#one for the Susanna Clarke fans

[penbeatssword]

It's very fitting that I finally found a copy of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell in a little secondhand bookshop after a lengthy search, and that my copy of Piranesi has survived water damage

[lavampira]

book recommendations

tysm @winedark and @rosenfey for the tag <:

passing it along to @hythlodaes @scionshtola @coldshrugs @likeabirdinflight @lesbianalicent @veeples @narrativefoiltrope @kirnet @disequilibria @jennystahl @elvves @queenofthieves @weird-ecologies @erielake @verbose-vespertine @solarisrenbeth @onceinabluemoony @queerbrujas @oldblood but ofc no pressure!!

1. the last book I read:

GOTH WESTERN by LIVALI WYLE — well. technically, it’s an indie graphic novel. but it’s a western meets magical realism about necromancy, revenge, and the power of love. and lesbians. I burned through it in a couple hours sitting because I was so gripped by it tbh.

2. a book I recommend:

THE HACIENDA by ISABEL CAÑAS — an absolute all time fave book in my heart; I would say one doesn’t even need to necessarily love horror to get invested in this one, since it also involves very interesting critique of spanish colonialism, religion, and class struggles in post-independence mexico only using hauntings as the lens to view it.

3. a book that I couldn’t put down:

THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE by SAMANTHA SHANNON — I was glued to this book for a solid two weeks despite its length. I have a lot that I would change about the pacing and certain events or qualities of some characters’ outcomes, but it was such a fun fantasy read, and I had a difficult time even moving on from the setting and protagonists once I was done.

4. a book I’ve read twice (or more):

THE SONG OF ACHILLES by MADELINE MILLER — my first time reading this myth retelling was my freshman year of college, so I reread it again ten years later to see if it would still hold up for how much I loved it, and it absolutely did. the perspective of the man standing beside and in love with the hero interwoven with the tragedy of achilles and patroclus takes me right out and the passages that tumblr enjoys to quote from it have so much more impact in the full context of the narrative.

5. a book on my TBR:

OUR WIVES UNDER THE SEA by JULIA ARMFIELD — this poor book keeps getting knocked down on my TBR but I’m determined to read it this year. I’m intrigued by the horror of the protagonist’s wife ‘coming back wrong’ in a sense, and the recommendations based on its similarity to ANNIHILATION, but also the fact it seems to be a wlw scifi horror, too.

6. a book I’ve put down:

AFFINITY by SARAH WATERS — I wanted to like this one so bad, considering how often waters has been hyped up to me as The Author for historical lesbian novels and the fact it delves into victorian spiritualism, but the pacing felt so slow at getting to the point in the plot, and when it finally did, the twist put me off on finishing the end. it’s probably more of a case of ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ but I def had to DNF it.

7. a book on my wishlist:

GHOST STATION by S.A. BARNES — space horror quickly became a fave niche genre that I got into last year, so I’ve been very excited for this release, too. I’m also a fan of how barnes writes atmospheric dread and I have high expectations for it.

8. a favorite book from my childhood:

WUTHERING HEIGHTS by EMILY BRONTË — it altered my brain chemistry as a teenager in high school and I haven’t been the same since I read it. I distinctly remember listening to ‘you said I killed you — haunt me then!’ read aloud and having to pretend like it didn’t make me feel so completely unhinged in the middle of class.

9. a book you would give to a friend:

PIRANESI by SUSANNA CLARKE — I was recommended this one by a friend to begin with, so it feels like an even more perfect book to pass forward. I think it’s one of those books that’s easy to get absorbed into even if it’s not a typical genre one would read, and it’s such a life-altering experience to go through with the protagonist, too. the underlying message that we’re all changed by our own trials and we’re never the same as we were before lingers with me.

10. a book of poetry or lyrics you own:

CRUSH by RICHARD SIKEN — it’s taken me so long to finally track down a physical copy at my bookstore but it was worth it because it remains my fave book of poetry to date. I could quote so many lines, after how hard they’ve hit me, and some of them have influenced my own writing or pairings in some ways.

11. a nonfiction book you own:

HAVANA NOCTURNE by T.J. ENGLISH — back in 2015-2016ish I went through a true crime phase in the prohibition era through the foundation of the US mafia, and this is a very informative book on how the mob became tied to cuba and how the revolution affected it.

12. what are you currently reading:

AN EDUCATION IN MALICE by S.T. GIBSON — I stumbled across this retelling of carmilla set in a late 60s massachusetts women’s college after reading gibson’s A DOWRY OF BLOOD and had to give it a try. I’m enjoying it so far; the prose is full of thick emotional yearning and electric chemistry, and the balance in the narrative of toxic mentorship, historical romantic and sensual attraction between women without shaming them for it, and vampiric elements is really fun.

13. what are you planning on reading next:

WHAT FEASTS AT NIGHT by T. KINGFISHER — I only found out the other day that the sequel to WHAT MOVES THE DEAD was even released but I’m so desperate for the next part of alex easton’s story (and how eerily kingfisher writes horror) that it shot up to my next read.

[the-forest-library]

October 2024 Reads

The Rom-Commers - Katherine Center

The Ex Vows - Jessica Joyce

How to Hide in Plain Sight - Emma Noyes

Triple Sec - T.J. Alexander

The Merriest Misters - Timothy Janovsky

Most Wonderful - Georgia Clark

The Situationship - Abby Jimenez

Straight - Chuck Tingle

Sorcery and Small Magics - Maiga Doocy

Lake of Souls - Ann Leckie

The Wood at Midwinter - Susanna Clarke

The Agency for Scandal - Laura Wood

Knight Owl and Early Bird - Christopher Denise

The Bakery Dragon - Devin Elle Kurtz

The Millicent Quibb School for Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science - Kate McKinnon

Bye Forever, I Guess - Jodi Meadows

Mabel Wants a Friend - Ariel Bernstein

Into the Uncut Grass - Trevor Noah

Scaredy Squirrel - Melanie Watt

Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend - Melanie Watt

Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach - Melanie Watt

Scaredy Squirrel at Night - Melanie Watt

Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party - Melanie Watt

Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping - Melanie Watt

CatStronauts: Moon Mission - Drew Brockington

Fangirl, Vol 4 - Rainbow Rowell, Gabi Nam

An Age of License - Lucy Knisley

Going Into Town - Roz Chast

You Can Only Yell at Me for One Thing at a Time - Row Chast

Impossible People - Julia Wertz

Cattitude - Katie Abey

oh no - Alex Norris

Milk & Mocha - Melani Sie

Lovely One - Ketanji Brown Jackson

It Gets Better...Except When It Gets Worse - Nicole Maines

What in the World?! - Leanne Morgan

Democracy in Retrograde - Sami Sage & Emily Amick

Abortion - Jessica Valenti

Anxiety Rx - Russell Kennedy

Still Distracted After All These Years - Kathleen G. Nadeau

You Deserve Good Gelato - Kacie Rose

Big Vegan Flavor - Nisha Vora

Bold = Highly Recommend

Italics = Worth It

Crossed Out = Nope

Thoughts: The Rom-Commers is a standout contemporary romance - really fun. I think Emily Henry fans would like it. I also really enjoyed Bye Forever, I Guess - a middle school You've Got Mail.

Goodreads Goal: 369/400 

2017 Reads | 2018 Reads | 2019 Reads | 2020 Reads | 2021 Reads| 2022 Reads | 2023 Reads | 2024 Reads

[seraphtrevs]

Since I’m a huge fan of your writing, I’m curious: who are some your favorite writers and what are some of your favorite books or short stories??

Oh man, I've done so much reading over my life that it's hard to narrow down. Like I'm for sure going to leave people out.

For fiction: some of my favorite authors are the Bronte sisters (slight preference for Charlotte - Jane Eyre was one of my first loves and hugely shaped me as a reader and a writer), Daphne du Maurier (favorite of her books - Rebecca), Sarah Waters (can't decide between Fingersmith and The Paying Guests), Angela Carter (The Bloody Chamber), Susanna Clarke (Jonathon Strange and Mr Norell), Toni Morrison (Beloved), Robin Hobb (the Farseer trilogy and Fitz's further adventures, but I've heard good things about the Liveship Trader books!), Terry Pratchett (the Tiffany Aching books are particular favorites), and Anne Rice (well, depending on the book tbh, she's not very consistent lol - the first three Vampire Chronicle books are my favs from her), with special shout-outs to Robin McKinley (Beauty), Avi (The True Confession of Charlotte Doyle), LM Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables), Frank L Baum (I have read every single Oz book - there are a ton of them!) and Madeleine L'Engle (A Wrinkle in Time), who were my favs when I was a kid (along with the Babysitter's Club book lol - but they're mostly ghostwritten so I'm not sure who to credit!)

Right now, I'm re-reading (for the millionth time) The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter, which is a collection of fairy tale retellings - but that feels like a really inadequate way to describe it. It's very visceral, primal, and poetic. My favorite story from the collection is "The Bloody Chamber," which is a Bluebeard retelling. Bluebeard is one of my favorite fairy tales, but it understandably doesn't get a lot of adaptation. (I'm very curious what Disney's Bluebeard would look like lmao)

I'm also listening to the audiobook of The Vampire Lestat, which is the reason that Anne Rice is on that list. She really lost me with her later books, but listening to TVL reminded me that actually, she can be very good! She really excels at evocative descriptions and conveying emotion - she's very shameless, in a good way. A woman who always writes with her entire pussy, whatever else you might say about her.

But I actually read more nonfiction than fiction. I'm a big fan of memoirs - not celebrity memoirs (although Jennette McCurdy's I'm Glad My Mom Died was probably my favorite book I've read this year), but memoirs that are more about someone grappling with the human experience - like, sometimes the author has been through something horrible and they've done a lot of mediation on what they've been through, or sometimes the author is just a very astute and entertaining observer of their own (and other people's) ridiculousness. Some of my favorites are Mary Karr, Caroline Knapp, David Sedaris, Cheryl Strayed, Jeanette Walls, Tara Westover, and Allie Brosh.

If I had to pick one to recommend - all of David Sedaris's books are extremely funny. He writes humorous personal essays, so I guess his books aren't really memoirs exactly (google says he's a humorist), but he usually writes about himself so I'm lumping him in this category lol. Me Talk Pretty One Day is a good place to start with his stuff - you will cry laughing.

I also love pop science and pop history - Mary Roach is a super approachable science writer with a quirky sense of humor. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is so funny and candid - she asks every question you've ever had about dead bodies and then some. I also love Bill Bryson - another very accessible and funny writer - I really loved his A Short History of Nearly Everything, which covers exactly what it says. I ADORE Oliver Sacks - he was a neurologist who wrote so movingly about what it means to be human through the experiences of his patients - The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat reads more like a book of short stories, and I weep like a baby every time I read it (I actually started tearing up thinking of a few cases.) (Btw he's also written beautiful memoirs but I like his science writing best so I'm putting him here. Bill Bryson has written memoir too.) Carl Sagan is also approachable and humane - This Demon Haunted World is my favorite of his. Andrew Solomon's The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression is required reading for anyone who's dealt with mental illness, although it's difficult and painful at times (his Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity is also really good, but also difficult and painful - but worth it!)Diane Ackerman's A Natural History of the Senses has gorgeous prose and is a great book for artists and writers imo - it gets you thinking deeply about how we interact with the world.

For history, I am obsessed with this book called "The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow - it will completely upend everything you think you know about the history of homo sapians. Mike Duncan got his start podcasting - his series Revolutions is about major world revolutions and is essentially like listening to an audiobook, so it's not a surprise his books are pretty fun too. Sarah Vowell has some really fun books about quirky historical topics - her Assassination Vacation is great (she goes on a roadtrip to visit locations in America where famous assassinations took place).

And here are a few other miscellaneous non-fiction writers I enjoy - Sebastian Junger (just finished his In My Time of Dying about his near death experience - super thought-provoking - but it was A Perfect Storm that made me love him), Hunter S. Thompson (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), Jon Krakauer (Into the Wild), Jon Ronson (The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry)

This was a fun question to think about! I hadn't realized I had such a strong preference for female writers until I actually listed all my favs out, which is an interesting thing to know about myself, so thanks for asking!

[stardew-victoria]

More Stoned Obey Me Headcannons

One of Satan’s favorite fiction books from the human world is Piranesi by Susanna Clark

Obviously he is also a huge fan of Lord of the Rings

Mammon has a belly button piercing

All of the brothers find body piercings hot no doubt about it

Mammon makes you carry his bags if you guys go shopping until you complain about it and he berates you for not telling him earlier

Nobody understands them like I do

They ALL enjoy watching the live action Scooby Doo’s with who woman who plays Buffy even if they say they dont.

Mammon loves Madagascar <3 he likes to move it move it

Solomon w i l l wear matching earrings with you. No matter how silly they are. Babies with knives earrings for sure.

Mammon says he can relate to Fred from Scooby Doo

Leviathan secretly wishes he could turn into the Hulk

Mammon is surprisingly good at doing other peoples hair.

Belphagor would play dnd for sure. And Levi too but that kinda goes without saying methonks

Beelzebub and Belphagor wear a fuck ton of rings.

Asmodeus cries during sex

This is weird but I feel like Asmodeus smells like cheesecake. Genuinely dont know why.

Asmodeus listens to Melanie Martinez for sure. The new album is his favorite no doubt.

If you show literally any music to Mammon itll be all he listens to

Diavolo loves watching sunsets

Barbatos is probably better at doing makeup than Asmo

Simeon is an Axolotl lover

Luke is one of those bitches who say they dont listen to music. D o n o t t r u s t

If you showed Luke Gravity Falls he would love it

This post is too long goodbye

Sorry I dont mean to be the funniest person in the world

[marnz]

2023 book post

I read 63 books this year (i do count short stories & novellas) and there were epic highs (everyone read the school for good mothers) and epic lows (y'all read this shit? for real?).

here are my top ten, in no particular order, followed by thoughts on the rest. it's so long lol okay let's get into it

top ten.

the school for good mothers by jessamine chan - a perfect commentary on the prison industrial complex and how poor, single, and mothers of color are treated set in a chilling near future. loved it. i read this book in june and think about it daily.

edinburgh by alexander chee - this book is a modern classic for good reason. gay tragedy lovers this book is for YOU. the prose is so beautiful, so dream like, that i couldn't stop reading. i read this book in one sitting, very nearly a year ago, and i was completely devastated by it.

in the woods by tana french - love this for: unreliable narrator who sucks but is compelling; prose about the woods and the 1980s mystery; cassie; a police procedure that starts off by being like 'crucially you must understand that the police lie.' i have a weakness for atmospheric books and this has that in spades.

homegoing by yaa gyasi - this book is SO good and the prose and character voices are excellent. it's extremely epic but somehow only 300 pages?!? each character only gets 1 chapter but gyasi does SO much with each chapter 😭 i read this in one day because i could not stop reading. i also read gyasi's other book, transcendent kingdom, which was also very good.

some desperate glory by emily tesh - this book is a mindfuck and is one of the few times i've seen [spoiler] done well. there are a lot of things this book talks about--imperialism; artificial intelligence; fascism; white supremacy and how it intersects with gender; queerness; eugenics. i posted about it early when i had only read like 49% and i was soooo wrong to do so. read this and just trust me.

x by davey davis - okay are you ready for this? X is queer/trans bdsm neo noir mystery set in a dystopian near future. it is dark, it is consuming, it is surprising, it is a book i turn over obsessively whenever i can't sleep. i need to reread and i only read it a few months ago.

baru cormorant series/the masquerade by seth dickinson - this is 3 books but let's count it as one book. much has been said about baru as a cringefail autistic marxist lesbian icon (affectionate) but what i really appreciate about these books, other than how fucking gay they are, is the specificity of the world building. i have a theory that modern readers are in search of detail (and cruelly denied by much of publishing rn). seth dickinson loves details. seth dickinson is going to take semi familiar narratives and tell them in a brand new way using details; math; hyper specific words. god i love it

poverty by america by matthew desmond - relatively short book, read it in a day. i also read desmond's first book, evicted, and it is also SO good but what's sexy about this book is that modern american society and esp. politicians frequently likes to be like 'oh no, poverty is so tragic but it can't be solved' and desmond is like 'watch me.' for people who enjoy reading andrea long chu take downs reviews and want concrete solutions for how to build a better world.

station eleven by emily st. john mandel - many people told me this was the best book they've ever read and i was like 'whatever. i'll get to it when i get to it.' DO NOT BE ME!! read this!! i wouldn't say this is a happy book but it was a beautiful book. i loved it. i cried for about 90 minutes afterwards. for art lovers, weird theatre kids, people unafraid of plague books, non linear timeline lovers, people who have been divorced.

piranesi by susanna clarke - okay i read this on my flight to frankfurt earlier this year and it totally bowled me over with how lovely it was and how emotional i got. just a beautiful, delicate, haunting, eerie book. for fans of mysteries, people who love oceans, gothic houses, people who earnestly believed magic was real as kids and hope it's real today, people who love academic drama they aren't involved in.

okay damn honorable mentions: in the dream house by carmen maria machado (SO good, maybe deserves my rec more than piranesi), normal people by sally rooney (mainly because it did make me insane), under the banner of heaven by jon krakauer (thorough, horrifying), honey & spice by bolu babalola (SO fun), sula by toni morrison (stunning!!), severance by ling ma (millennial alienation during a plague, amirite?), trust exercise by susan choi (who knows what really happened? you'll understand).

okay now the worst books i read this year, aka books i did not vibe with:

broken harbor & the trespasser by tana french; did not enjoy broken harbor due to the themes and did not enjoy the trespasser due to how cringefail the ending was. you can't depict ongoing harassment a woman of color is experiencing in her workplace, make her decide to leave after two years of this harassment, and then back track it in the last chapter? please. this is a problem tana french runs into a lot, but that is a different post

the witch elm by tana french; parts of this book were absolutely delicious. but a lot of it felt very tedious and in need of a stern editor. so many books these days need more thorough editing and the result is that a potentially amazing book is just like, okay. i understand the power fantasy that this book is designed to be, but i'm not the right audience for it (disabled). also, generally i need a character to root for.

amateur by thomas page mcbee; SO sorry thomas. i didn't vibe with this book mainly because i don't think i'm the target audience for it. i'm not cis and i'm not straight?? i also am not interested in narratives about trans men wanting to prove their masculinity by taking up a violent sport. i think this tension is addressed in the book but it wasn't addressed to my satisfaction. violence is often all the world gives to men as a source of power and thus serves as a solace for everything patriarchy takes from them, so i suppose i understand wanting to be able to get a piece of that...logically that makes sense. but also. why.

the late americans by brandon taylor; the thing is, i fucking love real life by brandon taylor and i enjoy brandon's criticism and read his substack (although i disagree with almost every aesthetic opinion he has). so possibly my expectations were too high, but i read this and i guess i was just...wanted to know what the point is. gay people suffering in the midwest? as a genre, it slaps. as a book, i feel frustrated. it felt loose, pointless, in great need of editing. brandon talks about this book by talking about the importance of moral fiction, and this book lacks moral urgency for many of its stories. i've read a lot of moral fiction and this isn't it? anyway I read this in July and looking back all I remember is Seamus' journey and the way brandon dragged workshopping.

the angel of the crows by katherine addison; look. if you're going to write sherlock wingfic, put it on ao3. if you're going to file off the serial numbers, please work harder so i can't tell what it originally was. and absolutely nix the author's note saying it was sherlock fanfic, because that makes me very unhappy! personally!

99% mine by sally thorne; classic second book syndrome. except the third one is also not very good. too bad!

touched out by amanda montei; okay obligatory disclaimer that i'm not a mother or parent but rather an adult who loves my friends' kids! this book really frustrated me and i think i would have enjoyed it considerably more if it was all cultural criticism instead of a memoir (other than the dworkin parts????). a memoir is an art form, a set narrative, but criticizing it feels weird because i am criticizing the author's life decisions as presented to me, in a flattened context, in a controlled narrative. if the memoir parts were instead part of a fictional book i would not hold back lol. this book is marketed as the most important work of feminist scholarship in the last 30 years and...it ain't. i also felt the focus was incredibly narrow. while montei does attempt to cite a broad range of theorists i just kept finding myself wondering, what about people from other cultures? what about disabled mothers? what about queer mothers or parents? what about this? WHERE'S YOUR RESEARCH? WHERE ARE YOUR INTERVIEWS? there is a specific kind of feminism where white women act like their specific experience is the pinnacle of all suffering and tbh it isn't. this book reminded me of that very strongly. like, if you're telling me you won't have an epidural because it was invented by a man then you are not a useful person to engage with, thanks.

books that would have been amazing if not for that one part

he who drowned the world by shelley parker chan - man i have mixed thoughts on this book. look away my beloved swbts mutuals. okay the epic highs (ouyang & zhu!! ma!!) were set off by baoxiang lmao. i'm mainly interested in queer masculinity and femininity and a femme straight guy is like. well, good for him, but i don't really care? bring me back to my loveds zhu and ouyang. but my main gripe...tbh i think baoxiang is a hugely unreliable narrator that protests about a lot of things too much. being straight for one thing; not having a thing for esen is another. AND MORE COULD HAVE BEEN DONE WITH THIS? like i honestly wish the implied incest thing, which was brought up at least twice, was more present. taking a step back, if you're like well i'm straight and i don't have a thing for my dead brother i helped kill but i absolutely will be seducing the spitting image of him while i fuck my way to the top of the throne? that should make me insane. possibly it would have in a book that didn't already have ouyang. who can tell. so i wish SPC had leaned into that a lot more, i wish baoxiang hadn't felt like such a plot instrument, i wish there was more Ma, i wish spoilery completely unbelievable storyline was better, etc.

in memorial by alice winn - damn, this book. it was so good but it fell apart at the end. i respect winn's decision to not have it be perfectly easy after living through the untold horrors of the trenches of wwi but the idea of two brits running away to brazil to live out a life of colonial bliss because being gay wasn't explicitly illegal in brazil at a time is like. what? i guess. anyway, it was good, i just have some notes.

romantic comedy by curtis sittenfeld - here's the thing, i love curtis sittenfeld and i knew going in that this is a book by the author that wrote rodham but man, this is a book by the author that wrote rodham. this is the most Online book i've ever read (derogatory) and it's very specific in its liberal i'm an Online author on twitter type of deal. the point of the book is that Not Tina Fey falls for Male Taylor Swift on Not Saturday Night Live and it was good, it was fun, i wasn't expecting [spoiler] ummm but it worked. i had a good time.

this is very long, sorry.

[ask-a-bot]

That might be a bit tricky. I know Megs can be…..and I say this in the most respectful and loving way possible……..stubborn, but even though it’s for his own good, I can sympathize with Megs’ feelings. So how does one convince him to stay in berth?

Well, my first thought is asking if Dorthy can convince him, but what about giving him a new book series (preferably a very long series) to read while in berth? Maybe find some audio books he can listen to and relax. Those can be a great mental distraction from being berth-ridden.

Do you know if he’s interested in documentaries? If he has some sort of screen in his berthroom, Megs could watch some of those.

He's maddeningly stubborn! That's part of the reason he's in this state in the first place.

Oh! Yes, he likes reading. A new book series would be a great idea, but what might he like? I know he's a fan of Shakespeare, Dickens and Pratchett. I also know he's read North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. Do you think he might like a Susanna Clarke story?

He does like documentaries, but his optics are pretty sore. I think that'll be a thing for a little later. He likes period dramas and musicals too. He loves Oliver.

[omens-for-ophelia]

For the ask game: 21, 26, 27 :)

hello dear! thank you 🌻

21. how was your day today?

a little tricky, really! had a therapy session that was good but exhausting, and the brainfog has been pretty intense all day - part of the reason i am doing the ask game! trying to perk up a little 🩷

26. some childish things i like?

see previous ask for more, but i am also a fan of theme parks and rollercoasters - my work means i am at disney world fairly frequently and as much as they are not perfect as a company, i am always a giant kid when i am there

27. favourite book?

oh my goodness so difficult to pick! i re-read lord of the rings quite regularly. good omens goes without saying too, i cannot count how often i have read it!

piranesi by susanna clarke is one of my most recent all-time-faves, and i also love the discworld series, particularly going postal, though i also love guards guards and lords & ladies 🩷

[jotun-philosopher]

What might evil!Aziraphale be like?

My first meta! Woo! Mostly just trying to articulate some of my brain's particularly weird recent wiggles, but still!

So I was re-reading Neverwhere recently, and something about the way the Angel Islington is portrayed reminded me of That Smile In The Credits and got me wondering... What might Aziraphale be like if he turned evil? (I do mean legitimately *evil* -- Falling in the GO verse has nothing to do with the subject's morality)

I know, Crowley, it's a scary and depressing thought! It's also never going to happen -- I feel quite confident about that -- but exploring counterfactual scenarios can help get a different perspective on things, maybe even illuminate what's likely to happen in the future! (as well as being dang interesting in their own right)

So, then, on with the motley! (caution: big ol' spoilers for both Neverwhere and Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell below the cut)

Now, it's always possible to turn 'good' characters 'evil' by having them act out a set of generically 'evil' traits, but that'd be boring and liable to be out of character. A more interesting route would be to simply turn up the dial(s) on one or more of a character's traits (especially their flaws) and see what happens!

Even the most die-hard Aziraphale fan has got to admit that our favourite fluffy bookseller has a bit of a problem with self-righteousness, so that seems like a good place to start. Notch the dial up to max, and what do we get?

Very likely, something similar to this:

(Peter Capaldi as the Angel Islington, Neverwhere, 1996)

The Angel Islington! Unshakably self-righteous to the point of insanity? Oh yes -- to the point of justifying committing genocide by screaming that "THEY DESERVED IT!!!" for not providing the proper worship, and generally so being utterly convinced of its own rightness that traditional morality is discarded as irrelevant (quoth Mr Croup, "He's travelled so far beyond right and wrong he couldn't see them with a telescope on a nice clear night.").

There're other parallels between Islington and Aziraphale, too -- primarily the proliferation of light/pale colours in their costuming and having a mild, kindly, soft-spoken manner (genuine with Aziraphale, a mere veneer with Islington) but also their (planning to) return to Heaven. In Islington's case, it was cast out as punishment for annihilating Atlantis and seeks to return and enact a hostile takeover and become a new God; in Azzy's case, of course, he was railroaded into returning against his will (and may or may not be plotting Undercover Shenanigans to Save The World, but that's a bit beyond the scope of this meta). Nevertheless, the parallels are there, noticeable enough to make me think that Islington represents what Aziraphale might become in the worst of all possible worst-case scenarios (especially where his religious trauma and Heaven's fanaticism and propaganda are concerned).

(As a side note, this whole idea of (self-)righteousness leading to great evil is also reminiscent of why Gandalf flatly refused to take custody of the One Ring -- fear of doing great evil while attempting to enact great good.)

So that's the self-righteousness angle, but maybe there're other angles -- perhaps we could leave the SR dial alone and instead see what happens if we dial Azzy's hedonistic tendencies and one or two others up to eleven!

I hear pipes and drums and dancing, endless faerie balls within the brugh...

(Marc Warren as The Gentleman With Thistledown Hair, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, 2015 (BBC adaptation))

Behold, the ruler of Lost-hope, this faerie gentleman with hair the colour of thistle-down! He's the most significant antagonistic force in Susanna Clarke's 2005 novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and has a few interesting parallels with Aziraphale.

First and most obviously, there's the hair colour! Secondly, we have the fact that they're incalculably old immortal beings with considerable magical/mystical power, as well as notions of morality, ethics etc that are to some degree orthogonal to human understanding of such matters. There's also the hedonistic tendencies -- Aziraphale's are comparatively subtle, mainly revolving around appreciating Earthly pleasures like food, drink and music, but if exaggerated could easily end up like the Gentleman's tendency to focus on his own fun/amusement, regardless of the cost to others.

Which ties in to one of the most noticeable parallels, something that you might have worked out already if you've come this far and/or are already familiar with JS&MN -- the Gentleman spends a good amount of time abducting or planning to abduct beautiful humans to be enchanted to dance forever in endless balls within his kingdom of Lost-hope. Doesn't that sound uncomfortably similar to the Shopkeepers' Association Ball in S2E5? The parallel certainly gave me a moment of the shivering heebie-jeebies when I spotted it -- regardless of Aziraphale's motivation there, he absolutely comes off almost like one of the Fair Folk (likely even in-universe!); it's very easy to imagine that he could get like the Gentleman if he 'takes the brakes off', so to speak.

So there we have it -- an evil!Aziraphale would likely be similar to the Angel Islington, the Gentleman With Thistledown Hair or possibly some terrifying and unholy hybrid of the two.

Or something else entirely that I can't find adequate words for!

Now, I must emphasise that just because I've put a good deal of thought into exploring the 'evil!Aziraphale' idea, it doesn't mean I think it'll happen; on the contrary, I'm convinced that it never will. For one thing, regardless of the parallels noted above, Aziraphale is far more fundamentally benevolent than either Islington or the Gentleman. Despite his flaws, he is at heart a genuinely good, kind, decent, compassionate person. Some folks, the Metatron among them, are going to interpret this as weakness or stupidity, which is wholly incorrect -- Azzy is very intelligent (while also being a bit of a dumbass, granted -- the two are not mutually exclusive) and has a steel core of courage, protectiveness and badassery (comparisons to Magrat Garlick would be entirely valid here). He understands the concept of 'guardian angel' better, I'd wager, than the whole of the rest of the Heavenly Host (or at least the leadership thereof). And in underestimating him, railroading him back to Heaven and trying to force him to actively plan the destruction of everything he holds dear (sheer sadism probably being at least part of the MT's motivation there), the Metatron has (on a silver platter) handed our adorable fluffy little tartan murder hornet the means, motive and opportunity to Seriously Fuck Shit Up for Heaven >:D

Plus, we were promised a South Downs cottage. SOUTH DOWNS COTTAGE!!! THE SETS ARE STILL STANDING IN BATHGATE!!!!!

*ahem*

As a palate cleanser, a bit of food for thought: given that demons tend to have animal motifs, in the unlikely event of Azzy capital-F Falling, would he be an angora rabbit or a big fluffy cat?

[kelinswriter]

Vibes

Yeah, they were vibing all right. (Also LOL at Chyler wanting to know the ship name so she could stalk the tag.)

I appreciate that the show didn't try to pretend this was something it wasn't. They know they have a lot of lesbians watching, and it means something for them to recognize that it would be unfair to go too far with a pairing that has no chance at endgame. That said, this story is one of the gayest things I've ever seen on TV, even if the word "lesbian" was never uttered. Susanna made fan art, ffs.

Hope we get more of their "friendship" next season.

[nonexistentbooks]

random rec list :)

These are various things that I have enjoyed a lot over the years. Check under the cut for more thorough notes/warnings, because some of these are really built for specific audiences. Linked to book titles is the storygraph page, where you can also find TWs. Link to poetry are the poems themselves.

books

House of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski

Piranesi, Susanna Clarke

The Trial, Franz Kafka. (I don't have access to my copy anymore, so I don't know the translator of my edition, unfortunately)

The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky. I have read both the Pevear & Volokhonsky translation and the David McDuff translation. Don't have a preference between the two, I think.

An Iliad, Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare.

Beloved, Toni Morrison

poetry

If You Call a Wolf a Wolf, Kaveh Akbar

Hanif Abdurraqib's writing, particularly They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us and A Little Devil in America.

"Miss You. Would like to take a walk with you." Gabrielle Calvocoressi

"I Didn't Apologize to the Well," Mahmoud Darwish, tr. Fady Joudah

"Angels," Russell Edson

"On the Death of Friends in Childhood," Donald Justice

"Chou Nu Er: Composed on Wall at Mount Bo on Way," 辛弃疾 Xin Qiji, tr. unknown.

Poem 66 in Hidden Music, Rumi, tr. Maryam Mafi and Azima Melita Kolin.

manga/comics/etc.

The following works by Nihei Tsutomu: BLAME!, NOiSE, Abara, Biomega, tr. include: Melissa Tanaka, Stephen Paul, Sheldon Drzka, John Werry.

Mushishi, Urushibara Yuki, tr. William Flanagan

Witch Hat Atelier, Shirahama Kamome, tr. Stephen Kohler

Uzumaki, Ito Junji, tr. Yuji Oniki

Mob Psycho 100, ONE, tr. Kumar Sivasubramanian (might not be the only translator, but I'm not looking through all the volumes)

shows/movies + one podcast:

Revolutionary Girl Utena, dir. Ikuhara Kunihiko

Angel's Egg, dir. Oshii Mamoru (in collaboration with Amano Yoshitaka)

Cowboy Bebop, dir. Watanabe Shinichiro

A Writer's Odyssey, dir. Lu Yang

Wolf 359, produced by Kinda Evil Genius Productions, LLC

notes on book selections: For HoL, TBK, and Beloved, I'd recommend checking out the trigger warnings. None of these books are especially light, and definitely with HoL, Piranesi and a bit with The Trial as well, you don't know a lot going on. So you have to be okay with putting in the effort to understand these stories and going along with the ride. The Trial was technically unfinished, so after a point, it's the chapters we have from Kafka and in kind of out of order.

notes on poetry: I know some people may not like Hanif Abdurraqib's style, but I personally adore it. I have not read all of his works either, but he is a very solid poet and writer for me.

notes on manga and such: The thing you have to understand about Nihei's works (those that are listed) is that there aren't clear answers for a lot. Especially BLAME!, where there's very minimal dialogue. You won't understand everything on the first on the first read for BLAME! and that's good! NOiSE also doesn't answer a lot and Abara, for some, may seem like it ends on a cliffhanger. Biomega is the iffiest one here because the ending is really rushed. There was clearly meant to be more, but there just wasn't the space to take care of it before it had to end. In all his works listed, there is a lot of violence. WHA is in progress and I haven't caught up in ages, but it's a really solid story so far. Uzumaki is horror, so check out the warnings for that before going into it, if needed. MP100 is also pretty solid. Not without some faults, of course, but I greatly enjoy it and also have a fond spot for the REIGEN spinoff in my heart.

notes on shows and the rest: Ok. So. RGU. really look at the tws for this. The more comprehensive post I can't find, but this is a good summary. Definitely would not recommend it to everyone and there are aspects I am not a fan of (to say the least) but it is a very impactful story and means a lot. Angel's Egg is also not for everyone, but more so because it's a very silent movie and you will not get answers. It's a movie where you craft your own meaning and enjoy the experience. It can also feel very slow. Cowboy Bebop my beloved. That is all I will say. It can also feel slow to some people, but the ending. omg. A Writer's Odyssey may not be the most put together narrative-wise BUT I watched it when sick and fatigued out of my mind, so it takes a place here for being a movie I still remember pretty well. A father will do anything to find his daughter again, even if it means killing this random guy who only seems to be a novelist... except, isn't it strange how his story seems to impact reality as well? Wolf 359 is a podcast but MY GOD is it good. Listen to it. please.

[redgoldsparks]

January 2023 Reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabe

I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon.

Piranesi by Susanna Clark (Bloomsbury Publishing)

I am a big fan of Susanna Clark. I've read Johnathan Strange and Mr Norrel two or three times, and will probably read it again someday. I love The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories but I've been waiting to read this one until the time was right. When I saw a half off paperback at my favorite indie bookstore right before the holidays, I knew that was my moment! I associate Clark's work deeply with winter, and love reading her stories by a warm glow around the shortest and darkest days of the year. This one opens in a House of apparently endless size, filled with statues, great vaults, marble floors, and many staircases. The lowest level is full of the sea, with fish, sea creatures, seaweed and seabirds. The upper floors recede into cloud and mist, which rain at regular intervals. In this cold but beautiful world lives a man called Piranesi by the only other living inhabitant. Piranesi journals diligently about his days, his discoveries, his catalogue of the tides and statues. The Other Man arrives at irregular intervals and gives him tasks and the occasional gift. Piranesi is very happy in his world, but soon it is threatened by outside forces: another person, with possibly malicious intent, begins to invade. The peace of the House is broken. What does this say about the bones of 13 dead which Piranesi has found, and the occasional fast food wrappers that regularly blow in one of the vestibules? Some might savor this book, but I instead devoured it in three days and wished for more. 

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer (Katherine Tagen books/HarperCollins)

I will be withholding my review until the HarperCollins strike ends. More info here.

M is for Monster by Talia Dutton (Harry N Abrams)

A girl wakes up on a lab table, stitched together from pieces of a previous girl, Maura, who died in a lab accident. Maura's sister is an experimental scientist and when she wakes up a spirit, she's convinced she's gotten her sister back. But the new girl, M, has no memories from a previous life. She looks like Maura- and when she looks in the mirror she can see Maura's ghost- but she feel compelled to pretend to be someone she isn't. This is an interesting take on resurrection, the afterlife, and identity. It's beautifully drawn in black ink with teal shading, and includes a minor nonbinary character. The book flirts with some real danger and existential fear around our lead, but ultimately takes a gentler route towards a happy ending. 

You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi (Atria Books)

This was my fourth Akwaeke Emezi book, and so far my favorite! A lush, interesting romance that tackles grief, recovery, processing trauma through art, and falling for someone in a complicated family dynamic all against the background of gorgeous tropical island. The main character, Feyi, is very tentatively stepping into dating again after loosing her husband five years prior in a car crash. It's taken a long time before she's even felt alive again herself, let alone willing to open her heart to someone new. The writing is so sensual, full of food descriptions to make your mouth water, landscapes and vistas to make you yearn to travel, and witty banter that will make you want to call your best friend to dish about your ex or your new crush. Highly recommend! 

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho (Ace Books)

Jess is a queer, closeted, Malaysian-American college grad with a long distance girlfriend and no job prospects. She decides to move back to Malaysia with her parents, partly to help them handle the move. When she starts hearing voices, she tacks it down to the stress of being broke and alienated in a country she hasn't lived in since she was a toddler. But it quickly becomes clear that the voices are real and one of them is Ah Ma, her estranged grandmother, who was a spirit medium to a violent god called the Black Water Sister. A real estate developer has purchased the land around the Black Water Sister's temple and plans to turn it into apartments. Ah Ma enlists Jess to fight back, not realizing or not caring that this could throw Jess into deadly conflict with both humans and gods. I listened to this as an audio book and enjoyed it a lot, though it does have some semi-graphic violence, and a morally grey conflict. The writing is very vivid and quite different than anything else I've read before. 

Into The Riverlands by Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)

Nonbinary historian-cleric Chih and their talking bird companion Almost Brilliant travel to the riverlands, an area rich with myths about near-immortal martial artists and the bandits and monsters they battled long ago. Chih ends up walking a mountain road with two young women- a martial artist and her long-suffering companion- and an older couple, all of whom prove to be more than meets the eye. All of them share tales with Chih, and when they stumble right into an ongoing conflict, Chih realizes that they might be in one of the very tales they'd been collecting. This third book didn't hit me quite as hard with the ending twist as the first two books of this series, but I still really enjoyed it and hope for more! 

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickerson (Tor Books)

I have to open my review with content warnings: violent homophobia, polyphobia, genocide of an indigenous culture by intentional plague spreading, brainwashing, rape threats, eugenics, murder, torture. This is a book about a horrible oppressive empire using the tools of colonialism to try and control more and more of the world. Baru is a child of a tropical paradise, with two fathers and a mother, who is taken away from her parents and placed in a residential school from which she watches the total destruction of her culture. This plants a seed of ferocious rebellion in her heart, and she vows to excel past the wildest dreams of her abusive teachers, to rise up in the ranks of the empire, and eventually to destroy it from within. Baru is a savant in the study of power, money, economic control, and the science of breaking the human spirit. The open question of this series is whether she will be able to achieve her goal without being utterly ruined as a person. This book is brutal, and so well written, by turns a confusing mystery and a heart-pounding page turner. It is not a light read, and I definitely need a break before I continue on in the series, but I can see why this gets put on lists next to some of my very favorite series such as The Locked Tomb and Teixcalaan.

The Past is Red by Catherynne M. Valente (Tordotcom)

Another strange little tale from Valente! This one is set in the future, when all of the dry land on Earth has been submerged by water, and the remaining humans live on the floating continent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Long before our protagonist, Tetley, was born, people sorted the garbage into huge piles of similar kinds of things, leading to neighborhoods made all of candle ends, or all of pill bottles, or of molding books. This lends the landscape a fairytale-like aspect that reminded me of McGuire's Wayward Children series. Tetley was born to disinterested parents, and committed a crime in her teenage years which turns her into a physically abused and hated outsider. But she still finds things to love about her home and her world- a kind of childlike delight in a hibiscus plant, a plastic trophy, the inventiveness of her fellow survivors at the end of the world. The story takes several unexpected twists and turns, some more believable than others, but the playful language and rich audiobook narrative carried me through and overall I quite enjoyed it. 

Lights by Brenna Thummler (Oni Press)

A rich and emotional conclusion to the series, which deepens the themes of friendship, grief, and healing. I loved seeing Marjorie find ways to balance her commitments to both the living and the dead, Eliza learning that compromise is part of any relationship, and Wendell unraveling the truth of his own story. Thummler has grown a lot as a storyteller over the course of writing and drawing this trilogy. This is the quietest and most beautiful volume so far, and my favorite of the three. The art is absolutely next level, both in terms of color panels and page design. I was lucky enough to get to read an advanced copy for review; the book is due out in September 2023. 

[persephonelovesbooks]

"About the Blogger" meme

It's been ages since I've done one of these. Thanks a lot, Curry! @currymanganese for the shout-out!! here we go 🤠

Star Signs: Cancer Sun, Aquarius moon, Libra rising

Favourite Holiday : Christmas is my no .1 fav. There are so many great memories associated with the Holiday season. The lights, the presents,and of course, the FOOD!! Onam is a close second with its vibrancy and the spirit of togetherness !

Last meal: PB&J

Current favourite musician: I'm a Hoe for Hozier. Always playing him on loop. Also recently I've been obsessed with Mitski also. She's divine!!!! Other Favs include Florence Welsh, Paris Paloma, Pink Floyd, Lana Del Rey, Arctic Monkeys, Phoebe Bridgers, Radiohead and also been listening to songs by REM( thanks to The Bear)

Last music listened to : Chemtrails over the country club by Lana. Her voice! 😫♥️

Last movie watched : May December . Brilliant!!! Natalie Portman knocked it out of the park!

Last TV watched : Derry Girls . Excellent writing and performance. Watching also Abbott Elementary cuz I heard Ayo is in it! That too is a laugh fest.

Last book finished : Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. Clarke is a gifted wordsmith.

Last book abandoned : oh lawwdd there's so many. I've been an ardent practitioner of tsundoku lately.

Currently reading: A lot of The Bear fanfics, hell yeah!! Absolutely a fan of Curry's fic Why Can't We Be Friends . Yo when's the next update tho!!

Last thing researched for art/writing : The Scream by Edvard Munch to take a class on it.

Fav online fandom memory: oh gosh, I've been here on Tumblr since 2012 or so and I've been pretty seriously involved in fandom stuff. I guess my fav memory would be the bonding we all had ,the really interesting convos, the delectable meta and ultimately the joy of sharing a common interest and making a bunch of amazing friends ❤️

My case with fandoms is that I've got seasonal obsessions. Right now it's Sydcarmy from The Bear. I wasn't part of any fandoms for a long time because of academics , job hunting and everything. So SydCarmy feels pretty special. It just brought me straight back to my old glory days. I'm constantly blown away by the fire ass meta and the analyses here . Cannot wait for S3.

Woohoooo, this was fun ✨️🥳

I'm tagging everyone who wants to do this

Thanks for reading, lovelies 💖

[late-to-the-fandom]

which obscure Media would u recommend to another empty fandom collector such as yourself?

You ask an intriguing question! I mean, there is so just so much to choose from and I have no idea where your interests lie to guide you better. So here are all the tiny fandoms I am proud to have been too late to join or remain the only member of (in a variety of media):

-The Engineer Trilogy is a book series by KJ Parker that has, as far I know, no fandom at all. It’s just me and a thousand fic ideas I will never really finish because no one will ever read them. Which is a shame because the series really lends itself to fanfiction (literally every single character is a poor little meow meow). But despite having no fandom, these books are probably objectively some of the best, most ambitious books ever written and the reason I maintain that the best books are never appreciated in their time.

-Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke is the other best book of all time that I can’t get anyone to read because they’re just not ready. It at least has a small fandom because they made a BBC miniseries of it a few years ago that was actually quite decent and had the added benefit of casting some very attractive actors. Definitely worth a watch and if you like it, 100% worth the read (this book is my Bible)

-Laurie R. King, the Patron Saint of fanfiction, whose Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell series survived the great Mary Sue hate of the late 90s early 00s, and who is actually a wonderful author in her own right. She used to have her own very small fandom site where people posted fanfiction and art but not nearly enough and it’s not active (at least that I can tell; I came in - you guessed it - late)

-Deadwood, that will always be one million times better than Game of Thrones to me, never had the fandom Ian McShane it deserved. Again, late so idk if there was a lot going on for it at the time but it certainly didn’t leave behind much fanfic for us stragglers

-Labyrinth, which I hesitate to include here because its not obscure and truly does have an insane amount of fanfiction but its fandom is mostly old (like me) and inactive (tell me I’m wrong and point me in the right direction!). Probably because the movie isn’t very popular anymore. However, it’s a great example of a tiny half-dead fandom with more fanfiction than it knows what to do with (even I haven’t read through it all).

-Watchmen (the graphic novel, NOT the new series). This did get a nice little surge of fans with the movie that came out and was probably the only time in my life I was there waiting for it. Ah the glory days of soaking up Rorschach/Night Owl fanfics on the ground as they came out… but it’s dead now, the book very close to cancelled and the fans mostly in hiding. There’s still a good bit of great fic out there if you love angsty slash pairings

-and last but not least, if you’re interested in random fandom-light video games, I can recommend several World of Warcraft fanfics that are absolutely lovely (and only some of them are mine 😅). I write for one minor-ish character in a now out-of-date expansion, as do @shipping-through-eternity and @mousterian-writes and @mysdrym to name a few. But all of it is lovely in their own different styles and genres, so if you have need of a dying video game fandom in your life I highly recommend!

Let me know if any of that helps, or if you have any recommendations of your own!

[okilokiwithpurpose]

9 books

Thank you @cha-melodius for tagging me 💗

Here come 9 books (among so many) I really like. I now realise I probably wrote too long comments about them. Sorry for that!

The Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb (as well as the following series, including the Liveship Traders and the Realm of the Elderlings) It took my sister months to convince me to start reading this series (not that I wasn't interested, but it represents a big chunk of reading and therefore a big commitment) but, well, it was definitely worth it! Love the worldbuilding, the different sorts of magic, the different cultures... And yes, even if he sometimes makes the dumbest decisions, I do like Fitz a lot too!

Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie I love whodunit mysteries! I could basically have chosen any other of Hercule Poirot's many investigations. In this one, he reinvestigates a murder that was supposedly solved 16 years ago. All he has to work with are the accounts of the five main witnesses... who of course each tell him their personal version of the story!

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton A whodunit mystery in an old English manor with a side dish of time loop... I was expecting to like this book but I ended up loving it (and kind of made all of my family read it).

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke I'm not sure how to describe this book. It is fantasy, yes but there's something strangely eatheral, atmospheric about it. The poetry of Piranesi's house itself, with its endless corridors, it's statues and the tides... and the mystery surrounding the "other"... Loved it a lot!

The Time Patrol Series by Poul Anderson Yay for a bit of sci fi! Time patrollers are appointed to protect the course of history (and thus preserving a future in which men's far fetched descendants can create the Time Patrol!). It may remember something to my fellow Loki fans (watching Loki s1 sure made my mind race back to the Time Patrol). Though here, there are no time branches, and most missions consist in stopping other time travellers from making a mess. The first novels date back to the 60s and, though it aged a bit, the worldbuilding is nice, the stories play nicely with the possibilities of time travel and you can feel the author made research about the (past) periods we visit.

Brutus: The Noble Conspirator by Kathryn Tempest This one is a biography (well, as much of a biography it is possible to make using the scarce and often biased ancient sources available, as the author explains very well). I have a thing for history and the end of the Roman Republic is such an interesting period to read about - such his the figure of Brutus (yes, that Brutus) who doesn't always get a lot of attention! (also, I happen to have bought that book in the Coliseum's bookshop during that trip to Rome I had wanted to do for almost 15 years!!)

L'Eau des collines [The Water of the Hills] by Marcel Pagnol I had to read the first novel ("Jean de Florette") for school as a teenager and, well, I used to dislike compulsory readings out of principle and was not sure the story would passionate me anyway (it is about Jean, a clerk who inherits a farm and decides to start a new life there, while the locals keep seeing him as "a stranger from the city"). And yet, once I finished it, I had to go on and read the second novel ("Manon des Sources", about Jean's daughter).

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles First, I loved the cover (the one with lovely plant and animal illustrations), then I loved the book! What's not to love about a stiff barronet and a chief smuggler falling in love (after having been sex buddies) in the early 1800s? Somehow, it gave me some warm and cosy feelings - and I learned a few things about gold trafficking during the Napoleonic wars too...

The Scholomance Series by Naomi Novik Ok, I only recently finished the first book in this series ("A Deadly Education") but...I am in love?! The Scholomance is a magical school build to protect young wizards from all the lovely creatures who want to devour them. There are no teachers, no holidays, barley any contacts with the outside world - which doesn't prevent a few hungry creatures from getting in, and every students know better than to let their guard down... ok, my summary is not doing it justice (and doesn't convey how fun it can be thanks to El, the narrator) but, well, this is good and I can't wait to read the rest of the series! I also learned that the author is one of the founders of AO3 so thank you queen!!!

No pressure tag: @bebx @dewdropreader @faylights @im-not-corrupted @loki-is-my-kink-awakening @magiclovingdragon @mirilyawrites@samsalami66 @wolfpup026

[thelanguageofbirdsrp]

you had me at the jonathan strange & mr. norrell quotes <3

When he awoke it was dawn. Or something like dawn. The light was watery, dim and incomparably sad. Vast, grey, gloomy hills rose up all around them and in between the hills there was a wide expanse of black bog. Stephen had never seen a landscape so calculated to reduce the onlooker to utter despair in an instant. "This is one of your kingdoms, I suppose, sir?" he said. "My kingdoms?" exclaimed the gentleman in surprise. "Oh, no! This is Scotland!”

We have pulled heavily from Susanna Clarke's novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Always glad to find another fan! The historical fantasy setting is very similar to it, with additional elements pulled from classic literature (Jane Austen works, for example) and fantasy adventure dramas (The Mummy, The Librarians, Stardust) - think Regency Era customs with Victorian Age intrigue and a society that aligns magic with science and theology.