#shining literary pretty cure

[wolfsama8]

Rattlesnake ruby transformation

*Ruby screamed in pain as the beowolf chomped down one of ruby's arm and part of her chest whole while another was making its way of eating ruby's face slowly. That's when the 3 of them heard the sound of a gun warming up, when they looked it was too late as the 3 of them were gunned down the person responsible walked up to ruby and saw her crying as she quickly was bleeding out. Ruby opened her eyes only to see the shining red eyes of the devil*

Jake:well well this certainly Isn't pretty, your gonna die little girl I should put you out of your missery

*Jake took out his revolver and placed it on ruby's forehead until ruby opened her eyes fully and Jake noticed something, her eyes he powerful silver eyes. Jake slowly took the gun out of it and smiled at the small girl*

Jake:tell me quick little girl do you want to live or die?

Ruby:l..live, l....live p..please...h..help me...

*Ruby said as her eyelids became heavy and her skin turned pale, that was all Jake needed to hear as he took a knife out and cut the palm oh his hand. Ruby saw Jake's crimson red eye turn silver as he placed his hand on top of ruby and his blood fell down to her wounds. Ruby began to scream again in utter torture as she felt as if her body was burning up, which it kinda was as where the blood landed it would bubble as if it was burning hot, ruby's wounds were cured replacing her skin with snake scales while ruby screamed even louder as a new arm literary ripped out of her body, finally ruby grew a tail finishing the transformation. Ruby slowly got up stumbling*

[esta-elavaris]

top 5 books of all time?

do you ever mark/dog ear books you own?

most disliked popular books?

what are things you look for in a book?

Top 5 (in no particular order)

The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden (for real if you only ever take one recommendation from me, let it be this one)

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

LOTR - J.R.R. Tolkien

The Heroin Diaries - Nikki Sixx (this one helped me through a lot as a teen - albeit not heroin addiction - so it's here because of that, not because it's a literary masterpiece, but it's still very good)

The War of Art - Steven Pressfield (another one that isn't a literary masterpiece, but I buy it for every creative I know because it's That Good for helping overcome procrastination/creative dread)

Honourable mention for The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, bc her ability to convey atmosphere and leave you feeling fucked up by the end is unreal.

Marking/dog-earing

I was super against it as a teen but I've gotten over that weird thing of "all of my books must be pristine and appear untouched!!!" unless it's a really pretty, special edition. I still can't bring myself to dog-ear pages or write on them, though - but I do use post-its etc to mark certain things. But these days I mostly read on Kindle bc I just do not have room for more books, so I use the highlight function on that a lot.

Disliked books

I abandoned the You series by Caroline Kepnes halfway through book two this year. The first book was good, although uncomfortable reading, the second book was just...not good at all. It sort of hit the bad combination of resurrecting some things I'd rather forget, as well as just being nowhere near as good as the first. I'm also a Twilight hater through and through even if I can appreciate the meme potential now.

The one I really, really can't deal with is modernist literature in general. I had to take a class for it in uni, and a few books crept in here and there in other modules too, and I just have no time for it. I can appreciate what it did for literature in general as a movement while just despising the individual books. Reading it makes me feel so bored I get nauseous. Just not for me. It did produce a very spirited rant mid-class about my own personal beef with Virginia Woolf when one of my teachers asked me why I didn't like the content, though, which is a fond memory. Hatred for modernism cured my social anxiety for ten minutes what a time to be alive.

Things I look for in a book -

I've been trying to cast a wider net with what I read lately, taking on different reading challenges just to round it all out. I lean towards historical non-fiction, fantasy, and biographies, but I'll honestly read anything (well, except modernism apparently) as long as it's done well. Like if the author is passionate about what they're writing, and that love and passion shines through. It's not so easy to pin down in a specific book (although Katherine Arden does it amazingly in the Winternight trilogy, combining her love for Russian folklore and history with an unparalleled writing ability in general), but it's very obvious when it's not there, and you can tell the author doesn't respect their story as a thing in and of itself, and is just using the story as a lifeless tool to be a patronising shit about x, y, and z.

I've noticed in writing circles that the people who do this are the ones who get very upset when other writers talk about their story/characters having a mind of their own etc.

But overarchingly, I love stories of resilience. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, a biography of Louis Zamperini, was phenomenal that way, but I'll probably never read it again because it was just so grim and such a difficult read. I just realised that's actually an overarching theme of all five books I recommended at the start of this dissertation. Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins is also my fuckin bible in that regard, because resilience is his whole existence.

Thank you!! 💜

[cue-transformation-music]

Maybe.... books? As a precure theme?

I’m going to get more specific: the theme is going to be (some of) the books I was assigned to read in high school.

The fairy mascot is a mockingbird fairy called Scout (book: To Kill a Mockingbird). She comes from the kingdom known as Bibliotecha and was a librarian in the royal library. However, when the BookBurner Gang attacked, Scout found herself taking the four Shining Bookmarks to Earth, or more specifically, to Edgar Allen Poe High School (I wasn’t required to read a book of his poetry specifically, but I did have to read a book of poetry and his was available). There, Scout finds the Shining Literary Pretty Cure, who will fight the BookBurner Gang’s Quematadors (portmanteu of quemador (Spanish word for burner) and matador (Spanish word for bullfighter)).

While transformed, the Shining Bookmarks become ribbons kept in the Cure’s hair; underneath their skirts all girls wear petticoats that resemble pages out of books, complete with tiny writing on them. All four girls end up joining the book club together.

Cure Ultima (book: Bless Me, Ultima), otherwise known as Marisol Asturias. She’s a third-generation Mexican immigrant, and she lives with her parents, maternal grandmother, and two sisters of whom she’s the middle child. She wants to be a pharmacist when she grows up, but she doesn’t like the way many pharmaceutical companies function. Naturally, she wears pink; her outfit contains elements from traditional china poblana style of dress. As the Cure of Magical Realism, she has illusionary and light based abilities.

The next cure found was Cure Earth (book: The Good Earth), otherwise known as Octavia Lan Wang. She’s a second-generation Chinese immigrant; her name is written first, middle, and then last name. She goes by Lan among her family and Octavia at school. She has a small vegetable garden that she tends to, and sometimes she’ll bring snacks involving vegetables she’s grown. She wears yellow, and her costume contains Qi Lolita elements. As the Cure of Historical Fiction, her powers are gemstone based; specifically she uses pearls.

After her was Cure Gatsby (book: The Great Gatsby), otherwise known as Doris Blakely. She’s on the school lacrosse team, the Poe Ravens. She’s also the only one who can drive (and also owns her own car), so she ends up driving the other girls to go fight the BookBurner Gang. She wears green, and her costume contains flapper elements. As the Cure of Modernism, her powers are glass based.

The final cure found was Cure Eyre (book: Jane Eyre), otherwise known as Charlotte Bell. She wants to be an art teacher. She grew up in the foster care system, and ends up involved in a love triangle with Helen Brunswick (a sickly girl with ADHD) and Adam Rochester (an emo boy who might have connections to the BookBurner Gang; Charlotte has babysat for his little sister Adelina). She wears a pale blue that could easily be mistaken for white, and her costume contains pastel goth elements. As the Cure of Gothic Literature, her powers are ice based.

IDK IF ANYONE WOULD DO THIS BUT SEND ME A THEME AND I’LL MAKE A FANCURE TEAM BASED ON IT

[augment-techs]

and ye shall receive my friend! for the book recs

1, 10, 14, 16, 18, 20, 44, and 62

a book that is close to your heart: Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. I watched the movie first, A LOT, as a pre-teen and teen, and then found out the book was about three times as good--no offense to Kristen Stewart, my first queer crush and still reigning champion of Queer Icons. The writing is so very good to form the pictures in your head, and you can actually feel the girl breathe in those first chapters. a book that got you through something: The Hours, by Michael Cunningham. After my mother died, I fell back on watching the movie repeatedly, until I found the book and started reading that--and then I started writing 'Twinning' for the Batman Beyond fandom~ a book that made you trip on literary acid: In This Light, by Melanie Rae Thon. I knew of stream of consciousness in writing since being introduced to Virginia Woolf after high school, but this is a WHOLE other level. Especially when you consider some of the characters being a war veteran that took pity on an overweight corpse in a morgue and broke his legs as a result; a young southern girl who almost died after leaving an abortion clinic too soon after her appointment and crawling into an open refrigerator in left in a field at the height of summer; an underage sex worker following in the steps of the ghost of her sister and experiencing both tragedy and transcendence; the daughter of a Holocaust survivor who tried and failed to save a girl who simply died swimming in an city pool. a book you’d recommend to your younger self: The Shining, by Stephen King. The movie never scared me, it just made me anxious for Wendy and Danny and PISSED when Halloran was killed. The book was much more eerie, and morally grey, and I fully agree with Mr. King about how the movie is more of a mirror universe to the one he created in print. your least favorite book ever: I have a collective that I've read once and never again. The first three in Tucker Max's self-important party boy memoirs that each had one--count them--precious gem of wisdom in each, usually about the freedom of speech and hypocrisy of Conservative Republicans. His writing is provocative, but his homophobic, borderline-sociopathy makes me want to slam his head in a car door. Especially when you get to him reviewing all the sexual partners he's had and realized he's slept with trans-girls (asshole). a book that got you out of a reading slump: ....I don't technically HAVE reading slumps. I have writing slumps, but not reading. I'm pretty sure the only days I don't read are when I'm too sick to stay awake for more than five hours. But, for the sake of answering the question, let's go with Go Go Power Rangers, the first in the Boom! Buffy comics, anything written by Emma Donoghue, The Novel Cure, 500 Books for Teens, and Film-ol-ogy. your favourite fantasy novel: I...can't...choose. There is a tie between Watership Down, by Richard Adams and The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle. One is the epic journey of rabbits into their new home, being brutalized and prone to getting side-tracked the entire way; and everyone knows what the other is about. a book with a forgettable plot but amazing characters: Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, by Tamaki and Valero-O'Connell. The entire time throughout this gorgeous graphic novel, I wanted to shake Freddy for letting Laura Dean back in and forgetting about her best friends that are always there for her, but have their own issues constantly going on in the background. Thankfully, we have Vi cheering her on again and again--even after Freddy introduced herself by puking on Vi's work counter.

[janeeyre1847-writes]

They meet!

As she gets closer and he can really see her, he realizes with rising excitement that she's lovely--finely sculpted features in a youngish face, shining brown hair, and wearing a sheepish smile. She's tanned, and as she gets closer, he realizes, freckled. God, he's a sucker for freckles. The phrase, "a pair of fine eyes" also floats out of his literary memory, from where he doesn't remember. Her hair is a little frizzed out from her ponytail, giving her a halo in the afternoon sun.

"Saw me wipe out, did you?" she calls, looking chagrined. Definitely British.

"I just happened to look up when you fell," he lies cheerfully. "Looked like you could use some supplies. How bad is it?"

She glances at her hands and forearms, which are also bleeding, and says, "Nothing soap and antibiotic ointment won't cure. You sure you want to be using your first aid supplies on me, though?" She nods toward his visible campsite. "It looks like you're going to be here for a while, and I can get down to my car pretty quick. You wouldn't want to run out."

Oh no, missy, he thinks, to his surprise. You're not getting out of letting me help you. "I have plenty," he says firmly. "There's a stream just below my campsite. Come wash up." Read the whole thing on Ao3. Completely written. Updates 1-3 times weekly.

[scientificphilosopher]

Book List 2018

I’m a couple weeks behind on this, but here’s the list of books I read in 2018. I’ve broken it down by category, though this is pretty loose since, you know, genres bleed into one another and such. You can also find reviews of some of these books here, and I always take requests for reviews as well. Follow me on Goodreads to see what I’m reading and rating. 

Let me know what you think if you’ve read any of these books or have recommendations, and, as always, please feel free to send me malicious personal attacks if I say something you disagree with.

Non-Fiction

Philosophy

Pragmatism and Feminism: Reweaving the Social Fabric by Charlene Haddock Seigfried

The Pragmatic Turn by Richard J. Bernstein

Race Matters by Cornel West

Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism by Cornel West

American Philosophy: A Love Story by John Kaag

Ethics Without Ontology by Hilary Putnam

Meaning in Life and Why It Matters by Susan Wolf

The Variety of Values: Essays on Morality, Meaning, and Love by Susan Wolf

The Really Hard Problem: Meaning in a Material World by Owen J. Flanagan

Meaning in Life by Thaddeus Metz

The Human Eros: Eco-Ontology and the Aesthetics of Existence by Thomas Alexander

Naturalism and Normativity by Mario De Caro (Editor), David Macarthur (Editor)

Truth in Context: An Essay on Pluralism and Objectivity by Michael P. Lynch

Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom by bell hooks

The Origin of Others by Toni Morrison

Experiments in Ethics by Kwame Anthony Appiah

Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter by Peter Singer

The Ethics of Ambiguity by Simone de Beauvoir

A Very Easy Death by Simone de Beauvoir

The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the World's Greatest Philosophers by Will Durant

Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Enlightenment by Robert Wright

A Defense of Buddhist Virtue Ethics by Jack Hamblin

Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Infidel and the Professor: David Hume, Adam Smith, and the Friendship That Shaped Modern Thought by Dennis C. Rasmussen

The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Dalai Lama XIV, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Carlton Abrams

Reality, Art and Illusion by Alan Watts

Democracy and Social Ethics by Jane Addams

Common Sense by Thomas Paine

From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds by Daniel C. Dennett

Science

Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert Sapolsky

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World by Stephen Brusatte

Why Dinosaurs Matter by Kenneth Lacovara

I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Yong

The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin's Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World—And Us by Richard O. Prum

Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach

Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach

She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity by Carl Zimmer

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari

Caesar's Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us by Sam Kean

Why Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne

What Is Real?: The Unfinished Quest for the Meaning of Quantum Physics by Adam Becker

Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli

The Physics of Time by Carlo Rovelli

Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration of the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel by Michio Kaku

The Spinning Magnet: The Force That Created the Modern World--and Could Destroy It by Alanna Mitchell

Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space by Carl Sagan

Visions for the 21st Century by Carl Sagan et al.

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee

What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell

The Soul of the Night: An Astronomical Pilgrimage by Chet Raymo

The Virgin and the Mousetrap: Essays in Search of the Soul of Science by Chet Raymo

Politics/Race/Gender

The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love by bell hooks

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture by Roxane Gay (editor)

Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper

Women & Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

I Am Not Your Negro by James Baldwin

The Origin of Others by Toni Morrison

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

Race Matters by Cornel West

Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism by Cornel West

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi

The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

Tears We Cannot Stand: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson

What Truth Sounds Like: Robert F. Kennedy, James Baldwin, and Our Unfinished Conversation About Race in America by Michael Eric Dyson

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo

White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America by Nancy Isenberg

The Common Good by Robert Reich

Transgender History by Susan Stryker

Memoir

Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay

South of Forgiveness: A True Story of Rape and Responsibility by Thordis Elva

Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou

The Chicken Chronicles by Alice Walker

The Last Jew of Treblinka by Chil Rajchman

My Own Life by David Hume

Tough Shit: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good by Kevin Smith

Tibetan Peach Pie: A True Account of an Imaginative Life by Tom Robbins

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass

The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton

Black Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime by Ron Stallworth

Calypso by David Sedaris

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris

Ink Spots by Brian McDonald

No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters by Ursula K. Le Guin

History/Biography

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson

Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston

No god but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam by Reza Aslan

God: A Human History by Reza Aslan

One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America by Kevin M. Kruse

The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language by Mark Forsyth

Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything by Lydia Kang 

Fiction

Literary Fiction

Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin

Another Country by James Baldwin

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

Blues for Mister Charlie by James Baldwin

Going to Meet the Man by James Baldwin

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville

Home by Toni Morrison

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison

The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

The Dead by James Joyce

Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit by Daniel Quinn

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

A Confederacy of Dunces by Jonh Kennedy Toole

The Dork of Cork by Chet Raymo

Genre Fiction

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

Slice of Life by Kurt Vonnegut

2BR02B by Kurt Vonnegut

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia E. Butler

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Pure Drivel by Steve Martin

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

The Green Mile by Stephen King

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams

Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams

The Bad Beginning: A Series of Unfortunate Events #1 by Lemony Snicket

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary by David Sedaris

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Worst of 2018

Every single book I read this past year had redemptive value. Even if it was total garbage, it still taught me some stuff (like how not to write a book). Even a bad book can be a good book if you let it be.

So, here’re a few books that didn’t quite hit the spot for me:

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit by Daniel Quinn

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Ink Spots by Brian McDonald

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson

Best of 2018

It was genuinely difficult to choose my top books of 2018. What a literary year it has been for me. 2018 marks the most books I’ve read in a year, and I was lucky enough to come across some real game-changers. I finally read the Harry Potter series and, boy howdy, did it ever live up to the hype. What took me so long?? But this was, more than anything, the year of James Baldwin. He has made an indelible mark on me as a reader, a writer, and a human. What a year this has been! I hope to read a fraction as much beautiful, lovely, challenging, profound prose in 2019. 

In no particular order, here are the books of 2018 that most moved me, shook me, rattled me, rolled me:

Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert Sapolsky

Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom by bell hooks

The Pragmatic Turn by Richard J. Bernstein

Pragmatism and Feminism: Reweaving the Social Fabric by Charlene Haddock Seigfried

The Ethics of Ambiguity by Simone de Beauvoir

What Is Real?: The Unfinished Quest for the Meaning of Quantum Physics by Adam Becker

Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space by Carl Sagan

The Soul of the Night: An Astronomical Pilgrimage by Chet Raymo

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay

Well, there you have it, folks. Here’s to many more good books in the years to come! 

The unread story is not a story; it is little black marks on wood pulp. The reader, reading it, makes it live: a live thing, a story. —Ursula K. Le Guin

[smpsm]

paste

 smpsm

My head is trying to kill me from the inside, with its shock-start migraines and its constant alcoholic desires. Where did I learn these things and how can I make them stop? How can I keep from sinking my fingernails into the flesh on my forearms, and does it matter that I spend my days wondering if I’m helping people less crazy than myself? I should have checked in long ago, no doubt, back when my face felt concrete with a frown and my eyes felt fogged with fatigue and indecision; back when every minute brought thoughts of death and my brain told me that no one cared. I should have sought help, more than not, for the years following, for the crying jags and the constant worthless attempts at being loved. But what drove me to the doctor was sheer panic more than anything, that uncontrollable ability my body had to keep me from taking a breath. Nowadays I just pick at my hair and drink to fall asleep, miserable in every intervening hour and lying to my mother that I’m fine. She wouldn’t understand anyway, she who called me evil and abusive ad cruel and fed the fire with the gasoline that my sick heart didn’t need. I tell people there are cures besides pill bottles but truth be told I want the sudden cleansing cool that comes from a benzo fix—I don’t want to be drunk so much as dead calm. The road to hell is paved with half-moon indentations in my flesh and bruises I beg other people to give me. I ask for the paddle so I can avoid hurting myself for one more day, one more week, while I press the fading marks that dot my body. I can sustain physicals hurts I had never dreamed possible, many more than I can emotional blows—love lost is much worse than a caning or a whip’s lash, somehow. I am defensive because I know how vulnerable I am, because I am constantly open to attack and must therefore cover myself constantly—but no one can hate me as much as I hate myself. The idea is absurd.

 I suffer from a raging sense of superiority based solely on intellect and the shape of my lips; somewhere along the line I learned I’d better have a personality if I couldn’t at least be normal. And it seems I can’t be, with my propensity to talk myself into a tizzy and my desire to get beaten by strangers. These things aren’t normal, are they? I thought not. Deep down I wonder if I think I deserve it or if I’ve always been like this, and I think back to age five when I laid in the dark, titillated by the idea of public humiliation and the wearing of metal cuffs in childhood cartoons. I wasn’t abused but I feared it, feared that dirty old men would unzip their flies at the least provocation and I could do nothing to protect myself. Being a young girl during the 1990s had its downsides; assault was disparaged yet somehow normalized by its presence on every magazine cover alongside pictures of pretty blonde-haired pageant girls found dead in neighbors’ basements. People are disgusting, I quickly learned, and I can do nothing to fix it. All I can do is rage and secretly quail at any threat to my humanity.

 My head hurts nearly all the time and “psychosomatic” does not begin to cover it. Psycho fucking soma, my body is betraying me daily by longing for things I shouldn’t want and by falling to pieces when I misstep on a curb. My bruises have been magnificent, to tell the truth, but perhaps I should not get so much joy from them. Then again perhaps I should not get so much joy from office supplies, jalapenos, and spinny chairs, but there you go. I used to pretend I was not one of those girls, before I realized it was a cunty thing to say, that it was horrible to separate myself from half the population of the world simply because I longed to be different and therefore loved. I don’t know what kind of girl I am, to be sure, but I am probably one of “those,” one of those too big for her britches with a fat head. One of those who could easily be called a bitch. It’s something I can abide.

 What I cannot abide is my own weakness, my lingering sadness and constant worry and the thought that I am absolutely crazy, nothing for it. I want meds and I want them all the time, please, even if they solve nothing. They help in the moment and isn’t that what mindfulness is about? The now and now and oh yes now, the constant, continuing crawl of time. Death sounds comforting most days, if only to stop the exhaustion. You don’t have to be depressed to be suicidal—sometimes you can simply be too exhausted to keep moving. Yet somehow you chug down your drink and keep moving, telling yourself things will doubtless look much better tomorrow. So you read dark comedies and you tell yourself that life could surely be worse—trying not to tempt fate and jinx your already miserable life—and you try so hard to focused on the small rays of sunlight shining through the window that splash brightly on the dust-motes floating in the air. You focus on sunlight and the fact that you could certainly be much crazier than you are, and that’s something at least.

 You revel in small things, like being loud and drunk with people as miserable and possibly hilarious as you; like stealing things you definitely don’t need. Like stomping roughly on dying leaves after they fall into your path. You try not to focus on the fact that you can barely sleep at night without a steadying drink, or the fact that you always feel like a fuck-up. You try to pretend you don’t feel fat and disgusting every day. You focus on the fact that you have perky tits until you remember how many man-boys have leered and talked about coming on them. This doesn’t please you. Nor does the second-person treatment you adopt half the time, trying to sound literary and artistic when really you’re just sad and exhausted. You think that someone must have to have a personality before having a personality disorder, and you marvel at your own delicious wit and then call yourself a cunt silently. You feel a horrible bitch and a pathetic loser grasping at adoration for something other than her grabbable ass.

 Half the things you suffer, you seem to have brought on yourself. You are exhausted because for some ungodly reason you decided to go to graduate school, and you hate yourself for it. But you know you’d hate yourself more if you were living in your parents’ ever-changing homes (east, west, Midwest) arguing over petty things like waking up before noon. You still cringe over the fact that you cried to your father over your GRE scores, that his opinion matters more to you than, in some cases, your mother’s—she didn’t finish college, after all, while he has his fucking MBA. He is one of the smartest men you’ve ever met and he’s miserable just like you. What hope does that leave for anyone, really? You wonder why your parents never got divorced and wonder if they should have. You know their meet-cute is much cuter than anyone else’s you’re likely to meet, and it pisses you off—particularly when your mother begs for grandchildren, saying you’ll be a great single mother. You think she means it as a compliment.

 You wonder if she even actually likes you anymore or whether she just needs your presence like hand-salve on chapped knuckles.  She needs you for therapy, to back her up when she’s pissed at your father, to perform the quiet role of fixing her in all the ways you can. You know she’s a person unto her own but you have never seen her as independent. You think she mostly hates you. You have no idea what your father thinks 88% of the time but you think it has to occasionally be about running her over with the car. You two discuss books and movies because he disdains your politics, yet you think you have more in common with him than with anyone else in your family. Misery breeds a lot of things, it seems.

 Not everyone gets the happy ending even if they deserve it; hard work and determination only get you so far. You wonder what psychosis feels like and why everyone thinks drugs are the worst things in the world. Genocide and blood diamonds are worse than petty theft and graffiti I guess but then they bemoan slippery slopes and the point is lost. Instead of brooding I try to force-feed other people baked goods to make them love me.

 I am long-winded, darling, you, me, I, she, we. I suck back water each morning and pretend my head’s not pounding through fuzz. “I hate myself,” I mutter in tempo with my heartbeat and sink my knees in lockstep. I can make it through the day, I can.

[blgiddens-blog]

Word-Smith’n to Word-Jones’n

My last degree pretty much cured me from moving on to my doctorate. While I’m 24 hours of coursework and a dissertation away, the 250 pages of research from the last degree made sure the next step would never happen. There is an internal debate going on as to the motivation to get as far as I did. The answer: advancement. Strangely enough, they do call the degree “advanced” so I guess  the proverbial mission was accomplished. The only question that remains is how far did it really advance me?

I will preface with the disclaimer that these opinions are mine based on my personal experience, but I’d be willing to go to Vegas and put a little money on being largely right.

Let’s get career advancement out of the way. My cynical view of that topic comes with experience to back it up. In the factory system that is education, the degree only applies if you are currently in a job. The only way to the top is to stay where you are. In addition, if you are not in a state that values the degree limbo between masters and doctorate, it will seem as if you took nights and weekends to follow your masters degree up with an associates from your local community college. (In case that might offend, that was my first degree.) 

(Oh, I forgot to mention each state has their own Ponzi scheme that requires one to receive certification each time you move. Clearly, the proof of one’s degrees and years of experience aren’t enough when feeding the beast is an order of every day. As another layer to the cake of absurdity, we will add each state’s ongoing relationship with the dollar. Imagine for a moment, you are Tony Soprano, aka the Educational Testing Service, and Departments of Education are the garbage collectors, construction unions, or any other example of a business that Tony’s family would extort for money. Only difference, garbage and unions were getting stolen from, as opposed to being accessories before and after the fact.)

I once had someone with Dr. in front of their name who was proofing my resume scold me for adding Ed.S. after my name. The rationale was that Drs get offended that we do that because they had to work to get EdD or PhD after their name. What is worse about it? I removed it. I’ve since put it back. Guess what? I worked pretty damn hard for mine too, so how about not being such a snob.

Speaking of hard work, it’s been quite a bit of hard work muddling my way through the realizations around the facts of education as a career. Yes, it is the noblest of professions, but it suffers from everyone having gone to school, clearly producing unending levels of expertise. Thus, when seeking to go outside the World of education, there are specific “understandings” about the job, and assumptions made about one’s preparation beyond schools. I had the good fortune to highlight that to a recruiter at Comcast shortly after moving to the Northeast. She asked me how I think my experience as a teacher and administrator had prepared me for her opportunity. Needless to say, I was very honest, and if you looked at my resume, you wouldn’t find that Comcast job anywhere on it. To this day, I feel good about the level of honesty I afforded her.

All of this background, yes, is about career, and work, and the value around it. Unfortunately, there have only been a couple of highlighted examples of many more that could be shared. I seek only to illustrate a personal evolution as opposed to creating any sense that I lack one ounce of respect for my education colleagues. It is, however, important to purge these frustrations so that I can move in new directions borne out of the lessons learned from them. 

It’s time for the gears to switch.

We work hard to find answers to the questions of life, of choices, of paths to take, but I have a tendency to think of them, at least for current purposes, in quotes, themes, either literary or even dramatic. When thinking of the last 6 years and what kind of answers could have come from the multiple questions the universe was asking, I leaned, and lean, on Richard III. You know...”now is the winter of our discontent” Thanks Shakespeare! 

I do what any linear thinker does, or storyteller for that matter. I put a timeline to it. All good stories must have a beginning, middle, and end. I’ve outlined what amounts to the beginning above, so I’ll spare the redundancy. The middle, metaphorically, is the “winter of my discontent.” As luck would have it, I’m, by nature, an optimist, so to do anything other than seek the avenue for being content would be unnatural. Hence, where we are now.

There was a reason I was successful in grad school, much more so than undergrad. It was the focus on writing. In undergrad, there were lectures, readings, assignments, note-taking, and exams. Undoubtedly, these are the hoops through which one is required to jump to get an education, which could bring me back to the factory model of education, but I digress. That one item that has shined through, and continues to bring clarity to grad school success, is that if nothing else, those experiences helped me find my point of view. They helped me begin to find my voice, of which I’m still collecting. 

Voice is the metaphor for what comes off the screen through writing. I used to think that I liked to write because there was a barrier between confrontation and me. That doesn’t necessarily lack much truth, but there is an ease with which words come this way. There is more opportunity to express myself while leveraging the amount of useless knowledge that is almost impossible to access via an in the moment discussion. I prefer, as best I can, to make my words speak as close to the vicinity of perfection as possible. While it might not happen, there is joy in the effort, joy in the process, and joy in the possibilities. 

Isn’t that what it is all about!?!?

So, if I’m to be true to myself, then it figures that two things need to happen. The story has to be reshaped in order to put Richard III in his place, and craft a different story. If life is like the seasons, and in approaching 50 years old, or the autumn of life, can it be possible that these next years move me toward a winter, not of discontent, but content?

[aion-rsa]

Feminist Science Fiction Novels to Read After The Handmaid's Tale

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Enjoy an feminist dystopian yarn a la The Handmaid's Tale? These science fiction titles need to be next on your reading list...

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With the ever-growing success of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid’s Tale since its debut in 1985, both the book and its subsequent TV adaptation, you may find you're after something similar to read when you need your next lit fix. There’s no doubt that its relevance and its cultural impact is heavily felt today, after all these years, especially during the #MeToo era.

It has now spawned a whole new sci-fi subgenre of dystopian feminist fiction, which has grown hugely popular, especially over the last few years, and has also helped elevate and amplify the voices of lots of female writers as well as shine a light on many important women's issues. Some have even already been lined up for TV and movie adaptations. And we can only hope others do too.

Here are some picks of the best feminist dystopian science fiction novels out there at the moment that need to be added to your reading list pronto…

Margaret Atwood - The Testaments (2019)

In what has been deemed the literary event of this year, this compelling story of The Handmaid’s Tale continues in this long-awaited sequel that has been 35 years in the making, bringing everything full circle. The sequel picks up straight from where its predecessor left off and continues the events in the totalitarian state of Gilead from the last book fifteen years later with an explosive conclusion. Its screen adaptation is already in the works at Hulu.

read more: How Margaret Atwood's The Testaments Will Affect The Handmaid's Tale

Stephen and Owen King - Sleeping Beauties (2017)

One of his more recent works, the feminist dystopian novel receives the Stephen King treatment. Written with his son Owen, Sleeping Beauties is set in a women’s prison in the small town of Dooling, West Virginia and dares to ask what would happen if women disappeared from the world of men? While it might not be the most notable King novel, it’s still definitely worth a read.

Leni Zumas - Red Clocks (2018)

An extremely timely book, Red Clocks is a fascinating and intriguing novel which explores the lives of five very different women who are navigating their way in a society in which abortion has been made illegal in every state. The novel takes us through various issues that bears so much relevance within today’s current societal climate with its compelling narrative and its nuanced characters.

read more: Handmaid's Tale Season 4 Confirmed

Naomi Alderman - The Power (2016)

Soon to be adapted into a TV series by Amazon Studios, which has already cast Leslie Mann in a role, The Power tells the thought-provoking story of what would happen if women had all the power. In The Power, women discover that they are able to electrocute through their fingers and inflict devastating pain and sometimes even death, overpowering men.

Kim Liggett - The Grace Year (2019)

The Grace Year is a must-read YA novel which could be envisioned as The Handmaid’s Tale for a whole new generation, mixed in with a bit of Lord of The Flies. It has already been lined up for a movie adaptation from Universal to be directed by Elizabeth Banks. The story follows a 16-year-old girl named Tierney, who is sent off along with a group of teenage girls to an isolated forest to rid themselves of magic and become purified for a year.

Christina Dalcher – VOX (2018)

This award-winning, best-selling novel, tells the story of what happens when women do not have a voice and are only allowed to speak 100 words a day. Also, there is a word counter which gives the jolt of electricity if the word count is exceeded at any point. This is a well-written thriller with a very chilling premise - an intriguing read.

read more: VOX by Christina Dalcher Review

Octavia Butler - Parable of The Sower (1993)

Part of a series, Parable of The Sower is a dystopian novel, sharing similarities to Stephen King’s The Stand and Cormac McCarthy’s On The Road, which explores race, sex and power. This is the first novel in a series of books which follows the protagonist Lauren Olamina as she develops her own religious system in the form of Earthseed.

Sophie Mackintosh - The Water Cure (2018)

The short but sinister debut novel from Sophie Mackintosh is a beautifully written, chilling masterpiece which follows three sisters, Grace, Lia and Sky. The girls live on an island with their parents, who are trying to keep them safe from the contaminated water that surrounds the island, until men one day start being washed ashore and, you guessed it, trouble ensues.

Jenny Melamed - Gather The Daughters (2017)

If you love The Handmaid’s Tale, then you’ll definitely be compelled to read this gem. Gather The Daughters is a very dark, dystopian tale set on an isolated island (starting to notice a bit of a theme here). The story has a lot of depth regarding its story and its characters and also covers so many important themes and issues.

read more: Watching Handmaid's Tale in The Age of Trump

Kristen Simmons - The Glass Arrow (2015)

This YA fantasy story follows Aya, who lives with a small group of women who are hunted down by men who wish to auction off their breeding rights to the highest bidder. It acts as an important commentary on female rights and fertility. A terrifying concept where women have no say, just like in many of the aforementioned titles.

Virginia Bergin - Who Runs The World? (2017)

A world without men? Have you ever wondered what that would be like? Then you should wonder no more. This novel is a gripping read in which it takes place in a world where men have been completely wiped out and are extinct and thus provides us with an interesting piece of speculative fiction. A very unusual but engaging concept.

Louise O’Neill - Only Ever Yours (2014)

This novel takes an interesting look at beauty and body image where baby girls are no longer conceived but instead are engineered in labs, designed to be perfect for men. This is a very bleak read and something that gives quite a lot of food for thought. Women are basically treated and seen as Barbie dolls which, as this novel demonstrates, is a terrifying prospect rather than an idealistic one.

read more: Holiday Gift Guide 2019 — Books For Geeks

Louise Erdrich - Future Home Of The Living God (2017)

This provocative, dystopian novel from best-selling American author Louise Erdrich tells the story of a young woman who fights for the life of both herself and her unborn child. It is set within a futuristic America in which there is a major biological shift and everything has changed, this is a very harrowing read and shows the ultimate fight for freedom.

Charlotte Nicole Davis - The Good Luck Girls (2019)

The Good Luck Girls is an action-packed story which follows five girls who are sold into slavery and consequently fight for their freedom. This is a truly unique Wild Western fantasy mashed together with a dystopian feminist tale. It explores friendship, family and romance and holds a powerful message of course. It is also a great introduction into the Western genre with lots of supernatural elements involved.

Chelsea Cain – Maneaters (2018)

A very divisive comic/graphic novel series, to say the least, written by Chelsea Cain, who wrote Marvel’s groundbreaking Mockingbird series. Maneaters tells the story of teenage girls who begin to transform into flesh-eating monsters when they first get their period. What more could you want?

It has faced lots of criticism for many reasons but has great art. Nevertheless, if you love dystopian fiction then this is worth your time.

read more: City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders Review

Kelly Sue DeConnick - Bitch Planet (2015)

Bitch Planet is a visually stunning and unique graphic novel from publisher Image Comics, written by Kelly Sue DeConnick, who wrote graphic novels including Captain Marvel and Pretty Deadly. The story sees non-compliant women incarcerated and held in a facility run by men where they are kept under constant surveillance. With brightly, coloured, gorgeous vivid artwork to accompany the tale, along with propaganda, Bitch Planet is a must-read.

Joanna Russ - The Female Man (1975)

Long before The Handmaid's Tale took the world by storm, The Female Man offered an insightful look at science fiction and feminism as it explores four women living in parallel worlds, each with a different gender landscape. This story offers a very powerful insight into gender roles in society and also is a landmark within the science fiction genre.

Carmen Maria Machado - Her Body And Other Parties (2013)

A collection of short stories heavily reminiscent of the likes of Angela Carter, Her Body And Other Parties provides a very interesting exploration into womanhood. From a woman who recounts sexual encounters as she sweeps the earth to a woman who refuses to remove a mysterious green ribbon around her neck, each story is very distinctive in its own way and is a very enjoyable read.

read more: Read an Excerpt From Brandon Sanderson's New Book

Joanne Ramos - The Farm (2019)

Being heralded as The Handmaid’s Tale for 2019 by some literary critics, The Farm is a refreshing addition to the feminist dystopian genre, showing the impact of colonisation. In The Farm, a luxury retreat in Hudson Valley transforms the fertility industry - women get special retreatment but have to produce a baby for someone else in return. The novel follows the main protagonist Jane, a Filipino immigrant and single mother who wants a better life for herself.

Marge Piercy - Woman On The Edge Of Time (1976)

Another piece of feminist dystopian fiction which was making waves long before The Handmaid’s Tale and The Power, is Woman On The Edge Of Time. This is definitely worth a read and a landmark title within the feminist dystopian sci-fi genre. This time-travelling story follows a woman named Connie Ramos who is unfairly incarcerated in a mental institution, communicates with the year 2137, and envisions a utopian future of sexual and racial equality.

Read and download the Den of Geek NYCC 2019 Special Edition Magazine right here!

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Feature Laura Francis

Nov 29, 2019

The Handmaid's Tale

Science Fiction Books

Margaret Atwood

from Books https://ift.tt/2Dw88me

[shadowsprodpresent]

June 2019 “Write what should not be forgotten.” - Isabel Allende. The idea came from @lastbluetardis. I’ve seen a lot of people doing this lately and I thought that it was a pretty good idea for authors.

xx

► Ghost of you - Human!Nine/Rose Tyler, Human!Tenth Doctor/Jack Harkness ► First volume of the Ghost of you story. ► AU verse, Mature, WIP. ► CHAPTER 21 || EPILOGUE. Twenty-seventh day of September 2017. Day 1741 since the infection. Maxence Spitz video log. Still no remarkable results in our researches for a cure to the noctiuagus virus that had spread across the world five years ago. On the 20th of this month, we received twenty new subjects to another variant of the cure. Only five of them are currently being used. Subjects J and K had been inoculated with the virus with the virus yesterday at 8pm. L and M were the sane patients. L was left in K’s cage and J’s in M’s. Subject J died thirteen hours after it got infected and subject M was infected only two hours after it got in contact with J. Subject K is clearly infected but it’s struggling hard against the virus. L doesn’t show any symptom so far. Our patient zero still doesn’t show any symptom though the virus is in his system as the last blood test revealed. Subjects A, E and F have died in the night after days of struggle. The virus is getting more violent and contagious with the time passing and we don’t know how it spreads from one person to another. ► Total of words: 3,820 + 1,113 = 4,933.

xxx

► The call for blood - Matt Jamison/Katlyn Itachi (OFC) ► The Leftovers/Original. ► AU verse, Mature, WIP. ► The call for blood. The battle was raging. It was devastating. He had no idea of what was going on. The moon was shining red and he had heard the call of a lonely brother in difficulty. His new instinct had forced him to run to the rescue of this lost soul. Many of others like him had answered the call and thrown themselves into a battle they knew nothing about. It was all in claws and fangs and blood flowed on the ground in such quantities that Mother Earth couldn’t drink it all. They were trudging and slipping and falling in the bloody mud they had created in that battle going nowhere, a battle without any sense. No one really knew why they were fighting, why they were dying. They were stamping on their fallen brothers. No one seemed to care about those bodies furiously taken to pieces. The call for blood was turning them into monsters. ► Total of words: 644.

xxx

► Cold Bath Street ► Sixteenth article for Shattered Thoughts. ► “Cold Bath Street”. Anyway, it’s not a secret anymore that I’m a fan of the British actor Christopher Eccleston and that most of the things I watch or listen to are more or less connected to him. I’m not gonna lie: I wouldn’t have found about this gem without him. He’s a friend of the author, A.J. Hartley, and accepted to record for free an audio version of the best seller Cold Bath Street. ► Total of words: 1,822.

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► 28 years of life ► Seventeenth article for Shattered Thoughts. ► “28”. This title might seem weird to you but it has a very simple reason. Today is my birthday and I’m celebrating my twenty-eighth year on this Earth. I didn’t know what to post on this day – I’m trying to post every Thursday now – and it would have been pretty narcissistic to speak about myself all day – and there really isn’t much to say about me – so I decided to tell you a little story about someone I’ve met on Instagram three years ago. ► Total of words: 1,237.

xxx

► Game of thrones ► Eighteenth article for Shattered Thoughts. ► “Game of Thrones”. At first, Game of Thrones isn’t the show everyone on this Earth know, but it’s a literary saga written by George R. R. Martin since 1996. The books have encountered such success that HBO bought the rights and adapted it for the television in 2010. That was a lucky guess since it has been a hit show for as long as it was airing on the channel. ► Total of words: 1,675.

xxx

► “London” If you have stuck with me until then, you are aware that I went to Stratford-upon-Avon to see the RSC production of Macbeth, that I’ve loved it and that I’ve met mister Christopher Eccleston twice. This weekend in Stratford has been the best four days of my short life, a dream came true. 
They say to never meet your idol because you’ll always be disappointed. It might be true for some but meeting Christopher Eccleston hadn’t disappointed me in any way and, truth was, I really missed him when I came home. This is why after weeks of saying how much I did miss him, my roommate gave in and said we would go back. The weekend was planned from January 18 – last performance of Macbeth at the Barbican Centre – to January 21. And this time, sadly, the weekend hasn’t been as dreamy as the Stratford one. ► Total of words: 2,582.

xxx

► Total of words: 12,893.

[hamsterwritin]

Book-Tag Game

Woo another tag game. My boredom is cured! Thank ya @time-to-write-and-suffer​!

1. Which book has been on your shelves the longest?

Oh uh...well I just moved and recently had to put away most of my books since I didn’t have space for them all. So if I were to count those it would probably be a collection of books, of which I only remember reading one. It had stories from Nordic mythologi that I loved as a kid. But if I don’t count those and only look at the ones I currently have, it would be my Harry Potter books. 

2. What is your current read, your last read and the book you’ll read next?

Current? Heh. Well I read for my courses, but I guess those don’t count. xD My last read was Howl’s moving castle (loved it).... wish I hadn’t finished it so quickly.  The next one in line is a mystery. I have trouble starting with new books. I kinda have to force myself, and I don’t have anything I feel is worth it. 

3. Which book does everyone like and you hated?

Well some of my friends loved Twilight and pretty much everyone else around me. It was actually the first book I didn’t finish reading. Had like 3 chapters left and decided that it wasn’t worth the pain. 

4. Which book do you keep telling yourself you’ll read, but you probably won’t?

The newer parts in the Ranger’s Apprentice series...does it ever end. (Loved the first ones tho...might read em again sometime. It was like 5 years ago I stopped. I only remember like 10% of it all xD). 

5. Which book are you saving for retirement?

None. I haven’t even thought about this before. xD

6. Last page: read it first or wait till the end?

Wait...why would you read it first? Do some actually like spoilers? I didn’t know that. 

7. Acknowledgements: waste of ink and paper or interesting aside?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

8. Which book character would you switch places with?

Oh god I don’t know. I would probably just be some extra character in the background? I can’t imagine replacing someone important.

9. Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time)?

Ranger’s Apprentice reminds me of a summer years ago, sun shining, a swinging chair on our balcony, singing birds and our neighbour playin on his guitar. It was nice. 

10. Name a book you acquired in some interesting way.

Uuuh. 

11. Have you ever given away a book for a special reason to a special person?

...Does birthdays count? Christmas?

12. Which book has been with you to the most places?

My Harry Potter books. They have seen so much. 

13. Any required reading you hated in high school that wasn’t so bad ten years later?

Like @time-to-write-and-suffer mentioned, we don’t really have required readings here in Sweden, it’s more like “ya gotta read at least one book, so go find one!” Sometimes there was a smaller selection we could choose from or there was a theme.  I can remember one in High School that I hated, which was like the only one I hadn’t read among the ones we could choose from, so I didn’t have much choice there (made the mistake and told my teacher instead of just picking one I knew I liked). I didn’t finish it...heh...my teacher doesn’t know that tho. Also no, it’s still shit. (Oh and, 10 years? I’m 19). 

14. What is the strangest item you’ve ever found in a book?

I haven’t used the library often. I prefer new books since they’re clean and I get stressed out when I know I have to go back with it. So I haven’t gotten any surprise gifts sadly.

15. Used or brand new?

New. Because of previous mentioned reasons. 

16. Stephen King: Literary genius or opiate of the masses?

Never read any of his books so I don’t know. 

17. Have you ever seen a movie you liked better than the book?

Nope.

18. Conversely, which book should NEVER have been introduced to celluloid?

Uh...Well every bad one I’ve seen were based on bad books so...I haven’t seen any that I hated but liked the book. 

19. Have you ever read a book that’s made you hungry, cookbooks being excluded from this question?

No? I forget about food when I eat...and everything else a human needs.

20. Who is the person whose book advice you’ll always take?

Anyone pretty much. Well as long as it sounds interesting. I mean, I have people that I ask first, but I don’t always read the stuff they recommend. 

It seems like people are busy with tag games already so I won’t add to the pile. Tho if anyone wanna do this then doit! If you want I can tag ya if ya tell me.

bahbai

[anescapewithinthepages]

Rise by Mira Grant

5 Stars ★★★★★

Genre: Short Stories, SciFi, Zombie, Female Author

Other Books in Series: Feed (1), Deadline (2), Blackout (3), Feedback (4)

If you have not read the rest of the series and have picked this book up, put it down and then read this collection after you have finished the series. This is not meant to stand alone it is meant to add more depth and understanding to the world that Mira Grant has created in the Newsflesh Series. 

There are 8 short stories in this collection, they are in chronological order of the Rising and its aftermath. Starting with how the Rising happened, its first effects, and then the stories fill in the gaps of beloved characters after we have left them (such as The Fox, Mahir, and Dr. Abby). Each of these stories is just as strong and entertaining as the books that preceded them in this collection. It’s a  cohesive collection and solidifies Mira Grant as the Literary Goddess I have come to believe she is. 

Countdown:

This story explained how the Rising was created and gives us more insight on Kelis AmberLee which is the cause of The Rising. I don't want to give too much away on plot and premise but Grant lets us inside the mind of the doctor who created the cure as well as sends shivers down your spine when you realize just how easy it would be to complexity destroy our world as we know it. 

Everglades:

This is the shortest story in the collection and it shines a light on just how fucked humanity was. It also lets us have a glimpse into how fast society transitioned and just how hopeless the cause felt. 

San Diego 2014: 

This may have been my favorite story in the collection (or at least in the top three). Grant basically took something I have always dreamt of and turned it into a bloody nightmare that has me second guessing ever going to a large event ever again. In true Mira Grant fashion she makes you fall in love with her characters only to slaughter them and leave you with heartache, but isn't that why we read her to begin with?

How Green This Land, How Blue this Sea:

Another favorite in the bunch for me; imagine Australia after zombies have attacked, been beaten, and society is finally getting back to normal.  That is what this story is. We follow a character favorite, Mahir Gowda as he write an article on the Rabbit Wall in Australia, originally built to keep vermin off farm land it has become a conservation effort to contain zombified Kangaroos without killing them. In fact, Australia is one of the few places left that actually is trying to preserve wildlife, as a country that has always been surrounded by danger they take a different approach to safety and make it one of the few locations that kicked The Rising’s ass right from the start. A fun, quick read that lets you explore The Rising globally. 

The Day The Dead Came To Show And Tell:

This story is heartbreaking. It gives us the background to the secondary character The Fox and it will leave you sobbing. Most the time in Zombie literature authors will stray from scenes that seem too real (death of children, death of pets, ect). Mira Grant said “fuck that noise” and wrote about a zombie outbreak in an elementary school. It is a harsh, brutal read but leaves you with more respect for The Fox then you ever thought imaginable. Yes, I cried, no I do not have shame. 

Please Do Not Taunt The Octopus:

Dr. Shannon Abbey meets The Fox... That is all. 

All The Pretty Little Horses:

Mira Grant gave us a story we reluctantly wanted, how did Shaun and Georgia’s parents became the narcissistic, truth seeking, unattached parents that they are in the originally Newsflesh books? Grant shows us, she shows us a broken family that is grieving the loss of their only son after the world has almost ended, she shows us a devoted husband who is doing everything to bring his wife back from the brink, and she shows us how most actions always start with good intentions. 

Coming To You Live: 

We finally get to find out what happened to Georgia and Shaun after they fled to Canada, I am not saying more then this because they are by far the core of this collection and their relationship is so hard to explain when you are not their creator and author. But don't worry,  Mira Grant always does them justice, and this is no difference. 

[dydturktek]

Nem Kurutma | Nem Alma | Rutubet Kurutma | DYD 444 0 719

The looking place- start my subsequently semester offshore

The looking place- start my subsequently semester offshore

I have some sort of confession to create, although it´ s definitely not one that I´ m mainly embarrassed of: I love Doctor Seuss. They are a fictional genius. I really wrote my term literary analysis paper on his assist my jr year literary works class inside high school. Anyway, one of my favorite books simply by Dr . Seuss is ‘Oh the Venues You’ll Visit. ‘ Currently, this arrange is popular with many people because of it´ s subject matter about a cure for the future as well as wisdom in relation to not knowing precisely what is to come, but it surely is just full of tidbits of wisdom thaton which I think a lot of people fail to spend sufficient interest. One of these lovely tidbits is actually ‘The ready place….

‘For people simply just waiting.

Looking ahead to a train to go or a bus to come,

or a airplane to go as well as mail that come,

or the elements to go or even the phone in order to ring,

… …

So many people are just ready.

No! That´ s never for you!

Someway you´ lmost all escape all of that waiting and remaining.

You´ ll find the glowing places where Expansion Bands tend to be playing! ‘

Dr . Seuss tells us that people will many come about this put at some areas in our lifestyles, but they reminds us it to be a temporary state— at least for anyone of us who seem to choose it all to be so.http://www.shmoop.pro But , in the meantime, I am bogged down in the ready place. As i plan to get away it as shortly as possible, nonetheless sometimes it´ s just an avoidable stop between here and there.

Why am i not stuck inside the waiting place you ask? Very well, I am in the airport, patiently waiting to go back to Chile for the second session abroad. And allows already been some sort of heck of any trip.

We were originally meant to fly several hours Friday. I had been visiting Stanford for the week, to put some things in order for my very own thesis and visit my friends who were nonetheless on grounds. My air travel was designed to leave out of latest York Friday afternoon, however after I has been halfway so that you can New York for a train from Boston, I noticed out this my airfare was terminated. (See some other blog posts just for details on the snowstorm referred to as Nemo. ) So I changed right back around on a further train to return to Boston. When i got above the fact that was I are generally on the seaside with my very own Chilean boyfriend, Gabriel, in place of stuck throughout wintry Celtics, I was able to enjoy the snowstorm a little: sledding on the President´ s property, feeling cozily trapped during my friends´ apartment with a mug of incredibly hot chocolate. Although I at some point had to say that I previously had decidedly arrived at the Hanging around Place.

Just after spending special occasions at home, Being kind of basically waiting to find back to Chile for the next stanza of playing to start. Waiting for the snowstorm to pass. Ready to have my room all over again. Waiting to find out my friends within Chile. Patiently waiting to ski into this is my thesis homework. Of course , staying at Tufts has been fun, a lot of I was simply there for that week, for some reason just depicted an more advanced step in involving Here and There.

Prior to deciding to think I´ m feeling sorry pertaining to myself, nonetheless let me suggests that the Longing Place isn´ t virtually all bad. Many times, it´ s i9000 the only area you can truly fully reflect on the place to select you appeared and the destination for a which you have a tendency. This was extremely true for me, for the reason that places in either edge of people were which means that different from each individual other— in language, within culture, that people have, in purpose.

So , here are some fruits belonging to the reflections I became able to obtain while in my Waiting Site. (You will soon discover that Positive very given to lists)

Travelling is most enjoyable when you know wheresoever home is usually

Studying overseas can make it for you to know everywhere home is usually

When you are now living in two ethnics, you´ sovrano never convinced if you are part of both or maybe neither

Becoming away from comfortable people together with places provides you with a lot of point of view on what´ s vital to you

You´ ll never really forget the right way to speak your company native foreign language, but it is actually entirely possible that people develop inferior syntax and word option in your indigene language if you haven´ big t used it for a little bit.

I´ d really delighted that I built the effort in making friends for Chile. Listed here are small tagliato of actuality: It is really to be able to make friends while you are studying elsewhere. Many of the individuals you connect with already have a group of friends and so they don´ big t have a number of incentive to purchase a relationship which may previous only the capacity of your stay of their country. The following being stated, it is possible, nevertheless it takes efforts. Furthermore, it´ s worth purchasing. Because now, as I in the morning on my way into Chile, I use friends there who are giving to meet people at the flight terminal and declare they can´ t wait around to hang away when I retreat to. This makes the main leaving my favorite country, loved ones, and close friends (again) a bit more bearable.

The reason do most airports form of look precisely the same? Was truth be told there like an terminal transfer design convention? I mean, sure they all are processed differently in addition to stuff, however somehow virtually all manage to realize the same factory-reminiscent, high-ceilinged, not comfortable living-room truly feel.

Culture great shock (and reverse culture shock) is a real detail. Not in contrast to unicorns. Oh wait…

Stanford (and I would personally imagine the majority of colleges) can be described as tightly enclosed bubble. This isn´ t necessarily a criticism. Tufts is a beautiful bubble— multi-colored and attractive, but it can be decidedly your bubble. It will be full of people in the very same small a long time, many of to who come from the same socioeconomic, if you are not cultural, backdrops, and real world issues pretty much never (but do) escape the main realm of educational debate. That is the valuable real estate, conducive for you to certain forms of development, but I have found the reason is important to fail to lose eyesight of the world above Tufts. Everything where suffering escapes the particular margins on the term documents. The world wherever have more decisions about how to live on our lives as compared to off grounds or at campus property. The world where there challenges your heck associated with a lot bigger than physics lessons (and that´ s declaring a lot. ) I think it´ s significant not to forget that life outside the bubble, not simply so that most people don´ capital t become completely egocentric together with ignorant associated with real-world matters, but also making sure that we can commence making options about we really want to reside our lives, and may also examine just what exactly really situations to each amongst us.

Studying to foreign countries is distinct from almost any other practical experience. It are not able to possibly always be compared to traveling as a vacationers or even a investigator. Becoming completely immersed within culture helps you with things about your own self and about your culture which think would definitely otherwise get completely unacknowledged, although they will still be equally true. I understand that for some, studying overseas isn´ p a feasible option to get financial or possibly academic motives. However , if you possible could, I would suggest it. This particular isn´ big t to say that it may all be fun and games. Well, I suppose for many people it is. Yet it´ ings generally while in the periods between the fun and matches when you study the most— when you complete a cultural miscalculation and have to make amends, once you really find it difficult to communicate actually trying to express, when you make sure to navigate the very social group landscape and discover the hard approach where most people fits in.

I could go on and on and for, but I am of the thoughts and opinions that there are some things you just have to experience for yourself in the event that you´ maest? going to learn about the most which you can learn. In addition, everyone´ s experience is special, so regardless if I alerted you everything Actually, i know, you could easily keep returning and train me a much bigger.

In the meantime, I will tell you that with a pair of bus rides and three train rides behind me personally, and not one but two plane trips ahead of people, sitting in JFK international airport being dressed in my Tufts quidditch tshirt, there is nothing I’d like to see more across the world than to walk in with Santiago, when the sun can be shining, towards a perfect forty degree summer time day.

Chao for now!

https://www.nemkurutma.com/the-looking-place-start-my-subsequently-semester-2/

NEM KURUTMA HİZMETLERİ

[joementa]

Literary References.

I’ve been spending a lot of time reading lately which has really eaten into my music listening time.  I’m by no means done with music but I’ve been enjoying the written word more than music over the past few months.  Of the music I am listening to, it’s a lot of what I call the “poet musicians”.  This includes musicians like Dylan (obviously), Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Tom Waits, etc.  While listening to a lot of these musicians, I’ve been noticing how frequently they include literary references in their songs – things like book titles, authors, literary characters or lines from books.  It makes sense that musicians are well-read, but until recently I don’t think I noticed how much literature is referenced in music.  So I decided to put together a playlist of 20 songs that contain literary references/influences in them.    

This is by no means a complete list.  In fact, I’m fairly certain I’ll have a few volumes of playlists like this.  There’s a lot more out there than you know.  Some musicians have many songs with literary references.  Obviously Dylan does, but so does Patti Smith and Pet Shop Boys (go to the link right here to see all of the literary references in Pet Shop Boys’ music – there are so many!).

Songs that are simply the musician reciting/singing a poem word-for-word were not eligible for the list. So this meant songs like “Annabell Lee” by Stevie Nicks and “Nirvana” by Tom Waits were intentionally left off of this list.  I don’t think these should count since they are basically like cover songs.  I’m trying to show how musicians and songwriters use literature to create songs.  Songs themselves are like poems.  But maybe this is a good idea for another playlist!  Songs that were first poems.  I think we’ll have to include Dylan’s “Love Is Just A Four Letter Word” in that one!  

Can someone please tell me if Jackson Browne’s “Tender Is The Night” was indeed titled after the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel?!?!  I did some research on this and still haven’t been able to confirm it!  Hopefully someone can let me know when it comes time to work on volume 2 of the playlist, because that song is awesome and would deserve to be on a playlist!

Also, can someone please tell me why “Killing An Arab” by The Cure isn’t available on streaming sites? I realize snowflakes are not very fond of the title, but the song is included on their great comp album Standing On A Beach and it was influenced by the incredible Albert Camus book The Stranger, which I recently read.  I really wanted to include this song on the playlist, so I’m hoping there’s a good reason that it’s not available and that it’s not because it’s banned.  I feel the same way about banning music as I do about banning books.  I am totally against it.  This means that I very much intend on putting Ryan Adams’ “Sylvia Plath”, which just sonically didn’t fit this time, on the next volume of literary-influenced songs.  And this also means I’ve got a good idea for yet another playlist theme – banned music!

I do hope that you enjoy this playlist.  I spent a lot of time making sure all of the songs sounded great in this specific order. So make sure you listen to the playlist in the order that I put the songs in. I also spent a lot of time on the notes for each song.  Make sure you read them!  And make sure you read often this summer, and in every season!  Hopefully you are reading some good stuff and if you have anything that you recommend, feel free to let me know and I will do the same for you. Enjoy!

Link to playlist on Apple music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/literary-references/pl.u-WabZ6DZcWRYe83

Link to playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/joementa/playlist/5cDzeBFpACaDbtV0Qq6x8S?si=UgmRyNLBT4OEoDFr_ou-LQ

Frank Turner – “I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous” (Love Ire & Song)

Bob Dylan – “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” (Blood On The Tracks)

The Hold Steady – “Stuck Between Stations” (Boys And Girls In America)

Better Oblivion Community Center – “Dylan Thomas” (Better Oblivion Community Center)

The Smiths – “Cemetry Gates” (The Queen Is Dead)

Jesse Malin – “Wendy” (The Fine Art Of Self Destruction)

Counting Crows – “Rain King” (August & Everything After)

The Bangles – “Bell Jar” (Everything)

Florence + The Machine – “Patricia” (High As Hope)

Lana Del Rey – “Off To The Races” (Born To Die)

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “Red Right Hand” (Let Love In)

The National – “Carin At The Liquor Store” (Sleep Well Beast)

Taylor Swift – “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” (Reputation)

Pet Shop Boys – “Inside A Dream” (Electric)

Katy Perry – “Firework” (Teenage Dream)

Tom Waits – “Shiver Me Timbers” (The Heart Of Saturday Night)

Patti Smith – “Land” (Horses)

The Gaslight Anthem – “Howl” (Handwritten)

Dire Straits – “Romeo and Juliet” (Making Movies)

Bob Dylan – “Desolation Row” (Highway 61 Revisited)

Frank Turner – “I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous” (Love Ire & Song) Reference(s): The title of this song is a reference to T.S. Eliot’s famous poem “The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock” and the theme of the song is very similar to the theme of the poem (and the poem itself has a few literary references, including Shakespeare).  I have read this.

Bob Dylan – “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” (Blood On The Tracks) Reference(s): Dylan specifically mentions Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud in this song.  I’ve read Rimbaud’s A Season In Hell and plan to read more soon. I haven’t read Verlaine.  Yet.

The Hold Steady – “Stuck Between Stations” (Boys And Girls In America) Reference(s): The first line in this song specifically mentions Sal Paradise, the narrator of Kerouac’s On The Road.  The first line of the second verse specifically mentions the poet John Berryman. Believe it or not, I haven’t read On The Road, but I will be changing that later this summer.  I’ve read Berryman’s The Dream Songs and loved it.  Not only did I love it, but Nick Cave did too.  It’s pretty dark, but pretty amazing.  I highly recommend it!

Better Oblivion Community Center – “Dylan Thomas” (Better Oblivion Community Center) Reference(s): The title of this song is named after the great poet of the same name.  There is also a slight reference in the song to the poet’s death.  I’ve read Dylan Thomas (and so did someone who used to go by the name Robert Zimmerman).  Some of my favorite poems of his are “Do not go gentle into that good night”, “Should lanterns shine”, “My hero bares his nerves” and “Fern hill”. I’ve also read a few of his short stories.  I always read “A Child’s Christmas In Wales” at Christmastime each year.

The Smiths – “Cemetry Gates” (The Queen Is Dead) Reference(s): Moz specifically references Keats, Yeats and Oscar Wilde multiple times in this song.  He also references a line from Shakespeare’s Richard III. I’ve read a little bit of Keats (“La Belle Dame sans Merci” is definitely my favorite), none of Yeats, and plenty of Wilde.  I’m guessing Keats and Yeats are on your side.  But you lose.  Because weird lover Wilde is on mine!  (Get it?)

Jesse Malin – “Wendy” (The Fine Art Of Self Destruction) Reference(s):  He specifically mentions Kerouac at the start of the second verse. He also mentions Tom Waits and “the poet’s hat”.  I’m not sure if that means Tom Waits’ hat (I would consider him a poet) or just a general poet’s hat, but that should still count.  I’ve read Kerouac.  Just haven’t read On The Road (I know….)  

Counting Crows – “Rain King” (August & Everything After) Reference(s): The title is a reference to Henderson The Rain King by Saul Bellow.  The song isn’t really about the book, but it did influence Adam Duritz. Here’s what he had to say about it (it’s worth the read!): “I read this book in college when I was at Berkeley called “Henderson, the Rain King.” And the main character in the book was kind of this big, open-wound of a person, Eugene Henderson, he just sort of bled all over everyone around him. For better or for worse, full of joy, full of sorrow, he just made a mess of everything. And when I wrote the song years later, it didn’t really have anything to do with the book except the book had kind of become a totem for how I felt about creativity and writing–that it was just this thing where you just took everything inside of you and just sort of [funny noise] sprayed it all over everything, and not to worry too much about it. You try and craft it but not to be self-conscious about it, in any case. And, it’s sort of a song about everything that goes into writing, all the feelings, everything that makes you want to write, makes you want to maybe pick up a guitar and do it, and express yourself because it’s full of all the doubts and the fears about how I felt about my life at that time. And also the feeling that I really deserved something better than what I had accomplished up to that point. I think it *is* sort of a religious song about the sort of undefinable thing inside you or out there somewhere that makes you write, makes you create, makes you do any kind of art form, you know? And makes me the rain king, sort of."  I haven’t read this book.

The Bangles – “Bell Jar” (Everything) Reference(s): The title is a reference to The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.  The song is about a girl that is pretty similar to the character in the book. What is that like?  Read for yourself to find out.  I’ve read this book and I love it.

Florence + The Machine – “Patricia” (High As Hope) Reference(s): ‘Patricia’ is Patti Smith. Are you saying to yourself ‘but, she’s a musician and not an author’?  I suggest you run, don’t walk, to your nearest book store and purchase Just Kids.  The only book of Patti Smith’s that I read was Just Kids, which is an incredible book.  I will definitely be reading more of hers soon.  

Lana Del Rey – “Off To The Races” (Born To Die) Reference(s): This song has a few references to Nabokov’s Lolita, including “light of my life, fire of my loins” and definitely has some similarities thematically.  I don’t care what Pitchfork says.  I love this song.  I read the book earlier this year.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “Red Right Hand” (Let Love In) Reference(s): The title references a line from the poem “Paradise Lost” by John Milton.  The liner notes to the Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album Murder Ballads confirms this, and the opening song on that album, “Song Of Joy”, includes lines that say that ‘red right hand’ is included in “Paradise Lost”.  References within a reference.  I like that! I haven’t read “Paradise Lost” yet but I plan to soon.

The National – “Carin At The Liquor Store” (Sleep Well Beast) Reference(s): John Cheever is specifically mentioned in a couple lines in this song.  I haven’t read any John Cheever stories but I recently purchased a collection of his short stories at New Dominion Bookshop book store in Charlottesville, Virginia.  I can’t wait to read it.  And I can’t wait to go back to that beautiful book store – they even have a rose garden outside in the back of the store.  Books and roses.  You can’t go wrong with that combo!

Taylor Swift – “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” (Reputation) Reference(s): The great Taytay specifically mentions Gatsby by name in the first verse to this basically perfect song. Gatsby of course is the main character in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby.  I of course have read this, multiple times.

Pet Shop Boys – “Inside A Dream” (Electric) Reference(s): This song has lyrics that are directly from William Blake’s poem “The Land Of Dreams”.  I’ve read William Blake before.  He influenced many, many musicians.  He is worth reading.

Katy Perry – “Firework” (Teenage Dream) Reference(s): This fantastic song was influenced by Kerouac’s On The Road.  I think we are seeing a recurring theme here.  Musicians have been heavily influenced by Kerouac.  And rightfully so.  I think I’ll need to put together a playlist of songs influenced by/referencing Kerouac!

Tom Waits – “Shiver Me Timbers” (The Heart Of Saturday Night) Reference(s): Tom Waits mentions Captain Ahab, from Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, in this beautiful, beautiful song.  I haven’t read this book, but it’s obviously a classic and I obviously need to read it.  A lot of musicians were influenced by this book.  Dylan mentions just 3 books in his speech accepting the Nobel Prize for Literature.  Moby-Dick was one of them.

Patti Smith – “Land” (Horses) Reference(s):  The character Johnny in this song is based on the character Johnny from William S. Burroughs’ novel The Wild Boys.  Later on the song she specifically mentions Rimbaud by name. Multiple times.  I’ve read William S. Burroughs but haven’t read The Wilds Boys.  I’ve read Rimbaud and definitely want to read more.  Also, here’s a cool article with more info on the song: https://www.google.com/amp/s/consequenceofsound.net/2008/11/rock-history-101-patti_smith_land/amp/.  ALSO! How perfect is the segue of “Land” into “Howl”?!?!  I know, I know.  I am pretty good at getting these segues perfect.

The Gaslight Anthem – “Howl” (Handwritten) Reference(s): The title of this song references the poem “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg.  I have read this one many times and will continue to do so.  I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness….

Dire Straits – “Romeo and Juliet” (Making Movies) Reference(s): This one is obvious.  I went to public school in America so of course I’ve read this.

Bob Dylan – “Desolation Row” (Highway 61 Revisited) Reference(s): The title refers to Kerouac’s book Desolation Angels, which I haven’t read.  Two lines at least are from the book: “her sin is her lifelessness” (“they sin by lifelessness” in the book) and “perfect image of a priest”. Dylan even said that Desolation Row is somewhere in Mexico, which is where parts of Desolation Angels takes place. Dylan also references the Hunchback of Notre Dame (which is a novel by Victor Hugo).  And then at the end of the song, he specifically mentions Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot by name.  I haven’t read Desolation Angels or The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, but I’m definitely going to read both.  Of course I’ve read both Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot, and I recommend you do the same.

[swipestream]

On Popular Entertainment: The Missing Ingredient

When diagnosing the illness that pervades modern mainstream entertainment in the US, most armchair oncologists point to symptoms of the disease.  Consumers recognize the wealth of titles that present all the shine and appearance of timeless classics, but have all the weight and import of ephemeral bits of fluff.  Somehow, the increased volume of offerings has not translated into an increased number of profoundly appealing and thought-provoking stories.  Why is it that a feeling of loss predominates whenever one sits down in a dark theater or browses the stacks at the book store or switches on network television?

After all, the Hollywood that gave us Ghostbusters (1984) is the same Hollywood that gave us Ghostbusters 2016).  The Hollywood that gave us Ben-Hur (1959) also gave us Ben-Hur (2016).  The same publishing industry that gave us the genius of a Tolkein gave us the degeneracy of a Steven King.  The same network that gave us The Simpsons (1989-1994) also gave us The Simpsons (pretty much every year since).  Even the world of comic book publishing has not escaped the strange subtraction by addition that afflicts its big brothers.  This is not to say that quality entertainment cannot be found today, even within the mainstream, nor that everything was so much better “back in my day”.  This new millennium has seen its moments of transcendence, to be sure, but even those not dialed in as tight as those who regularly read the blog posts at successful independent publishing houses have started to notice the rising tide of sentiment in the public that something is missing.

The source of that feeling feels just out of reach, because like all lies of omission, there isn’t any one thing that the cultural sleuth can point to and say, “Ah ha!”  It leaves no blank space in the dust or footprint in the sand, because the missing ingredient has no substance in and of itself, it merely informs the process of creation, and finds expression in the actors and characters and situations represented.  To make matters worse, this missing ingredient can be papered over like a hole the dry-wall or – more appropriately – over a missing structural support column.  And while the building may stand with that critical node missing for a while, the stress load placed on the rest of the building will eventually bring the whole thing collapsing down.

Enough with the metaphors, you want answers.

The missing ingredient…

…is wisdom.

And not just on the part of the people who make these films – can there be any doubt as to the wisdom possessed by men who select actresses based more on their abilities in-bed rather than on-screen?  Give some thought to the last few movies you’ve seen or books you’ve read.  They may have been smart.  They may have been clever.  They may have touched on deeper themes.  But how much wisdom did they possess, and how much wisdom did they pass along?

Probably not much when you think about it.

With great wisdom comes great curmudgeonry

To nudge a slowly toppling IP giant along its path to ruin, let’s look at the Star Wars franchise.  The original trilogy touched on a number of deep issues: the primacy of human action and virtue over cold, calculated technology, the importance of familial bonds over political ties, even the rudiments of Game.  In his attempts to recreate the old serials he had grown up watching, George Lucas couldn’t help by draw on and illustrate the cultural wisdom of his forebears.  The most recent offerings have core themes of…remember that one time in A New Hope?  Set aside how JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson used modern technology to improve the look of Star Wars, and one begins to appreciate how their story choices create empty shells of films that share more with the prequels than the originals.  The modern takes on Star Wars are pretty, and they can be a lot of fun, but they don’t bring anything to the table but pretty pictures, fast action, and cheap gags.  They are far closer in spirit to The Transformers than they are to the original trilogy.

  One can also see how forgoing wisdom in favor of cleverness comes at a high price when comparing contemporary works.  The theme of mankind’s struggle to stave off civilizational collapse runs throughout the course of Johann Kalsi’s Corrosion.  Swept up in events beyond any one man’s control, the protagonists exercise caution and judgement, and the cultures most apt to recover from the galactic tragedy of algodecay are those built along traditional and timeless knowledge.  The result is a profound warning of the relative costs of prevention and cure.  Contrast that depth with the shallowness of John Scalzi’s The Collapsing Empire, whose characters are faddish caricatures prone to profanity, petty banter, witty snark unburdened by heavy literary concepts like verisimilitude and the logical consequences of their actions.  Lacking Corrosion’s foundational themes, Scalzi’s work reads as hollow and empty as its characters.

Marvel Comics has turned its back on Peter Parker’s “with great power comes great responsibility” and turned instead toward an “everybody gets a trophy” philosophy.  The results are stories with characters who all speak with the same voice, heroes who face no inner or outer struggles, and villains with all the depth of ant’s footprint.

As Kalsi himself reminds us, the crumbling of the old need not cause a season of despair.  The death of the old media provides the opportunity for the birth of the new, and everyone has a role to play in the healing process our culture is experiencing.  Better yet, the general public has begun to turn its back on the shallow emptiness as well.  The consumer revolt in video games, heavy metal, and comic books continues to roil and demand more and better of the producers.  Even a touchstone example of empty-calorie film-making like the aforementioned Transformers provides a sign of hope.  The most recent entry in the series grossed just half of its budget domestically – were it not for the overseas market, the film would have tanked at the box office.  The American people still enjoy their spectacle, but they need increasingly demand the fireworks serve something greater than spectacle itself.

More and more, that desire for deeper meaning finds expression in the works of independent creators, and finds the audience that has been starved of wisdom for so long.  Castalia House continues to produce projects that present insight into the human condition, such as the planned continuation of the late-great Jerry Pournelle series There Will be War.  Superversives Press has planned a long string of anthologies that delve into the sacred and profane mysteries of everything from love to leadership to masculinity.  The steady drip has turned into a torrent, and those with the wisdom to see the signs can recognize that future looks better all the time.

You have a role to play in bringing that better future to fruition.  To paraphrase Jordan Peterson, if you want to help clean up the culture, start by picking up your own room.  If you want to see more stories rooted in timeless wisdom, start turning your back on the alternatives.  Appreciate films like Gladiator, with its focus on justice for Maximus’ family, and seek out classics like A Man for All Seasons, rather than the latest comedy based upon a complete inversion of the hope and meaning of Christmas.  Recommend books to your friends filled with characters who speak like grown adults rather than snarky teens, books like The Heretics of St. Posentti and Tales of the Once and Future King.  Branch out from the intellectual properties of your youth and take a risk on an author you’ve never heard of before.  Even if that new author is worse than the old, if you register your distaste informally via social media or more formally via review sites, you can warn others away from it.  By such small steps, you can add to the collective wisdom of the West.

And ours is a culture that needs all the additional wisdom it can get.

On Popular Entertainment: The Missing Ingredient published first on http://ift.tt/2zdiasi

[lunaslittlelibrary]

Holly Smale is a British internationally bestselling author.

She wanted to write from the age of five, when she realised that books didn’t grow on trees like apples.  Her journey took her to over thirty-two countries, and included: modelling, journalism, teaching English in Japan, cocktail waitressing, PR and packing courgettes in Australia.

Holly has a BA in English Literature and an MA in Shakespeare from Bristol University, specialising in feminism and gender studies.

GEEK GIRL was her first novel, and was the number one selling teen fiction in the UK in 2013. So far, the series has sold 700,000 copies in the UK alone, extends to nine books and has been published in thirty languages.

She was an official World Book Day author in 2015, and her debut was named by Booktrust as one of the “Fifty Books That Will Change Your Life”.

When she’s not travelling, Holly lives beside the seaside in Hove, England.

@HolSmale www.holly-smale.com

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Harriet’s journey is at an end. What does that feel like? I’m an emotional casserole right now, to be honest. Exhausted, proud, satisfied, scared, disorientated, relieved, sad. I’ve given Geek Girl everything I’ve got – I’ve held nothing at all back – so I feel slightly empty and depleted and crochety, which I think is a good sign. The series has been my life for nearly a decade so it’s a little terrifying to leave it behind, but if Harriet has taught me anything it’s to be brave and keep moving forwards into the unknown, so I’m excited about the next adventure and intend to grab it with both hands.

So what happens now? Travelling! It’s my personal “reset” button: when I’m tired it always refreshes me to experience other parts of the world and meet new people, and I feel like I should probably renew and rest my brain before I start another writing project. So in a few weeks I’m travelling around Asia for a couple of months to relax, escape the literary world and get my creative juices flowing again. Can’t wait to cuddle some pandas (I probably won’t be allowed to cuddle them but I’m going to try anyway).

Weirdest fact you came across in your writing for Geek Girl? The Romans used to clean their teeth with urine.

Do you remember the first time you saw Geek Girl in a book shop? What did you do? I think I had the slightly anti-climactic feeling of going into a book shop on launch day, looking for my book and realising they didn’t have it! Which is a pretty familiar feeling for a lot of new authors, I think! But the first time I saw Geek Girl on a shelf, I got a slightly surreal tingle: incredibly proud, but also a little confused. I still get that, frankly. I frequently go into shops or libraries and forget that it’s my name on the front of books!

Who’s your favourite geekish character, either in books or film/TV and why? Lisa Simpson. Growing up with The Simpsons, it was incredibly reassuring to have this know-it-all, precocious, gobby, slightly annoying but essentially kind-hearted and kick-ass female character in mainstream media. It made it feel more okay to be an intelligent, strong, flawed, funny girl, and I’m a huge fan of everything that encourages that narrative.

Tell us something about yourself that not many people know. Believe it or not, I’m a bit of an adrenaline junky and a motorbike/scooter fanatic. I have a licence, have owned quite a few over the years and have driven across various parts of Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and Japan. I also like fast rides, rock-climbing, scuba-diving, paragliding… Things that Harriet would absolutely hate!

Explain the difference between a geek and a nerd, using only 5 words and include the letters Q X Y: Both oxygenize society equally, right?

I’m giving you a free platform to talk about anything – GO: I’d like to see every single girl on the planet embracing what feminism is and means, and being given the freedom and opportunity to live an empowered, purposeful and inspirational life, no matter their background. I’d like to see the total breakdown of white patriarchy until all people are equal. And I’d like to see Trump out of office. Like, yesterday. Because it’s very difficult to fight for all human rights when the leader of the free world is leading a fight against them.

Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything? Chocolate.

What’s the perfect cure for a bad day? Chocolate.

Finally, what is the question you wish people would ask and never do? Would you like a lifetime’s free supply of chocolate?

Luna: So, cholocate?

Check out: Holly Smale at Bath Children’s Literature Festival Geektastic! Holly Smale Book Party (aww nostalgia ♥)

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My name is Harriet Manners and I’ll be a geek forever…

Harriet Manners knows almost every fact there is.

Modelling isn’t a sure-fire route to popularity. Neither is making endless lists. The people you love don’t expect you to transform into someone else. Statistically, you are more likely to not meet your Australian ex-boyfriend in Australia than bump into him there.

So on the trip of a lifetime Down Under Harriet’s to-do lists are gone and it’s Nat’s time to shine! Yet with nearly-not-quite-boyfriend Jasper back home, Harriet’s completely unprepared to see supermodel ex Nick. Is the fashion world about to turn ugly for GEEK GIRL?

It’s time for Harriet to face the future. Time to work out where her heart lies. To learn how to let go…

Interview with @HolSmale #ForeverGeek The answer is chocolate! @HarperCollinsCh Holly Smale is a British internationally bestselling author. She wanted to write from the age of five, when she realised that books didn't grow on trees like apples.