they show. It is a rare display of emotion we see from Light (I can't seem to pinpoint just what the emotion is tho) which is quite noteworthy imho.

________________________________________

...Wow I got carried away.

The point is! Light feels a little humiliated for letting his emotions get the better of him even if it was for just an instant during which he was gobsmacked by L's lie which he wished for it to be true.

Light can rationalize it all he wants but deep down, in his heart, he'd always know that there was a period of time (however small) that he not only fell for L's lie, but also secretly under LAYERS of repression actually just wanted to live in that world- the world where there was neither L nor Kira, just Ryuga and his friend Light.

That's wishful thinking and boy would Light hate this if he acknowledged for even a second that yes, he does want that.)

Again. Light 'Developing Feelings = Idiotic Screw ups' Yagami cannot afford to deceive himself that L, on some level, wants to befriend him as that may as well cost his life if he did. He cannot get distracted as that was most definitely one of L's intentions of calling him his 'first friend'.

He'll dutifully play along as he had anticipated it a while ago:

"I like this, Ryuga. If you want to be friends with me. I'll gladly hang out with you."

Light sure looks thrilled as hell to be role-playing as L's friend lmao- like he loves mind games, he revels in duplicity, he enjoys challenges that L adds to his life so is it any wonder that the combination of all is *chef's kiss* for Light? He is so so EXCITED to be hanging out with L face-to-face + looks forward to stabbing him in the back!!

Gotta love lawlight! </3 <3