#midyear reading recap

[annafromuni]

My Mid-Year Reading Review

Half the year has flown by since I published my reading goals for 2024 post. I have a loose idea of the numbers, though I don’t go into any fancy percentages with genres or tropes, so let’s see where I’m at. Books read so far: 20 Most read month: June What genres have I read: NZ Fiction, YA Fantasy, Adult Crime Thriller, Adult Contemporary Fiction, Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction, Dark…

[ettawritesnstudies]

I AM OFFICIALLY OFF HIATUS! And I've got a lot of cool stuff planned for the latter half of the year too! If you're interested in reading all the details and seeing pictures of my new cat, check out the post linked above!

TL:DR: (if you don't want to see the cat pictures)

I plan to finish the next draft of Runaways and start recruiting another round of beta readers by the end of August

Weekly website posts are back - I'm especially on the hunt for author interviews and so if you'd like to be featured please reach out I'd love to have you

Some of the post format is going to change including introducing a new series of posts called "Behind the Book Biographies" talking about the lives and times of famous authors

I'm expanding into Youtube so the weekly posts will be less long-form posts to read and sometimes more "Here's a transcript and link to the video."

The last week of each month, I’m going to be doing live write-ins on the YouTube! You can join and share your word count in chat as we do sprints. This will help me reach my goal of finishing Runaways and help me build a community of writers that support each other. The first of these write-ins will be on Monday, July 24th from 7:00pm-10:pm EST. That following Friday, the recording will be posted in lieu of a normal blog post, along with a recap of what we did during the write-in for anyone who missed it.

Finally, I’m going to a conference! If you happen to live in the Ohio area, come find me at the Columbus Book Festival on July 15th. I won’t have a table or anything since I don’t have any books published to sell yet, but I’ll be walking around and going to the talks. If you spot me, please don’t be afraid to say hi! I even got fancy new business cards for the occasion, and I’ll be giving out stickers too. Hope to see you there!

[pinkprimrose05]

Pink's ARC-V Highlights - Volume 2: Beware The Blue

Warning: Very Long Post, Contains Spoilers

Okay, uh, I lied. I'm not only here to talk about theories and potential foreshadowing. This series also serves as a quick recap of all ARC-V episodes and the cool moments in them -regardless of relevance to the plot- sprinkled with a generous drizzle of ramblings from yours truly.

If all goes well, you can expect fairly consistent updates, where I cover a few episodes every time. This one, for example, will go over Episodes 3 to 7, since those are the ones I managed to watch this week.

(I. hate. midyear finals.)

If that still piques your interest, then I hope you enjoy the read!

(And yes, I know Yuuto is purple, but purple is technically a shade of blue so the rhyme still works-)

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1) Episodes 3 & 4, OR: The obligatory "No card is useless!" Duel.

We pick up where we left off with the You Show crew, and the mishaps of Learning How To Pendulum At The Unholy Hour of 3 A.M. I must applaud the sheer lack of braincells between Gongenzaka and Yuuya, because wow, I can't believe they both forgot that Duel Replays are a thing.

(This is why only Yuzu has a 60%+ winrate.)

Fast forward through school-flavored pain, and we now introduce everyone's favorite banana peel...

... whom I highkey want to punt off a cliff.

Look, I love Sawatari. I really do. But good Lord, I forgot just how insufferable he was this far back in the show. I had to refrain from punching my screen several times through the back half of Episode 3, because Shingo, you idiot, who the fuck told you it was fine to put 8-year-old children in mortal danger for a bunch of shiny new cards??

Suffice to say, it took me a good while to actually like him after this atrocious first impression... but hey, at least he gets humbled with style!

As far as early-game Duels go, this one is actually not half bad. The "weak card wins you the game" trope is a bit cliché, but Yuuya gets props for turning it into a pretty light show with Kaleidoscorp and Block Spider, and then using said pretty light show to win the game in one turn.

Another thing is that this Duel introduces Action Traps! Gosh, I would have loved to see more of those later down the line. The concept is pretty neat, and the negative effects create an interesting risk, where a Duelist has to stop and think if they really need to grab an Action card, regardless of the potential ramifications of it being a Trap.

Oh, and did I mention that Sawatari gets roasted to oblivion before the final direct attack? Because he does. Yuuya went above and beyond to make this as entertaining as possible to his friends, and as humiliating as possible for Shingo... for which I ultimately have to thank him, because that's the spark that eventually turned Sawatari into the flashy dork we all know and love.

... And because he deserved an asskicking at the time. Sora did well knocking him out, actually.

..

..

Speaking of which—

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2) Episodes 5 & 6, OR: That one time we adopted a war criminal.

I actually kinda like these two episodes. They're nothing particularly special if you look back (well, unless you're subscribed to the theory that the stadium in the first minute or so is the same one from Leo's flashback in Episode 126), but hey, at least we get to "properly" know our beloved sugar gremlin!

God, I love Sora. He's actually pretty terrible at disguising his position as a spy- like wow, he keeps outing himself as suspicious every time he makes a snide comment, even without the context of who he actually is. I think he could only afford to slip up so much because no one could ever guess that he came from a world-invading organization in a reality parallel to their own.

... And also because everyone thought of him as a mere child with a bit of a quirky, mischievous streak. I mean, who can ever think ill of such a sweet little guy?

(Yuuya can, but that's because Sora was annoying him on purpose lmao. It's good that he wasn't fooled by the cutesy act, though; that means he could read Sora better than most, despite his deflection and the constant switching between cutie pie and smug bastard.)

As for the Duel, it isn't much to talk about. The first few Duels are usually for exposition and showing mechanics, and in this case, we just see what happens when a Pendulum monster gets destroyed.

Short answer: It goes to the Extra Deck instead of the GY.

Long asnwer: Yuuya goes through a minor existential crisis, because his mishmash of a strategy comes crashing down the moment Odd-Eyes is out of the equation. How does he deal with that, you ask? Hysterical laughter, that's how.

(Goddammit ARC-V, isn't it far too early to make me question the protagonist's sanity?

... actually, don't answer that.)

Aaaaaaaaanyway, we also get to see the reintroduction of Fusion summoning!

(Look at this cool animation. So clean. So awesome.)

Fluffals are actually a very good Deck to showcase the different levels of complexity of the mechanic, and they get bonus points for the contrast between the cutesy plushies and... whatever animatronic shit the Frightfurs have going on. I am now reminded of how glad I was to see the older summoning methods getting a neat glow-up, especially after ZEXAL booted them out of existence in favor of focusing on Xyz.

(And on that note, I feel the need to stress that it's Xyz, not XYZ. Please. It's been twelve years. Stop confusing the game mechanic with the Union cards, people.)

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3) Episode 7, OR: The one I actually wanted to talk about all along.

Oh this. This. This is where the plot finally starts to move forward. Nothing against the previous episodes, but I did say before they're mostly there for exposition, and that, by nature, is bound to be a little boring.

Unlike here.

I'd like to start by talking about Yuzu, because we have to admit: this is the first time she's relevant to the story as herself, not as Yuuya's friend or as a student at You Show. And boy, does she make it count.

She busts Sawatari on her own, and literally calls him a hundredth-rate Duelist. To his face. In front of his lackeys. Yuzu was ready to take him on, even when she was alone and locked in the warehouse (again, Shingo, what the fuck??), and I'm fairly certain she could've backed up her words given the chance...

Except, well, she wasn't given the chance.

I'm actually willing to let this one slide, because Yoot's interference doesn't invalidate Yuzu's ability to handle this by herself. I see it more as a precaution on his part, and also a chance to learn more about LDS and Academia that he simply couldn't pass up.

There's also the likely possibility that he genuinely didn't know how Duels worked here, and couldn't risk Yuzu getting hurt if he could help it. It's clear that Yuuto was aware she wasn't Ruri at this point (wow, good job man, you're not as colorblind as everyone else), but still didn't wish to involve an innocent bystander in conflict... which actually makes sense, considering his moral code.

And besides, the Duel was still pretty cool! There's something inherently awesome about setting a full backrow board on Turn 1, and the first time I saw it, I was absolutely shooketh.

(Also, there was a copy of Mystical Space Typhoon among the set cards. Something tells me that Yuuto knows it doesn't negate, and that is definitely praiseworthy, because it means that he actually reads the damn cards.)

Even Sawatari gets kudos for Monarch representation. And also for showing us that Prismatic foil and different rarities do exist in-universe, just like in GX. It makes me wonder why most Duelists don't use them, buuut I guess that was just a throwaway detail that they used to highlight Shingo's spoiled rich brat disposition.

ANYWAYS, moving on to more important matters!

Like dark matter. Which exists in space. Which is the theme of many Xyz cards. Among which there is one Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon.

(HAIL THE T-POSE ALTERNATE ARTWORK!!)

Don't let the lesser requirement of 1 Overlay Unit fool you; the anime version is still worse than the one we got in the game... though it does, at least, have better OTK abilities against non-Xyz bosses.

I still laugh at the fact that it left Sawatari with exactly 100 LP. Poor guy probably thought he could pull a protagonist comeback, but alas, he forgot that he is not the protagonist...

Well, at least he gets a shot at the role in Episode 139, but we're a few ways away from that right now.

And speaking of stuff that we're a few ways away from...

*shakes Yuuto* Did you just- DID YOU JUST FUCKING NAMEDROP ACADEMIA???

I don't remember this at all. I thought he just asked about the significance of the LDS pin and left. What the hell? Why does none of the characters talk about it then? Not Sawatari, not his goons, not even Yuzu? What??

This is really, really weird. I may have to look into it a little more later on, but for now, we return to a bewildered Yuzu... and her absolute party pooper of a plot device.

Yes. You know the one.

(FuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufUCKYOU)

This stupid bracelet and the subsequent events following its activation bring us to a point of great frustration that I would like to touch upon, that being the cast's crippling inability to tell the counterparts apart from each other. Brace yourselves, Duelists; this might be a bit of a long tangent.

*inhales*

Okay, look, there are two sides to this issue; one that can be excused in more than one instance, and one that makes zero sense, no matter how you spin it.

The excusable side is the visual confusion. I understand Yuzu's shock at the situation as a whole, not helped at all by this odd fellow who strongly resembles her best friend.

(And before you say Yuuto doesn't resemble Yuuya for shit, yes he does, if only because the goggles' band is holding his bangs down.)

One must also remember they were locked in a now-wrecked warehouse, so the lighting conditions are bound to be rather bad, and it might be difficult to see clearly as a result. With all that in mind, I can forgive Yuzu for confusing their looks.

The inexcusable side, however, is the auditory confusion. The counterparts -every single one of them- don't sound the least bit similar to each other, even in the English dub.

They could look straight up identical for all it matters, but their voices are so wildly distinct I cannot begin to fathom how anyone can ever confuse them. You could technically make a case for excluding Yuuri and Yuuya since the sole difference between them is voice tone (at least in the sub), but the former is not a subject of comparison right now, and Yuuto's voice is far cry from the latter.

In conclusion of these two factors, I only have one thing to say:

... This is stupid.

This is so, so stupid.

It's so fucking stupid it's not even funny, but it is what it is, and as with every single time anyone talks about this issue, we'll just have to roll with it and be glad when a character doesn't take the bait.

*sigh*

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Well, this should be everything for now, and *checks post length*.... holy shit I didn't think it'd slip from me this much. If you somehow managed to reach the end without dozing off midway through, then you deserve a cookie.

Thanks for reading, and see you soon, Duelists!

[jasonblaze72]

Geordie Shore Season 23 Episode 9: Recap, Release Date & Streaming Guide

Geordie Shore's Episode 8 is already aired, and viewers want to know the release date for the next episode. Don't worry. We get it covered. The 23rd season of Geordie Shore, a British tv program set in Newcastle upon Tyne, was clarified on February 15, 2022, once Paramount+ unveiled their fresh batch of unrehearsed sequences and renovations for MTV Entertainment Studios, including the new spinoff. However, the season's start date had been set for the end of 2020 or 2021, but it had been repeatedly interrupted due to UK COVID-19 limitations. Ibiza, Newcastle upon Tyne, and the Portuguese Algarve are among the places where movies have been filmed. Late in August 2022, the very first teaser for the series was revealed, and on September 20 of the same year, it made its debut. Instead of being a spinoff of the program, this series is referred to as "Geordie Shore: The Reunion Series." this program gathers the group to commemorate Geordie Shore's tenth anniversary. The show serves as the "homecoming" episode for the series. The initiative was developed in Britain. Despite having been promoted for years, this show has only started airing. Since a large number of individuals couldn't congregate in one place for a lengthy period of time, the stringent laws in the United Kingdom proved shooting challenging. Also Read: How To Watch Die Discounter Season 2 Episodes Online? Streaming Guide Recap Of Previous Episodes The episode is a homecoming program rather than a spinoff. This season's Geordie Score franchise is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and during the show, viewers are exposed to the drama that ensues when the gang gets together to celebrate. Here is a brief summary of the series's previous events. Marnie's baby shower is organized by Charlotte, Holly, and Sophie, and they will back them in their choice to throw a gathering for the entire group. The question that needs to be asked right now is whether or not everybody will make an appearance. The numerous cast and crew try to reunite and mix in with their buddies from previous episodes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsXWOXOT_QE However, a few guests keep canceling, which is very upsetting to the hosts. We discovered that the visitors received much more enjoyable treats than we had anticipated. Although some individuals have walked on from the previous, there is tension among a number of people, and fans must be having fun as we touch base on all the adventures of the characters who have previously departed the show. The group has also chosen to go to Portugal as a household. Release Date For Episode 9 The wait is over, as Geordie Shore's Episode 9 is all set to air on November 15, 2022, Tuesday. The episode lasts 45 minutes in total. Every Tuesday sees the debut of the latest episode of Geordie Shore season 23. The chapters of Geordie Shore season 23 will be broadcast on MTV in the US at 10:00 p.m. But viewers outside of the US can watch fresh chapters of Geordie Shore season 23 on a variety of streaming sites. Check the time with your neighborhood and make an effort to watch the upcoming episodes of Geordie Shore season 23. Midyear in English: 3 a.m. (Wednesday) IST: 7.30 am (Wednesday) SST: 10:00 am (Wednesday) PST:10.00 am (Wednesday) JST/KST: 11.00 am (Wednesday) AEST: 1.00 pm (Wednesday) Also Read: The Curse of Oak Island Season 10 Episode 1: Release Date, Plot & Streaming Guide Where One Can Stream Geordie Shore Season 23 Fans may watch the brand-new Geordie Shore season 23 episodes on MTV at the time they were initially scheduled to air. On the dates and times specified earlier, international viewers can watch the latest series of Geordie Shore season 23 on the Paramount+ Amazon channel, Paramount+, and Paramount+ Roku premium stream. The cost of Paramount+'s regular membership is $4.99 per month. For $9.99 a month without advertisements, customers can get the Important In in addition to making plans. Cast Of Geordie Shore Who Came Approximately 11 years after the initial season's shooting, MTV brought back Charlotte Crosby, Holly Hagan, Sophie Kasaei, James Tindale, and Jay Gardner from the original characters. Vicky Pattison and Gaz Beadle were not present during the homecoming. However, Greg Lake did show up. Veteran actors Ricci Guarnaccio, Scott Timlin, Marnie Simpson, Kyle Christie, and Aaron Chalmers made appearances in this 10-year reunion special, along with Chantelle Connelly, Chloe Ferry, Nathan Henry, Bethan Kershaw, Abbie Holborn, Anthony Kenney, Louis Shaw, and Marty McKenna. The show featured guest spots from rookies Devon Nathaniel Reid, Jade Affleck, Harrison Campbell, Ruby Torre, Jay Baker, and Roxy Johnson from Geordie Shore: Hot Single Summer, as well as previous members of the cast Faith Mullen, Tahlia Chung, Natalie Phillips, and Stephanie Snowdon. Also Read: Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 3: Release Date, Preview & Streaming guide Read the full article

[luluvonv]

I’ve been tagged by my favourite bookworm @shadowtearling to do this and I am so grateful because it’s book related. My bookworm heart is jumping with joy! :) Thank you. 💕

Now I am ashamed to admit that I am sooooooo behind my planned reading so my answers will be short and plain.. Half of the year is gone now and I have barely read anything. :( Right now I am trying to catch up with my to-read list as much as I can and I will hopefully fullfil my goal for new books.

Best book you read so far this year

Hard to say, I haven’t been lucky yet from those few books I’ve read. I finished reading Harry Potter and the Complete Filmaking Journey this January and I loved everything about it. 

Worst book you read so far this year

The Winner’s Kiss, third instalment of The Winner’s Series by Marie Rutkovski. The first two books were somehow enjoyable, there was something that convinced me to give it a chance - though I don’t know what that was. But this third one was so bad, so childish, so pathetic in characterisation. Urgh...

I’ve read some good reviews by common readers, no wannabe professionals, and I got burned.

Completed any series?

The above mentioned Winner’s series. And I regret the time spent on it. :(

Anticipated read for the second half of the year

So many books on my list!!! Just to list few I am most excited about.

- Four Pilgrims by Jakub Trpiš: a Czech fantasy book. It’s sad but as a Czech I rarely read books by Czech authors. But I am about to change it.

- Scythe by Neil Shusterman: dystopia about post-mortality society. Hope I won’t be disappointed.

- Queen Margot; Twenty Years Later; The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas: classics that do not need any introduction .. And I am ashamed I haven’t read them yet!

- books by Peter May - my bf, that had read like 5 books in his life before he found out about Peter May, has been reading every day for like three months - he reads more than I now! So I need to find out what is so magical about May’s worlds that has gripped my bf so much.

- The Iron Trial (Magisterium series) - I’ve heard so much about it, especially my dear @a-super-evil-cat-who-murders loves it and spoke about it so nicely... I have to dive in it eventually.

A book that disappointed you

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - the main character got on my nerves so heavily. 

How many books for have read so far this year?

Only 5. If I don’t count my rereadings of @positivelyamazonian books/stories - If I do, then  plus 2 books and 5 stories.

A book that made you laugh

None actually. Maybe I laughed only with disdain over the Winer’s Kiss scenes, honestly.

Estimated read count for the year?

Counting only new books, I have a goal of reading 25 new, never read books from my to-read list. 6 months left and 20 to go... 

I tag @positivelyamazonian because she has always something interesting in her list I am so keen to read about :) And also @a-super-evil-cat-who-murders because he has such a fine taste for books.

[bibliophilecats]

Mid-year reading recap

No that June’s about to end it’s time to look upon our reading progress so far this year and share some book opinions!

Thank you for tagging me @flamingmirrorbookish

This year has already brought very low lows and pretty high highs. I do hope the second half will be calmer. Reading wise, I also had some bad disappointments but also some amazing reads. And some comfy re-reads.

1. Best book you read so far this year The one that stands out - because I read it without any expectations - was Simon vs the homo sapiens agenda by Becky Albertalli. I could not put that book down and the next day at work was bad.

2. Worst book you read so far this year I was really unhappy with “Around the world in 50 years” by A. Podell because the author came across as mysogynistic (what he is describing is not a “Thai massage”! It’s plain old prostitution!) and entitled towards “less developed” countries. It was written well but I fear that this book will spread misconceptions and I hate that.

3. Completed any series? Does a duology count as well? Then Seraphina/Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman. I am only reading incomplete series at the moment, so I do not have any chance of finishing any series soon.

4. Anticipated read for the second half of the year As she ascends by Jodi Meadows and The proposal by Jasmine Guillory    

5. A book that disappointed you I will just copy @flamingmirrorbookish‘s reply: “Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. All the hype around it made my expectations go WILD. I did not find in this book what others have.”

6. How many books have you read so far this year? 46 books as of today (24-Jun-2018). My goal is 52 and I am low-key hoping to get to this number by the end of the summer.

7. A book that made you laugh Qualityland by Marc-Uwe Kling - though the laughter was mixed in with anxiety of how horribly correct this dystopia is.

8. Estimated read count for the year? My goal is to read 52 books - one for each week of the year. Everything else is a bonus.

Tagging: @clockwork118 @books-are-portals @livingintheinkworld @the-high-warlock-of-booksandcats @the-head-in-the-clouds @the-reading-lemon @spellyourguts and everyone else who would like to do this.