#reading notes

[dearlyjess]

trying a new commonplace method where i categorize my entries x

[rhopaper]

Summer reading book notes. Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados. Very easy reading, I love no-plot just-vibes books. A 21 yo girl’s summer in NYC, with her friends - full of weird situations, drinking/partying, and never having more than $1000 combined in their bank accounts.

[shyjusticewarrior]

Just got and started reading Under The Red Hood. I know, blasphemous that I haven't read it already as a Jason fan.

Here are some thoughts so far

Love that it basically starts with "Batman and Red Hood's drama would shock even the most hardened Gothamite"

The talk about Red Hood and Robin using talk as distraction reminds me of Nightwing 2021 annual, which makes me like that comic even more

Also, the foreshadowing of Bruce saying Red Hood uses talk as distraction and Dick saying the same about being Robin

Batman's first assessment of Red Hood being that he's smart >>>

I'm familiar with the parallel of Jason and Steph's deaths but I didn't realize Steph's death was actually brought up in UTRH

People who say "Mr. Freeze isn't really a bad guy" are wrong- I already had this stance but this book further solidifies it

How much fucking kryptonite is there? How many people have had this shit? No less than four batman rogues have had it: Hush had it and gave it to Poison Ivy, Black Mask had it and it was stolen by Red Hood

[marxistlesbianist]

Meanwhile, the government of the United States was behaving almost exactly as Karl Marx described a capitalist state: pretending neutrality to maintain order, but serving the interests of the rich. Not that the rich agreed among themselves—they had disputes over policies—but the purpose of the state was to settle upper-class disputes peacefully, control lower class rebellion, and adopt policies that would further the long-range stability of the system. The arrangement between Democrats and Republicans to elect Rutherford Hayes in 1877 set the tone: whether Democrats or Republicans won, national policy would not change in any important way. When Grover Cleveland, a Democrat, ran for president in 1884, the general impression in the country was that he opposed the power of monopolies and corporations, and that the Republican party, whose candidate was James Blaine, stood for the wealthy. But when Cleveland defeated Blaine, J. Gould wired him: “I feel that the vast business interests of the country will be entirely safe in your hands.” And he was right.

Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States

[ihaventcomeupwthanameforaheroyet]

I just realized one thing. When Marius took Amadeo back to Kiev (I know the modern spelling is "Kyiv", but I'll use the spelling Anne Rice used in her works while speaking of XV century, OK?), he was uncertain whether Amadeo will visit and come back to Venice, or... you know... whether he will see Kiev and decide to stay. Still, he agreed immediately. I feel feelings.

Other notes on Amadeo's journey to his homeland:

Maybe Amadeo was really supposed to remain small even if he wasn't turned in his teens - his mother was a small woman.

And he probably has her eyes, because Ivan's eyes were blue, but brown eyes are a dominant trait, at least one of Andrei's parents should have had brown eyes.

It saddens me that his mother remained a nameless character. Just like Lestat's father, but, unlike Lestat's father, she did not deserve it.

Andrei had elder sisters - one of them got married while he still lived with his family. And there was another sister, Anya, who became a woman while he was away (at first he mistook her for his mother), but for some reason she still lived in their father's home...

And there was Andrei's uncle Borys, a good singer, young enough to be his brother, but already as big as Ivan. Well. Maybe Amadeo was supposed to remain small. We'll never know!

It's sadly ironic that Ivan lived the rest of his life firmly believing he DID save his son from the horrors of religion. (And yes, I agree, he is such an underappreciated character!)

Also, when Amadeo left his family, he promised this time he would write. A promise he could not keep, as we all know.

One thing I totally agree with - NO ONE should live in a place with long winters. *looks out of the window with disgust and despair*

Also. The description of ruined Kiev hurts in a very specific way - like, you open a book to escape from reality but reality catches up with you. Ruined Kiev in XV century and Kyiv under fire in XXI. Forget vampires, something I think we humans are the worst evil.

(Sorry for being bitter, it will happen again.)

[contritecactite]

Radio Omens time!! Strap in for my subjective personal opinions made by one person about the full-cast radio adaptation of Good Omens.

We're gonna begin with: I am blowing kisses to the scripting/editing/production team. This thing is an impeccable adaptation. Im-pecc-a-ble. The voice talent is fantastic, the energy is stellar, the pacing is excellent, and the sheer amount of atmospheric info they managed to translate into radio-friendly format? Mwah mwah mwah. I think it's the kind of listening format that's not for everyone, but it is SO for me.

Time for some specific highlights! It was a long day so we're a little extra silly this time. It's also long and not in a reasonable order.

(Ok good my page cut is working this time.)

- Good GOD I forgot the primary voices were Like That. I shrieked (happily) as soon as Aziraphale's mouth opened. This is why I travel alone /hj

-- (Incidentally, I said "oh fuck holy shit I can't do this" when Crowley started talking, but I did it anyway *sighs in bisexual*)

- Hheeeennghsh the opening scene in Eden is. The way it's written successfully sets up who Aziraphale and Crowley are, who they're supposed to be to each other, and a hint at who they're going to be to each other later because they are SO delightfully snippy at one another in this scene. Aziraphale's "oh, it's you" and Crowley's "mmhm, yeah, well done on keeping demons away. Bravo" (heavily paraphrased) will be living rent-free in my head until I have time to write a fic about it.

- So, having Aziraphale do the early narration is an excellent way of setting the tone. What I need you to do, if you've only done tv omens (which is so so valid and I think really is another excellent adaptation), is remember Aziraphale's magician persona. And then imagine him being that for the entire story. The pitch, the rate of speech, the slightly frantic energy, the drama: it's all just part of his overarching character in radio omens, and it's SO good for storytelling.

- Radio Crowley knows what's in all of Aziraphale's infamous Bibles so well that he can quote them. I love this detail, I love it as a means of establishing their relationship during their "let's be godfathers" scene, and I love how hard he's ribbing poor Aziraphale about the extra verses in Genesis.

- Radio Crowley is SO like... tender? I mean, all Crowleys are to some extent Soft but something about this one has just a little extra something. I love the way he talks about his temptations and shenanigans. He's so proud. It eases what could feel like needless exposition because he really seems to like explaining his process.

- That's a bit of the same of what I mean about Aziraphale's personality. Since he's very obviously inclined to dramatize a story, exposition just fades neatly into his character rather than grating on the nerves.

- They reference The Arrangement a lot and usually with a great deal of affection. There's one particular time when they even acknowledge something about wanting to protect each other.

- I adore the way Anathema and her ties to Agnes are introduced. It's so concise but meaningful, and it's just the right amount of setup for her character appearing later.

- The baby swap scene in other iterations relies so much on descriptive narrative or visual language, but you know what? The heavily trimmed down version also works surprisingly well.

- Crowley knows about the hellhound way beforehand (and, of course, he tells Aziraphale. They plan their roles for the party years in advance, which is an extremely efficient way of communicating about that scene to the listener).

- At Warlock's party in the book, Crowley gets all suspicious about a gerbil being gifted to him. In the radio drama, Aziraphale wonders aloud if the gerbil might be suspicious and Crowley tells him not to be stupid. Just struck me as a funny thing to shuffle around.

- Adult radio Anathema is everything to me actually.

- Poor Newt's childhood gets skipped over (unless I missed it, which is possible), but I liked his adult introduction as well; it brings in the whole Witchfinder-adjacent cast at once and makes it super clear how they all know each other without lingering.

- Shadwell. Just. The actor's voicework is so evocative of someone who is very gesturally expressive. There's no way he wasn't swinging his hands around in the recording space.

- The Them are all 100% perfect. Shout-out to Adam for that mind-rending scream that I was not expecting to go on for so long. Interestingly, in chapter credits, the Them are not grouped with the humans! This makes sense, but it also made my brain go !!!

- The horsepeople (both original and extra) were also so good, and that chunk of the cast gave the impression of good chemistry, so the scenes were really fun.

- Crowley says Aziraphale's name a lot. A lot a lot. Actually, most people do; probably for simplicity's sake, there's no "Mr. Fell," or "Nanny Ashtoreth," just "Mr. Aziraphale" and "Mr. Crowley."

- Well, Shadwell does say "Mr. A," and there is a Brother Francis.

- One of Nanny's rules for Warlock is "don't talk to the creepy gardener" rkahjdjs Crowley what is wrong with you

- I did in fact let out another sound when the Nanny voice happened. We're not talking about it.

- When applying for the jobs, Aziraphale just straight up calls dibs on gardener and Crowley complains and says something like "can you see me in a skirt?" and Aziraphale just pulls a date at random on which he'd seen Crowley in a skirt. This was probably also in the book, but I noticed it here and didn't there.

- Crowley's idea of something calming to listen to was a radio gardening talk show ;~; and he likes listening to televangelists for the lulz (I have never used that phrase before in my life but I'm keeping it)

- Having him hear Aziraphale possessing the televangelist was absolute genius for keeping the plot cohesive.

- Seance scene continues to be painful ahahaha...

- Hell's emissaries know that Aziraphale was discorporated and they're mean to Crowley about it in a way that implies Hell has long been aware that they're working together. Intriguing...

- There's mention at some point about how no homes in Tadfield have PlayStations or Xboxes, and I think that's a cool bit of writing to establish the time period (along with Newt bricking smartphones, which I think was said at least in breadcrumbs).

- Almost forgot, but Mr. Gaiman and Sir Terry Pratchett being the policemen trying to book Crowley for speeding in the beginning is so cute.

- When Satan is about to show up, Aziraphale worrying about everyone else and Crowley going "and me!" like hello, I am also in danger, that's my boss?? if u even care?? was SO funny in this version to me.

- Look, there were a lot more things, but it's already been several hours since it ended, so I'm sure I'm forgetting many.

- Oh! Pepper's backstory being transformed into her speech to Adam was SO good on so many levels. It really drove home that Adam does love his friends, it deepened their lore gradually, it made Adam's role and decisions very clear, and it also struck me as "Pepper says trans rights" even if that wasn't the intention, so hell yeah.

- The gag reel leads me to believe that Peter Serafinowicz is A) probably the funniest person alive to work with and B) extremely relatable due to the amount of time spent on the struggle bus. Also whoever put the breaking glass sound over all the accidental swears, I love you forever.

[celerydays]

☁️ astrology reading notes ☁️

[asfaltics]

7348, 7351, 7352 . reading about Raffles and Majapahit . 20240906

—

Herald van der Linde, his Majapahit (“Intrigue, Betrayal and War in Indonesia’s Greatest Empire”), (London: Monsoon Books, 2024) : link Philip Bowring review at Asia Sentinel (August 3, 2024) : link (paywall alas, but accessible in “7-day free trial”)  

[jul-0v0]

Random reading reflection until tsoa chapter 24

(Very shitty writing skills, just trying my best to express my thoughts. Any other thoughts or comments are welcome :3)

Now that I know they are destined to die, every tender moment they share and every smile exchanged between them feels bittersweet, a reminder of their impending fate and the fleeting time they have together. It feels like reminiscing on memories, even though it’s my first time reading, knowing that they are still alive in these pages.

I felt Achilles is going to desperately miss how Patroclus lay beside him, put on his armor and waited for him after battles, the torturous emptiness of missing someone who forgives him for everything and loved him for himself rather than the title of Aristos Achaion.

I felt how Patroclus will miss Achilles' playful grins and his skin and his lips, his prideful yet pure eyes as the greatest warrior of his generation, his desperation and grief watching the other half of his soul raging into self destruction. I see their doomed fate, their purest bond transforms into the sharpest weapon that pierce through both of their heart.

[diamondsandtoads]

Finished Nona the Ninth and I think I'm just going to stare at a wall for a few decades

[dazais-secret-smut-stash]

My Unhinged Kindle Notes pt.1

So today I had the brilliant idea of posting my kindle notes for some of the fics I read. Idk I think it'll be fun to let you guys watch me be insane from time to time. I feel like I act so serious on here when that is the FURTHEST thing from the truth. So instead of/in addition to doing reviews, I might start posting some of my (more interesting) notes from reading. Lmk if you guys find this fun at all :)

Starting with the one I finished today. Fic spoilers ahead, just FYI.

Fic: and it was Just Right by cinnabee

Summary for a lil context: "Katsuki spends two years post-graduation in a furious one-sided competition with his childhood friend and rival's promotional photos - until they finally run into each other, and, well. You shouldn't believe everything you see in magazines. // A love story about size differences."

My notes:

Note: on my kindle, it was 3 pages but it was recorded as just 1 in the notes

Fun fact, the "orange one" is a massive dildo. But that's inconsequential.

Anyway I have about twice this but these are the zestiest. If you're reading this,,, omg stahhpp i'm blushinggggg *kisses u*

[olameni]

I have had bell hooks’ All About Love stuck in my spirit for a few months.

It is a powerful exhortation of Love as an ethic. I’m struggling with it not because I wish to be petty and vengeful but because loving is so painful.

In my younger years in my love for my people and love of justice, I set out to change the world. I read and studied and argued and organized. In my 30s I feel impotent as it seems that that the only thing that has changed is my understanding of precisely how cruel this world is.

I fear that I have studied myself into depression and anxiety.

Any yet hooks would have me love anyhow. She would have me reinforce my empathy so that I may learn to be resilient. To remind me of all the things worth saving.

She is right of course. But still it hurts

[rhopaper]

Finished reading the bread book Slow Rise and took some notes. It talks about history of bread making and the author did it himself starting from planting seeds.

Sketch from a view I saw when hiking.

[apherod]

This is a Liam Stewart 🧨Slander Post🧨

(1/?)

Because after re-reading (the first 3/4 of) In the Afterlight, and noting down all my thoughts along the way, I realized that my notes marked a slow disintegration of my sanity and my faith towards the man, the idiot, the legend, Liam Michael Stewart.

These are the ones where the faith was still there. I also called Cole the third wheel a lot because let’s face it he kinda is

[marxistlesbianist]

We hear a great deal about the crimes of communism but almost nothing of its achievements. The communist governments inherited societies burdened with an age-old legacy of economic exploitation and maldevelopment. Much of precommunist Eastern Europe, as with prerevolutionary Russia and China, was in effect a Third World region with widespread poverty and almost nonexistent capital formation. Most rural transportation was still by horse and wagon.

The devastation of World War II added another heavy layer of misery upon the region, reducing hundreds of villages and many cities to rubble. It was the communists and their allies who rebuilt these societies. While denounced in the U.S. less for leaving their economies in bad shape, in fact, the Reds left the economy off Eastern Europe in far better condition than they found it.

The same was true of China. Henry Rosemont, Jr. notes that when the communists liberated Shanghai from the U.S.-supported reactionary Kuomintang regime in 1949, about 20 percent of that city’s estimated 1.2 million were drug addicts. Every morning there were special Street crews “whose sole task was to gather up the corpses of the children, adults, and the elderly who had been murdered during the night, or had been abandoned and died of disease, could, and/or starvation” (Z Magazine, October 1995).

During the years of Stalin’s reign, the Soviet nation made dramatic gains in literacy, industrial wages, health care, and women’s rights. These accomplishments usually go unmentioned when the Stalinist era is discussed. To say that “socialism doesn’t work” is to overlook the fact that it did. In eastern Europe, Russia, China, Mongolia, North Korea, and Cuba, revolutionary communism created a life for the mass people that was far better than the wretched existence they had endured under feudal lords, military bosses, foreign colonizers, and Western capitalists. The end result was a dramatic improvement in living conditions for hundreds of millions of people on a scale never before or since witnessed in history.

Michael Parenti, Black Shirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism

[ihaventcomeupwthanameforaheroyet]

Searched for something else in Devil's Minion and found this extract:

First of all, Armand was seventeen when he was turned. He spent three years with Marius. The last 9-10 months as a vampire. Which makes him around 15 when he was saved from the brothel.

Second, age norms of puberty were different back then. Acceleration is a widely known phenomenon. And in case someone missed this piece of information, it was, like, directly mentioned in the books: Armand's seventeen has nothing in common with modern seventeen. Moreover, even now unsufficient food and physical labour inhibit growth and puberty. That was the reason why acceleration happened - children (at least those lucky enough to be born in relatively wealthy countries) are no longer underfed and overworked.

Sorry for stating the obvious, but if this take about Marius taking 12-year old Amadeo to bed exists, this is probably not so obvious for some people? Yes, he could be 14-15 and still "too young for wet pleasures". He caught it up soon enough.