#shirley liu

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

Books of 2024: July Wrap-Up.

This month, I picked my knitting back up with a vengeance, started a Three Sentences Writing Challenge, AND participated in several work-adjacent Social Events (who am I, even), On Top Of accidentally nerfing myself with several brick-like books, so! This little stack isn't half bad. Photos and/or reviews linked below:

ORDINARY MONSTERS - ★★ This was a miss for me, y'all, AND it was a brick, so it took a hot minute to read. I wanted it to be better than it was, but it rambled and wandered Too Much (which, coming from me, you KNOW is bad). Salty also-rambly 1.5k review linked.

IF FOUND, RETURN TO HELL - ★★★½ Way cuter than I was expecting!! I had a good time with the second person. Hugely relatable (which. wild. all things considered.).

THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE - ★★★½ Funnier than anticipated, and very readable for something out of the '50s! I see why it's a cornerstone of the (sub)genre. Glad I have a copy on hand now.

THE ACTOR AND THE TARGET - ★★★★★ This Rewired My Brain. It took me three (3) weeks to get through. It was so good. If you're a writer, definitely check this out, 10/10 recommend.

WHEN AMONG CROWS - ★★★½ I checked this out from the library because hardback novellas are Expensive if you're not sure you vibe with the author's style, but I had a good time! Witcher fans should descend on this, I think.

ALWAYS COMING HOME - 76*/618 pages read; will report back later. I asked the People about this one, and the People have Spoken (read: this won my What Do I Read Next Poll), but I may or may not have miscalcuated how many brain cells I have available lately between work and writing, so I may or may not be cutting this with library books. I'll finish it. Eventually. (*asterisk because she keeps referencing Other Pages In Line, and every time she does I jump ahead to read those pages instead and then come back to where I was. I'm dual wielding bookmarks through this tome, it's an Experience™ so far!)

Under the Cut: A Note About ~*★Stars★*~

Historically, I have been Very Bad™ about assigning things Star Ratings, because it's so Vibes Heavy for me and therefore Contingent Upon my Whims. I am refining this as I figure out my wrap up posts (epiphany of this month: I don't like that stars are Odd, because that makes three the midpoint and things are rarely so truly mid for me)(I have hacked my way around this with a ½). Here is, generally, how I conceptualize stars:

★ - This was Bad. I would actively recommend that you do NOT read this one, no redeeming qualities whatsoever, not worth the slog. Save Yourself, It's Too Late For Me. Book goes in the garbage (donate bin).

★★ - This was Not Good. I would not recommend it, but it wasn't a total waste or wash--something in here held my interest/kept my attention/sparked some joy. I will not be rereading this ever. Save Yourself (Or Join Me In Suffering, That Seems Like A Cool Bonding Activity).

★★★ - This was Good/Fine/Okay/Meh. I don't care about this enough to recommend it one way or another. Perfectly serviceable book, held my interest, I probably enjoyed myself (or at least didn't actively loathe the reading). I don't have especially strong feelings. You probably don't need to save yourself from this one--if it sounds like your jam, give it a shot! Just didn't resonate with me particularly powerfully. I probably won't reread this unless I'm after something in particular.

★★★½ - I liked this! I'll probably recommend it if I know it matches someone's vibes or specific requests, but I didn't commit to a star rating on Goodreads. More likely to reread, but not guaranteed.

★★★★ - I really enjoyed this!! I would recommend it (sometimes with caveats about content warnings or such--I tend to like weird fucked up funny shit, and I don't have many hard readerly NO's). Not a perfect book for me by any means, but Very Good. This is something I would reread! Join me!!

★★★★★ - I LOVED THE SHIT OUT OF THIS, IT REWIRED MY BRAIN, WILL RECOMMEND TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE AT THE SLIGHTEST PROVOCATION (content warning caveats still apply--see 4-star disclaimer). Excellent book, I'll reread it regularly, I'll buy copies for all my friends, I'll try to convince all of Booklr to read it, PLEASE join me!!

[femmehysteria]

Monthly Favourites of 2023

saw a youtube short of someone showing their favourite books they read each month this year and i liked that idea so here are mine

January - Farenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

February - Klara and the Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro

March - Something is Killing the Children Vol 1 - James Tynion IV

April - The Secret History - Donna Tartt

May - Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir

June - The Night Eaters: Book 1: She Eats the Night - Marjorie Liu

July - The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

August - The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson

September - Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All - Jonas Jonasson

October - Artemis - Andy Weir

November - Babel: An Arcane History - RF Kuang

December - The Talented Mr Ripley - Patricia Highsmith

I'd love to see everyone elses monthly favourites! Tag me if you end up doing this. A favourite monthly movie would be a cool idea also. I'm tagging some mutuals but no pressure @screamingay @thesupergirls @shamemp3 @monsterbookworm @brw @welcome-to-latveria @poetrylesbian @thesireofsorrow @twistedmp3 @underthestarlitsky ♡

[bookclub4m]

Episode 200 - Library Fiction

It’s episode 200, which means it’s (finally) time for us to discuss Library Fiction! We talk about the stereotypes and tropes of library fiction, unacknowledged work of library workers,and more. Plus: we talk way more about our actual jobs than we usually do.

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray 🦇 | Jam Edwards

Things We Read (or tried to…)

Labyrinths: Selected Stories & Other Writings by Jorge Luis Borges 

The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence

Ex Libris: Stories of Librarians, Libraries, and Lore by Paula Guran (below are direct links to many of the stories from this collection)

In the House of the Seven Librarians by Ellen Klages

In Libres by Elizabeth Bear

Those Who Watch by Ruthanna Emrys

Paper Cuts Scissors by Holly Black

Summer Reading by Ken Liu

Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link

With Tales in Their Teeth, From the Mountain They Came by A.C. Wise

The Librarian’s Dilemma by E. Saxey

The Green Book by Amal El-Mohtar

A Woman's Best Friend by Robert Reed

If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Xia Jia, translated by Ken Liu

The Sigma Structure Symphony by Gregory Benford

The Fort Moxie Branch by Jack McDevitt

The Last Librarian: Or a Short Account of the End of the World by Edoardo Albert

How Can I Help You by Laura Sims

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor 

Souls in the Great Machine by Sean McMullen

Other Media We Mentioned

The Library of Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

The Empty Crown by Rosemary Edghill 

Meghan meant The Abortion by Richard Brautigan (not Trout Fishing in America)

The Midnight Library by Kazuno Kohara

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

Bookhunter by Jason Shiga

Unshelved by Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes

Library Comic by Gene Ambaum and Willow Payne

Welcome to Night Vale

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Episode 134 - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Abbott Elementary

Pounded In The Butt By My Handsome Sentient Library Card Who Seems Otherworldly But In Reality Is Just A Natural Part Of The Priceless Resources Our Library System Provides by Chuck Tingle

My Librarian Is A Beautiful Lesbian Ice Cream Cone And She Tastes Amazing by Chuck Tingle

Party Girl

Public Enemy - Fight the Power

Fictional Librarians

50 Fictional Librarians, Ranked

Rupert Giles (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Barbara Gordon (DC Comics)

The Librarian (Discworld)

Lucien (The Sandman)

Evelyn Carnahan (The Mummy)

Marian Paroo (The Music Man)

Librarians (Welcome to Night Vale)

“While their description is never fully given, minor details of their physical characteristics have been described:”

yellow, gnarled teeth

sharp claws and pincers

Wings

Tentacles

thousands of spiny legs

rattles (that make noise when they move)

thoraxes

Links, Articles, and Things

Two-Fisted Library Stories zines

North Boulder Library is ready to open (there’s a slide in image 6!)

15 Librarian & Library Fiction by POC Authors

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama, translated by Alison Watts

Cora's Kitchen by Kimberly Garrett Brown

The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez 

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu

The Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana

The Plotters by Kim Un-Su

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

The Library Thief by Kuchenga Shenjé

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

Bookhunter by Jason Shiga

Give us feedback!

Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read!

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Join us again on Tuesday, October 1st we’ll be getting ready for spooky season with the Weird West! (That’s Supernatural Horror Westerns)

Then on Tuesday, October 15th it’s time for our “We All Read the Same Book” episode as we discuss A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher.

[dear-indies]

Hi there! I was wondering if you could help me find an actress fc who has a witchy vibe and also like...a haunted look? She gives off very "doomed by the narrative" vibes but I'm struggling to think of any fcs. Any help would be appreciated! Thank you so much 💚

Famke Janssen (1964)

Shirley Manson / Garbage (1966) has spoken up for Palestine!

Catherine Zeta-Jones (1969)

Beth Ditto (1981) - is queer - has spoken up for Palestine!z

Niamh McGrady (1982) - has spoken up for Palestine!

Billie Piper (1982)

Alyssa Sutherland (1982)

Jena Malone (1984) - has spoken up for Palestine!

Diane Guerrero (1986) Colombian- in Doom Patrol? - has spoken up for Palestine!

Giulia Michelini (1985) - has spoken up for Palestine!

T'Nia Miller (1985) Afro Jamaican - is a lesbian.

Jodie Turner-Smith (1986) Afro Jamaican.

Nicola Coughlan (1987) has spoken up for Palestine!

Juliana Huxtable (1987) African-American - is trans - has spoken up for Palestine!

Macarena García (1988)

FKA twigs (1988) Afro Jamaican, English, Spanish, possibly Egyptian.

Aiysha Hart (1988) Saudi Arabian and White - has spoken up for Palestine!

Rosaline Elbay (1990) Egyptian - has spoken up for Palestine!

Seychelle Gabriel (1991) French, Mexican / Italian, including Sicilian - has spoken up for Palestine!

Jess Bush (1992) - has spoken up for Palestine!

Paloma Elsesser (1992) African-American / Chilean-Swiss - has spoken up for Palestine!

Jesse James Keitel (1993) - is a trans woman.

Jordan Alexander (1993) German, Irish, African-American - has spoken up for Palestine!

Khadijha Red Thunder (1994) Chippewa Cree, Black, White - is pansexual.

Lulu Antariksa (1995) Indonesian / White.

Lauren Jauregui (1996) Cuban [Spanish, possibly other], likely some Basque - is bisexual - has spoken up for Palestine!

Myha'la (1996) Afro Jamaican / White - is a lesbian - has spoken up for Palestine!

Kiana Ledé (1997) African-American, Swedish, Mexican, Cherokee - has spoken up for Palestine!

Havana Rose Liu (1997) Chinese / White.

Juliette Motamed (1997) Iranian - has spoken up for Palestine!

Ethel Cain (1998) - is a trans bisexual woman - has spoken up for Palestine!

Olivia DeJonge (1998)

Nell Tiger Free (1999)

Quannah Chasinghorse (2002) Hän, Gwich’in, Sicangu Oyate Lakota Sioux, Oglala Lakota Sioux.

Please let me know if you want a more specific age range!

[wulfhalls]

ok hit me with your all time recs (books)

DUNE yes the entire series u know the drill, east of eden - john steinbeck, the sunne in splendour - sharon kay penman, wuthering heights - emily bronte, alias grace - margaret atwood, the dovekeepers - alice hoffman, blood meridian - cormac mccarthy, monte cristo - dumas, the three body problem - liu cixin, slaughterhouse five - kurt vonnegut, we have always lived in the castle - shirley jackson, the wind up bird chronicle - haruki murakami, never let me go - kazuo ishiguro, annihilation - jeff vandermeer, crime and punishment - dostoevsky, also war and peace mostly because I want u to know that I read war and peace in its entirety that me reading war and peace was a thing that I've done

[snackerdoodle]

books I read in 2023

I had a huge reading year this year because of my gruelingly long commute. The list below the cut is mostly for my own edification, but I’m a nosy person who supports other nosy people, so if you want to know what I’ve been up to, have at it. Almost everything I read this year was from the library.

1/12 A Charmed Life, Diana Wynne Jones

1/18 The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School, Sonora Reyes

1/24 The Life-Changing Magic of 

Tidying Up, Marie Kondo

1/25 Hotel Magnifique, Emily J. Taylor

1/30 Spark Joy, Marie Kondo 

2/2 The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune

2/8 The Golden Enclaves, Naomi Novik

2/8 Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, Ashley Herring Blake

2/15 The Nile, Toby Wilkinson

2/23 The Painted Queen, Elizabeth Peters and Joan Hess

2/28 Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine

3/5 Tipping the Velvet, Sarah Waters

3/12 Lord of the Silent, Elizabeth Peters

3/16 Marie Kondo’s Kurashi at Home, Marie Kondo 

3/20 Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life, Ruth Franklin

3/20 The Art of Simple Living, Shunmyo Masuno

3/26 The Bird’s Nest, Shirley Jackson

4/11 Life Among the Savages, Shirley Jackson

4/12 A People’s History of the United States, Howard Zinn

4/18 The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories, Charlotte Perkins Gilman

4/21 Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto, Tricia  Hersey

5/1 Last Night at the Telegraph Club, Malinda Lo

5/3 Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail, Ashley Herring Blake

5/10 Fight Like Hell: The Untold Story of American Labor, Kim Kelly

5/11 Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings, Joy Harjo 

5/12 Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, Reni Eddo-Lodge

5/15 The Lottery and Other Stories, Shirley Jackson

5/18 The Lives of Christopher Chant, Diana Wynne Jones

5/29 A Little Devil in America, Hanif Abdurraqib

6/3 A Marvellous Light, Freya Marske

6/6 Ducks, Kate Beaton 

6/8 Wild and Wicked Things, Francesca May (awful. Every character was an idiot. Why did I finish this)

6/10 Breathing Lessons: A Doctor’s Guide to Lung Health, Meilan K. Han, MD

6/19 The Three Body Problem, Cixin Liu

6/19 A Fortune for Your Disaster, Hanif Abdurraqib (I liked this even more than the last one I read. Maybe because it was an audiobook read by the author.)

6/22 Disjointed, Diana Jovin (ed) (skipped parts that were totally unrelated to me and some things that were also too technical)

6/22 The Lavender Scare, David K. Johnson

6/26 Enquête au collège, Jean-Phillipe Arrou-Vignod 

6/28 The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner

7/3 Last Call, Elon Green

7/12 Cache Cache Petit Fantôme

7/13 Le Petit Prince, Antoine de Saint-

Exupéry

7/13 La fille qui navigua autour de féérie dans un bateau construit de ses propres mains, Catherynne M Valente

7/14 Lost in the Moment and Found, Seanan McGuire

7/14 Ich mag dich gesund sagte der Bär, Janosch

7/25 The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch

7/31 The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, Shannon Chakraborty

8/10 A Restless Truth, Freya Marske 

8/16 Camp Damascus, Chuck Tingle

9/6 The Body in the Garden, Katherine Schellman

9/11 Silence in the Library, Katherine Schellman

9/13 When Things Get Dark, various 

9/19 Death at the Manor, Katherine Schellman

9/25 Sorcery and Cecelia, Patricia C Wrede and Caroline Stevermer

10/3 The Grand Tour, Patricia C Wrede and Caroline Stevermer 

10/6 Murder at Midnight, Katharine Schellman

10/12 The Mislaid Magician, Patricia C Wrede and Caroline Stevermer

10/18 Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies, Elizabeth Winkler

10/18 Harry Potter und der Stein der Weisen, JK Rowling

10/25 Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA search for Mind Control, Stephen Kinzer

11/1 Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date, Ashley Herring Blake

11/3 Nothing But Blackened Teeth, Cassandra Shaw

11/9 Unfuck Your Habitat, Rachel Hoffman

11/11 Safe and Sound, Mercury Stardust 

11/12 Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD (revised and updated), Susan C. Pinskey

11/18 Red Seas under Red Skies, Scott Lynch

11/20 In With the Old: Classic Decor A to Z,  Jennifer Boles 

11/23 Habitat: The Field Guide to Decorating, Lauren Liess

11/24 Vermeer: The Complete Paintings, Norbert Schneider 

11/29 The Conscious Closet, Elizabeth L. Cline

12/4 Leech, Hiron Ennes

12/6 The Star that Always Stays, Anna Rose Johnson 

P12/14 The Republic of Thieves, Scott Lynch

12/15 An American Sunrise, Joy Harjo

12/20 The Wife Upstairs, Rachel Hawkins

12/22 How to Keep House While Drowning, KC Davis

12/30 The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, Margareta Magnusson 

Gave up on: The Woman Who Would Be King, Kara Cooney (too speculative/fictionalized)

A Scatter of Light, Malinda Lo (nothing really wrong, it just wasn’t holding my attention at all)

14 histoires pour avoir peur mais pas trop quand même (turned into full cast audio and the music between stories was really annoying)

Manhunt, Gretchen Felker-Martin (not in the right headspace maybe, maybe just not for me)

American Cozy, Stephanie Pedersen (got annoyed at how much of the information hinged on living in a huge suburban home with 18 closets and a husband and multiple children you can make do your chores for you)

The Curated Closet, Anuschka Rees (not bad just not what I was looking for)

[noddytheornithopod]

Ahsoka news:

Really happy about Lars Mikkelsen still being the actor to play Thrawn. Don't know how I'll fare with the series, but I'm almost certain Lars will give a memorable performance if his Rebels work is anything to go by.

Also, Filoni still talks with Timothy Zahn! I'm still not expecting the character to be exactly like the canon novels unless Filoni pleasantly surprises us, but it's nice to know he's still looking for his input regardless of what happens.

Kevin Kiner composing? Was kind of expecting Joseph Shirley/Ludwig Goransson as like a through line for the Mandoverse stuff, but Kevin Kiner being a Filoni collaborator makes sense. At least the score is bound to be good!

No idea what to make of Baylan and Shin. I guess there's a Jorus C'Baoth parallel with the former? IDK. Shin does have some Ventress vibes, especially with the older master. Wonder what their deal is if they're Dark Side users presumably working with Thrawn.

Seeing speculation the Inquisitor might be the 8th Brother. Could totally see something like him surviving and following Ahsoka off Malachor, lol.

IDK how I feel on Hera or Sabine yet. They mostly look fine, though I do think there's valid arguments that Bordizzo might be too light skinned for Sabine, like at least she IS ethnically East Asian, but mixed white background means she looks a lil uh pale :v Probably will need to get used to their performances though. (I will say Natasha Liu Bordizzo is pretty regardless of how I feel with other stuff however hfcejdks)

Oh yeah Chopper is around. As long as he's still Chopper that's cool.

For other trailer stuff, guess having Mon Mothma around is cool.

Anyway, IDK how I feel yet. Got some trepidation based on some casting (especially the possibly transphobic lead, don't @ me, not here to argue :v) and how the Mandoverse is going, but there's stuff to look forward to too.

[july-19th-club]

Read in 2022:

My Heart is a Chainsaw; Jade Daniels #1 – Stephen Graham Jones (Dec. 21-Jan 22) 

We Have Always Lived in the Castle – Shirley Jackson (Jan)  

All Systems Red; Murderbot Diaries #1 – Martha Wells (Jan) 

The Wind’s Twelve Quarters short story collection – Ursula K. Le Guin (Jan) 

Always Coming Home – Ursula K. Le Guin (UNFINISHED; SKIMMED – Jan)  

A Desolation Called Peace; Teixcalaan #2 – Arkady Martine (Jan – May) 

Death’s End; Three Body #3 – Liu Cixin (UNFINISHED – Jan – May – ?)  

Artificial Condition; Murderbot Diaries #2 – Martha Wells (Feb – March)  

Off the Edge: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture, and Why People will Believe Anything – Kelly Weill (Feb – March) 

The Appeal – Janice Hallett (Feb) 

Black Leopard, Red Wolf; Dark Star #1 – Marlon James (Feb – March DNF AGAIN :( ) 

In Love – Amy Bloom (March) 

Woman Eating – Claire Kohda (April) 

Help/Thanks/Wow: The Three Essential Prayers – Anne Lamott (April)  

We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans in Comedy – Kliph Nesteroff (Apr – May) 

The Raven Tower – Ann Leckie (May – June) 

Overdue: Reckoning with the Public Library – Amanda Oliver (May) 

The Sign for Home – Blair Fell (May) 

The Name of the Wind; Kingkiller Chronicle #1 – Patrick Rothfuss (May – still not finished) 

The Fifth Season; Broken Earth #1 – N. K. Jemison (May – July) 

Dracula; via the Dracula Daily read-along email club – Bram Stoker (May – Nov)  

How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing – K.C. Davis 

Rogue Protocol; Murderbot Diaries #3 – Martha Wells (June) 

Sonnetts from the Portuguese – Elizabeth Barrett Browning (June)  

The Cyrano Factor – Medievalchic on AO3 (June) (I read so little fanfiction and it was novella-length so I felt compelled to count it) 

Harlem Sunset: Louise Lloyd #2– Nekesa Afia <3 (June – July) 

“Drive” from Nobody’s Magic short story collection – Destiny O. Birdsong (June – July) 

Something that May Shock and Discredit You – Daniel Lavery (June) 

One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez (June – Aug) 

Get In Trouble short story collection – Kelly Link (July) 

Devil House – John Darnielle (July) 

The Swimmers – Julie Otsuka (July) 

The Tale of Beren & Luthien – J.R.R. Tolkien (July) 

The Goblin Emperor – Katherine Addison (July – Aug) 

The Thief – Megan Whalen Turner (REREAD – DNF – Aug) 

Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet (zine) #45 – (Aug) 

Paths of Dissent: Soldiers Speak Out Against America’s Misguided Wars – ed. Andrew Bacevich & Daniel A. Sjursen (Aug) 

Cyrano de Bergerac – Edmond Rostand (REREAD - first time since high school! - Aug – Sept) 

Practical Magic – Alice Hoffman (REREAD – DNF – Sept) 

Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant – Roz Chast (Sept)  

Rosemary & Rue; October Daye #1 – Seanan McGuire (Sept) 

Nona the Ninth; Locked Tomb #3 – Tamsyn Muir (Sept) 

A Local Habitation; October Daye #2 – Seanan McGuire (Sept – Oct) 

I’m Glad My Mom Died – Jennette McCurdy (Oct) 

A Choir of Lies – Alexandra Rowland (Oct-Nov) 

An Artificial Night; October Daye #3 – Seanan McGuire (Oct – Dec) 

The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity – David Graeber & David Wengrow (Nov 22 – ? still reading) 

Leech – Hiron Ennes (Dec) 

all told i've read a total of 48 books this year, which is way more than i thought i'd read when i was going through my list. technically it's probably closer to 40 because some of the books are DNFs or books i'm still trying to finish - but nonetheless i think i had a pretty varied and rewarding reading experience this year! the list for next year is everything i didn't read on this year's list, plus like two small steno pages of books i've written down since then - about 220 books. i'll probably add even more as the year goes on.

[annamaywong]

📚My Anna May Wong book collection thus far 🙌🏼

🌟Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story by Paula Yoo & Lin Wang

➡️My review: A wonderfully illustrated children’s book which based much of its information from Hodges’ biography. This is the older edition. I didn’t get a chance to get the newer version.

🌟Anna May Wong: A Complete Guide to Her Film, Stage, Radio and Television Work by Philip Leibfried & Chei Mi Lane

➡️My review: This is an underrated book & provides a guide to little known info about her work - in particular her stage & tv work. Not necessarily a biography, but more of a guide to her professional work.

🌟Anna May Wong: From Laundryman’s Daughter to Hollywood Legend by Graham Russell Gao Hodges

My review: This is the 2004 edition. I read/listened to the 2023 edition on Scribd. Some information is updated in the 2023 version. However, the text remains mostly the same. Some of the info is not accurate. I fear that it spreads misconceptions about her. I do commend Hodges for his work. It’s good for basic knowledge about Anna May.

🌟Anna May Wong: Performing the Modern by Shirley Jennifer Lim

➡️My review: A very academic look at Anna May Wong’s acting career. Anna May’s fave picture of herself is on the cover.

🌟Perpetually Cool: The Many Lives of Anna May Wong (1905-1961) by Anthony B. Chan

➡️This Anna May Wong doesn’t necessarily go in chronological order, but there are some details I wouldn’t have known otherwise. The author quotes & excerpts from interviews & writings of Anna May Wong. Goes great with Hodges’ book.

🌟China Doll (The Imagined Life of An American Actress) Dramatic Play by Elizabeth Wong

➡️My review: I didn’t get a chance to read it yet. However, it is cool to note that Conrad Doerr, a tenant of Anna May Wong at her Moongate apartments, is a character in this dramatic play. Please note: it is a fictionalized drama.

🌟Upcoming: I’m hoping to add Katie Gee Salisbury’s book about Anna May Wong to my collection once it is released.

BTW, I’ve moved to the following blog below.

[drgnflyteabox]

Shirley Jackson is one of my favorites! What else have you read this year?

She was so so so good. I just finished and loved We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I've read 21 books this year when my goal was 30 but I think.... that's fine lol. Shoot for the moon

My list in order is;

ACOTAR (just the one and I'll prob continue)

The Outsider by Albert Camus

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Severance by Ling Ma

Lie With Me by Philippe Besson

Ubik by Philip K. Dick

Kappa by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

Heavens Official Blessing (the one and I plan to continue) by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù

Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

Red Rising by Pierce Brown (just the one and it was so bad I will not be finishing it)

Galatea by Madeline Miller (i know this is a short story but... I bought it in book form so I'm counting it)

January by Sarah Gallardo

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansburry

Howls Moving Caslte by Diana Wynne Jones

Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum

The Cold War: A Very Short Introduction by Robert J McMahon (for school lol)

The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

White Nights by Dostoyevsky

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

[booksandboba]

TBR 2024

My goal for my GoodReads 2024 Reading Challenge is a lofty 200 books because I'm hoping to tackle my massive To Be Read pile this year. With the vision and concentration issues caused by my chronic condition, it's much harder to focus on reading a solid book, and so frequently default to light novels, webcomics, and manga nowadays. But... I'm still forever buying books that look great even if they just sit on my shelves in vain. I know that May is already almost over, but I'm hoping that by doing the note-taking method of summarizing each chapter as I go, it will help with the memory and focus issues and I can crack open some of these bad boys!

*Just a note to specify because I'm not sure it's the same for others, but my TBR is my list of books I already own but haven't read; books that I want to read and don't have yet, including new releases go on my Wishlist. :)

Strike the Zither (Joan He)

We Have Always Lived in the Castle (Shirley Jackson, Jonathan Lethem)

Soul Mountain (Gao Xingjian, Mabel Lee)

The Art of Prophecy (Wesley Chu)

The Ranger of Marzanna (Jon Skovron)

Blood Heir (Amélie Wen Zhao)

Six of Crows (Leigh Bardugo)

A Magic Steeped in Poison (Judy I. Lin)

A Venom Dark and Sweet (Judy I. Lin)

The Burning God (R.F. Kung)

The Wicked King (Holly Black)

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (Brandon Sanderson, Aliya Chen)

Descendant of the Crane (Joan He)

Vampire Weekend (Mike Chen)

Winter (Marissa Meyer)

Cress (Marissa Meyer)

A Bright Heart (Kate Chenli)

The Grace of Kings (Ken Liu)

The Spear Cuts Through Water (Simon Jimenez)

Pachinko (Min Jin Lee)

The Priory of the Orange Tree (Samantha Shannon)

Peony in Love (Lisa See)

Station Eleven (Emily St. John Mandel)

A River Enchanted (Rebecca Ross)

Lonely Castle in the Mirror (Mizuki Tsujimura)

It Didn't Start With You (Mark Wolynn)

The Night Ends With Fire (K.X. Song)

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods (Molly X. Chang)

[fira54funko]

Diablo- Lexie Liu.

(If you like Shirley Manson from Garbage, you will probably enjoy this song. 😊)

暗黑破坏神

I know you need me.

[asecondglassofcinnamonwine]

March Books

Read Count: 14 books Average Page Count: 413 pages/book Goodreads Unread Count: 438 Owned Unread Count: 7

Books: Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation - edited by Ken Liu Ruin of Kings - Jenn Lyons Blood of Dragons - Robin Hobb The Man in the High Castle - Phillip K Dick Her Smoke Rose Up Forever - James Tiptree Jr Mariana - Susanna Kearsley Fledgling - Octavia E Butler The Three-Body Problem - Cixin Liu The Writer’s Map: An Atlas of Imaginary Lands - edited by Huw Lewis-Jones The Good House - Tananarive Due * Fool’s Assassin - Robin Hobb The Bird’s Nest - Shirley Jackson The Elric Saga Part I - Michael Moorcock Funny You Should Ask - Elissa Sussman

Finishing Series: 3 *Starred Reads: 1 Nonfiction: 1 Deep-Dive Authors: 3

Genres: Scifi: 5 Fantasy: 4 Horror: 2 Contemporary: 1 Coffee table book: 1 Romance: 1

Goals Not Accomplished:

Library Books: Emperor’s Edge (abandoned at like five pages) Course of Dragons #2 (will not be reading further) Emperor’s Edge #2 (ditto)

[cartoon-and-animal-lover]

OC name meaning

Rules: Google and post the meaning of your OC’S name (if you made their name up or they go by a nickname, post an explanation of how it came to you)! bonus if you can find something for their last name too.

I was tagged by @sketch-shepherd, though I probably won't be tagging anyone else. I just thought it would be fun to go into how I came up with some of my OC's names.

Kathryn Orenstein and Liu Tsong (Adventures in Maple Isle)

(art by Flora-Tea)

Kathryn's given name is a tribute to Kathryn Beaumont, who voiced both Alice in Disney's Alice in Wonderland and Wendy Darling in Disney's Peter Pan (two stories in which AiMI takes influence from. Her surname is a tribute to Janis Orenstein, who voiced Clarice in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. (Like Kathryn, Janis grew up in Toronto and had trouble fitting in at school due to being the only Jewish girl there.) I also decided to give Kathryn the middle name Shirley as a reference to Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables.

Liu Tsong's name is a tribute to Anna May Wong, the famed Chinese-American actress who was born Wong Liu Tsong.

Liesl, Winnipeg, and Pepper (The Land After Man)

(art by Flora-Tea)

Liesl's name is a reference to The Sound of Music (and was also the name of a Labrador we had when I was a kid), Winnipeg's name is a reference to the female black bear that Winnie the Pooh was named after, and Pepper's name is a reference to one of my mom's cats (who coincidently has very similar black and white coloration as her fictional counterpart).

Petey and Teegan (Petey Pit)

(art by Sketch-Shepherd)

Petey's name is an obvious reference to Petey from Our Gang/The Little Rascals, which is probably the most famous example of how pit bulls didn't have the negative reputation they do today. Teegan's name is a reference to a German Shepherd an IRL friend of mine had, though thankfully he wasn't as vicious as his fictional counterpart.

I seriously considered naming Teegan after Derek Chauvin, the officer who murdered George Floyd, at first, before realizing that would be a little on-the-nose and uncomfortable.

[leanstooneside]

The longer you live the more you see

1. Kelly Slater's joint mouth

2. Lucy Liu's joint lip

3. Chad Ochocinco's joint leg

4. Janet Jackson's joint head

5. Jenna Elfman's joint arm

6. Kyle Richards's joint finger

7. DSquared2's joint neck

8. Nikki Reed's joint toe

9. Amy Winehouse's joint waist

10. Mena Suvari's joint ear

11. Channing Tatum's joint ear

12. Jessica Biel's joint upper arm

13. Gary Shirley's joint tongue

14. Luke Wilson's joint hair

15. Brad Pitt's joint leg

16. Florence Welch's joint breast

17. Stavros Niarchos III's joint nose

18. Julian McMahon's joint foot

19. Olivia Wilde's joint tongue

20. Jamie Campbell Bower's joint bottom

21. Johnny Depp's joint nose

22. Tyler Posey's joint toe

23. Trevor Donovan's joint nostril

24. LuAnn De Lesseps's joint calf

[artesmarcialescom]

Efectos del Wing Chun en la salud musculoesquelética y el rendimiento del equilibrio en adultos mayores

Por Ryan W.T. Lip, Shirley S.M. Fong, Shamay S.M. Ng, Karen P.Y. Liu y X. Guo Propósito El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar los efectos del entrenamiento de artes marciales chinas Ving Tsun o Wing Chun (VT) en la fuerza de los huesos radiales, la fuerza muscular de las extremidades superiores e inferiores, la movilidad de las articulaciones de los hombros, el rendimiento del equilibrio y…