#loring mandel

[cinesludge]

Movie #45 of 2023: Conspiracy

[strewbi]

The House of Roland-Mulligan has a powerful, storied, mating dance and the camera people in game changer we’re lucky enough to capture it after camping out for years in the Roland-Mulligan natural habitat-the stage.

[andys-dc-headcanons]

underrated part of Superman lore is that Mxyzsptlk is the same dude in every universe which means this man has decided "in this universe I wanna sound like Gilbert Gotfried, in this one I want to look just like Howie Mandell. In this Universe I wanna be a blue anime imp!"

[liamlawsonlesbian]

what book I would give each current formula one driver to introduce them to the joy of reading

an intellectual exercise no one* asked for

Max Verstappen: Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond - if you are nd and have read this book, you may understand me. otherwise just trust me. the impetus for this post

Checo Perez: The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White - this is an excellent read-aloud book for Sergio Jr.'s age, and there is nothing as wonderful as reading a compelling book to a kid you love, imho

Charles Leclerc: The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman - he is on the record as a Potter enjoyer. also, I think he would enjoy having a little animal friend

Carlos Sainz: Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood - okay yes this is partially a joke about the title, but this is a hilarious and wonderful memoir, about weird families and Catholicism, and I think Carlos would enjoy it.

Lando Norris: Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett - in my mind Lando is a little bit like @bright-and-burning but less cool, so this fits. also, the combination of high number of jokes/page + action/mystery seems like a good fit

Oscar Piastri: Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie - this book has the kind of mystery that really draws you in, plus I think Oscar would dig the questions about AI it digs into. I choose to believe with zero evidence that he would be interested in the funky gender stuff

Fernando Alonso: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell - look me in the eye and tell me this book wasn't written for Fernando Alonso

Lance Stroll: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - yeah

Lewis Hamilton: Die Trying by Lee Child - Lewis deserves to read mildly trashy thrillers <3 plus there's a Tom Cruise movie

George Russell: Changing My Mind by Zadie Smith - as a proud Brit, George should be reading one of the premiere English authors of the 21st century. her first book of essays is a fun and readable place to start

Yuki Tsunoda: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - I don't have a Yuki-lore explanation, I just want to give him one of my favorite books

Daniel Ricciardo: The Gunslinger by Steven King - The Dark Tower series is Lord of the Rings-esque in scope but Western-inflected in aesthetic and written by The Horror Guy, I think DR would enjoy

Alex Albon: The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee - I say this with so much love in my heart, but Alex wants to be seen as smart. this book is brilliantly written pop science

Logan Sargeant: Bloomability by Sharon Creech - yes this is a book for tween girls, but it's about boarding school in Switzerland, and Sharon Creech is a genius. if I could convince him to read it, I think he would love it

Valtteri Bottas: The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien - what are hobbits if not humanoid moomins?

Zhou Guanyu: Piranesi by Susannah Clarke - a fun, exciting, stylishly written book for a stylish guy

Kevin Magnussen: Watership Down by Richard Adams - rabbit warfare <3

Nico Hulkenberg: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles - Hulk SEEMS like a Dad Who Reads Historical Fiction, even if he isn't yet

Pierre Gasly: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - I almost said A Game of Thrones but I don't think that would be good for him. so, Six of Crows. he likes heists!

Esteban Ocon: City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty - a superhero origin story of sorts for Mr. Spiderman

Bonus: Liam Lawson: Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - lesbian from New Zealand. let me have this

*ro asked for it, take it up with them @oscarpiastriwdc

[gwydionae]

King's Quest Fan Remakes

After talking about them a bit recently, I felt compelled to play through the old KQ fan remakes (1-3 from AGDI and 3 from IA), and I wanted to share my more in depth thoughts for anyone interested in these love letters to the original games.

King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown Remake from AGD Interactive

A lovely update to the original! While clearly the least polished of AGDI's offerings, it's nice to be able to play KQ1 with KQ5-style graphics and voice acting (the original voice of Graham, Josh Mandel, voices him in all four of the games in this post, ftr). There is an option to turn off any chance of softlocking yourself before you even start the game, which is a welcome feature. Puzzle-wise, this one stays the most faithful to the original out of the three from AGDI with a few updates here and there (like that stupid name puzzle! lol). The vocal performances and sound effects can be a bit fuzzy, but I found them enjoyable nonetheless.

Overall a solid fan remake with limited extra bells and whistles!

King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones from AGDI

Easily the most ambitious of the three from AGDI. Pretty much all of the core elements from KQ1 are further polished here - artwork, acting, music, and sound effects. The story and puzzles, however, have been changed enough that the end product is sizably different from the original. In some cases, this is fun and interesting (more lore and character interactions! new and unique puzzles!), but not everyone will enjoy all the changes. I, for example, find the underwater section kind of fun, but the new content around the count... not so much (for reasons I'll avoid due to spoilers, but know they're more mechanical than anything). There's less freedom in when you can do things, the added story making the game far more linear than it originally was. But then I'm sure many would agree that if any KQ game could do with extra content, it'd be 2, so I can't fault them swinging for the fences, even if not every hit was a home run.

All in all, this version of KQ2 doesn't really work if you're simply looking to experience the original game with updated graphics, but it's a fun playthrough nonetheless, and newcomers might enjoy the added lore/story bits. Just be aware that I could probably sum up the original game's story in about two sentences while this one would take far longer. XD

King's Quest III: To Heir is Human Redux from AGDI

If KQ1 wasn't fully polished and KQ2 was a little overworked, then KQ3 is juuuuuust right! (For anyone who knows the game, yes, this is a purposeful pun. XD) The graphics, sounds, music, vocal performances - all are the best yet (though still with some minor hiccups as any fan game is wont to have - the music was sadly cutting out during the climactic sequence for me). It even has a neat little feature where the timer changes color depending on how close you are to being zapped into oblivion that is not only useful but adds a sense of urgency in it's own way (especially if you forgot the item that makes travel a lot easier for like 2 meals I mean what lol). While it does carry over some of the story threads from AGDI's second entry, this game still works well enough on it's own, with the majority of the new content being added in naturally rather than supplanting whole sections of the original. In fact, personally speaking, I think the added content only enhances the game, your encounters with Medusa and the yeti especially getting a nice boost. And the extra lore only helps you feel for the protagonists plight all the more. The ending is a bit drawn out, perhaps, and I may not agree with the order you're supposed to choose the four items in to get the treasure (insert rant here XD), but those are minor nitpicks at best.

This is easily the best of the three, AGDI having perfected their KQ formula at this point. It works as a remake of the original while still adding in a bit of new content that doesn't feel unwelcome. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in giving the King's Quest series a try.

King's Quest III: To Heir is Human Remake from Infamous Adventures

Look. I know that it's not as impressive as AGDI's version. The time limit is laughably long, the spells are impossible to mess up, and some of the clickable areas can be a bit wonky. But I really like this version, ok?? I like the design and voice of Gwydion, I like the storybook quality that the cutscene art has, I like that it feels lonely when it should. And as much as some of the changes in AGDI's version were really nice, I like that it's basically just the original game without extra stuff added in.

This is like AGDI's KQ1 - a really solid remake of a game that gives you the feel of the original but with an updated interface and graphics. It's not as impressive as the one above, but it doesn't have to be. The original KQ3 is an awesome game, so an update of just that can't be bad. It can easily be played as a standalone game, and I will continue recommending this version 'til I die, lol.

[mackmp3]

9, 23, 24

:DDDD

9 - did you get into any new genres?

ooh not anything *completely new*, but i did read a bunch of sandman comics (neil gaiman) which are quite different from what i normally read - more dark/kind of horror fantasy as opposed to the more ~fantastical~ fantasy i usually like. and i read station eleven by emily st john mandel which is a dystopia, haven't read a dystopia since i was like 13 lol but it was quite interesting

23 - fastest time it it took you to read a book?

hmm i read a graphic novel in a few hours at the library the other day, but for only-words books probably a few days? i read neverwhere pretty quickly. i used to read a book every few days i miss that 😭 but now it's the holidays so i have lots of time for reading <3

24 - did you dnf anything? why?

i started reading a day of fallen night by samantha shannon, the prequel to priory of the orange tree, but it's reallllyyyyyy longgggg and very dense and i put it down for a bit & then forgot who everyone was & how they knew each other and also all the lore of the world and it was getting too complicated. tragic cos i really love priory of the orange tree.

[kwebtv]

From the Golden Age of Television

Project Immortality - CBS - June 11, 1959

A presentation of "Playhouse 90" Season 3 Episode 36

Drama

Running Time: 90 minutes

Directed By Fielder Cook

Written By Loring Mandel

Produced By Peter Kortner

Hosted By Dr. Frank C. Baxter 

Stars:

Lee J. Cobb as Lawrence Doner

Kenneth Haigh as Martin Schramm

Gusti Huber as Eva Doner

Michael Landon as Arthur Doner

Patty McCormack as Ketti Doner

Paul Fix as General Adams

Richard Carlyle as Schoonover

Frank Ferguson as DeKlasch

Barney Phillips as Colonel Bender

Don Keefer as Leech

Frederick Worlock as Dr. Samman

Joseph Sargent as Liggett

Sheridan Comerate as Driver

Azaria Port as Agassiz

Donald Foster as Laniel

William Boyett as Weiner

[clown-reads-homestuck]

1-50

First real post of my readthrough of homestuck! Just getting right into it.

It's so funny that some random user just named his ass John Egbert.

I really miss the style of just importing really crusty jpegs of real objects into your artwork. It speaks to the mid 2000s newgrounds user that still dwells in my decrepit soul. We should bring this back.

This seems like a nightmare of a narrative device to write around. Though I guess I understand it because it kinda deters just picking up everything.

Do it John. Shit on your desk. This animation is super cute though.

What the hell is the background image supposed to be on this. Also GODS I would kill for a computer screen like this.

Having war flashbacks to when my IRL WoW friends would use the term loot in public like it was nothing. This is the real relic of this era. Also what the fuck kind of username is turntechGodhead. It's probably a reference I'm not getting but I've never seen the term godhead used outside of elder scrolls lore.

This is so quaint in 2023, I mean who doesn't know what piss tastes like. Also this whole exchange makes absolutely no sense if you haven't seen Little Monster starring Howie Mandel and Fred Savage. does Howie pee in a kids mouth in that movie???

I have vague memories of people talking about monocles so much more often when I was a growing up. I feel like the internet had more of a fascination for them back then because fake rich people made us less pants shittingly angry. Also this is such an early 2010s level humor joke jeez.

I thought this motherfucker was TOM from Toonami. Also COOL CLICKABLE pages, I didn't even know this had that. Least not this early on.

This hideous book is a joy to look at. It reminds me of the weird intermission screens in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

I misread this as making me so hard all the time. I almost blacked out.

This is a lot more word salady than I expected. That's not really a negative though

Not gonna lie a magazine like this would do numbers nowadays. It's kind of weird that a little bit of bro culture kinda just became normal culture for dudes generally. I wonder Andrew Hussie had something specifically against GamePro at the time or if it was just for the pun. Also John why do you own this magazine.

Yooo CLOWN TIME. I guess Harlequins in this case but still I didn't expect clown stuff to start showing up this early. I know Hussie is a clown eboy or something nowadays so I knew they had to be in this.

I would be bing chilling in this living room dude, this is so cozy. Also wtf does John's dad do to afford this happening pad.

Final page! This is pretty fun so far. Stare into the flames John, let your hate go stronger.

Till next time anyone who actually reads this blog!

[mielgf]

no one asked for this but i am sharing some of my favourite books i read this year <3 if you want to share yours as well, please do!! either in your own post and tag me, comment on this, send an ask, whatever you’d like :)

fave 2022 new releases:

- what moves the dead by t. kingfisher

- lore olympus vol. 2 & 3 by rachel smythe

- heartstopper vol. 4 by alice oseman

- ain’t burned all the bright by jason reynolds and jason griffin

- the trayvon generation by elizabeth alexander

- she gets the girl by rachael lippincott and alyson derrick

- time is a mother by ocean vuong

- sea of tranquility by emily st. john mandel

fave reads from 2022 overall:

- little women by louisa may alcott

- the strangers by katherena vermette

- if we were villains by m.l. rio

- i’m thinking of ending things by iain reid

- last night at the telegraph club by malinda lo

[supernutellastuff]

I posted 315 times in 2022

7 posts created (2%)

308 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@taralkariel

@xue-mei

@leafy-m

@missmorwen

@austennerdita2533

I tagged 204 of my posts in 2022

Only 35% of my posts had no tags

#me irl - 23 posts

#buckynat - 14 posts

#klaroline - 10 posts

#fanart - 8 posts

#i love tumblr - 8 posts

#politics - 7 posts

#mcu - 7 posts

#seriously - 6 posts

#just human things - 6 posts

#art - 6 posts

Longest Tag: 94 characters

#the scariest point was about not being able to digest my favourite food sometime in the future

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Tag game!

Tagged by the amazing @diaz-eddie

Favourite colour - funny because I recently had a very in depth discussion about this with a friend, but anything in the blue-green family

Currently reading - I'm rereading The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel in preparation for her new novel The Sea of Tranquility (btw her Station Eleven remains one of my fav all timers, esp during the pandemic)

Sweet/salty/spicy/bitter/sour - spicy any day, though I do like sour as well

Last song - 2 AM by Lykke Li & Mark Ronson, also Nothing Breaks like a Heart by Miley Cyrus & Mark Ronson (these songs hit them feels like nothing else)

Last movie - Everything everywhere all at once (such an original movie)

Currently working on - it's supposed to be the second chapter of my Picturesque prequel but alas I have a presentation for work 😭

Tagging @recyclingss @xue-mei @mallosoar @taralkariel @missmorwen @highgaarden and anyone else who wants to play!

10 notes - Posted July 7, 2022

#4

Ok so I’m in early season 4. I’ve always really liked Bonnie, but she never gets anything to do and when she does it’s always just “here’s a random guy for you to have a relationship with and that will be your story for a while” (her and Jeremy 🤮) and it’s never interesting (although I wouldn’t mind if they went anywhere at all with her and Damon tbh).

I also very much like Damon, by far the better brother. I really don’t care about anything Elena-related anymore and I think it’s mostly because they’ve played everything out with her several times through already. Also sorry to Nina Dobrev but she’s not a great actor and I’ve kinda had it with the character by now. The less said about Stefan the better. Jeremy and Tyler too.

Now that I’m several seasons in though it really is feeling like they’re stretching for content. The world and season threats got too big and they have no idea how to stop the power creep so they just keep adding stuff that totally breaks established lore. One of the things I love about Caroline is how well she grounded the story (sure she’s a vampire but she’s also still really into regular high school drama and trying to be a normal person still).

(Also sorry for sending anon before. I didn’t realize I’d clicked that until it had sent)

Hello!! It's been a long time since I watched the show so I apologise in advance for any inadvertent spoilers or vague plot recall.

Okay so Bonnie has legit been done the dirtiest even though she's one of the coolest characters. I like some of her plot lines where her witch roots means she's actively opposed to the vampires but she still wants to be on Elena's side, the conflict could have been interesting but it's never mined deeper. I hate her and Jeremy too and I agree that she and Damon have some legit chemistry (explored in further seasons, so you do have something to look forward to!)

Yeah Elena is annoying, and I got tired quickly about how everything was always about her. I'm not sure if I prefer Damon over Stefan, but Stelena is defs more boring. I prefer Stefan as a stand alone character or his friendship dynamic with Lexi, Caroline etc (more on this later).

I agree with you that the world building gets bigger than the writers can handle, but I really enjoyed the cure storyline in s4. I'm in the minority, but I really liked how there are all these factions with their own agendas competing to get the cure, and well, i always like it when the Originals have to team up with the Mystic Falls gang.

Talking about the Originals, I think they're the best thing the show has ever done. The casting, the acting, the group dynamics, the lore, the integration with the core tvd group... Perfection. What do you think? Who's your favourite Original?

Yes, Caroline is such a breath of fresh air in the show. I absolutely love how she's one of the few characters who actually LOVES being a vampire. I related to her even before she turned, when she was talking about being second choice "no matter how much I do, its never enough". She's thriving as a vampire as well as retaining her connection to her human side, without any of the angsty brooding that Stefan and all do. One of the reasons I love Klaroline is that Klaus is the ONLY one who recognises this, that she wants a life bigger and better than this. He accepts her as she is, and I just looove how much he changes throughout the course of knowing her, how he consistently puts her first. Sigh. I can go on and on about Klaroline. They have such epic moments, my god. What have been your favourite scenes??

10 notes - Posted July 5, 2022

#3

[bernie sanders voice] I am once again asking for more of Chronicles

Aaaahhh Hahaha! I will always always appreciate your constant cheerleading for Chronicle 💜 unfortunately I don't have any plans to continue the story, it had a natural end. What I *am* working on rn is the Klaus POV prequel to Picturesque! You might be interested in that :) anyway, thanks for this message and can I just tell you (again) how much joy your fics and writing have given me??? 🥺

12 notes - Posted January 11, 2022

#2

running like water - a Zutara oneshot

AU Post-finale, that time when an assassin crashes Zuko's 18th birthday. Luckily he has a master waterbender by his side. Ft. a badass Katara, Fire Nation political intrigue, and Bloodbending as flirting.

(Realised I'd written this years ago but never posted. Hopefully this gives me some much-needed inspiration while I muddle through my WIPs. Happy reading!)

link on ao3

Or read below!

It’s Zuko’s 18th birthday and he is nowhere to be found. By all accounts, he’d made an appearance at the Royal Ball for a respectable amount of time and then disappeared into thin air. Katara hurries across the halls of the palace, one hand gathering the skirts of her formal gown, her heels clicking on the marble floor. The palace staff haven’t seen him either—he wasn’t in his bedchambers, nor in the library, and she’d even checked under the willow tree next to the turtleduck pond. Katara fumes, her annoyance rising. She’s laboured over his gift for days, the least he could do is not get kidnapped or whatever.

It’s nearing midnight and Katara is about to contemplate hiring the services of Jun and her shirshu when she remembers the one place she hadn’t yet searched: the rooftop. While the rooftop was largely inaccessible, owing to its steep pagoda architecture, there was a flat alcove, hidden to the public, that opened up to the sky. Zuko had shown it to her a while ago when he was making plans for renovation, but it was dirty and in disrepair then, which is why it had slipped her mind.

The entrance to the roof is hidden behind a tapestry, a rather heavy, ugly thing the colour of blood. Katara twitches the tapestry aside and slips behind it. A narrow spiral staircase stands in front of her, illuminated by a hanging dusty lantern. Clutching the wrought iron railings, she begins the dizzying climb. An unexpected sight greets her at the top.

The place has been transformed into a charming rooftop garden. Vines climb the walls and trail down the parapet. Rows of potted herbs are flanked by beds of exotic flowers, the spicy and sweet scents intermingling in interesting ways. Fat beeswax candles stuck on iron stands are placed strategically in recesses, giving the entire garden a low, atmospheric lighting. And lounging on a profusion of cushions, eyes shut, his top knot undone, is Zuko.

“Took you long enough,” he says lazily, cranking one eye open.

“Happy Birthday,” Katara snaps, flinging the wrapped parcel at his stomach with a little too much force.

Zuko straightens immediately. “What is this?”

“Your present, dummy. I’ve been running around everywhere looking for you.”

He frowns. “Didn’t Oromi deliver you the message?”

“What message?” she asks, sinking into a cushion beside him.

“He must have misplaced the note again.” Oromi was the new palace gardener, a country lad, kind-hearted but rather forgetful. He was a magician at his work, though—he could make the stubbornest of saplings sprout and the most exotic flowers bloom under his care, almost like he was bending them. This little rooftop garden seems to be his doing. “I wrote you a message asking you to meet me here. I could not stand all those dreadful festivities.”

“Yes, yes what a bore having people throwing grand parties in your honour.”

A sheepish smile spread across his face. “I appreciate it all, I really do.”

“The royal cooks roasted an entire hippo-ox in your honour.”

“And I savoured every bite of it…but it exhausts me, having to put on this stern, aloof, regal front.” He does look exhausted, there are lines around his eyes that have no business being there. He also looks older; the planes of his face have sharpened and there’s stubble on his face on days he has no official business. “I hate pretending to be someone I’m not, especially on my birthday, when I’d rather spend time with the people I like.” His eyes flicker to her and her stomach flips.

Clearing her throat, Katara gestures to the package lying in his lap. “Open your gift.”

Zuko picks up the gift, examining it from every angle. Katara watches him carefully as his deft fingers unwrap the parcel, untying the strings and peeling off the layers. Nestled in the folds is a stack of small, unassuming-looking, semi-circular cakes.

“It’s a mooncake,” says Katara hurriedly. “A traditional Water Tribe recipe. Probably not a very special gift but my mom used to make them for birthdays-”

Zuko is already digging into the stack. He takes a bite, makes a sound of appreciation, and polishes off the whole cake. “Is there fruit jam inside?!” he asks in delight, mouth full. He offers a cake to her and picks another for himself.

“Yes!” She grins. “Salmonberry jam. I spent days in the palace kitchen, trying to get the thickness of the filling right. It needs to be the right amount of oozy…”

The words die on her tongue. Zuko is licking the jam off his fingers. She puts down her cake, suddenly very flustered.

Zuko looks up as she falls silent. Their eyes meet and the moment holds still. They’ve been dancing around each other for the past two years, longer than that, if she’s honest. Lingering looks, not-so-accidental touches, charged banter…she’s been noticing it more in their interactions lately, whether it’s quiet picnics beside the turtleduck pond or heated fights during state meetings. And now this connection, whatever it may be, is threatening to make itself known in very real ways. Katara has half a mind to brush off the moment with a flippant remark.

It’s Zuko who breaks the silence. “You look beautiful, by the way,” he comments. She’s wearing a traditional Fire Nation gown, richly embroidered in threads of red and gold, but her hair—

“Your hair is braided Water Tribe style. It looks good on you.”

She smiles, fighting off a blush. “Thank you.”

See the full post

29 notes - Posted October 23, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Longing - a Picturesque prequel (Klaroline fanfiction)

Hellooo, the Picturesque prequel from Klaus's POV is finally here!

Longing

Summary: Klaus likes his life, mostly. He has his own flat in New York City, a great group of friends, a budding career as an artist, but as he's navigating all the ups and downs the city throws at him, he realises that he's longing for something more. Or rather, someone.

[The long-awaited prequel to Picturesque! As promised, this is from Klaus's POV and tells the story of how in the process of figuring out who he wants to be, he's more and more drawn towards Caroline. Too bad she doesn't think of him as anything other than a friend...]

I cannot believe how long this took! Writing from Klaus's POV was challenging, and I felt like my writing style had changed in the years since I wrote Picturesque. Anyway, here's my labour of love, hope you like it! This will be a two-parter, the second chapter will be up next week. To new readers, this is a prequel to Picturesque so PLEASE read that fic before this! You'll enjoy this fic better *after* reading Picturesque. While chronologically/plot-wise Longing comes first, I feel like from the progression of my writing style and the work I've put in the characterisations, it makes more sense to read Longing after Picturesque. Also, if you're a familiar reader, I'd still suggest you read Picturesque, just to brush up (I've made some slight edits for continuity, especially in the last chapter)

For @recyclingss who's always been such a tireless cheerleader <3

Read Longing here - https://archiveofourown.org/works/38565495

33 notes - Posted May 17, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[wearethecyclones]

Please, the list of the best books u read this year? 😍

Oooh ho ho. Don't mind if I do!

I was putting this message off because I was racing to finish a book I figured would end up on my list of favorites for the year and sure enough it ended up THE favorite of the year.

In no particular order, other than the first one:

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin

Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir

Sea of Tranquility - Emily St. James Mandel

Murderbot Diaries 1-5 - Martha Wells

The Locked Tomb 1-2 - Tamsyn Muir

Transcendent Kingdom - Yaa Gyasi

The Fortunes of Jaded Women - Caroyln Huynh

And boy do I have some least favorites of the year but let's keep it positive lmao

Full List Under the Cut~

Window Shopping - Tessa Bailey (2/5)

All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries 1) - Martha Wells (5/5)

Dark Matter - Blake Crouch (4/5)

The Charm Offensive - Alison Cochrun (4/5)

Slow Days, Fast Company - Eve Babitz (5/5)

If this Gets Out - Sophie Gonzales (1/5)

Cock - Mike Bartlett (5/5)

Gideon the Ninth (Locked Tomb 1) - Tamsyn Muir (5/5)

Harrow the Ninth (Locked Tomb 2) - Tamsyn Muir (5/5)

Artificial Condition (Murderbot Diaries 2) - Martha Wells (5/5)

Something Fabulous - Alexis Hall (2/5)

Heartstopper Vol. 1 - Alice Oseman (5/5) (REREAD)

Heartstopper Vol. 2 - Alice Oseman (5/5) (REREAD)

Heartstopper Vol. 3 - Alice Oseman (4/5) (REREAD)

Transcendent Kingdom - Yaa Gyasi (5/5)

Book Lovers - Emily Henry (5/5)

Rogue Protocol (Murderbot 3) - Martha Wells (5/5)

Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir (5/5)

Spinning - Tillie Walden (4/5)

Less - Andrew Sean Greer (4/5)

Exit Strategy (Murderbot Diaries 4) - Martha Wells (5/5)

Ariadne - Jennifer Saint (1/5)

Sea of Tranquility - Emily St. John Mandel (5/5)

Fiona and Jane - Jean Chen Ho (5/5)

For Your Own Good - Samantha Downing (4/5)

Letters to a Young Poet - Rainer Maria Rilke (3/5)

Husband Material - Alexis Hall (1/5)

The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater (5/5) (REREAD)

The Sandman Vol. 1 - Neil Gaiman (4/5)

Network Effect (Murderbot 5) - Martha Wells (5/5)

The Dream Thieves - Maggie Stiefvater (5/5) (REREAD)

Blue Lily, Lily Blue - Maggie Stiefvater (5/5) (REREAD)

The Raven King - Maggie Stiefvater (5/5) (REREAD)

Opal - Maggie Stiefvater (5/5) (REREAD)

Time is a Mother - Ocean Vuong (4/5)

The Sandman Vol. 2 - Neil Gaiman (2/5)

The Sandman Vol. 3 - Neil Gaiman (1/5)

The Sandman Vol. 4 - Neil Gaiman (Didn't Rate) DNF!

Call Down the Hawk - Maggie Stiefvater (5/5) (REREAD)

Mister Impossible - Maggie Stiefvater (5/5) (REREAD)

Sometime in Summer - Katrina Leno (Didn't Rate) DNF!

Greywaren - Maggie Stiefvater ([Redacted]/5)

Local Woman Missing - Mary Kubica (4/5)

The Book of Cold Cases - Simon St. James (4/5)

Lore Olympus Vol. 1 - Rachel Smythe (4/5)

Lore Olympus Vol. 2 - Rachel Smythe (4/5)

The Fortunes of Jaded Women - Carolyn Huynh (5/5)

Elatsoe - Darcie Little Badger (Didn't Rate) DNF!

Lore Olympus Vol. 3 - Rachel Smythe (4/5)

The Holiday Trap - Roan Parrish (1/5) DNF!

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin (5/5)

Apple Crush - Lucy Knisley (5/5)

[gremlinshatephilosophers]

2022 Book List

Here’s all the books I read in 2022. It’s a lot fewer than 2021, but not bad. Hopefully now that I’ve graduated college I’ll get a chance to do a bit of research and update my TBR so I can get back to reading more again. I did get to visit four new libraries this year though, so that’s fun :)

Our Violent Ends [These Violent Delights: 2] - Chloe Gong

Black Sun [Between Earth and Sky: 1] - Rebecca Roanhorse

Malibu Rising - Taylor Jenkins Reid

Daisy Jones & The Six - Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Bad Beginning [A Series of Unfortunate Events: 1] - Lemony Snicket

The Reptile Room [A Series of Unfortunate Events: 2] - Lemony Snicket

The Wide Window [A Series of Unfortunate Events: 3] - Lemony Snicket

The Miserable Mill [A Series of Unfortunate Events: 4] - Lemony Snicket

The Austere Academy [A Series of Unfortunate Events: 5] - Lemony Snicket

The Ersatz Elevator [A Series of Unfortunate Events: 6] - Lemony Snicket

The Vile Village [A Series of Unfortunate Events: 7] - Lemony Snicket

The Hostile Hospital [A Series of Unfortunate Events: 8] - Lemony Snicket

The Carnivorous Carnival [A Series of Unfortunate Events: 9] - Lemony Snicket

The Slippery Slope [A Series of Unfortunate Events: 10] - Lemony Snicket

The Grim Grotto [A Series of Unfortunate Events: 11] - Lemony Snicket

The Penultimate Peril [A Series of Unfortunate Events: 12] - Lemony Snicket

The End [A Series of Unfortunate Events: 13] - Lemony Snicket

An Abundance of Katherines - John Green

Turtles All the Way Down - John Green

Looking for Alaska - John Green

Paper Towns - John Green

The Unauthorized Autobiography - Lemony Snicket

This Is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness - Susannah Cahalan

Fevered Star [Between Earth and Sky: 2] - Rebecca Roanhorse

Gallant - V. E. Schwab

The Atlas Six [The Atlas Series: 1] - Olivie Blake

I Must Betray You - Ruta Sepetys

Elektra - Jennifer Saint

Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel

The Glass Hotel - Emily St. John Mandel

The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks [Montague Siblings: 3] - Mackenzi Lee

The Invisible Library [Invisible Library: 1] - Genevieve Cogman

Last Night in Montreal - Emily St. John Mandel

The Lola Quartet - Emily St. John Mandel

Black Water Sister - Zen Cho

Lore - Alexandra Bracken

The Masked City [Invisible Library: 2] - Genevieve Cogman

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes [The Hunger Games: 0] - Suzanne Collins

The Singer’s Gun - Emily St. John Mandel

Ace of Spades - Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Forever, interrupted - Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid

If We Were Villains - M. L. Rio

Sea of Tranquility - Emily St. John Mandel

After I Do - Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Burning Page [Invisible Library: 3] - Genevieve Cogman

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution - R. F. Kuang

Carrie Soto is Back - Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Atlas Paradox [The Atlas Series: 2] - Olivie Blake

Foul Lady Fortune [Foul Lady Fortune: 1] - Chloe Gong

Alone with you in the ether - Olivie Blake

[opandapants]

January 2023 Reads

It’s been a busy month, which means I have but four books I have finished. I DNFed one romance novel, and I’ve been working on reading two other books that I won’t finish this month -- one is non-fiction, which always goes slowly for me. 

I started off the year with Tracy Deonn’s Bloodmarked, which is book two in the Legendborn Cycle. I’m not going to lie, I thought this was a duology and was SO READY for an epic conclusion. It doesn’t end on a cliff-hanger per se (I mean, it might for some folks), and I felt like there was enough of a resolution of several plot points that I wasn’t entirely enraged that I couldn’t start book three immediately, but be warned book 3 is not out yet, and I’ve yet to see an expected publication date. Fingers crossed it’s in the works because I love this series so far, and I would like more ends tied up. 

The Legendborn series is a contemporary fantasy series set in the U.S. and offers a unique magic system based around Arthurian legend, but with a fresh twist (I’m not in love with Arthurian lore). 

Rebecca Carvalho’s Salt & Sugar is a sweet YA contemporary romance, but (and I read a lot of YA so don’t at me) the characters and their feud came across as particularly younger teen for me than the ages of the characters. It was enjoyable and a light read, just not what I was expecting going into it. I think I might also be fatiguing on YA contemporary romance, so plan to take a break for a month or two before reading more. It’s hard not to get jaded when reading a lot in a particular genre. If you want a light and sweet escape, you might give this a try.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna surprised me. I really enjoyed it. If you like a lighter Practical Magic with some T.J. Klune House in the Cerulean Sea vibes, pick this up. The undercurrent of mystery to the book was fun (although it wasn’t hard to figure out) and I really enjoyed the romantic subplot. Overall a warm read that left me wishing I had nothing to do, rain on my command, and a chair by the fire. Oh, and tea. Always tea. 

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel started off slow for me. I was reading it for a book club, so honestly, if not for that I might have DNFed it after the first section just because slow sci-fi is not my thing (look I’ve struggled through a few that turned out to be great, but given my TBR stack, I’m not going to force my way through a slog for the potential of something great. There’s too much to read!) But I’m glad I (involuntarily) stuck with it because by the last quarter, you’d have had to slap the book from my hands to get me to put it down. 

It’s a hard book to describe without giving away too much of the twists/plot. But as you can tell from the above, I’m not giving plot summaries. That’s what backcopy and book blurbs on bookshop.org are for. ;)

There are multiple POVs, various time periods (hello time travel), and if you’re wondering if they’re all related, spoiler, they are! It was a delight to see them all come together, and I can’t wait for the book club meeting this week to find out what my co-workers thought. 

What I’m currently reading: 

The Stone Sky by N. K. Jemisin - yeah I know it’s been out for awhile, and I read the first book years ago, loved it, then promptly refused to read book 2 because I thought I needed to reread book one (there was a gap between me finishing The Fifth Season and The Obelisk Gate being published). Last year I FINALLY read The Obelisk Gate, which moved The Stone Sky to the top of my stack for 2023. So far it’s *chef’s kiss*. Seriously, if you haven’t read anything by N. K. Jemisin, stop what you’re doing and go pick up The Broken Earth trilogy. You can thank me later. This world is not a kind one, but Jemisin’s words paint it so vividly and weave emotion so expertly that you can’t look away. 

The Song of the Cell by Siddhartha Mukherjee - I typically have a wish list on bookshop.org so that relatives and friends can get me books from my TBR list rather than risking getting something I already own or have previously read. I completely forgot to update it this last year and so my husband went off on his own and found something incredibly dense (but interesting) to gift me. This is not a boring book, but I mostly read before bed, and reading nonfiction takes me forever because I will inevitable only read five pages max before my brain powers off. With this book, I fall asleep to lyrical prose on cellular history and structure. It’s lovely. We’ll see how long it takes me to finish it. 

[a-very-questionably-unstable-box]

MANDEL BRANDT LORE MY BELOIVVEDDDDDHSHSHSJDSHHS

im putting this everywhere because im genuinely obsessed with how good he looks 😭

[fishtails-nat1]

OMG a forrest foes fan!!! do you have any hcs about how the arcanenites feel about the forrest foes cast??

YESSSS OK SO heheheh!!!

Veks: he's heard of them, he respects them, he'd certainly go about it in a more strategic way, but hey, it was an effective way to save the world.

Seth: there's not too many books translated into draconic about them... nor did he hear about them from all the way up in the mountains. he'd probably just nod and smile, maybe look into finding something he can read about them. "baby... bear?" "yeah! Debbie's baby was a bear called hona" (alto)

Alto: he's a traveler, of course he's heard of them. he's especially fond of Ferrion, he was a bard who literally came back from the dead! who does that! plus his brother is a serial killer and now they solve crimes??? who is this guy!!

Fenix: well, she hasn't really looked into their adventures aside from the fact they saved the world or something, but she can appreciate someone who can make a good Debbie Plate.

Daezonik: Yeah, they've heard of them. Sure, yeah that was kinda cool. Probably admires Johnathan for sticking with the rest of them the whole time.

Vev: um... who?? sorry they did WHAT?

thats all im gonna do lol, if i start touching more than 1 npc im gonna have to do them all gjkfdnls

[memento-morri-writes]

Adding on:

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (a reckless, too-smart-for-his-own-good gentleman thief gets up to mischief. Book 1 in a trilogy. The plots and hijinks are fun and exciting, the consequences feel real and meaningful, and ofc Locke and Jean's friendship is amazing.)

Vicious by V.E. Scwab (a newly escaped from prison "super villain" goes on a revenge quest against his former best friend. But he gets more than he bargained for when he picks up a teenage hitchiker. Villain found family, and the only "people with superpowers" media I've ever read that has consistent lore for not only how people get powers but why which person gets which powers.)

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (masterfully weaves together the lives of many people in the wake of an apocalyptic disease outbreak. There's many, many characters involved, but the central character tying them all together is a Shakespeare actor who died onstage the night the epidemic began. A true example of "haunting the narrative". One of the most well-written books I've ever read.)

The Wounds of Wisdom by Alexandra Roma [@atomatowriter] (A young woman's relatively normal life is disrupted when she finds out she is one of less than a dozen people in the world to be graced with a Wisdom, or power. Time loops and polyamory and extremely lovable characters abound.)

The Illuminae Files by Jay Kristoff & Aimee Kaufman (Told via fictional documents of many kinds, this trilogy starts when a corporation forcibly takes control of a distant mining operation on another planet. Some manage to escape, while others are trapped on the planet. The way this book is written and formatted is so incredibly gorgeous.)

(And like I said in the tags: Strongly seconding the recs for Project Hail Mary and A Rival Most Vial.)

I'm trying to read more for the New Year. Any suggestions!