#hi i would die for Halvard

[dregstrash]

a book rec list no one asked for pt. 2

Check out this post for pt. 1

My side note still stands: I’m not super critical about books I read. I don’t really dissect or look for things that are wrong or what the author could have done better. I just read and if I didn’t hate the book completely then I would say it was pretty good. This is also not organized by any particular order 

If you want more recs or just wanna talk book, send me an ask!!

- A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Listen, I don’t read a lot of fantasy retelling stories. It’s not my particular cup of tea when it comes to fantasy (I made an exception towards ACOTAR just because a good friend recommended it to me...and well....i have mixed feelings about the series in general...but that’s another conversation). ANYWAY. I freaking loved this book. It’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and it’s so unique and refreshing and agh it was so great. 

All the characters are fleshed out. I’m being for real. Harper has cerebral palsy, but much like how Kaz deals with his injury, it’s just a part of who she is, and she doesn’t let it limit her. Like her disability isn’t shoved aside or treated as something to be fixed, it just is and she is such a baddie. I love Harper, she’s witty, intelligent, head strong, and learns from her mistakes.

Then there’s Rhen-- our Beast character. If y’all were looking for a fuckboy turned into “i regret every decision i’ve ever made and i just want to focus being a better person now” boy than I have the character for you. Rhen’s character growth throughout the book was a thing of beauty. We see how he thinks, the calculated and practiced nature he has resigned himself to, as well as his fierce loyalty. More than that, we see how Harper changes him as a person. She becomes a catalyst for him to be a better man and it’s great.

AND then we have Grey. The ever loyal soldier. He was a character that I wasn’t expecting to like, but by the end of the book I was so invested. He was so complicated, and layered and his brotherhood with Rhen and his friendship with Harper was so real and wonderful, and I just love him a lot.

If you’re looking for a book that handles the whole Beauty and the Beast retelling better than a certain popular fae inspired retelling, I highly recommend this one. 

- Stalking Jack the Ripper (series) by Kerri Maniscalco

Here’s the thing, I love these books a lot. I love historical fiction. I love a good mystery. And I love steamy romances with Sherlock type character. Is it my all time favorite series? No. Is it perfect in characterization and plot? Eh. Did I have fun reading about the Watson character embodied by the spunky, intelligent, fiercely loyal, and unafraid to be a woman while still being a forensic scientist that is Audrey Rose Wadsworth? Absolutely.

This book honestly does not take itself that seriously. Sure, there is some murder going on, and there is a lot of danger that these two characters face. But it’s like watching any type of Sherlock Holmes movie. I had a lot of fun reading it, Kerri has such a unique voice and unashamedly made such a calculating, but still flirty character in Thomas Cresswell and I am here for it.

Plus the side characters are soooo much fun, and are the ride or die gal pals anyone during this time period would be honored to have. 

- A Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

Have I talked about this book yet? If not, buckle your seatbelts cause I’m about to gush. I read this book in December, and I was  S H O O K.

It launched me into this whole obsession with vikings, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it for days on end.

The whole story is about this girl who finds out her brother who she thought was dead has been alive for five years, and is living with a tribe that is perceived as the enemy. 

I’m an absolute sucker for romance heavy fantasy action adventures, but this book was one of the few exceptions to that rule. It’s a book about family, about learning what it means to be a part of something, and having to break problematic beliefs to serve a greater good.

I loved Eelyn. I loved seeing her trying to reconcile her beliefs, her image of her brother, and adapting to this whole other perceived hated culture. You really see her struggle and fight against it, and then eventually understand what makes a tribe a tribe. Her character arc was amazing and there was the way Young writes her loneliness hit me right in the gut.

The side characters in this book were equally as amazing and fleshed out let me just say. Fiske is the broody, protective brother who has heart eyes for one tough woman who almost killed him in battle, we stan. And Eelyn’s brother was a treat to get to know, especially through her eyes. And don’t even get me started on little Halvard. The book wouldn’t have been the same without him. He was this little ball of energy that gave Eelyn a pocket of sunshine and happiness. And I loved him.

In conclusion: vikings, family bonding, character growth, and a dash of enemies-to-lovers

Please check this book out it’s amazing

- Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller

On the vein of viking badassery, I propose the amazingness that was this recent read. This book literally just came out this month, and I read it so quick.

Rasmira is a flawed character. Like that’s addressed from the get-go, and the book follows her amazing journey to find more about herself and reflecting on the events that led up to her life turning to shit.

Along the way she comes across two boys living out in exile with her. One who is one of the most respectful flirts that I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. And another who is the snarky character who can hold a grudge like nobody’s business, and has the snark of a man twice his size. 

The journey of these three was so sweet to read, and the quests each of them take to try to redeem themselves in others’ eyes only leads them to learn what it means to have redemption in their own.

The character relationships were so brilliant. Again Rasmira is a killer badass with a brilliant mind. Soren is the feminist warrior that everyone needs to meet. And Iric is everyone when the way to solve the problem is more troublesome than the problem itself.

Please everyone read it.

[caveartfair]

Bjarne Melgaard’s proposal to build a “death house” near Edvard Munch’s studio was rejected by Norwegian politicians.

Rendering of Bjarne Melgaard and Snøhetta's A House to Die In. Courtesy and © MIR and Snøhetta.

After months of fierce debate, the plans for Norwegian artist Bjarne Melgaard’s deeply controversial “death house” are, well, dead. The Local Norway reported that Oslo city councillors from the Labour, Socialist Left, Green, and Progress parties have released a joint statement officially blocking the controversial artist from building a structure called “A House to Die In” on the outskirts of the Norwegian capital.

Plans for the building, designed by Oslo-based architecture firm Snøhetta, called for a UFO-like structure sitting atop animal statues and inspired by the homes of drug lords that would include a “drug room” and “sex pillows.” The official word from the politicians claimed the project was stopped for environmental reasons, explaining in a statement that: “We want the site where the death house was intended to be placed to remain a green area for the benefit of the local population, and we encourage Bjarne to find a new site for the project.”

But the controversy surrounding the project also stems from its proximity to the plot where Norway’s most famous artist, Edvard Munch, had his winter studio. Despite the fact that Melgaard’s project was approved by the national and local conservation authorities, those living in an artist’s colony nearby pressured the government to putting the kibosh on the scheme. “This is the only place where Munch lived and worked for 30 years,” Halvard Haugerud, a painter living in the artist community, told the New York Times in February. “We just want to keep what’s left of Munch.”

Melgaard, who has never shied away from controversy, dismissed any idea that he was tarnishing Munch’s legacy, noting that the structure of his studio was demolished in 1989. “I believe this talk about the legacy of Munch is ridiculous,” he told the Times. He also said that homophobia played a part, as anti-gay graffiti was found at one of the proposed sites. “They are not interested in gay men or women taking up too much space in our society,” Melgaard said in that same Times story.

After the government scuttled the project, Melgaard responded to an inquiry from the newspaper Aftenposten, saying in a text message: “There is great opposition to new things in Norway.”

from Artsy News

[crvnda-blog]

Okay, okay, but like,,, Angus and Halvard sleeping together in a bed and they're just having a peaceful and lighthearted moment? Then when they both talk about how they met each other, with Halvard laughing as he brought it up before he told him rather causally about how he loved the moment of meeting him for the first time by almost killing him. Angus’ colours would run out quick and he laughs along with him in dead awkwardness, but Harvard comforts him through kisses, maybe too rough, whoops, and Angus softly said, “You know, though you didn't kill me when we first met, I wouldn't ever mind you killing me in the end for whatever reasons.”

Halvard would be confused. “...Would you, actually? What makes you think you would die for me? Even you wouldn't mind if I kill you?”

“Well, my life wasn't very that exciting, hahah, believe it or not, and in a sense, I didn't feel like whole, until I met you to us dating at this rightful moment... I... I feel like my life will be over any time now, and... yeah, I actually wouldn't mind at all because I'm so happy that there's at least one person who really shows a reason to... be alive today, and I get to meet them, let alone being with them, and...”

He takes his hand and the way he looks at him, it was out of adore and deep respect, and if it could, it would've melt Halvard’s heart too easily.

“Of course, this one person is you, Halvard. My life worth so much to bare with you involved, and I would do anything to proof that statement, even if you would kill me eventually.”

“Hey... Hey, it's okay, Hal. I love you, okay? I know my affection to you isn't enough to make your depression and dysphoria go away so quickly, but please remember that I'm always there to guide you through, either your most happiest or darkest moments, I’m by your side.”