#november wrapup

[bookshelvesandtealeaves]

✨ NOVEMBER WRAPUP ✨

QOTD: What was your favourite read from November?

It’s SO hard to choose from my 5 star reads this month but I think it’s gotta be Heretic Behaviour by EC Glynn which is OUT TODAY! Seriously go buy a copy. You won’t be disappointed.

Total books finished: 21

DNF’s: 6

Pages read: 6,497

Hours listened: 63.23

Currently reading:

📖 Make My Wish Come True by Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick (11%)

🎧 The Darkening by Sunya Mara (73%)

[ instagram ]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson (reread) 🎧

-Heretic Behaviour by EC Glynn*

-We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian

-Elizabeth of East Hampton by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding

-Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

-Ribbonwood by Ruby Landers*

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

-All the Painted Stars by Emma Denny*

-A Little Village Blend by ‘Nathan Burgoine

-A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

-Until We Shatter by Kate Dylan

-Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao*

-Spice Road by Maia Ibrahim (reread) 🎧

-Serpent Sea by Maia Ibrahim*

-A Vocation of Violence by Kerrigan Byrne

-The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons (reread) 🎧

-The Cold Ever After by Jeremy Whitley

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

-Our Ship Must Sail by Lin Lustig*

⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun

-Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao

-Odd Spirits by ST Gibson 🎧*

-Of Knights and Books and Falling in Love by Rita A Rubin

DNF

-Unholy Terrors by Lyndall Clipstone (63%)

-The Great Library of Tomorrow by Rosalia Aguilar Solace * (3% - yep)

-Comes the Night by Isobelle Carmody* (16%)

-Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells* (27%)

-The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo (44%)

-The Poppy War by RF Kuang (51%)

*indicates gifted product

[ismahanescorner]

November Wrap-up 🩵 | 2024

books:

Fence (vol. 1): reread

Fence (vol. 2): reread

Fence (vol. 3): reread

The Message: 5/5

Under the Oak Tree (vol. 1): 4/5

Haikyu!! (vol. 39): 3/5

Haikyu!! (vol. 40): 3/5

Haikyu!! (vol. 41): 3/5

Haikyu!! (vol. 42): 3/5

Haikyu!! (vol. 43): 3/5

Haikyu!! (vol. 44): 2.5/5

Haikyu!! (vol. 45): 3/5

Fangirl: The Manga (vol. 4): 4.5/5

Seducing Mr. Knightly: 4/5

If the Duke Demands: 4.5/5

Four Eids and A Funeral: 4.5/5

All Systems Red: 4.5/5

Lights Out: 4/5

shows & movies:

Summer Situationship: 6/10

Unfortunately Friends: 6/10

3 The Perfect Number: 3/10

The Arrangement: 7/10

How to Train Your Dragon 2: 7/10

The Unwanted Mate: 5/10

You Belong with Me: 7/10

here’s hoping i can meet my reading goal for the year!! 😭😭😭

[lizziethereader]

November 2024 wrapup

not pictured: - Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood - The Housemaid by Freida McFadden - Can't Get There From Here by Todd Strasser

I still had to commute by car in November, so the amount of reading I was able to get done was still greatly reduced. Plus, I didn't love a lot of what I was reading in November AND I didn't get around to participate in nonfiction November as much as I wanted to... so overall, not a great reading month.

favorite of the month: Sunshine by Robin McKinley

nonfiction of the month (3): How to Be a Failure and Still Live Well: A Philosophy by Beverly Clack, The Best Punctuation Book, Period by June Casagrande, What Doesn't Kill You: A Life with Chronic Illness - Lessons from a Body in Revolt by Tessa Miller

classics (0): I didn't manage to read a classic this month

poetry (1): You Are Only Just Beginning: Lessons for the Journey Ahead by Morgan Harper Nichols

graphic novel/manga (0): I didn't get around to read a graphic novel this month either

[lutavero]

2024 Creative Round Up

Tagged by @evan-buck , @heartstringsduet , @alrightbuckaroo , @carlos-in-glasses , @guardian-angle22 and @emsprovisions @reyesstrand !

I... know this is really late and on top of that I had a rather back-half-heavy year, so to speak. 💀 I debated long on whether to even make this or not because before September I didn't really post anything, my motivation kinda left me, but then the new episodes really brought it back and I still know how to make gifs. 😅 So here are some of my loved sets, bolds are absolutely favs!, with hopefully all working links!

2024 MayTarlos + no personal space gifset I LS daily 3x13 set

2024 SeptemberThe season five countdown set I All the sneak peak and 5x01 sets: Tarlos 1, 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ; the 126 gifsets 1, 2 , 3 and this Owen & Tommy talk

2024 October In total, I made 34 sets, so I'm listing some of my favorites: This TNT scene , Parallel Tarlos reunion hug, TNT hug, Wyatt's no good very bad shift , Judd & Tommy , The infamous 'you made dinner' scene , TK & Tommy talk , Owen & TK father son set , the 1x02 - 5x05 parallel set and Flirty TK set

2024 November In total I made 29 sets, , so I'm listing some of my favorites: Tarlos' romantic dinners at home set , the surprise lore TK & Owen set , the barn rebuilding scene , TK & Jonah set , the birthday party Tarlos set , 'You're now family Carlos' set , TK & Owen talk set , the tipsy Carlos/karaoke dare set , Tarlos dancing through the seasons set , Instigator! Carlos set , the 5x08 on-call/Sam's here for the drama set , TK & Jonah at the prison set , Carlos now loves sleeping in set and Carlos' ties and shirt combos set.

2024 DecemberThe cemetery cheek kiss , Carlos' speech at Gabriel's grave , Carlos feeling ready to become a father , Carlos in 5x09 , TK & Judd & Owen parallel set , Tarlos holding onto each other set , Carlos' TK smile set , Family dinners at Owen's set and my absolute favorite is the AO3 wrapup set I made for secret santa for @tellmegoodbye .

I really hope to bring this energy with me to 2025, and to not have such a long hiatus, to still love this show as much as I do now, and to maybe surprise some of my favorite writers with some sets. 👀

[talenlee]

November 2024 Wrapup!

The ordinary posting schedule on the blog takes a break starting tomorrow, as we move into the season I call Decemberween. That means with this, this may be the last opportunity you’ve got to see me talking smack about game designs and rules and Dungeons & Dragons stuff!

First of all, let’s check out what was in the Game Pile this month:

Cobalt Core, probably my game of the year, where I went from ‘is this good?’ to ‘this is good’ to ‘100% completion all achievements’ to ‘top five speedrunner’ because this game is that good.

Final Fantasy VI (Video), a video form of an old article I wrote about Final Fantasy 6 which tried to grapple with a game made by people at the zenith of one arc of technology before they moved into another.

Not A Video About Starcraft 2 and Just War, a video about how we talk about games, war, crimes, and war crimes in games, and how hard it can be to grapple with this particular silly fun time jape that is just also wildly inadequate at handling how every war is a crime.

Startups, which is a wonderful tight little nugget of Oink game design in which the game itself is what you’re paying for, not some overproduced components.

The Affordances of Atonement, a first attempt for me to turn one of my D&D articles into something for the Youtube experience.

Then there’s the media I put in the Story Pile:

Arcane, Season 1, and I promise I put this article together without being even vaguely aware that Aracane season 2 was going to drop in this month.

Big Trouble In Little China, a truly excellent little gem of 80s cheeseball cinema with a clever twist.

Galavant, a musical comedy by the best minds behind the best part of Beauty and the Beast.

Way of the Househusband, a truly fantastic anime that I adore for its simplicity and its dedication to executing on its premise.

A fun byproduct of how I treat November in the course of my blogging is that every year, whenever I write something and I’m not under any particular time crunch and don’t know if it’ll be relevant to anything, I instead put it at the ‘end’ of the queue — which is to say, starting at the end of November. What that means is that sometimes I’ll write an article, then forget about it for up to a full year and only find out about it when I’m reviewing what’s going to get published in November. What makes this extra awkward is that sometimes these articles may line up with the timing of world events in a pure coincidence. I’m not being mindful about what goes up during an election in another country because it is extremely unrelated to my life and so we got things that just reflect what I already think.

Just as an example, I was being mindful about the emotional challenges of what it means when I write about, for example, Dealing with My Dad. The actual event of my experience of Feeling Bad And Going To The Park was unanchored from when the post went up, and I can say now that going to that park and doing exercise is now something I do semi-regularly, but only when the weather permits and after dark, meaning I now moon around my local park after dark like some kind of ghoul. I don’t like thinking about when I finally committed to writing about Giving up on Fighting Games, because I know when I actually did the giving up.

Still, let’s talk about Dungeons & Dragons, where I wrote about the challenges of defining what is and who represents a meaningful relationship to truth, which is kind of important to inform players (or readers) what they’re able to rely on. There’s a careful approach to whether or not you’re willing to tell players ‘everything you trust in this space is wrong,’ which you have to work with carefully. I wrote about the idea of corporations inventing Warlock Patrons and how horny a truly capitalist system would be for the idea of being able to use predictive text to pre-emptively negotiate meetings, which ties into the idea of, again, a meaningful relationship to truth. Why have the debate if you just know one side will win, as predicted mathematically? Along with that, there’s my writing about the Ardent, a class I love because of how it feels at people very hard, and I also wrote about the Nemuranai system, which is a really cool part of the Oriental Adventures source material, which is just… not a good name, and it doesn’t get better from there. Still, Nemuranai remain a really good piece of setting and incentive mechanics, and people should respect that.

I also did some timely game development and reflection, with pieces on how to onboard players into managing complex math, and the idea of layers of alethic value in game world building. This was also while we finalised steps of prototyping Lysen Co in preparation for its potential release in January.

Then, mixed in with this there’s some miscellaneous pieces I liked that don’t hold to a central theme. I wrote about space gates, about some names in Transformers that I think are funny because they’re dumb, about the way that Haruhi Suzumiya is a fundamentally unreliable narrative space, and also about the way that Flygon, a really cool pokemon, was always going to be done dirty for things that were never its own fault. I supopose there’s some undercurrent about unfairness and truth here, too, but y’know, maybe I’m just laughing at robot toys.

This month’s design is a joke about the sports team ‘The Mets’ which I once joked about being ‘Meds’ and used that to remind people to take their meds baby, time to take ya meds, love da meds. You can buy it as a sticker or a shirt or a mousemat, without or with the shouty bit!

This month marks the wrapup point of the semester. No teaching, no marking, no nothing. Everything is in a holding pattern until the new year, and I don’t even know the schedule until next year. This is not by any means an ideal situation but oh well, we’ll see how things shake out. Of course, since the semester was definitely over, November featured tons of meetings and meetings being cancelled because of other meetings.

Here’s a point of pride: One of my classes had a 100% pass rate. That is, everyone who signed up to do the class finished the class, and handed in enough work to pass. That’s rare for me! I normally have a few students falling away, because, you know, they’re students, they’re adults, they have lives and sometimes they decide university or this degree isn’t for them.

For my future reflection though: I made a deliberate, aggressive plan to finish my marking as fast as possible, to make sure I had my marks done early so that I didn’t hold anyone else up and I could get my marking payroll request done quickly. I got this done so aggressively, and then, forgot to upload those marks until the last possible minute. Because I forgot I hadn’t done it.

I also saw a doctor this month, to start a conversation that runs ‘hey, Doctor, I’m not 25 any more and I understand there’s stuff I need to check.’ Turns out I have high blood pressure, but like, in a really normal way? Not a concern, but, hey, surprise surprise, the person I am is the kind of person who has a lot of tension about him. Strange.

Still, tomorrow is when all the big relaxation starts, because it’s Decemberween and time to relax, chill, enjoy things and share cool things with you!

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[the-valiant-valkyrie]

oh i forgot to post my wrapup for 2024 WHOOPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! well here it is. i didn't draw anything digital for november so you get this spraypaint experiment i did for school

[tonakuma]

2024 Creative Wrapup and Look Ahead

This ended up very long and rambly but. I just wanted to get it out. Say my piece out to the world on my tumblr where most of my usual followers don't know I even am x3 Look Back

2024 was a hard year. I have no idea how 2024 started. But what I know is the moment I got unexpectedly terminated from my employment in early 2024, everything changed.

I think I was, in many ways, lost, for most of 2024 as a result of not having a job. But it was more than that. I was creatively aimless. I was struggling artistically and didn't have a purpose.

What originally started off as an attempt to learn more human anatomy to better draw furry stuff ended up snowballing into loving art more and once again. I stopped trying to be something and someone else. I stopped trying to fit into a box to appease a certain group, where many didn't even care anyways. And god everyone noticed. The amount of people who were commenting about my art glow up and how much better I was doing. That motivated me so much. And for the first time in a long time. I could see they were right. I Knew they were right. I understood the power of doing something I loved and how much that reflected in what I did.

That shift ended up cascading. It evolved and carried forward. It multiplied exponentially. It ended up culminating in me just locking up and moving on from something for my own mental health. While it was the catalyst for my artistic creativity, while I met many amazing people from it... there was also some truly awful things that happened to me. I cannot ignore the scars, regardless of how situations and myself as a person have improved. So it was time I parted ways and I am better of for it. Whether my departure from that part of my life will be for now or forever, only time will tell. For now I am happy it's locked in a box and out of sight. And my happiness matters most.

In the last months of 2024, by a series of chances I rediscovered by love of writing too. A realization I was driving a rare-pair ship for a large fandom, combined with a release for a game started it all. I focused on those fics with a renewed sense of purpose in October to November. The best month to do so given history and the writing events during it. In December, the last month of the year. A simple desire to say "thank you" - to someone who I had seen being so helpful to writers and creatives, helping in moderating and running events in a server - blossomed into something amazing. I made plans to watch She-Ra and the Princesses of Power with the express intent of writing a fanfic as a gift for that mod. I'd watch the series over November into December. Write the fic in December and then go back to my own fandoms. None of that happened. I binged the series in less than a week. I started writing the fic and I also started drawing art for it. I actually had Spop fanart BEFORE the fic was finished. A quick sketch of Catra as a trucker, roughly coloured based on conversation from my gift target. (How he didn't sense something was up at that point was beyond me lmao). I fell wholeheartedly into this lovely series and have a long fic completely outlined that I've already been picking away at. It's probably gonna be my big 2025 project. On top of fanart sketches and other fun things. Also on the note of binging, I just finished binging said gift targets 300k word fanfic in about 6 days. Because apparently when I fall into something I just fall whole heartedly into it. Full send out for a rip bud. Peak Canadian hours I guess. Go read Defiance by TheNotebookWizard xD.

I picked up things old and new and with a renewed sense of how I creatively work best as a writer and artist. I've published more written words in the last two months of 2024, than I did in the past 2 years combined. I have a new canvas to work on for words (Scrivener), and the same trusty canvas (ClipStudio) I've come to love for art. My art growth has never been better and the 2024 wrapup shows that wonderfully: (Also Frith-rah I drew alot of Lisbeth/Rika in 2024 lmao)

Most importantly. I found the joy in creating both words and art again. I re-discovered fully the love of creating something.

Look Ahead

As I look ahead to 2025 I'm still scared and anxious. I've taken the first steps already into a career shift courtesy of a fully funded education to employment program. It's in a completely new field for me too. Scary. I wonder how much time I will have for creativity. If I can balance being a student and also being a creative. I want to keep creating but I fear school will eat all that.

Who knows that will come however.

All I can hope for is that I will ride the momentum I have built up creatively at the end of this year and carry it forward to 2025. I am going to try my best to do just that. If i will it into existence, it should happen. If I tell myself to do it. I will do it. I have a whole new large fanfic story to start sending out to the world. Old fanfics to wrap up on. I have creative artistic ideas that I just want to get fufilled. Some of these are wombo-combo in tandem things. Art for these fanfics. It's gonna be fun. I am excited as much as I am nervous and anxious. I got this.

[sandwichtribunal]

December List Sandwiches and November Wrapup

In December, the Tribunal will feature Philadelphia's Roast Pork sadnwich, the Pit Beef of Baltimore, and Porketta from the Iron Range of Minnesota

December is going to be a killer month at the Tribunal. Some months are better than others, to be sure. We’ve had great months and not-so-great months. But looking ahead at the sandwiches in store for December of 2024, we are excited to try our hand at each of them in a way that we haven’t been for some time. But before we get into details, let’s first take a look back at the sandwiches of…

[witcherwheeloftheyear]

Molanna

@astaldis (I borrowed your own wrapup post for this, I hope you don't mind)

Imbolc February 2nd: The Glade

On their journey from Toussaint to Stygga, Geralt's Hansa comes across a beautiful glade. But is it safe to make camp here for the night? Friendship (Words: 660; Chapters: 1/1)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ostara March 20th: Where the Tulips Grow

Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri learn that Jaskier has gone missing under suspicious circumstances. Circumstances that hint at a kidnapping. Yennefer leaves Geralt with Ciri and goes to save the bard. But not all goes as planned. The hero becomes the damsel in distress and Jaskier has to save the day. Romance/Yenskier (Words: 23,951; Chapters: 9/9, )

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Beltane May 1st: Belleteyn

Yennefer has a beautiful May Night with her lover. Who the lover is? I had one specific Witcher character in mind when I wrote the fic, but you might fancy a different pairing. So, feel free to decide yourself whoever works best for you, Yennefer/Geralt, Yennefer/Jaskier, Yennefer/Istredd, Yennefer/Cahir, Yennefer/crossover character, Yennefer/You, ... loads of possibilities! Romance/Smut (Words: 3,469; Chapters: 1/1)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Litha June 21st: A Night to Remember

It's Litha, the longest day of the year, and Geralt is throwing a garden party at his newly acquired estate, Corvo Bianco, the old vineyard in the Sansretour Valley. Milva cannot dance, but Cahir is a good teacher. The delicious wine and Jaskier's newest song also help. And then there are Angoulême's Hansa Games and Regis's hot hooch ... Friendship/Romance/Humour (Words: 4,160; Chapters: 2/2)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lammas August 1st: Of Bairns and Banes

It is a beautiful night, fair summer weather, the air balmy, the sky clear and sprinkled with stars. The perfect night for the village’s traditional Lammas celebrations, the feast of first fruits. However, unlike in the neighbouring villages and the years past, there are no bonfires here today. No corn dolls to be burned and bulls or horses to be sacrificed as an offering to the gods. No ritual dances or athletic competitions are held or blueberry loaves baked in the village bake house. This year there is no matchmaking and rolling about in the hay. For the village is in mourning, the villagers terrified. And very much in need of a Witcher. Lucky for them, one has just arrived.

This is the story of Cahir’s first solo monster hunt. Spooky Adventure (Words: 2,977; Chapters: 1/1)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Mabon September 22nd: Her Idea of Fun

“Finished!” Angoulême exclaims and starts to dance circles around the victim of her wager. “I bet nobody’d take him for a Nilfgaardian now!” she adds with a raucous cackle that reminds strongly of a goose on fisstech …

Cahir loses a bet and Angoulême is having fun. Friendship/Humour (Words: 444; Chapters: 1/1)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Samhain November 1st: The Present

It is the evening of the last day of October, Samhain, a magical night where the gates between worlds are wide open for those who can travel through space and time. Ciri can, and she has a surprise for her boyfriend Cahir, a very nice surprise. Romance/Cahiri (Words: 1,656; Chapters: 1/1)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Yule December 21st: Jaskier's Jolly Yule Jumble

Another festive event is coming up in Toussaint and Jaskier has the perfect idea for how to celebrate it with his Hansa. He only needs to convince Geralt and the others that his idea for their Yule party will be fun, lots of fun. Friendship/Humour (Words: 8,681; Chapters: 4/4)

[golongbyjoannanewsom]

november wrapup!

stories i enjoyed (or didn't) in the last month

finally finished twin peaks. took a little while for me to click with the return but once i did i really loved it. using dale cooper as a lens through which to explore the evil of humanity is a really fascinating choice that reframes so much of the original show. loved the experimental stuff. i've already said so much about it on here so let me just end by saying it's become my favourite television show of all time

watched 1999 hugh jackman oklahoma to prep for podcast... a musical that continues to fascinate me in all its forms

read idlewild by james frankie thomas + the rehearsal by eleanor catton in a real "books about theatre kids" kind of mood. enjoyed both as a former theatre kid myself who loves to think about Performance... idlewild in particular was a new favourite

neon genesis evangelion... much to say on this. haven't really watched anime since age 15 or so and coming back as an adult is like, there's stuff in here that's really genuinely excellent and also stuff that makes me feel gross for watching it. sucks! so compelled by these characters, could write so much on asuka, misato, shinji... love an exploration of humanity and interpersonal relationships through this christian apocalypse existential horror lens. wish they did not feel the need to sexualise teenage girls though. longer post incoming i think

watched bottoms which i thought was shit. very unfunny but maybe i'm just not the target audience for that kind of comedy. sorry to those who liked it

[godzilla-reads]

📖 November Reading Wrapup 📖

I started off November with 149 books in my pocket and left at 164 books, meaning I read 15 books this month! My top 3 are starred below:

🌎 What You Need to be Warm by Neil Gaiman

⭐️ Rules for a Knight by Ethan Hawke

🪐 Alone in Space: A Collection by Tillie Walden

⭐️ Faeries by Brian Froud and Alan Lee

❤️ Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales by Melanie Gillman

💍 The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald

🗻 So Far So Good: Final Poems 2014-2018 by Ursula K. Le Guin

🧟 Zombie Penpal by Ken McMurtry

🧄 Garlic & the Vampire by Bree Paulsen

🐥 Poems About Birds edited by H.J. Massingham

❄️ The Naked Tree by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim (trans. Janet Hong)

🐲 The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin

⭐️ Things You May Find Hidden in my Ear: Poems from Gaza by Mosab Abu Toha

🏴‍☠️ One Piece Vol. 6: The Oath by Eiichiro Oda

🍄 How to See Fairies and Other Tales by Charles van Sandwyk

[warrenwoodhouse]

PlayStation 4 Themes to try Out

Ok, so I was thinking a while ago about writing a blog post about my favourite PS4 Themes. Here is my list and I’ll update this post with new Themes every so often. Enjoy!

Dishonored 2: Emily and Corvo Dynamic Theme

Dishonored 2: Throne Dynamic Theme

Dishonored 2: Karnaca Dynamic Theme

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider Dynamic Theme

Dreadnought: Cargo Yard Dynamic Theme

Far Cry 5 Dynamic Theme

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Within Static Theme

Game of Thrones Dynamic Theme

Ghostbusters Dynamic Theme

Life is Strange Dynamic Theme

Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty Dynamic Theme

PAC-MAN Championship Edition 2 Dynamic Theme

PlayStation 20th Anniversary Dynamic Theme

PlayStation Wrapup 2020 Dynamic Theme

Suicide Squad Dynamic Theme

STEEP Dynamic Theme

Ubisoft 2017 Dynamic Theme

The Order: 1886: Airstrip Dynamic Theme

The Town of Light Dynamic Theme

Dear Esther: Landmark Edition Dynamic Theme

Until Dawn Dynamic Theme

Warframe: Excalibur Dynamic Theme

WATCH_DOGS 2 Dynamic Theme

These are my favourites. Check them out whenever you want.

Changelog

12th March 2024: Updated list

20th November 2017 at 12:08 am: Created post

[ismahanescorner]

November Wrap-up!

i started to get my momentum back!

Books:

The Poetry Toolkit: 3/5 🌟

The Norton Anthology: 2.5/5 🌟

Mind Platter: DNF

Elixir of the Sun (S1): 4/5 🌟

Elixir of the Sun (S2): 4/5 🌟

The Hunger Games: 5/5 🌟

Shows & Movies:

True Blood (S3): 6/10 🌟

True Blood (S4): 7/10 🌟

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes: 8/10 🌟

bye! ✌🏼🫰🏼

[lizziethereader]

November 2023 wrapup

Why, yes, this is a November wrapup at the end of December. Work has kept me from doing this earlier, but I still wanted to finally upload this because November was a really fun reading month. I participated in nonfiction November and although it's not a requirement, read almost exclusively nonfiction. The thing with nonfiction is that it's harder for me to get myself to pick it up when there are lots of novels at hand, but I do generally quite enjoy nonfiction as well, so November is always a good reminder of that.

favorite of the month: Having and Being Had by Eula Bliss, Friendaholic by Elizabeth Day

nonfiction of the month (8): The Shame Machine by Cathy O'Neil, Arrangements in Blue by Amy Key, The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel, Having and Being Had by Eula Bliss, User Friendly by Cliff Kuang and Robert Fabricant, On Friendship by Michel de Montaigne, Music is History by Questlove, Friendaholic by Elizabeth Day

classics (1): On Friendship by Michel de Montaigne

poetry (1): Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong

graphic novel (1): Crawlspace by Jesse Jacobs

[andsalttheearthbehindyou]

November reading wrapup

hmmm pretty good month for quantity but hit or miss for quality, i either loved or hated almost all of these. 💆🏻‍♀️

1. the lover, marguerite duras — tumblr girl classic, ur fav web weaving posts almost definitely feature a snippet of this. like woah 😭 ok very timeless very vivid and real. I did cry.

2. icebreaker, hannah grace — this is EMBARASSINGGGGGG i was going to a hockey game and was like woah let me get into this mindset... into this world… THIS BOOK WAS MISLEADING i thought itd be equal parts hockey world ice skater world equal parts romance and no.. it was nothing of the sort... this was just tooooo porny like WAY too much, even for me. AND I USED TO WRITE SM- *gunshot*

3. throne of glass, sarah j mass — does anyone have any good fantasy series recs that arent this?? like this is what years without winds of winter will do to a woman. im settling for this subpar garbage. but i am gonna keep reading it bc what else do i have, george???

4. mickey7, edward ashton — been on my tbr since rob pattinson was announced to be the lead in this in the bong joon-ho movie… i feel like with the creatives behind it thisll end up being one of those rare bones and all situations where the adaptation is wayyyyy better than the book. but idk. book itself was whatever good concept but didnt even really go anywhere. i thought that i had guessed a twist lie 3 quarters of the way thru but there was no twist literally nothing happened. therefore MID

5. blood meridian, cormac mccarthy — the only other time i had like a visceral tummy churning reaction to a book like this was when i read theons chapters in a dance with dragons 😭😭😭 anyway i like the lack of quotation marks and i also find it easier to write without them SHOOT ME

6. death valley, melissa broder — im really endeared to broder as a writer because i feel like she can only do one thing really well and shes very self aware of that.. which i respect.. also what the protag is going thru here at the start of the book is something ive also gone thru and it felt very strangely accurate and bizarre as a real person reading about a fake person going thru it. and literally within the book the protag references how writers poorly portray their characters accurately 'going thru it' (i keep saying going thru it bcoz im trying not to spoil even tho no ones gonna read my recs ALTHO this one deserves to be read i think) so that was cray and meta but umm what im trying to say is.. melissa i wanted to go to ur book signing i literally had my day cleared in my planner for u. why did u have to cancel the event.

7. indelicacy, amina cain — public announcement i guess but hey girl @noumenongirl i think you would love this one i dont know why but the whole time i was reading i was just like woah she’d love this😭 i liked it a lot

8. the penelopiad, margaret atwood — this is what circe by madeline miller wanted and tried to be but failed tremendously at.....

9. crown of midnight, sarah j mass — was better than throne of glass in the beginning actually but then they halfway thru lost me again..

10. the assassins blade, sarah j mass — im just hate reading at this point like i dont have anything else to do. Celaena youll never be daenerys girl like stop

11. elvis and me, priscilla beaulieu presley — ohhhh…. :,(((( my fav celeb memoir yet i think.....

+ bonus — im gonna add this to my december list but im like 75% of the way with fourth wing rn, good fawking heavens i wishthat grrm could trademark copyright the concept of dragons like i dont think anyone should be allowed to write about DRAGONS only him. like mini spoilers for fourth wing SORRY but WHY DO THE DRAGONS SPEAK ENGLISH, WHY DO THEY EVEN SPEAK AT ALL....cringe. but better than throne of glass at least😭 but it doesnt take much to be better than throne of glass to be fair. OK reading wrapup over.

[cleverhottubmiracle]

The Princess of Wales released a video today sharing her relief at concluding chemotherapy treatment but noting, “…my path to full recovery is long.” Here is the full three-minute video.  The video was shot by Will Warr last month in Norfolk. Mr. Warr also did the coronation weekend wrapup video last May and a brief video marking the couple’s tenth wedding anniversary. In the new film, the family is seen relaxing outside.  The Princess speaks of the last nine months being “…incredibly tough for us as a family. The cancer journey is complex, scary, and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you.” The family is seen roughhousing and relaxing on the beach. With their dog, Orla. More from the Princess’s voiceover: “This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved.” Thoughts on the video from The Telegraph’s Camilla Tominey.  After everything she has gone through, the once-guarded Catherine clearly decided to throw caution to the wind – and the candour caught on camera is as heartwarming as it is revealing.  The touching scenes filmed last month by Will Warr in Norfolk, however, reflect a deliberate attempt to finally lay bare the love and affection at the heart of one of the most high-profile – and well-documented – relationships in the world. The family playing cards with the Princess’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton. More from The Daily Mail’s coverage. The setting of the footage is deeply symbolic, drawing on the strength Catherine has drawn from her family and loved ones and from spending time on the things which bring her joy, particularly the sanctuary she has found in the natural world. It also features her parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, who have been an unwavering source of support. Sharing a moment on the beach.  The Princess talks of a new perspective in the video: “Despite all that has gone before, I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life. William and I are so grateful for the support we have received and have drawn great strength from all those who are helping us at this time. Everyone’s kindness, empathy and compassion has been truly humbling.” More card playing.  We see the Prince of Wales remove a bug from Princess Charlotte’s hair.  And her brothers take a closer look at the bug. The voiceover also notes, “Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown.”  The couple with Princess Charlotte.  A hug for Prince George.  We see the Princess in some contemplative moments. She closes the video with a special message for those confronting cancer: “To all those who are continuing their own cancer journey – I remain with you, side by side, hand in hand. Out of darkness, can come light, so let that light shine bright.” The video comes as the Wales children have returned to school after their summer break. A Sunday Times story by Roya Nikkhah reported on possible additions to the Princess’s schedule this fall.   But if she continues to have more “good days”, it is understood she has set her sights on “potentially” joining the King and the royal family at the Cenotaph for the National Service of Remembrance on November 10. Royal aides are also understood to have started planning for the princess’s annual televised “Together at Christmas” carol service at Westminster Abbey in December. Continuing with some work from home at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, Kate has been holding more regular meetings with her private secretary, Tom White, her assistant private secretary, Natalie Burrows, and the Waleses’ communications secretary, Lee Thompson, to plan for the future. In the video, the Princess is seen wearing two dresses. One is by US designer Veronica Beard, with thanks to Laura for the ID. The Castella Floral Boho Midi Dress (sold out) is made of lightweight ramie, lined in 100% cotton. It is described as “our elevated take on bohemian dressing. Cut for a relaxed fit, this midi silhouette features an engineered block print—which mixes painterly blooms and floral stripes—as well as gentle blouson sleeves and a tiered, ruffled hem.” A closer look at the print and some of the other details. I have not yet been able to find the denim dress seen in the video, but I will update the post when it is identified. I saw so many similar styles I added quite a few to the RepliKate Dresses page. UPDATE SEP 10: It looks like the blue dress is by H&M. With thanks to Valerie and Middleton Maven, it is a LOGG Denim Dress (Label of Graded Goods), long since sold out. Here is a photo of the piece as offered on eBay by A British Rose.  You see the Princess wearing her Veja Esplar Sneakers in the video, shown here as worn on a previous occasion. It looks like the Princess is wearing her Daniella Draper Trio Diamond Midnight Moon Necklace in the video as well as a pair of Kiki McDonough earrings, either her Citrine Drops or the Green Amethyst Drops. I am leaning toward the green drops. There is a second pair worn in the video that looks like tiny hoops, possibly the Daniella Draper Mini Cupid Hoops. Here is the full text of the Princess’s statement in the video.  As the summer comes to an end, I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment. The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family.  Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown. The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you.  With humility, it also brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you have never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything. This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved. Doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes. I am however looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can.  Despite all that has gone before, I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life. William and I are so grateful for the support we have received and have drawn great strength from all those who are helping us at this time.  Everyone’s kindness, empathy and compassion has been truly humbling. To all those who are continuing their own cancer journey – I remain with you, side by side, hand in hand. Out of darkness, can come light, so let that light shine bright.  One other note about the video: the wide shot of the family is now the header on the Wales’s social media pages.  (function(d, s, id) var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.0"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); (document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Source link