#the humanity in backman's characters....

[joyglass]

i grinned like a fool when i finally understood your tumblr profile desc was about benji. genuinely thank you for introducing me and other anons to beartown im not done yet but im so crushed and astonished like how did this random guy get me hooked on…. hockey….??? maybe not hockey itself but rather ohhhh man the complexity of everyone and everything and the omniscient view that you as the reader have over the story, predicting the shit that might go down and the actual feeling of dread washing over you when your fears do come true … holy. backman when i catch you.

the thing about backman's prose is that he details the human experience and vulnerability with such a frankness that genuinely just makes u sit there and reflect on your life and the every single thing you've done. his writing packs such a punch every single sentence I've never thought these books would make me so emotional like I'm so DISTRAUGHT over every single character even the ones you might hate at first bc in the end they're only human and they make the same mistakes as everyone does as you yourself probably did because of how well backman writes them these books r just a joy to read even with all the heartbreak and tragedy bc ppl despite everything r resilient!!! They will pull through no matter what spring will come there will come a girl and she will be the best player beartown has ever seen and it won't be Kevin and it won't even be Amat it'll be that little girl who grows up and makes it big I'm so emotional rn

[zerogate]

Music and wild dancing phenomena recur in all shapes and forms throughout history. In the history of European Christianity, music in service to spiritual dance and ceremony has been a constant, periodically erupting into irrepressible movements. In many European dance epidemics, participants vied with the old Greeks in wildness, for example in the Festival of Fools, in which people donned costumes of animals, often disguising themselves as the other gender, happily doing and saying things out of character, all of which was outrageous to Christian piety.

The “dancing” was not square or genteel but explosive, spastic, jerky, and hopping. There were dances meant to promote the fertility of crops, as well as of women, or to celebrate a saint or a holy day. The hungry, the sick, and the miserable danced for relief, for healing, for companionship. There were dances of the dead meant to help the dead but also to ward off the dangers that might issue from the insulted dead. J. G. Frazer, distinguished British folklorist and anthropologist, has documented the curious fact that early humanity lived in extreme fear of the dead, even dead folks who in life were friends and loved ones....

There is a strange side to music that is dark. You’ve probably heard of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. An odd little fellow comes strolling through town blowing tunes on his pipe and the children spontaneously break free and follow the Piper out of town and never come back. It’s a true story, and 147 children were never seen again. All kinds of historical documentation bears this out. All we know is that the piping had the power to lure the children into whatever made them disappear...

As for the Dionysian frenzy, E. Lewis Backman, a professor of pharmacology from the University of Upsala, has tracked dance epidemics in Western history.

An epidemic erupted in a region near the Rhine in 1374. That year was a time of unprecedented floods; the water of the Rhine was twenty-six feet higher than normal from the biggest snowfalls in hundreds of years. In the midst of this chaos arrived the choreomaniacs, victims of a mysterious disease called choreomania, dance mania, which became a big epidemic sweeping across Europe. According to one French historian, “the dancers were seized by some crazy madness, a frenzy hitherto unknown. They took off their clothes and went about naked; they put wreathes of flowers on their heads; they held each other hand in hand, and so they danced through the streets.”

Was this a disease or a Dionysian explosion of ecstatic consciousness—an unconscious rebellion against boredom, poverty, and oppression? However bizarre and frightening their behavior, very few died; in the end, they all recovered and were restored to their normal selves.

-- Michael Grosso, Yoga of Sound: the Life and Teachings of the Celestial Songman, Swami Nada Brahmananda

[pipperoni32-blog]

I was thinking about Benji and The Winners today. I’m still not over it. My heart still aches for him. It’s a credit to Backman and his writing, his characters.

Even though we’re warned from page one that Benji is going to die, then forewarned throughout the book. As the story goes, we’re told we have only a few more days, this is the last time. We should be prepared. We aren’t. Grief doesn’t work like that.

Backman describes the Beartown series as a fairytale. Maybe it is, in the darker of ways. There is the darkest kind of grief - devastating and all consuming, leaving you hollowed out and aching. There’s hatred and violence, betrayal, bigotry, cursing, anger and the worst of humanity. But there’s also love, and laughter. Happiness and loyalty, kindness, forgiveness. All the best of us.

[somerabbitholes]

heyy can you recommend me some books for light reading cuz i have so much to study now but i still want to read something for stress relief

hi! these are my favourites for light reading —

intimations by zadie smith: six essays written during early pandemic; it's a short swift take on things happening then, weirdly comforting now

rain in the mountains by ruskin bond: stories and essays about writing, living in the mountains and so on. also check his notes from a small room, which is more about writing; but also, just pick any ruskin bond really

the anthropocene reviewed by john green: essays from the podcast that are about being human at an individual and a larger communal level; really really well done

a man called ove by fredrik backman: about a really grumpy old man that follows him over the course of three weeks and really just builds a character portrait of him. this is light reading because it's wholesome and the sweetest thing really, but it is also not light (for me) because everytime i read backman i just obsessively let the books consume me. anxious people is also same.

good omens by neil gaiman, sir terry pratchett: this is one of the funniest and the most wholesome-est books i've read; follows an angel and a demon working together to stop the apocalypse; they both share one brain cell between them, and i love them for that; also check gaiman's coraline (be warned, it is creepy); and pratchett's small gods

the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy by douglas adams: this is the first part, and i would totally recommend them all; it starts with the earth being demolished to make space for an intergalactic highway, only one human escapes, he hitches a ride on a spaceship nearby; utter chaos of a book (affectionate), also very funny

round ireland with a fridge by tony hawks: it's a travelogue, where hawks takes a trip around the perimeter of ireland with a small fridge after losing a bet; it's absurd and engaging, and wild that this really happened

shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafon: it's a very very cool literary mystery/thriller that follows daniel, who works in his father's bookshop and who discovers a book by an author no one seems to have heard of and around whom there are only rumours and more mysteries. he starts digging into the author and his work and, as happens with thrillers, it turns into a lot he doesn't expect

i hope you find something you like!

[wellhalesbells]

top 9 books

tagged by @rosieposiepuddingnpie - thank you and curse you, this is my least favorite/favorite thing to do!

The Starless Sea, Erin Morgenstern (a book about the love of books and story-telling, another great example of this is Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr but this edges it out just a little in my all time faves. Also consider this a stand-in for Erin Morgenstern's other gem: The Night Circus.)

The Secret History, by Donna Tartt (I always waffle between the dark academia vibes of this or the snowy Amsterdam/dry Las Vegas heat of The Goldfinch - they're both absolute perfection and have gay undertones so they bounce back and forth depending on the day.)

Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides (you know how people use 'sweeping tale' to describe certain books? That's this one. It just whisks you away. I know everything there is to know about the Stephanides clan and I'm a better person for it.)

The Bedlam Stacks, by Natasha Pulley (Honestly, also consider this a stand-in for every Natasha Pulley book there is. Sometimes my favorite is The Half Life of Valery K, sometimes it's The Watchmaker of Filigree Street series, sometimes it's The Kingdoms; it's really whose yearning I'm vibing with the most that day: Valery and Shenkov? Thaniel and Mori? Merrick and Raphael? Joe and Kite? It varies.)

The Stand, by Stephen King (I also really want to put Holly in that spot, I just finished it and I haven't loved a Stephen King book like that since The Stand - the only reason I didn't is because Holly is, at least for now, the last book in a series that is a spin-off of a series and every other book in those series don't hit the level of Holly, at all.)

Anxious People, by Fredrik Backman (this can also act as a stand-in for A Man Called Ove as well since I love them both for the exact same reason - they believe in the best in people. They make you feel better about humanity in general.)

The House in the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune (I will also point out that I have yet to read a TJ Klune book I haven't loved and that is not an insignificant amount now. This one is an older queer love story with the added bonus of found family. It's magical and heart-full and kind)

Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir (Also a big lover of The Martian but this has something extra special for me - the alien was unique and I cared so much about every character that even glanced across the pages.)

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, by Jesse Q. Sutanto (I laughed, I loved, I goggled at Vera's incredible ability to bring people together - a more motley crew of people there is not and yet somehow Vera not only makes it work, she makes them family <3)

Special shoutout to Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus, I read this semi-recently (within the last year) so I don't know if my gaga-ness with it will fade or not but right now I'm like: this should absolutely be on this list, I just don't know if that's gonna hold or not. The writing is absolutely gorgeous and the plot is perfect, I just don't know if it's top ten nine perfect, y'know? Also to S.A. Cosby - Razorblade Tears is literally hanging off the end of this list by its fingernails (also read everything else by him because it's all good!).

Ongoing series - that either aren't finished or that I haven't finished so they're not cemented yet (aka Maddie cheats so she can have more spots): The Thursday Murder Club series, by Richard Osman (it's up to four books now and they are absolute perfection - it's a series that believes the best in people, even its villains, no one is allowed to be one note and you never know who it's going to pick up and keep forever), The Monk & Robot series, by Becky Chambers (it's just such a quiet, peaceful little sci-fi series that loves its characters and tea), Empire of the Vampire, by Jay Kristoff (absolutely no notes on the first book, I was stressed out and ravenous), The Infernal War Saga, by Hailey Turner (pitch perfect first two books, I'm obsessed with everyone and, like, borderline too into Honovi and Blaine??), Legends & Lattes, by Travis Baldree (this book is kind and it's found family and it's Cozy High Fantasy, like, who even knew how badly I needed that?! - a prequel is due out next month!), The Expanse series, by James S.A. Corey (okay, I know this is done but I am only through book six, though so far absolutely every one has been perfect), The Amina al-Sirafi Series, by S.A. Chakraborty (the first book is so good, which I am zero percent surprised by because I five-starred my way all the way through The Daevabad Trilogy as well!), and the Susan Ryeland series, by Anthony Horowitz (these mysteries are absolutely right up my alley - because who's investigating them? An editor of the first book's murdered author. I hope he can manage to keep these going because they are so damn good!)

tagged: @andavs, @maichan808, @callunavulgari, @midnightisquiet, @bleep0bleep, @petals42, @emeraldawn, @melowdeee, @alocalband, also anyone else who wants to do this - i love seeing people's literature tastes!!

[benjamin-ovich]

just finished reading the winners by frederik backman

The Beartown series isn't a single story. It isn't even a handful of stories. It's hundreds of interconnected little threads that paint a vivid portrait of what it means to be human. It makes us examine where our choices come from, what drives us to love and hate and act either for good or for evil. It reminds us that all people are survivors of something, but mostly of ourselves. Now that it's all over... I'm at a loss. I knew that ending was going to be painful, but god. It really hurt so much more than I imagined it would. There's something to be said about a writer who can do that, who can reveal his biggest twist on the first page of a novel and still have it take you by surprise and shatter you to pieces anyway. There's a lot to love about this book. Having read the previous two installments over the last few weeks, I feel like I've developed such close personal relationships to all the characters. They made me laugh with their antics, smile at their joy, sob over their losses. Over the course of three books these characters became my friends, my foes, my family. Beartown became my town. What a fantastic fictional place Backman has created, a place full of hope and joy and heartbreak and grief. Through Beartown we encounter a rare and stunning microcosm of humanity as a whole. There isn't a single emotion you won't go through while reading this series - love and hate, anger and sadness, laughter and tears. There isn't a single character you will not find yourself thinking about, wondering what you would've done in their place. I won't say the third book wasn't without its faults. It's definitely longer than it needed to be, and I didn't find the main overarching plot-line of this installment as gripping as the first two. However, it was my love for Backman's writing and my investment in his characters that pushed me to finish The Winners anyway. And now that I have, all I want is to sit down and cry about how it's all over. I think the last book of the trilogy accomplished what it set out to do as a finale. It gives you closure, in the most agonizing and heart-wrenching way. It shows you that there are no isolated acts of good and evil in the real world, only stories. It asks you to look at what your own story is, and how it's led you to where you are. Have you done all you can? Spoken your truth, even when it hurts? Laughed, with tears in your eyes? Cried as though you will never stop? Have you lived enough, lost enough, learned enough? Have you ever been in love? If you have, then this book is for you. 

[twinnedpeaks]

hey salem 🖤🖤 i was wondering, and sorry if you've answered this before, but what are your must-read books? like ones you just have to recommend because they're so good? i really need to get back into reading...

this is SUCH. a good question and i WILL go into heavy detail!!!!

my obvious recs are the secret history and the goldfinch by donna tartt and the picture of dorian gray by oscar wilde - timeless perfections. now for more:

the idiot by fyodor dostoyevsky - a TRUE classic, that people somehow forget about very often. will change your world view.

maurice by e. m. forster - another classic. made me believe in love. one of the first openly gay books written in 1929, and to this day, one of the few with a happy ending.

the master and margarita by mikhail bulgakov - ok last classic but SUCH a fun, wild ride. come for the fun, stay for the genuine masterpiece.

the millennium trilogy by stieg larsson (the girl with the dragon tattoo) - some of the best books i’ve ever read, and my first time seeing another autistic character. y’all know i got all love for these books, and the swedish adaptation is brilliant too.

invisible monsters by chuck palahniuk - ok way to stick to my brand but it might be my favourite book ever. such a humane story, but also genuinely tragic. funny and relatably dark.

the vegetarian by han kang - feminism! pondering! morality! ethics! an amazing exploration of mental illness, food, and family.

nightbitch by rachel yoder - i won’t recommend this to everyone i meet but if i rec it to you, i like you and think you’re weird!! a tale of a first time mother turning into a dog. incredibly moving.

beartown and a man called ove by fredrik backman - he continuously breaks my heart and i love it. the atmosphere and descriptions in his books are so unique and chilly. some of the most well written characters i’ve ever met.

paul takes the form of a mortal girl by andrea lawlor - if you’ve ever experimented with or just been interested in gender identity as a whole, you MUST read this book about paul, who can change and bend gender at will.

almond by won pyong sohn - deeply sad, yet hopeful novel about a boy who doesn’t feel emotions or empathy like most people. a whole new perspective on relationships.

now for some honorable mentions i often suggest: a certain hunger by chelsea g summers, the argonauts by maggie nelson, boy parts by eliza clarke, hell followed with us by andrew joseph white, out by natsuo kirino, milk fed by melissa broder, these violent delights by micah nemerever, on earth we’re briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong.

[bookishjules]

3, 18, 31💕💕

3. Are there any specific themes you enjoy exploring in your fics?

romantic love ofc. friendship fs. also grief. i've noticed i have a tendency to reach for stories about characters who are running from something only to realize their need to reconcile with the thing they were running from to heal and move forward.. idk what theme that would be exactly.. but it's disconcerting how often it crops up

18. Are there any fics or authors that have been particularly influential or inspiring to you?

anything any of my friends post feels inspiring to me tbh and there are so many authors i just adore. laini taylor's world-building and fredrik backman's humanity and maggie stiefvater's storytelling etc. etc. but while i believe i've been influenced by many of them.. it hasn't been something i've been aware of. EXCEPT. cj's seasick, in the manner that it introduced me to her connor and therefore maya stoll, which [redacted] <3

31. Do you prefer writing from a single character's perspective or switching between different viewpoints?

oooh the only thing i've ever written with multiple povs was my silly self-insert fic when i was 15 so i would probably assume single character?? but i remember really enjoying switching the pov when i was writing the aforementioned fic.. idk i think i'd have to try it again and see!

fic writing asks!

[spacerhapsody]

@polaroidcats tagged me to share share my 9 favourite books, and of course I went through at least three different identiy crises before I finally decided to just choose what feels right this very moment. I still had a lot of fun going back to all of them, so, thank you! <3

Krabat: Hands down one of my all-time favourites. I first read it in 5th ot 6th grade and it was also the best experience of reading a book at school ever. I've read it countless times by now and am thinking about reading it again right now because I find something in it every single time.

The House in the Cerulean Sea: Single-handedly reminded me of my love for Urban Fantasy, the romance is just so soft, and just. Outcasts finding family in each other is something that makes me very emotional when it's done well.

Boyfriend Material: One of my comfort book I return to a lot. It might not have a groundbreaking story or anything, but I love the characters and their dynamic so much. This is also one of the very few cases where the audio book makes it even better imo, because the guy reading it does Oliver's voice so well. <3

Peter Darling: I was waiting for YEARS until this book was available again, and it was worth every second. One thing you have to know about me is that I have this weird obsession with Peter Pan, but especially retellings of the original story. And queer retellings that are also done really well? YES.

American Gods: I had to include something by Neil Gaiman, and this is not only the first of his books I ever read, it's also got one of my favourite concepts. Stories and believes shaping reality? Hell yes!

Dream Thieves: The whole series gave me unrealistic expectations for YA, but this will forever be my favourite part, you'll have to fight me and my son Ronan Lynch on that. It's also been one of my comfort series to come back to when I need it.

The Travelling Cat Chronicles: I cried. This is not only beautifully written and speaking to me as a cat person, but it's also a beautiful journey through Japan.

We Are Everywhere: It's not even my own country's history, but oh wow, I love what they captured with this one, especially since it feels like more and more of queer history gets lost/forgotten as time moves on.

A Man Called Ove: I pretty much love every book by Fredrik Backman I've read so far. There's just something about how he writes people, emotions, and human connections that gets to me every time? I was wondering for a while which one I should choose here, but this one feels particularly special right now, idk.

(Tagging everyone who wants to share their favourites and/or can actually decide on 9 of them!)

[bunnyinatree]

I don't have Spotify wrapped, but here are my top five book recommendations to cap off the year C:

1 ) "Babel" by RF Kuang: This one is great for folks who love linguistics, because the magic system is based on harnessing the power that is lost in translation. It tackles the subjects of empire and colonialism, and the protagonist struggles with assimilation and wonders whether it's worth it to save himself by becoming complicit in an oppressive regime.

2 ) "Anxious People" by Frederik Backman: A surprisingly wholesome tale, this book follows a group of people who are taken hostage during a bank robbery. I am obsessed with the way that Backman creates nuanced and memorable characters, as well as the way that he combines humor and heartache.

3 ) "The Travelling Cat Chronicles" by Hiro Arikawa: A cat named Nana narrates his journey across Japan as his human searches for someone to take Nana in. We learn more about the human protagonist through flashbacks, and the relationship between human and cat always takes center stage. Fair warning: I bawled my eyes out for a good portion of this novel.

4 ) "A Story of Seven Lives" by Gin Shirakawa This three-volume manga follows two street cats named Machi and Nanao, whose paths intersect with a young, heartbroken woman named Yoshino. Overarching themes include mutual care, grief, and non-romantic forms of love. Fair warning: I cried through roughly 90% of this book. Here is a spread from the manga, since I know that a story's art style can be a major draw or deterrent.

[image ID: a spread of two pages from the manga "A Story of Seven Lives." In the first panel, Nanao are Machi are snuggled up together. Nanao is cold and wants to snuggle closer, but Machi complains that he's too heavy. By the second page, a couple of humans have shown up to take photos, squealing about how cute the stray cats are. Nanao and Machi stiffen, then dash away, saying, "God help us!" End image ID.]

5 ) "Lu" by Jason Reynolds: This is the fourth book of the middle grade "Track" series (which is about track and field, as the name suggests), and I recommend reading the entire thing—or listening to the audiobooks, for a chance to hear Guy Lockard's wonderful voice-acting. I'm listing the book "Lu" in particular, because I nearly cried seeing such a nuanced and affectionate portrayal of someone with albinism. Lu's disability doesn't define him; he has plenty of character traits and struggles outside of it. But Jason Reynolds doesn't shy away from depicting albinism realistically, including its effect on vision. Lu has hyperopia, specifically, and I love the way its explained (and explored!) for young readers.

[letthebookbegin]

💔 for the book rec ask? (I guess I'm looking for a book wreck huh💀)

HAHAHA for the pun you get two book (w)rec(k)s

i've already recommended backman but i literally can't answer 💔 without him so beartown by fredrick backman. i'd recommend looking up trigger warnings before reading this - the main character is raped (offscreen), so it deals with a very heavy subject matter, and shows the best and worst sides of humanity so beautifully. the whole situation is shown in such a painfully realistic way, but the way her people stand by her is also realistic, in a much more beautiful way. you will 100% cry multiple times while reading, & i also came out the other end caring more about hockey than i ever thought i would.

& i'll also give you the haunting of hill house by shirley jackson - this book is horror, but by the time i was done, more than anything i just felt really sad for the protagonist. it's also beautifully written - the first sentence is one of the most iconic first lines in literature - and is a fun spooky read.

send me an emoji for a book rec

[ijustkindalikebooks]

November is cold, so books and blankets and tea have been my list of requirements for the last thirty days and what a combo, highly recommend.

I have read 22 books in the month of November, covering a range of genres, some of them were pretty good, with four five star books that cover fantasy, horror, manga and contemporary.

these are those books (dun dun).

The Promised Neverland Vol. 1 by Kaiu Shirai - Oh man, this first volume of this manga series is incredible. Setting the story up perfectly, I can't wait to read more of this series, the second volume being just as good almost as this. The story of children kept in an orphanage for reasons they discover to be pretty messed up, this series has storytelling for days and characters that are complex and really display incredible humanity.

The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin - Probably one of my favourite series of all the time, if a duology counts, both of these books are just incredible to me. The story of New York coming to life as people who represent the boroughs of the city (even Staten Island) this book really creates incredible relationships and immerses you into New York so much so it makes you feel like you've visited even though you barely know what a passport is, nevermind New York. These are an incredible couple of books.

A Dowry Of Blood by S.T. Gibson - I am never on for the books hyped on TikTok I'll be honest with you,I don't really know where the influence ends now and the money begins but this one, this is a really good book. The story of one of the wives of Dracula from her perspective, it is written beautifully, sexily and with incredible feeling. It leaves you with so many thoughts, feelings and how this book connects back to the classic, Dracula is done subtlely by well. A short read too, I highly recommend.

And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman - A tiny novella about a grandad, a son and a grandson, this book made me cry from about page three. It's so tenderly written and maybe in moments a little cliche, but it is a really lovely read that pings the heartstrings. I think some people may consider the grandson a little precocious, but cos alot of this book is from inside the grandpa's head whose beginning to see the effects of dementia, I think much of what he says is what the grandpa would think look, I love this book and it's 76 pages, read it and let me know what you think!

What have you been reading in November? I'd love to hear!

Vee xo.

[weallarelonelytogether]

"There are few words that are harder to explain than 'loyalty'. It's always regarded as a positive characteristic, because a lot of people would say that many of the best things people do for each other occur precisely because of loyalty. The only problem is that many of the worst things we do to each other occur because of the same thing." Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

Have you ever read a book that stayed with you day in and day out? The characters and plot just keep popping into your head, even during the most mundane daily activities. Do you feel every emotion with those characters and find pieces of yourself in them? Do you see yourself reflected in their flaws and mistakes? For me, that book is Beartown.

The beginning is slow-paced, with the author taking time to introduce us to this snow-covered small town in Sweden and the cast of more than ten characters, each with their own flaws, hopes, dreams, ambitions, fears, internal struggles, and complexities. You slowly become a part of this community, living with these people. The intertwined lives of these characters and their ultimate obsession with hockey give way to the tragedies that strike the town and consume them entirely. This book explores the themes of loyalty, love, morality, and tragedy.

Backman masterfully portrays these characters, revealing their most raw, vulnerable, and dark phases of humanity. Throughout the book, Backman conveys the message that sports can bring people together, but it can also be the cause of destruction, as you see in Beartown.

JUST READ IT!!!! (you won't regret it)

[haruhey]

do you have a favourite novel or author? or piece of poetry?

hiiii anon !!!

my favourite author is Fredrik Backman and my favourite novel of his (favourite novel in general) is his novella And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer (2016).

it’s a super heartfelt piece that’s about a grandfather with alzheimer’s that takes a walk with his grandson every morning, but as the days progress, the grandfather’s condition becomes worse and he starts to forget memories that he wants to hold onto. it’s a story that is focused on familial love and aging, and microscopes on, like, raw human emotion?? it’s SO GOOD and it made me cry when i first read it - i could talk about it forever lmao it changed me fundamentally when i read it like 4 years ago.

fredrik backman, i feel, really inspires me as an author, and i think a lot of how i write is me trying to recreate what he kinda makes me feel?? idk, my writing focuses a lot on what the characters feel to progress the plot, rather than the actions that occur in the story, if that makes sense?? i’m rambling, but i hope i haven’t lost my purpose for writing this lmao.

i don’t really like poetry/i feel like i’m not the intended audience for it, so i don’t ever really read poetry, but i have found that the collection The Silence Of Love: Twentieth Century Korean Poetry (1980) kinda slaps.

some books i recommend, though i confess i do not manage to read as much as i would like, include:

Good Omens (1990) by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett which is about an angel and a demon working together to stop the antichrist/son of satan from ending life on earth because the angel and demon both have fallen in love with the human world (and each other, fight me idc)

The Song Of Achilles (2011) by Madeline Miller which, i feel, needs no introduction. my writing very much is a pauper’s (me) attempt at replicating a prince (Miller)

Giovanni’s Room (1956) by James Baldwin which is a story about an american dude who lives in paris and falls in love with an italian guy and hates himself for it. my writing (especially angst) takes a lot of inspiration from how Baldwin made me feel.

The Bluest Eye (1970) by Toni Morrison is a fucked up book that talks about a black girl’s SA, white supremacy, self-hatred and is written so well. aspects of my writing style (detail-focus) comes from my admiration of her work. also check out her Beloved trilogy and Song of Solomon (1977).

also anything by Han Kang, namely The Vegetarian (2007) or Human Acts (2014). if you can read korean, i’m begging you to honestly read anything you can find of her. she slays and you will just have to deal with that.

i hope this isn’t too much anon, but i forgot how much i liked reading until you brought it up 😭😭

[shotani]

Man, I haven't read the third beartown book yet cause I know it'll rip out my heart and I need to be prepared for that but just reading those posts is making me feel some sort of way.

Every single Frederik Backman book is so good, and the way he humanizes his characters, his prose, just seem designed to people feel and cry. A man called ove is my personal favourite.

im so excited for you to read the winners! it made me cry to the point where i had to put the book down because i couldnt see through my tears anymore LOL

i hope you love love love it. beartown is truly the only series i can think of where every book was a 5/5, i was just as invested at the end of the last book as i was at the start of the first book.

backman has such a beautiful way of writing people because they feel so utterly human. i appreciate that across all his writing there isn’t a single ‘flawless’ character. you see characters at their strongest and at their weakest, you see them for the way they are and the way they want to be, you see them at their lowest. you see every single characters dreams and regrets and most intimate moments and it makes them feel so much more realistic and there’s something so raw about it.

please please please feel free to talk to me and to keep me updated whenever you read the third book! i love beartown so much and no one ik irl has read any of them lol i dont think i’ll ever get over this series

[tyrewear]

anxious people fredrik backman is such a beautiful book its a little bit of everything the characters are all soo so so human like painfully enchantingly irrevocably human and its genuinely so surprising i cant remember the last time a book fucked with my head this much god how far would you go for love. ii will never forget He says you end up marrying the one you don't understand. Then you spend the rest of your life trying.