#roach and ghost friendship my beloved

[forestshadow-wolf]

"AH DON'T KNOW! Captain." Soap snapped, adding the honorific a moment later like an afterthought. "Jus'- ah'm ignorin' it an' hopein' it goes away." He huffs.

"'Hope' you're gonna 'hope' it goes away. You know it doesn't work that way, right?" Price scrutinized.

"Yeah, well what other choice do I have?"

"You could tell him."

@thejacketscloset @queermentaldisaster have fun :)

Soap scoffed at the mere suggestion. "What? So he can have a laugh? He doesnae do this, Price. And even if he did, it wouldnae be fer me." He crossed his arms petulantly.

They'd been fighting about it for the last fourty-five minutes now. Price apparently doesn't care about the fraternization, only focused on playing matchmaker. Not that he's not glad price isn't kicking him out, but I'd be a hell of a lot simpler.

"He h- He would. For you. Only you."

It's not exactly a secret. The thing that is definitely not a crush that he has for Ghost. But it's not exactly spoken either. And he's about 86.77% sure that Ghost is either unaware of it, or is politely ignoring it for him.

"Oh, yer really wankin' oot yer arse, noo, Cap. He wouldnae." His accent coming out thick with agitation.

"Well, regardless you have to do something, Soap. We both know it. You won't survive 'til next month if something doesn't change."

"Like what?" Soap stressed, Price tried to cut him off, but soap pressed on. "Capt- Captain. C'mon, really, what am I s'ppos'd t' do? Ah cannae exactly ask him tae fuck me, an tell me t' kill mah-self, and even if ah could it wouldnae do nothin' but make it worse."

"If you'd just listen to what I'm saying.." price griped, it sounded like he grumblesmd something else under his breath as well, but soap was too worked up to bother asking.

"Yeah and have me gutted like a fish. And ah'd let him. Price, I'd let him." He was almost pleading, for what? He didn't know. "Then ye'd be down a damn good soldier. And ah'm pretty sure you're no' allowed to keep Ghost around either after tha', legally dead or not."

"He won't gut you." Price chastised him. "Look if you won't tell him, or do something about it, then I won't risk your life on the field either." The man sighed.

"Wha- You're sidelinein' me?!" He sputtered, "ye cannae do that."

"I can, and I will if something doesn't change some time in the next week. And I will be watching." The tone in the captain's voice left no room for argument. "Dismissed."

Soap did NOT sulk down the hallway, back to his room to change into gym clothes, and out to the running track. John Mactavish does not sulk.

He was probably about three and a half laps away from running himself ragged when he felt Gaz jog up beside him.

"Roach says you're getting benched next week."

"Roach needs to learn when to bugger off." Soap huffed. They lapse into patterned breathing for a moment, but Gaz just can't let him wallow, can he?

"Is it because of the Gh-"

"Yes its because of the Ghost thing, okay?" He cuts the brit off, "and its not for sure, just... yeah okay, maybe it's for sure."

"...Price is right though, you could just tell him."

"Jesu- does bugboy tell you everything, or what?" Soap groans, they'd slowed to more of a slow jog now. "You know what- don't answer that. And you know as well as I do that ah cannae."

"I don't, actually." Gaz ignores his little comments. "You haven't seen the way he looks at you. And Roach says he talks about you." He plows on before Soap can get a word in, "the same way you talk to me about him."

"Gaz, he doesnae look at me in any sort of way." He deadpans. He's properly runned out now, they wonder off the track to stretch before hitting the showers.

"Dude- I'm telling you he does!" Gaz knocks their shoulders together with a playful grin.

"An' ah'm tellin' you he doesnae." Soap reciprocates.

"C'mon, man, the whole base sees it. It's like you've hung the moon and stars themselves, to him."

"Yeah, right." Soap laughs, disbelieving. "I'm more of an annoyance, than anything else to him."

"Yeah well, look, when it turns out I'm right I want a full batch of apology cookies, and I get to tell you I told you so."

"Sure, whatever." Soap agrees easily, confident in his own assessment. They part ways at the showers, both having their routines and dities to fulfill.

"Gary says Price is probably benching you at the end of the week, wanna explain that?" Ghost is nonchalantly leaning against the wall across from his door, seemingly waiting for him.

"That little vent dwelling twerp, just cannae keep his mouth shut can he-" soap sighs, unlocking his door, using the action to hide the thick lump he swallowed. "I'm nae getting benched." Probably..... he just needs to figure his shit out.

He pushes off the wall to follow soap into his room. "Is this about you taking all those solo missions? And how you've been doing your best to avoid me for months now?"

Yes- "No. Price is just being a numpty." He says, tossing his keys on the desk. He sits on his bed to unlace his boots.

"And your sure?" Ghost raises an eyebrow at him, he can tell from the way the mask shifts ever so Slightly. He's sitting in his desk chair now, facing him. "'cus uh.. I think Gary would say otherwise."

"Gary is a snitch, an' he doesnae ken how ta keep his mouth shut." He says pulling one boot off, and starting on the other

"He says there's something that the others are trying to convince you to tell me."

Soap grimaces as he pulls off his other boot, setting them neatly at the end of his bed.

"You can tell me, you know that.. right?"

"You dinnae want me to, L.T."

"Yeah? Try me." He deadpanned.

"You willnae like it." He warned, "and it'll change everything."

"I'm all ears."

"Uh.. k then... yeah ah lied, it is about. Yeh it's about tha'. It's nae-" he clears his throat, "it's not anything that you did, ah just... sometimes ah see you out of the corner of my eye.. and suddenly it's all I can pay attention to. An' I forget what ah'm supposed to be doin'. And ah forget every- everything except... an'- an' I've been takin' all the solos because it's the only time I can think, because every other time it's all just... I cannae seem to get myself to think about what ah need to." Once the words start, he can't seem to get them to stop, they just keep spilling out of his mouth. And Ghost doesn't stop him, just silently listening to him. And he really wishes he'd stop him, but he doesn't, and so he just keeps spewin' utter shite until his mouth runs out of steam.

Ghost doesn't say anything for a long while. Just looking at him, and he can't tell what he's thinking with the mask covering his face.

"You're wrong."

"What?"

"You're. Wrong." He says it slowly, like soap's some kind of idiot, and maybe he is. "This doesn't change anything.. and I do like it. I like it a lot."

Soap's brain short-circuits.

"I- huh?" Is his oh-so intelligent response.

"I'm telling you I feel the same."

"Oh." He says as his brain reboots. "... Roach is a snitch."

"Oh yeah, definitely."

"Ah shite."

"What?" Ghost sit forword in the chair.

"They'll never let this go now. Ah doubt shite- I owe Gaz a batch of cookies too."

Ghost only laughs at that.

[saintship]

can you do 7 with roach and ghost… but like specifically 22 ghost meeting 09 ghost and having this weird sense of familiarity to him…

Prompt #7 - “You just remind me of someone, that’s all.”

09 ghost design my beloved

Accidentally made it sad as shit :3

22’ Ghost meeting 09’ Ghost and Roach 🖤

- 22’ Ghost sees this man, dressed like him, a bit more crass and joking, his equipment a collage of whatever he could find and throw together

- He sees Roach, a man of few words. As in no words. He sees why someone who reminds him so much of himself would stick around someone quiet; it gave him space to think, and the choice to speak.

- He senses a pull to them, some kind of beckoning feeling that affects him at all hours.

- It’s disorienting for him to see himself in anything, let alone a man who offers things like friendship and quiet comfort.

- 09’ Ghost reminds him of his younger self, of his mother, and Tommy.

- He sees a brightness that he’d almost forgotten about in his years of discipline and isolation. He had chosen to be the best, at the cost of his very self.

- But maybe drinking socially is a better buzz than drinking alone.

- Maybe it’s okay to make friends. To make jokes.

- Maybe he can be the man his mother would be proud to watch over.

[pencilgutz]

Roach is one of the most beloved and sadly one of the most forgotten Cod main playable characters. I honestly quite love the original writing in Modern Warfare 2 2009. I personally think that it was probably when they were at their Peak with story writing characters twists, they were able to evoke serious emotion from people (myself included) and with how well they developed the characters and got people attached it was all seemed like a smack in the face to watch them die and play as they die. It's really a beautiful storyline and it's honestly I absolutely love Call of Duty as a just I love Call of Duty as a whole. And I really want to get the other Modern Warfare and play through all of those games in the correct order (because apparently the numbers aren't correct order which is really f weird anyways)

but another Call of Duty game that I really wanted to play for a while is COD ghosts. COD ghosts was actually a fan game that became official I believe I could be wrong about that. As much as I jokingly simp for the characters I really love the story lines and just the heart-wrenching emotions the game can evoke from you. That's why I'm really sad with like the new Modern Warfare 3 2023. It seemed more like all that they were doing was just trying to push it out before the year ended and so the campaign was really buggy not really that good and the storyline was really just not well written and I find that really sad because Call of Duty as a whole has always had amazing campaigns and it's really sad that companies slowly go downhill and the fandoms the just the people who love the story lines just have to watch the games Crash and Burn it's really really sad and as much as I love the OG stuff some of the fan content is 100 times better than the actual content itself. But then again that's with a lot of media not Just Call of duty. But circling back around I absolutely just love campaigns in games.

And that's probably why I don't play games like fortnite because it doesn't really have a story in my opinion I play games more of for the story rather than to win that's why for example whenever me and someone are playing warzone I absolutely suck any other person gets so angry for no reason as funny as it is to watch I just don't really play games to win I play more of for the story for the endings sometimes for the graphics itself sometimes for just the cute ass art style but I absolutely just love campaigns and I can't express this enough. I guess that's why I'm so drawn to fan content like fanfiction fan art Aus, OCS and art and just animation itself Indie content, I have such a love for Creative Works than aren't just in it for the money sure sometimes they blow up sometimes they make way more than what they originally intended but there's so many beautiful projects out there that don't get enough attention. There's so many games that are just like for example take Dialtown so many people don't play it for it's apparently quote on quote weird premise the beginning. Like I understand like the laying eggs part is kind of weird but once you get past that and you like actually pay attention to the story like if you actually play through for example Randy's route you watch him go from being this sad depressed dude who's living in a dumpster to a human being who learns to care for himself learns to love himself despite him being told he's pathetic and not good enough. And if you play through the third chapter of dial town it's truly a amazing thing it's about government corruption it's about friendship it's about opening up to people to get the help you need it's it's a truly beautiful game and I I want more people to know about it but because of its weird premise people don't click on it. But the third chapter itself goes through and looks back at the roots you've done once you've done Karen's room you teach her to accept herself and to follow her own dreams,

[bounce-a-coin-off-your-witcher]

Trick or Treat

The next A Very Bouncey Halloween installment and a belated birthday gift to my darling @veritasrose. Thank you so much for the last year of friendship, I look forward to celebrating with you again. <3 you are much loved.

tw: curses, Geralt is an idiot, competent Jaskier

---

Light flashes through the room and momentarily blinds Jaskier, who stumbles back against Geralt. He mumbles an apology to the ever-sturdy Witcher as he waits for his vision to return and when he blinks clearly for the first time after a few long moments, the bard feels utterly and totally confused by the scene unfolding before him.

The Duke’s grandest ballroom, which had been bustling with excitable party guests only moments ago, is now flooded with ghouls, ghosts, vampires, and monsters of all sorts. A woman with swan’s wings is huddled in one corner, squawking angrily at anyone who tries to draw near. A minotaur stumbles through the center of the dance floor, lowing in frustration as he tries to control his bulky limbs. Two werewolves wrestle for dominance atop the furthest banquet table to their left. As Jaskier takes it all in, he feels Geralt’s hands wrap suddenly around his bicep; the Witcher is clinging to Jaskier fiercely, leaning his not insignificant weight against the bard’s side as his eyes grow round and watery.

“What’s happening?” Geralt finally asks. His tone of voice seems breathy and high, filled with a terror - almost totally foreign to Jaskier’s ears. Geralt fears nothing and yet… “Let’s get away from this dreadful place, please!”

“Aren’t you going to try and solve this problem?” Jaskier asks, glancing at his companion. He gestures at the various monsters roaming freely past the buffet table. “You’re likely the nearest Witcher, after all.”

“I’m no Witcher,” Geralt declares. He splays a hand over the very center of his blue velvet doublet (a nearly perfect imitation of the way Jaskier reacts to a perceived offense). “I am a Count. Witchers are dirty things, not meant for such a public life as my own.”

“For fuck’s sake, Geralt, now is not the time for a prank of this nature,” Jaskier huffs. “Something is clearly going on here. We need to help these people!”

“I know something is wrong,” Geralt sniffles - fucking sniffles - and squeezes the bard’s upper arm even more tightly. The sound of Geralt crying shakes Jaskier into understanding, even as Geralt begs: “But I don’t know how to help! Please get me out of here, Milord, I’m scared.”

Milord? Jaskier mouths to himself, even as he wraps one comforting arm around Geralt’s waist and ushers him away from the growing chaos at the center of the ballroom. Jaskier hurries them down one suspiciously empty hallway after another until he reaches the small suite that he had accepted as payment for his performance at the party. Jaskier ushers Geralt inside and locks the heavy oak door behind them.

“My Lord Geralt,” he gets the not-quite-Witcher’s attention. “Do you mind taking a seat by the fire for now? I’ll be right with you as soon as the room is secure, and then we can figure out what’s going on and what to do from here.”

“Yes, Milord,” Geralt nods. He hurries to comply with Jaskier’s request, to the bard’s continuing shock and awe, and stays still and quiet as Jaskier removes his doublet and rolls up his sleeves. Using the strength he’s spent twelve years at Geralt’s side developing, Jaskier shoves a bookcase, a dresser, and an unfortunately designed roll-top desk in front of the locked doors for added protection.

Moving behind Geralt with practiced efficiency, Jaskier also closes, shutters, and locks every window in the room, pulling the curtains closed to keep any light from spilling out and alerting stray creatures of their presence.

When he’s finished locking down all of their room’s possible entrances and breathing hard from exertion, Jaskier tugs the Witcher’s xenovox from his bag and flips it open, waiting with bated breath until Yennefer’s irritated voice snaps: “What do you want, Geralt?”

“Who is that?!” Geralt cries from his place near the fire. He has a white-knuckle grip on the overstuffed armchair he’s perched in and his clothing is mussed; Jaskier motions for him to be quiet and Geralt bites his lip, worrying the soft pink skin between his unusually dull canines.

“Was that Geralt?” Yennefer asks. "Did Jaskier summon me?"

“Yes and yes,” Jaskier replies. “I think he’s been cursed or enchanted or something. I was hired to play at the Duke of Rinde’s All Hallow’s Eve celebration and Geralt accompanied me - even dressed up for the occasion - but something happened at the party and now he’s acting strangely. I don’t know what to do.”

"What's happening?" Yennefer prods.

"Geralt is acting rather out of sorts. He’s speaking strangely, he wanted to flee the party rather than investigate the source of the changes-”

“What changes?”

“Everyone sort of… Well, a good portion of the party guests suddenly transformed into their costumes,” Jaskier explains, his speech stunted by his disbelief. “I know it sounds incredible, and it was! One moment we were all enjoying the music and the next… there was a minotaur and a mermaid and a faun… Geralt went nearly mute and started clinging to my arm like some sort of aristocratic maiden!”

“Oh shit,” Yen groans.

“Who is that?” Geralt repeats. Jaskier continues to ignore his companion. He knows that the moment he turns his attention to caring for Geralt, he won’t be able to tear it away again, and he needs to finish this conversation with Yennefer first.

“Why are you swearing?” he asks the sorceress. “What is it?”

“Geralt asked me for advice about this stupid ball a few days ago, while you were busy making arrangements with the Duke. He wanted to impress you with his All Hallow’s Eve costume and prove that he could be just as fancy and well-mannered as all the other men of your status.”

“Why in the world would Geralt want to dress up and act like a nobleman? It makes no sense! He detests small talk, he hates vanity, and he finds most men of my station to be cowardly and overly delicate - myself included! I just- I don’t quite understand why he’d go through all of this just to impress me. Or why he thinks this kind of thing would be impressive in the first place.”

“Jaskier, please tell me that you aren’t as stupid as our mutually beloved Witcher…”

Jaskier considers for a moment, pondering the things that he does to impress Geralt: gathering wood, learning to cook with game meat, preparing the Witcher’s potion ingredients while he's out on hunts, organizing their packs when they're spiking camp, brushing Roach’s mane… Realization dawns suddenly and all at once. He has a moment of pure understanding, a moment much beloved by every poet, bard, and playwright across the Continent: “Oh.”

Yennefer gives a tired laugh. “Yeah.”

“So he’s stuck as… a noble?”

“I suppose,” she sighs. “I’ll portal you to my location and we can figure things out in peace. Get your things together, I’ll open it up in precisely five minutes.”

“What’s happening!?” Geralt demands. Jaskier pulls the Witcher/Count to his feet and bows shallowly.

“I am Jaskier Pankratz, Viscount de Lettenhove. I will be your protector and chaperone for the foreseeable future, Your Lordship,” Jaskier bows shallowly. “I’m going to gather our things together and then we are going to meet up with a very lovely sorceress, Yennefer of Vengerberg.”

“Is she a friend of yours?”

Jaskier barely manages to hide his surprise at Geralt’s utter lack of recognition. His memories of Yennefer have also been taken, then.

“She’s a mutual friend.”

“Are you my friend?”

“I would like to think so,” Jaskier smiles. Geralt remains oblivious to the bard’s heartache, even as he curls himself against Jaskier. He tucks his face against Jaskier’s shoulder and sobs quietly. The bard runs his hands comfortingly up and down Geralt’s spine for a long, soothing moment. The smooth, royal-blue velvet tickles his fingertips. “Shh, dear heart. I’ve got you. Everything will be alright, I swear.”

“I trust you,” Geralt whispers.

Just as Jaskier is about to reply, Yennefer’s portal snaps open in the center of the room. Jaskier hands Geralt a set of bags and hauls his own over his shoulder. “Time to go, Your Lordship. Just take one little step…”

---

“Do you know who I am?” Yennefer asks. Geralt shakes his head before burying his face in the back of Jaskier’s shoulder-blade.

“I’m so frightened, Milord.”

Frightened? Milord? Yennefer mouths. Jaskier shrugs nearly imperceptibly and makes a panicked gesture in the Witcher’s general direction.

“I don’t know what to do either!”

“Well, start from the beginning. Tell me what happened at the party before all of… this.”

Jaskier recounts every detail he can remember in the most straightforward way possible, momentarily renouncing his poetic skills in favor of efficiency - for Geralt’s sake, of course, not Yennefer’s. When he's finished he asks: “And you said he did all of this to impress me?”

“Yes.”

“But why?” Jaskier repeats his earlier question. Yennefer understands that his meaning is different; Jaskier understands that Geralt is interested in him romantically, but the bard can't seem to get it through his head that Geralt has deemed him worthy. Although, knowing the Witcher, he isn't even sure how to go about doing such a thing in the first place.

"I just... I don’t quite believe you," he adds.

“He loves you,” Yennefer reiterates. "And now he’s stuck like this until the effects of the spell wear off, so I suggest you take his precious Lordship to one of my spare rooms and make yourselves comfortable. I’ll see you both for breakfast, providing the magic is null and void by then.”

“And if it isn’t?”

“I hope you enjoy small talk, you bardic bastard.”

Yennefer smirks and disappears from the room in a whirl of black and white silk, the scents of lilac and gooseberry curling through the air in her wake.

Geralt clings to Jaskier’s bicep again as the exhausted bard stands, keeping his larger body pressed against the human’s side as if Jaskier is the one who wields the Witcher’s swords. “So I’m under a spell?”

“Yes, darling.”

“At least I have you here to protect me, Jaskier. You’re so brave and strong; my hero!”

“It’s usually the other way around, dear heart, but I appreciate the sentiment. Now, how about we find a comfortable place to bed down for the night, Milord?”

"Alright."

Jaskier moves Geralt's hand so that it's curled around the inside of his elbow, the proper etiquette for a platonic escort, and leads him quickly down the long hallways of Yennefer's sprawling manor house. He chooses the blue-themed bedroom at the back of the East Wing, far from the sorceress' own suite of rooms.

He has to help Geralt change out of his lordly costume, the Witcher-turned-Count fumbling uselessly at the laces and buttons as if he'd never seen a fastening before in his life. Geralt whispers shyly as Jaskier pulls a nightshirt over his head: "Thank you again, Milord Jaskier. I feel as if I can't help but continue indebting myself to you."

"Think nothing of it, dear heart," Jaskier smiles, ignoring the pang in his chest. "I am happy to help you."

Jaskier tucks Geralt into bed before changing into his own nightclothes, tossing his things back into their travel bags as he swaps outfits. He feels Geralt tense up when he sits on the edge of the bed and his eyebrows narrow in concern.

"Are you alright, Geralt?"

"Are you going to share a bed with me?"

"Would you rather I didn't?" Jaskier answers with a question of his own.

"I... I wouldn't mind it if we shared."

Jaskier wishes he had Witcher sight, so he could catch a glimpse of the blush no doubt attempting to stain the Witcher's face. Despite the mutagens, Geralt's face still went pale pink when he encountered a strong emotion. It was adorable. And incredibly rare.

As soon as he pulls the covers over his chest, Geralt glues himself to Jaskier's side, snuggling close. "Feels safer," he says in lieu of explanation.

"Goodnight, dear heart."

"Goodnight."

---

"Fuck," Geralt groans, sitting up in bed. Jaskier sits up beside him, wiping the sleep from his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Good morning, Milord," he teases.

"Shut up," Geralt groans. Jaskier does get to see him blush this time, and the bard revels in it; he would trade all the gold in the world to see Geralt flush like this. "I can't believe I cried on you!"

"It was rather adorable, actually."

"Hmm."

"Still..." Jaskier reaches out, tentative, and cups Geralt's cheek with his palm. He turns the Witcher's face and locks their gazes together, blue meeting gold. "Still, I think I prefer you as you are. My big, strong Witcher who cares so much about defending the little guy. Willing to step in and help wherever and whenever he can."

Geralt's eyes get a little glassy and he leans forward, pausing and letting Jaskier make the final decision. The bard meets him halfway, pressing his lips against Geralt's without any sense of urgency at all. It's warm and sweet, time fading away as they let their feelings pour through this one simple gesture. When they pull apart again, Geralt gives a surprised, lopsided smile. "Oh."

[wellesleyunderground]

A Celebration of Female Authorship

March 8th is International Womens’ day and as alumni of Wellesley College, we believe in celebrating female accomplishments everyday. We’ve reached out the Wellesley community for their suggestions on which fierce female authors have inspired them through the ages. We had an overwhelming response so we’ll be posting more of these compilations in the months to come.

Author

Toni Morrison

Title

Beloved

Nominated by

Victoria Hills '14

Nomination Notes

I've read most of Morrison's novels and really liked or full-on loved  all of them -- but Beloved is my favourite. It's possibly the most powerful  book I've ever read: beautiful, disturbing, frightening, wrenching, tender.  It changed my understanding of both slavery and novels' possibilities and  limitations.

Synopsis

Staring  unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms  history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby.  Sethe was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is  still not free. She has too many memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm  where so many hideous things happened. Her new home is haunted by the ghost  of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single  word: Beloved. Filled with bitter poetry and suspense as taut as a rope,  Beloved is a towering achievement by Nobel Prize laureate Toni Morrison

Author

Elena Ferrante

Title

The Neapolitan Novels

Nominated by

Clare Minnies '07

Nomination Notes

I think these books are amazing in how they portray the experience of  the female characters in the books and their experiences within their female  friendships. While also laying bare the undercurrent of male violence towards  women. The books manage to weave domestic violence, and sexual assault, and  sexuality, and what intelligence and success mean, together seamlessly.

Synopsis

The Neapolitan Novels is a 4-part series by the Italian  novelist Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein and published by Europa  Editions (New York). They include the texts: My Brilliant Friend (2012), The  Story of a New Name (2013), Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay (2014), and  The Story of the Lost Child (2015). The series follows the lives of two  perceptive and intelligent girls, Elena (sometimes called “Lenù”) Greco and  Raffaella (“Lila”) Cerullo, from childhood to adulthood as they try to create  lives for themselves amidst the violent and stultifying culture of their  home– a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples, Italy.[3] The novels  are narrated by Elena Greco. (From Wikipedia)

Author

Mary Roach

Title

Bonk

Nominated by

Jess Planos '10

Nomination Notes

Mary Roach is the queen of footnotes and the reason I know as many  random facts about death, the esophagus, and the science of sex. As a fellow  trivia junkie, I love her endless enthusiasm for the wormholes of science  specializations. She brings such life to her topics, and creates real  characters out of her interviewees—usually people who don't get much  mainstream attention. I never know what her next book will cover, but I'm  always first in line to pick it up.

Synopsis

The  study of sexual physiology - what happens, and why, and how to make it happen  better - has been a paying career or a diverting sideline for scientists as  far-ranging as Leonardo da Vinci and James Watson. The research has taken  place behind the closed doors of laboratories, brothels, MRI centers, pig  farms, sex-toy R&D labs, and Alfred Kinsey's attic. In 'Bonk', Roach  shows us how and why sexual arousal and orgasm, two of the most complex,  delightful, and amazing scientific phenomena on earth, can be so hard to  achieve and what science is doing to slowly make the bedroom a more  satisfying place.

Author

Octavia Butler

Title

Kindred

Nominated by

Vicky Austin 1979

Nomination Notes

Maybe the only African American female scifi author, but in any event  one of the best

Synopsis

The  first science fiction written by a black woman, Kindred has become a  cornerstone of black American literature. This combination of slave memoir,  fantasy, and historical fiction is a novel of rich literary complexity.  Having just celebrated her 26th birthday in 1976 California, Dana, an  African-American woman, is suddenly and inexplicably wrenched through time  into antebellum Maryland. After saving a drowning white boy there, she finds  herself staring into the barrel of a shotgun and is transported back to the  present just in time to save her life. During numerous such time-defying  episodes with the same young man, she realizes the challenge she’s been  given: to protect this young slaveholder until he can father her own  great-grandmother.

Author

Nicole Yoon

Title

The Sun is  Also a Star

Nominated by

Meredith Fenton '98

Nomination Notes

WOC YA author who writes compelling narratives about diverse characters

Synopsis

Over the course of a single day in New York City, two  teenagers who have nothing in common randomly meet and fall in love. Now I  know that sounds absurdly cliché, but somehow in Nicola Yoon’s hands, it  doesn’t read that way. Natasha is a practical young woman trying to keep her  family from being deported in a matter of hours. Daniel is a poet at heart,  but on this day he is dutifully making good on his familial commitment to a  college interview. The two are inexplicably drawn to each other and somehow  their paths keep converging. The novel is told in alternating points of view,  and one of the special touches of Yoon’s book are the chapters narrated by  people who are unintentionally part of Natasha and Daniel’s story, mirroring  our almost spooky interconnectedness. The Sun is Also a Star is a  thought-provoking story of possibility, fate, and the illogical beauty of  love. --Seira Wilson, The Amazon Book Review

Author

Helen Oyeyemi

Title

Boy Snow Bird

Nominated  by

Victoria Hills '14

Nomination  Notes

Tough to assign Oyeyemi a genre -- fantasy, literary fiction, magical  realism? Her novels confuse me; plots and characters unfold slowly, and it's  usually difficult to decipher either until late in the book. But her language  is so lovely, her stories so quirky and unique, that the reward is always  greater than the effort expended to figure out what the f is going on.

Synopsis

(Boy Snow  Bird) Novak turns twenty and decides to try for a brand-new life. Flax Hill,  Massachusetts, isn’t exactly a welcoming town, but it does have the virtue of  being the last stop on the bus route she took from New York. Flax Hill is  also the hometown of Arturo Whitman – craftsman, widower, and father of Snow.  SNOW is mild-mannered, radiant and deeply cherished – exactly the sort of little  girl Boy never was, and Boy is utterly beguiled by her. If Snow displays a  certain inscrutability at times, that’s simply a characteristic she shares  with her father, harmless until Boy gives birth to Snow’s sister, Bird. When  BIRD is born Boy is forced to re-evaluate the image Arturo’s family have  presented to her, and Boy, Snow and Bird are broken apart. Sparkling with wit  and vibrancy, Boy, Snow, Bird is a deeply moving novel about three women and  the strange connection between them. It confirms Helen Oyeyemi’s place as one  of the most original and dynamic literary voices of her generation.

 Editors’ Choice:

Author

L.M. Montgomery

Title

Anne of  Green Gables

Nominated by

Rebecca Danos '98

Nomination Notes

Anne is true to herself, spirited, and is always trying to be positive  and improve herself. She makes mistakes but doesn't let them keep her down.  And she has a great sense of humour. She is ambitious and doesn't allow her  initial grim circumstances from stymieing her. The classic underdog who rises  above her obstacles using her intelligence and imagination and finds success  on her own terms and in the process enchants everyone around her with her  quirky magic.

Synopsis

Everyone's  favorite redhead, the spunky Anne Shirley, begins her adventures at Green  Gables, a farm outside Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. When the freckled girl  realizes that the elderly Cuthberts wanted to adopt a boy instead, she begins  to try to win them and, consequently, the reader, over.

Author

Yangsze  Choo

Title

The Ghost Bride

Nominated by

Hoi-Fei Mok '10

Nomination Notes

WOC YA author. A fantasy story based in Chinese mythology of the  afterlife/ghosts and set in pre-colonial Malaya. Great storytelling and  imagination.

Synopsis

Li  Lan, the daughter of a genteel but bankrupt family, has few prospects. But  fate intervenes when she receives an unusual proposal from the wealthy and  powerful Lim family. They want her to become a ghost bride for the family's  only son, who recently died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced,  a traditional ghost marriage is used to placate a restless spirit. Such a  union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at a  terrible price

Author

Tamora Pierce

Title

Circle of  Magic (Series)

Nominated by

Mijeong Takahashi '12

Nomination Notes

Kickbutt characters. I like the Circle Universe collection because of  the diverse characters and their relationships

Synopsis

Circle of Magic is a quartet of fantasy novels by Tamora  Pierce, set in Emelan, a fictional realm in a pseudo-medieval and renaissance  era. It revolves around four young mages, each specializing in a different  kind of magic, as they learn to control their extraordinary and strong powers  and put them to use. (Wiki)

Author

Cheryl Strayed

Title

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Nominated by

Tiffany Chan '15

Nomination Notes

I have always felt as though Cheryl's memoirs demonstrate how she  lived her life absolutely unapologetically, despite consequences. I have a  huge amount of respect for her complete honesty about her own imperfection  and vulnerability in her writing. And of course, she undertook a Herculean  task that she was not at all prepared for. But nevertheless she persisted and  to a fantastically motivational result.

Synopsis

At  twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of  her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon  destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most  impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only  by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest  Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington  State — and she would do it alone. Told with suspense and style, sparkling  with warmth and humor, Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of  one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened,  strengthened, and ultimately healed her.

[willreadforbooze]

Hello fellow boozie readers!

Sam’s Update:

Welp, this week was better than last week. Though, I’m still feeling the repercussions of the shutdown, but at least we’re open again. I also participated in the 24in48 readathon and was unsuccessful, but at least I finished two books.

What Sam finished this week:

  In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire: This is the next installment of the Wayward Children series. Seanan McGuire’s portal fantasy novellas. This story is about our beloved Lundy, and her trip to her portal world, The Goblin Market. While this wasn’t my favorite of the bunch, it was still really really good. I enjoyed the hell out of learning the rules of the Goblin Market and its ways. Highly recommend checking out Ginny’s review when it comes out.

Wicked Saints by Emily Duncan: GUYS GUYS GUYS this book was so good. It’s a debut novel set in an Eastern European/Russian inspired world. Our main character Nadya can speak to the gods. Her homeland and the heretical border country, Travana, have been in a holy war for over a century. Out other POV is the Travanian prince, Serefin. He’s a war hero called back from the front by his father. His spidey senses were tingling and he’s searching to uncover whatever his dad is up to. All while a rag tag group, with Nadya and a mysterious blood mage set off to infiltrate Travana. Guys this book was amazing. The hype train is real, and i am a passenger.

What Sam’s reading now:

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik: Because I will never not be reading this book.

Ginny’s Update:

What Ginny Is Reading:

Wow, so yet again, plenty of books!

Odd One Out by Nic Stone – Hey, for more info on this check out Parker’s review!!! Coop and Jupiter have been best friends since childhood.  Rae is the new girl who was quickly adopted into their friendship.  And then the complications; there’s a lot of attraction.

A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole – I’ve been pumped for this since I read a snippet at the end of a Princess In Theory – which I then pushed on all of my friends. Portia, the flighty best friend from the first book, is on a quest to better herself, meaning no hookups, no drinking and no bad decisions.  This goes well until she gets to her sword-making apprenticeship and oh no- the sword maker is hot.  Tav, the Scottish swordmaker is dealing with similar emotions after having sworn off of romance after the end of his marriage.  There’s so many innuendos already!

What Ginny Finished Reading:

The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman – This book was different than the first in ways I’m going to try to articulate in a post at some point.  Basically it’s a romp of an adventure around a few universes to try to save Kai.  There are Fae and Dragons and an unending Carnivale!

The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson – This book takes place 1000 years after the first series where those events have become religion. Wax is a lawman who decides to take over the family dukedom, and then his life becomes the opposite of boring.  The mysterious disappearance of goods on trains, and gunfights and as always Allomancy.  This book was a trip and half, also gonna be a review.  Because I have thoughts on Wax and Wayne and Steris and Marasi and I want to share them.

Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett – This is non-fiction, one of the things I pick up on occasion.  Ann Patchett is an amazing writer, and in this book follows the relationship she had with Lucy Grealy.  The best way to describe Lucy (after reading the book) was that she was one of those people who drew you in completely, she was a poet, and author, and had survived a horrific childhood cancer.  This book is beautiful and fun and achingly sad.  Even days after finishing it, I find myself thinking about their friendship.  5/5 shots.

The Man I Fell In Love With by Kate Field – I received this book from Netgalley in return for a free and honest review.  This is the story of Mary Black who finds out in a public area that her husband is and has been romantically involved with a man.  She takes this as well as she can and the book follows her dealing with the divorce, her husband re-marrying and being ready to be in love again.  God, this book is a book of unintentional harm, which makes it feel so real.  The number of times someone does something thoughtless or careless that causes people pain is astounding but felt so real.  It’s rare that the people in your life intentional harm you, it’s more likely to come from the small slights.

Linz’s Update:

OH HAI WORK. Also we had a party Saturday, and a Royal Rumble watch Sunday, so lots of prep time and not a lot of reading.

What Linz finished: 

The Dating Game by Kiley Roache – finally finished the ARC. It was a pleasantly predictable love triangle story that takes place at a college outside Silicon Valley.

Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima – it was ok? I liked the original series more but I’ll read the second book in this one, because I liked how it ended

City of Ghosts by V.E. Schwab – I’m pretty sure Sam reviewed this? Its about an American girl who can see ghosts, and goes to Scotland where she sees more ghosts. This was def meant for a younger audience, so I get why the spooky level was toned down, but I would have loved this if it’d been written new adult.

Empress Of All Seasons by Emiko Jean – Def writing a review of this, so I’ll save my thoughts for that

What Linz is reading now:

Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray – I’m garbage for all of her books, so I’m pretty sure I’m going to love the third isn

Amber and Dusk by Lyra Selene – From the December Owlcrate, a book I don’t know much about. I LOVE SURPRISES. It is staring at me from my nightstand.

Until next time, we remain forever drunkenly yours,

Sam, Melinda, Linz, and Ginny

Weekly Wrap-up: Jan 22-27, 2019 Hello fellow boozie readers! Sam's Update: Welp, this week was better than last week. Though, I'm still feeling the repercussions of the shutdown, but at least we're open again.