#maniac Magee

[cedarbookhs]

One of my favourite micro-genres, especially growing up, was books about kids or teens running away from home and living in unusual places. Some of these are more serious and involve leaving abusive homes. Others, the home life and excuse for leaving is entirely perfunctory and the adventure is the point. The common theme is that the kid leaves voluntarily (isn’t stranded somewhere, but goes there specifically) and then ends up living independently in some unique setting that gives the story a large part of its identity.

My Side of the Mountain — inside a tree in the Catskills

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler — the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art

Maniac Magee — inside a buffalo house in the zoo, in a baseball stadium, and more

The Invention of Hugo Cabret — a grand Parisian train station

notabookbut The Kings of Summer — a homemade shanty in the Ohio woods

Last Sam’s Cage — the Calgary Zoo

The Boxcar Children — a freight car

Suggest more if you can think of any, I know there are lots of other examples.

[an-adhd-infested-nerd]

Did anyone else randomly have their life changed by a Jerry Spinelli book in 4th grade or was that just me?

[e-b-reads]

Books of the Spring (April-May 2024)

I started this back in June but then life got busy again...books of the summer will be out soon, but for now: here's some books I read way back in April and May that I think other people should read too!

Maniac Magee (Jerry Spinelli): I think I read this when I was a kid, but long enough ago that I forgot most of it. Anyway, picked it up at a thrift store to put in the camp bookshelf of free books to borrow/take, and wanted to (re)read it first. It's good! A good book for kids (or adults) to read. Silly and exaggerated in the way good middle grade fiction is, but also about racism and family and having a home. Sweet, and a good way to get you thinking.

The Right Sort of Man (Allison Montclair): Yet another first in a historical mystery series, this one following a pair of women who have started their own business in post-WWII London - a matchmaking agency. Except they also keep getting caught up in solving murder mysteries. I enjoyed it; the dialogue and actions are snappy and funny, but the characters also have and acknowledge real struggles (they go to therapy! unusual in a 1950s-set book but handled realistically). I have now read through the latest published book and look forward to more.

Tomboy (Liz Prince): A graphic novel memoir of the author's gender experiences. Not earth-shattering, but I have long enjoyed a book that makes me feel less alone in my own experience of gender. Obviously I'm not exactly Liz Prince (for one thing, based on the illustrations, she's maybe willing to wear skirts as an adult but wasn't as a kid? And I am the exact opposite) but a lot of what she had to say struck home for me. And it's good for books to exist that showcase a small part of the diverse ways people are.

To Shape a Dragon's Breath (Moniquill Blackgoose): This one has done some of the rounds on tumblr for sure, but I did enjoy it, and posted something about it here. An interesting fantasy world that's obviously this world but with alternate history where the Norse colonized the Americas. (And the dragons, that's different too). I don't usually reach for YA fantasy anymore, but I will be looking for the sequel to this one when it comes out.

[disastertwins9000]

JERRY SPINELLI

[infinitelystrangemachinex]

Ready for season 2 babes

[forcedhesitation]

I'm actually rather surprised that not a single one of the boys made top three. but then again, I suppose the large number of straight men that play this game are not as visible in fan spaces as us lgbt. That is...a fortunate thing, though, I'd argue.

[chikkenhawke]

pull the knife! PULL THE KNIFE!

[tenojan-in-tevinter]

Honestly I really want to be able to side with Solas in dreadwolf. I think it'd be super interesting to play as an elf in Tevinter and be able to just go "yeah actually I think Fen'Harel is right let's tear down that veil." I mean I assume the main conflict will be Solas trying to convince your character to join him, or your character being told they have to try and stop him, and there are not enough games that let you side with the presented "villain" character. I want to see what the world is like with no veil I'm so interested. Also so interested to see what full-on Fen'Harel Solas is like. Is he still as empathetic? Or is he more conniving and distanced from "mortals" like the old stories would have us believe?

[creatures-of-albia]

Me: I love the Creatures games! For most of the time, I can scroll on my phone or, damn, I might even read a book!

Me: Looks up from book

Me, through gritted teeth: I love the Creatures games!

[an-adhd-infested-nerd]

My life is shaped by the books I read in middle school

[xmrnothingx]

Nyx from Fire Emblem Fates

Finally reunited with my drawing tablet and computer, ended up finishing this sketch of Nyx that started out as drawing different hair practice. May need to eventually find a different go-to-casual-outfit-to-avoid-drawing-the-normal-outfit outfit than just a sweater...

[takethistoyourstardust]

i should lock the absolute fuck in for grand fest… BUT what if i had some weed beforehand. i’m already ass at splatoon might as well make it funny for me.

[fionnaskyborn]

On a scale from one to ten, how based of me is it that I took the GGST survey for the second time just to put a BlazBlue character that appeared in exactly one novel and then never again in one of my three "additional character I would like to see the most in the future" spots?

[three-plums]

@naamah-beherit tagged me in this! Thank you!

(I was so excited to see Clive Barker in your list, I almost never see anyone else reading his books. I haven't read Imajica yet but it's on my bookshelf watching me type this out, hahaha.)

Rules: in a text post, list ten books that have stayed with you in some way. don’t take but a few minutes, and don’t think too hard — they don’t have to be the “right” or “great” works, just the ones that have touched you.

(I also cheated and had some series, ha.)

Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien

Weaveworld - Clive Barker

House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski

One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Maniac Magee - Jerry Spinelli

The Claidi Journals - Tanith Lee

The Twenty Days of Turin - Giorgio De Maria

As I Lay Dying - William Faulkner

A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin

Notes of a Crocodile - Qiu Miaojin

Anyone who wants to participate, consider yourself tagged :)

[corpocyborg]

pro-templar mage hawke: hmm mage rights but for me only i think? The rest of u are utterly fucked