#tilla reads books

[slightlyti]

Im currently reading Dark Heir and its STRESSING ME OUT! The secret-keeping makes sense but god i dont do well with it. I just want Will to tell!

[badger-bear]

me: alright i have dilly dallyed enough. let me get back to forged by malice

also me: drops phone after reading two paragraphs

TILLA!?????????

I am 27% in the book and I still don't like all of the changing of povs.

Caspian's chapters are very intriguing though.

I swear to stars above and goblins below if Keldarion does something STUPID I-

I'm still hurt about Dayton and Rosalina and how that has affected ez and rose.

Anyway tilla has just appeared. Can't wait for jealous Rose. I hope Kel can feel the jealousy even though he is being a dumbass

[manallandall]

Lot-ghier'j

Ib’nfashul (Disappearing footprints).

Her name is Tillae, but that is too hard to type so I will call this “character” telli, but that spelling is too childish so it’s going to morph into something more like “Tille” (BUT, you have to remember to say the ‘e’ as ‘ee’ and I don’t trust you (audience) enough, which is why I am actually going to type the WHOLE fucking name out -> as Tellie. “Joke’s on me tho”, sorry you had (ruin it) and read the intro like that makes me look bad as the “awker” and the books already ruined; that should take the pressure off me/you anyways (fuck ups forevr’s!!). ♠

Tili’s toes gripped into the sand; she was walking the beach searching after the best stick! That was just the excuse anyways… (It would be night soon). Tili’s heart was pulled towards her feet. She didn’t want to be afraid, that was cowardice, and not the intellectual tradition of her mother or, the fiitha monster would come out soon. The villagers exchanged stern opinion about the opposition. Hehh, she’d actually faced one, and won! Well fought it anyways, well not really fought it, but more like she could have died and that seemed brave, and no what am I saying she fended it off, really it felt more like a stare down (was it trying to communicate something with her…?) Too afraid to get help by any other means than the own miserable war being hustled? Not womanly thoughts, too dense and amok w/ politics 🟧 She could feel the breath smelling down the back of her w’kyuc.

They are a creature of the night only, “so you wetter get your butt home before dark and all that, +”. there’s not any sense in fighting them. Several groups of proud men tried (peace to the fallen). if the source of their power can’t be discovered, that would spell doom faster than if…………. that was the weird thing; they just started appearing out of nowwhere!

The seas were splashing off to her side. Why can’t people just get along but she didn’t really care because she’d rather meat a Fiitha monster than be off on a victorious adventure with her yyy brothe (* right_now) and she did not like being mean to people to hurt his heart, but that’s why even if he’d never understand she had to put herself in danger right now (but she’ll win, by praising yyy teachings, even deep inside yyy mother’s words resonated twice as brightly as any near damn star. (I said damn jk NOT Tilli) rather why didn’t the fietta monsters want to work with us? They were a part of nature, and the seas, were a part of nature | and I am a part of nature, so we had all three together in conference.

The skies were moving Hastily over head and were surely more powerful than the seas? Buttt Teli nevr believed those Drenkhik words, those “holy steps”. Maybe they were like brothers and sisters, but something about the Sea’s life! The stars were distant and dead, even the sky tried to hide the fact that it didn’t care. Life abounded in the seas and worshiped the sky (repectfully), but even still hated the stars or so she though but it didn’t matter. That made her think of her brother Kaykuola. Kaykuola was three years older than her; she was his equal because he decided for it to be so. This is neither here nor there but → He was so powerful (and he’d already seen her boobs by accident, but he never talked about it). She even changed right in front of him on purpose, and they were just the same person; He learned from father and all the brothers in the village and was like a god or something with all of father’s wild-flower insticts. Father could see the future, but acted scared, like he’d run out of time to shield her. It was elegant how he let others in on the plan; like a pleasure war leak, which felt more like forced labor. That’s why she felt safe right here right now, on the shore with all her mother’s and fling from distant compound; SPLASHHhh, seas were speaking in an ancient language and they protected Kula too.

Let her try nature and Kula’s ghost, against the sun for more time, “Kula” stepped alongside her, “you go further sister, I’ll stay here and hold them off – you find the ancient ones and tell the our grief, his heart made her stone, so she didn’t cry, the only crack in the rock was if he did – but father made him too yyy for that! Anywho the warm salt would get you high for the point of it, “ouch!” sharp stones became more and more less dismissable. Okay fine moma, I’ll return home to your dreadful love. Kanaktuga was more complicated than most people spoke; which made him simple to undertand for Tili. She knew he would give “dark” knowledge to any who would seek it and use it for good, but she would fail, so it would bring Kanaktuga close to rescue her – and so save her village at the cost of her soul (but her brother would fight for that)… It felt so selfish, and so the seas were. The fiitha monster needed studied so it could speak knowledge dark withing.

ama

[cppsheffield]

Centre for Poetry and Poetics Presents:

SIMON PERRIL · PETER ROBINSON · FRANCES PRESLEY · SIMON SMITH

24th of April – 6.30pm: Diamond, LT2

This event is free; students, staff and public, all warmly welcome.

Simon Perril is a poet and collagist. His poetry publications include Two Duets with Occasion (Shearsman 2024), The Slip (Shearsman, 2020), In the Final Year of my 40s (Shearsman, 2018), Beneath (Shearsman, 2015) Archilochus on the Moon (Shearsman, 2013), Newton’s Splinter (Open House, 2012), Nitrate (Salt, 2010), A Clutch of Odes (Oystercatcher, 2009), and Hearing is Itself Suddenly a Kind of Singing (Salt, 2004). His poetics essay ‘Good to Think with: My Surrealism’, along with collages and poetry, have just appeared in Shuddhashar FreeVoice 37: https://shuddhashar.com/good-to-think-with-my-surrealism/

As a critic he has written widely on contemporary poetry, editing The Salt Companion to John James, and Tending the Vortex: The Works of Brian Catling. His article ‘On Metis: Or, what the Squid and the Octopus taught me about Practice Research’, appeared in Writing In Practice 7, 2021. He is Professor of Poetic Practice at De Montfort University, in Leicester. You can see Simon give an online reading/talk with accompanying visuals here: youtube.com/watch?v=bJoI30MzLGs

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Peter Robinson has published various books of aphorisms, fiction, and literary criticism. For some of his poetry volumes and translations he has been awarded the Cheltenham Prize, the John Florio Prize, and two Poetry Book Society Recommendations. His most recent collection of poems is Retrieved Attachments (Two Rivers Press) and The Collected Poems of Giorgio Bassani (translated with Roberta Antognini) published in New York by Agincourt Press. Return to Sendai: New & Selected Poems is due from MadHat Press in the USA in September 2024.

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Frances Presley was born in Derbyshire, of Dutch-Javanese and English parents, in 1952. She grew up in Lincolnshire and Somerset, and lives in London. She studied modern literature at the universities of East Anglia and Sussex. She worked as an information specialist in community development, and at the Poetry Library. She collaborated with artist Irma Irsara on a project about women’s clothing and the fashion trade, Automatic Cross Stitch (Other Press, 2000); and with poet Elizabeth James in Neither the One nor the Other (Form Books, 1999). The title sequence of Paravane: new and selected poems, 1996-2003 (Salt, 2004) was a response to 9/11 and IRA bombsites in London. Lines of Sight (Shearsman 2009) focuses on Exmoor’s Neolithic stone sites, which also feature in a collaboration with visual poet Tilla Brading, Stone Settings (Odyssey, 2010). An Alphabet for Alina, with artist Peterjon Skelt, exploits the lexical and visual possibilities of an alphabet for girls (Five Seasons, 2012). Halse for hazel (Shearsman, 2014) initiates a new poetic syntax of marginal trees and languages, continued in Sallow, (Leafe Press, 2016), with images by Irma Irsara. Ada Unseen (Shearsman, 2019) concerns Ada Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron, mathematician and computer visionary, who lived on Exmoor. It was also a collaboration with Tilla Brading, ADADADA (Odyssey, 2022). Collected Poems 1973-2020 was published in two volumes by Shearsman in 2022.

Black Fens Viral (2020-) is written on a slow train through East Anglia’s flat, agricultural, landscape of black peat, once marshland. ‘Viral’ refers both to Covid and to a text generator known as the Markov chain, and its strange rearrangement of text resembles a viral assault. The first part of Black Fens Viral was published as a Literary Pocket Book (2021) by Steven Hitchins.

Presley has written various essays and reviews, especially on innovative British women poets. She has co-translated the work of two Norwegian poets, Hanne Bramness and Lars Amund Vaage. Her work is in the anthologies Infinite Difference (Shearsman, 2010), Ground Aslant: radical landscape poetry (Shearsman, 2011), Out of Everywhere2 (Reality Street, 2015), Fractured Ecologies (EyeCorner, 2020) and Poetics for the More-Than-Human World (Dispatches, 2021). She has contributed to a collection of poetic autobiographies, Cusp (Shearsman, 2012) and its London based companion volume, Clasp (Shearsman, 2015).

---

Simon Smith is a poet and translator living in London. He has previously published ten collections of poetry including a selected poems and a complete Catullus translation. His latest books are Last Morning (Parlor Press, U.S.A.) and Municipal Love Poems (Shearsman Books, U.K.) both appeared as companion volumes in 2022. 2022 also saw the publication of Source (Muscaliet Press), a collaboration with artist Felicity Allen and representation of Rimbaud’s ‘Le Bateau ivre’. He is presently working on a book-length series of prose poems, The Magic Lantern Slides. Between 1991 and 2007 he worked at the Poetry Library in London and taught creative writing and poetry at London South Bank University, The Open University, and the University of Kent from 2006 to 2022. He is Emeritus Reader in Creative Writing at the University of Kent.

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/.../centre-poetry-and-poetics...

recording available now:

https://youtu.be/c-pP5Avt6Zw

[blogbibliophilia]

Book Review: Hurricane Summer by Asha Ashanti Bromfield

•

Book Length: 400 pages

•

My Review: Hurricane Summer was a metaphor for this story's roller coaster and its protagonist. Tilla is a quintessential teenager, and I found her to be overly dramatic (even more than I think teenagers usually are) but strong. I related to Tilla’s experience of spending a significant amount of time with family members living outside of her home country (Canada). There are challenges with connecting to your family members who live in another country, even though we are from the same culture. Our everyday lives are so different, but I do like the learning experience of it all. Tilla learned some hard lessons in her interactions with her family and friends in Jamaica, especially with her dad, who fled Canada to return to live in his home country. The relationship between Tilla and her dad was complicated. It seemed to be the catalyst for Tilla to engage in numerous situations to prove herself. I’ve never been to Jamaica, but the author did a great job of being very descriptive and painting a beautiful picture of the place with her words. I also appreciated that the author included the Patois Word Bank in the book so I could understand the dialect. I listened to this audiobook and read the book simultaneously, so I think the word bank helped to enhance the experience.

[ashen-crest]

first spoken lines tag

I haven’t done a tag game with The Stray Spirit recently, so here, have the first spoken lines from TSS:

Emry:

“Tilla!” Emry smiled wide. “Happy Sada. I wanted to follow up on—” 

Cal:

“Emry Karic?”

Aspen:

“Where are you going?” a voice asked. “I liked it.”

Stef:

“You don’t know what you’re missing!” a voice behind him shouted, its sharp edge not directed at him, but toward an inn down the street. “He’s loads better than whatever two-bit musician you’ve got in your lineup tonight, I can promise you that!”

Marko:

“Excuse me—pardon me, so sorry—ah, there you are!”

Brinna:

“How many times do I have to—look, if you want to book a wedding here, you’ll need to either write to the address on the sign or learn how to read. I’ve got nothing to do with that rotting schedule.”

Georgie:

“Mum, Dad, he’s gonna freeze to death.”

Tagging in turn, with zero pressure: @theramwrites, @bamboozled-boi, @akindofmagictoo, @spacetimewraithwrites, and @chaotic-queer-disaster!

[giggly-squiggily]

#135! What’s your favorite book?? I love hearing about other people’s faves! Hope you’re having a good week, friend! 🥰

*squees* Heck yes! I'm so excited to talk about this one!

135.) recommend any book you like!

So, while my favorites change frequently from year to year, one of my timeless favorites is Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts!

Tilla- our main heroine; is the bastard child of Lord Kent- one of the highest ranking Lords in our story and the "backup heir" if he doesn't have any official ones. One fateful night she meets up with the princess of the Kingdom Lyriana who asks her to show her some sights. During this trip she, Lyriana and the rest of their rag tag group (consisting of Jax, Tilla's half brother, Zell, a Zitochi, and Miles, a childhood friend) witnessed a crime they shouldn't have. One thing leads to another and now they are wanted dead! The only way to survive? Get Lyriana back to her kingdom and father and prove to them they weren't the real culprits!

The book is- admittedly, far from perfect. It's not ground shaking and filled with deep meaningful themes, but it's charming and funny and the characters are absolutely lovable- this book never fails to make me laugh and cry within the span of twenty minutes. It's so good and I recommend it if your looking for a fun story to settle into!

(Now I can't speak for the rest of the series- I've only read the first book; but it's so good!)

Thanks for asking! :D

Send me a book number ask!

[hazbincalifornia]

Would arranged au include the whole of the events of the circus? But changed I guess in that there’s no theft, or as much at least. I’d think there’s a time they bond or he starts to accept the betrothal when he’s bored hearing Stolas talk about books until he talks about one Blitzo may like and it’s horses and that he’s read it and it’s fascinating! You can borrow it Blitzo, There was a insta post of Blitzo reading a book Stolas gave him

Things are swapped around a bit and there is no theft, (and it's probably a few days later that Blitzo's brought to the palace, not the same day), but when Paimon extends the offer, Cash snaps it up without consulting either Tilla or Blitzo, dumping Blitzo at the front gates and telling him to 'be good or you'll regret it'. Stolas is even more excited, but Blitzo's also more apprehensive considering this isn't going to just be one day. (He might even suspect they're trying to prank him in some way, or his Dad is trying to sell him into being a servant or something.)

Stolas does show off his books, but it's not until the one on horses that Blitzo snaps to attention. He's not too great at reading yet, but Stolas is happy to help, and the butler finds them with Blitzo's head resting on Stolas's lap and looking at the pictures as Stolas is reading out loud.

[richincolor]

New Releases for the Week of May 3, 2021

It's great to see so many new books hitting the shelves this week. I know I've been waiting for several of these and am happy to be able to finally read them. 

The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He Roaring Brook

Cee has been trapped on an abandoned island for three years without any recollection of how she arrived, or memories from her life prior. All she knows is that somewhere out there, beyond the horizon, she has a sister named Kay. Determined to find her, Cee devotes her days to building a boat from junk parts scavenged inland, doing everything in her power to survive until the day she gets off the island and reunites with her sister.

In a world apart, 16-year-old STEM prodigy Kasey Mizuhara is also living a life of isolation. The eco-city she calls home is one of eight levitating around the world, built for people who protected the planet―and now need protecting from it. With natural disasters on the rise due to climate change, eco-cities provide clean air, water, and shelter. Their residents, in exchange, must spend at least a third of their time in stasis pods, conducting business virtually whenever possible to reduce their environmental footprint. While Kasey, an introvert and loner, doesn’t mind the lifestyle, her sister Celia hated it. Popular and lovable, Celia much preferred the outside world. But no one could have predicted that Celia would take a boat out to sea, never to return.

Now it’s been three months since Celia’s disappearance, and Kasey has given up hope. Logic says that her sister must be dead. But as the public decries her stance, she starts to second guess herself and decides to retrace Celia’s last steps. Where they’ll lead her, she does not know. Her sister was full of secrets. But Kasey has a secret of her own. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee Quill Tree Books

Noah Ramirez thinks he’s an expert on romance. He has to be for his popular blog, the Meet Cute Diary, a collection of trans happily ever afters. There’s just one problem—all the stories are fake. What started as the fantasies of a trans boy afraid to step out of the closet has grown into a beacon of hope for trans readers across the globe.

When a troll exposes the blog as fiction, Noah’s world unravels. The only way to save the Diary is to convince everyone that the stories are true, but he doesn’t have any proof. Then Drew walks into Noah’s life, and the pieces fall into place: Drew is willing to fake-date Noah to save the Diary. But when Noah’s feelings grow beyond their staged romance, he realizes that dating in real life isn’t quite the same as finding love on the page.

In this charming novel by Emery Lee, Noah will have to choose between following his own rules for love or discovering that the most romantic endings are the ones that go off script. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

They Better Call Me Sugar: My Journey from the Hood to the Hardwood by Sugar Rodgers Black Sheep

Growing up in dire poverty in Suffolk, Virginia, Sugar (born Ta’Shauna) Rodgers never imagined that she would become an all-star player in the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association). Both of her siblings were in and out of prison throughout much of her childhood and shootings in her neighborhood were commonplace. For Sugar this was just a fact of life.

While academics wasn’t a high priority for Sugar and many of her friends, athletics always played a prominent role. She mastered her three-point shot on a net her brother put up just outside their home, eventually becoming so good that she could hustle local drug dealers out of money in one-on-one contests.

With the love and support of her family and friends, Sugar’s performance on her high school basketball team led to her recruitment by the Georgetown Hoyas, and her eventual draft into the WNBA in 2013 by the Minnesota Lynx (who won the WNBA Finals in Sugar’s first year). The first of her family to attend college, Sugar speaks of her struggles both academically and as an athlete with raw honesty.

Sugar’s road to a successful career as a professional basketball player is fraught with sadness and death–including her mother’s death when she’s fourteen, which leaves Sugar essentially homeless. Throughout it all, Sugar clings to basketball as a way to keep herself focused and sane.

And now Sugar shares her story as a message of hope and inspiration for young girls and boys everywhere, but especially those growing up in economically challenging conditions. Never sugarcoating her life experiences, she delivers a powerful message of discipline, perseverance, and always believing in oneself. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney HarperTeen

Quinn keeps lists of everything—from the days she’s ugly cried, to “Things That I Would Never Admit Out Loud,” to all the boys she’d like to kiss. Her lists keep her sane. By writing her fears on paper, she never has to face them in real life. That is, until her journal goes missing…

An anonymous account posts one of her lists on Instagram for the whole school to see and blackmails her into facing seven of her greatest fears, or else her entire journal will go public. Quinn doesn’t know who to trust. Desperate, she teams up with Carter Bennett—the last known person to have her journal—in a race against time to track down the blackmailer.

Together, they journey through everything Quinn’s been too afraid to face, and along the way, Quinn finds the courage to be honest, to live in the moment, and to fall in love. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield Wednesday Books

Tilla has spent her entire life trying to make her father love her. But every six months, he leaves their family and returns to his true home: the island of Jamaica.

When Tilla’s mother tells her she’ll be spending the summer on the island, Tilla dreads the idea of seeing him again, but longs to discover what life in Jamaica has always held for him.

In an unexpected turn of events, Tilla is forced to face the storm that unravels in her own life as she learns about the dark secrets that lie beyond the veil of paradise—all in the midst of an impending hurricane.

Hurricane Summer is a powerful coming of age story that deals with colorism, classism, young love, the father-daughter dynamic—and what it means to discover your own voice in the center of complete destruction. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Indivisible by Daniel Aleman Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

There is a word Mateo Garcia and his younger sister Sophie have been taught to fear for as long as they can remember: deportation. Over the past few years, however, the fear that their undocumented immigrant parents could be sent back to Mexico has started to fade to the back of their minds. And why wouldn’t it, when their Ma and Pa have been in the United States for so long, they have American-born children, and they’re hard workers and good neighbors?

When two ICE agents come asking for Pa, the Garcia family realizes that the lives they’ve built are about to come crumbling down. And when Mateo returns from school one day to find that his parents have been taken, he’ll have to come to terms with the fact that his family’s worst nightmare has become a reality.

With his Ma and Pa being held in separate detention centers, Mateo must learn how to look after his sister and himself. The choices Mateo makes, and the people he turns to for help, might reunite his family… or tear them apart for good. With his parents’ fate and his own future hanging in the balance, Mateo must figure out who he is and what he is capable of, even as he’s forced to question what it means to be an American teenager in a country that rejects his own mom and dad. — Cover art and summary via Goodreads

Counting Down with You by Tashie Bhuiyan Inkyard Press

Karina Ahmed has a plan. Keep her head down, get through high school without a fuss, and follow her parents’ rules—even if it means sacrificing her dreams. When her parents go abroad to Bangladesh for four weeks, Karina expects some peace and quiet. Instead, one simple lie unravels everything.

Karina is my girlfriend.

Tutoring the school’s resident bad boy was already crossing a line. Pretending to date him? Out of the question. But Ace Clyde does everything right—he brings her coffee in the mornings, impresses her friends without trying, and even promises to buy her a dozen books (a week) if she goes along with his fake-dating facade. Though Karina agrees, she can’t help but start counting down the days until her parents come back.

T-minus twenty-eight days until everything returns to normal—but what if Karina no longer wants it to? — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

All Kinds of Other by James Sie Quill Tree Books

In this tender, nuanced coming-of-age love story, two boys—one who is cis and one who is trans—have been guarding their hearts to protect themselves, until their feelings for each other give them a reason to stand up to their fears.

Two boys are starting at a new school.

Jules is just figuring out what it means to be gay and hasn’t totally decided whether he wants to be out at his new school. His parents and friends have all kinds of opinions, but for his part, Jules just wants to make the basketball team and keep his head down.

Jack is trying to start over after a best friend break-up. He followed his actor father clear across the country to LA, but he’s also totally ready to leave his past behind. Maybe this new school where no one knows him is exactly what he needs.

When the two boys meet, the sparks are undeniable. But then a video surfaces linking Jack to a pair of popular transgender vloggers, and the revelations about Jack’s past thrust both Jack and Jules into the spotlight they’ve been trying to avoid. Suddenly both boys have a choice to make—between lying low where it’s easier or following their hearts. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Southampton, 1912: Seventeen-year-old British-Chinese Valora Luck has quit her job and smuggled herself aboard the Titanic with two goals in mind: to reunite with her twin brother Jamie--her only family now that both their parents are dead--and to convince a part-owner of the Ringling Brothers Circus to take the twins on as acrobats. Quick-thinking Val talks her way into opulent firstclass accommodations and finds Jamie with a group of fellow Chinese laborers in third class. But in the rigidly stratified world of the luxury liner, Val's ruse can only last so long, and after two long years apart, it's unclear if Jamie even wants the life Val proposes. Then, one moonless night in the North Atlantic, the unthinkable happens--the supposedly unsinkable ship is dealt a fatal blow--and Val and her companions suddenly find themselves in a race to survive.

Stacey Lee, master of historical fiction, brings a fresh perspective to an infamous tragedy, loosely inspired by the recently uncovered account of six Titanic survivors of Chinese descent.

[whatdoesshedotothem]

Saturday 4 January 1840

9

1 25/..

ten minutes with A- copied into business letter book my letter to ‘John Harper Esquire St. Leonards’ Place York England’ and to ‘William Gray Junior Esquire minster yard York England’ and sent them by Gross at 10 ¼ - then had Grotza – R +9 ½° near the opening window and almost R10° at my bedhead now at 10 40/.. and breakfast till 11 ½ - then Reading – A- writing to her sister and her letter (about one?) took me an hour reading and stopping Note from Mr. Marc soon after breakfast – so busy knows not when he came [can] call again – Difficult to calculate the expense of the journey for a manservant from here to London now but says he should think £25 – vid. p. 336-7 mouraviev (Journal vid. p. 230 at the bottom) the Sarty (Boukhares, Tatars) of Khiva send their goods to Manghiclak, et là les embarquent pour Astrakhan (or send them direct by the desert) to Orenbourg – at a certain time the vessel arrive from Astrakhan – commonly make the voyage in 20 days – the Khiviens often return  by these vessels to Astrakhan où ils peuvent arrive en vingt-quatre heures par un vent favorable they often send their goods à la foire de Makariev, foire de St. [Macaix] now held at Nijneï-Novgorod – ‘Elle (the fair) a lieu vers la fine de Julliet’  - ‘on peut lire une relation authentique et très intéressante de la foire de Makareiv, dans les Nouvelles  Annales des Voyages de MM. Eyriès et Malte-Brun, t.vii., p. 82.

p. 338 Caravans from Ourghendj to Orenbourg 33 days en route.

p. 344  ‘La route de Khiva à Astrak[han] pourrait être de beaucoup abrégée puisqu’il n’y a que dix-sept jour de march[e] d’Ourgheredj à la baie de Krasnovodsk, d’où par un vent favorable, en peut aller en peu de jours à Astrakhan’

p. 369. Bouska epèce de manteau de feutre, sans manches, très épais, qui se fabriquent dans le Caucase – Ou s’en sert en Russie, en winter à cheval – these cloaks impenetrable à l’eau, et, par leur épaisseur, ils garantissent également du vent.

p. 379. Quand les Sunnites sont en prières, ils joignent leurs mains devant eux, tandis que les Chiites (Persians – sect of Ali) les tiennent séparées.

p. 382. the 3 great fêtes of the Russians are Noël, celle des Rois et celle de Pâques.

SH:7/ML/E/23/0170

p. 168. Beng, chauvre sometimes smoked by the Khiviens – very unwholesome

p. 181. the Khan, Mohamed-Rahim, was charged 2 tillas or 30 francs a day for the nourriture of Mouraviev at the fortin (chateau – fortified residence) of Il-Gheldi 2 tillas (Khiva gold coin) = 30 francs and the father of the [last] (owner) of Il-Gheldi charged 1 tilla a day – Enormous observation Mouraviev 48 days at the fortin and latterly on very short commissions.

p. 188.

262.   300 Russians en esclavage at Khiva and 30,000 Persians.

p. 109 Koundjout, Sesame, Djogan, Sorgo, a round white grain smaller than a pea, in long ears like Indian corn (mais) on which they feed their horses, and sometimes eat it themselves

p. 191. M- quitted Il-Gheldi for Khiva (35 versts) 27 November 1819 O.S.

p. 204 December 7 O.S. cold = 12° to 15° R.

p. 229 Baku fire temple 16v. from E. from Baku Bad wind, Kou mountain in Persian. Badkou or wind-mountain or Baku mountain of wind vid. beginning of the vol. (p. 20).

p. 230 et seq. general Account of the country – p. 233. La Khiva antique Chorasmia -    Deria, river – Amou or Amin – Deria the Oxos or Baktros of the Greeks that then flowered into the Caspian but now flows into the Aral lake – probably turned from its old course by an Earthquake – (about 500 years ago) –

p. 237. Carte de l’Asie central publiée à St. Petersburg is right as to the upper part of the course of the Oxos, Amour or Amou or Ougous, but faulty as to the lower part of its course. the map of Arrowsmith is the least wrong –

p. 245. Iidovinnik Robinia pygmea, arbrisseau peu feuille, of the desert, burnt for charcoal – better than bois [?]

p. 248. mountains near the Aral that contain gold and silver

p.253 winters short in Khiva but cold = 16° to 18° R. with much wind that makes the cold severely felt on the steppes.

p. 254. vid. observations on the peste – never at Khiva, nor in Persia and yet to Turkey and Georgia (north of) what a scourge! Khiva very healthy, and fruitful, and very well irrigated by canals from - the Oxus the whole of Khivie a beautiful rich oasis in the Desert

p. 255 Speaks of another of his to be published on Khiva

the Sarty or Tat or Boukahres are the original inhabitants of Khivie.

p. 256 Ouzbek maître de soi-même from the Turkish Ouz soi or sien, and bek [signeur] vid. end of the volume Klaproths’ objection to this etymology –

 p. 328. Khiva fruits, raisins without [?], known in Russia under the name of Kichnych. vid.

p. 236. Geographie Physique de la mer noire. par M. Dureau de la Malle fils.

p. 264. Khiva 10,000 inhabitants and 3,000 houses 5 principal towns (walled) in Khivie

1 Khiva

2 Ourghendj  much larger he says than K- and yet he gives 5,000 inhabitants and 1500 houses the principal place of trade in Khivie

3 Chevat

4 Kiat

5 Gurlian

all these 5 towns walled round with r[o]und-walls with a few stone intermixed (cailloux) last longer than might be supposed because it seldom rains in Khivie – walls 20ft. broad at the bottom and 26ft. high –

p. 291 Mohamed-Rahim, Khan in 1819, 6ft. 6in. high, aet. 50 turned from brandy to vinegar and water

p. 294 has 2 brothers and 3 sons – vid.

p. 313. Prince Bekevitch sent into Khivie in 1717 by Peter the great, lost his life by his want of prudence – on l’écorchât vif, en commençant par les genoux, et l’on se servit de sa peau pour en couvrir un tambour.

p. 310. Empaling, vid. account of the legs and arms 1st tied en croix then when the bluntish pile driven slowly thro’ so as to sortir par dessous les Epaules the legs and arms let loose and thus by their convulsive motions increasing the agony – sometimes 48 hours before dying

p. 315 et seq. on the [Mounaies] of Khivie.

p. 326. the Khans’ principal riches are in Canon (said to have 30 pieces – M- saw 7 only) horses, and a fine collection of pierres précieuses.  

p. 328. vid. top line of this page

p. 329. Melons large, excellent because requiring un terrain sablonneux, ils se trouve dans ce pays comme sur le sol natal.

p. 333 Peaus noires d’agneaux morts-rés de Boukharie, the best in all the East.

p. 335. From D’Ourghendj (with camels) 6 or 7 days to Boukhara, ‘Le marchand qui va avec sa caravan fait environ 72 v. dans les 24 heures tandis que le voleur en fait jusqu’à 120.

p. 336. vid. what best to take for exchange

Had just written so far now at 10 35/.. – just before dinner  note from Madame Ocouloff asking us to go there tomorrow evening – sorry the wife of the governor of Astrakhan could not visit .:. could not meet us at dinner till after the fêtes – wrote back note by the servant very sorry (in French vid. p. 13 bis) previous by an engagement déjà fait – dinner at 6 10/.. in ½ hour – tea at 8 in about 20 minutes – from 11 ½ (vid. line 4, p. 233) till now, with the exceptions above noted – (did not dress today or yesterday for dinner) – reading all the day – read all but about the first 150pp. read yesterday of Mouraviev – very interesting – from what he says, I should think the expedition under Perofski (p. 230) would succeed – sent home the book at tea time 8 10/.. but George brought it back – the shop shut – the notes p. 233 written at the time of reading – p. 234-235 written

SH:7/ML/E/23/0171

afterwards from memoranda made on the back of Mr. Marcs’ note – sat reading over again the first pp. of Mouraviev – then some while with A- till 12 ¼ tonight at which hour R 10 ¼° both thermometers on the console and writing tablet about the same – not out today –but sunshine and apparently very fine day

[pkmnsdarkqueen]

Karen’s pokemon as people

Drake -Team Leader (The necklace is as close to a blue bandana as I could get)

-Looks both tough and squishy, is actually very cuddly

-Prefers to wear exclusively leather

-Despite his tough attire he talks rather posh

Garnet -Second in charge

-Looks like she’d stab you and will stab you

-Usually has a random bruise, and always armed

-Is the loner dragged to socialize 

Trouble -In charge by senority

-Looks like a sweet bean, has already stolen your wallet

-ADHD fam, and the shiny object joke works

-Makes pillow forts for fun no matter how old he is

Kush��-Not allowed to be in charge

-Is a guy, but confidently wears whatever he wants

-Does not take care of his hair

-Gives the same advice every time

Tilla -The princess

-Always trying new hairstyles and fashion

-The mom of the group

-Drinks far too much tea

Ishi -The first in the ‘school’ trio

-The jock that used to be a nerd

-LOUD!!!

-Gotta get them gains bro

Champ -Second in the ‘school’ trio

-NERD who got randomly adopted by the popular kids thanks to jock friend

-Will go support his friends events but also brings a book to read

-Takes so many vitamins

Star-Last in the ‘school’ trio

-E girl

-Def that reformed popular kid who’s still overly critical sometimes

-Uses her looks to get away with things

Moltana -Does her own thing, will listen to Garnet

-You call it arson she calls it....arson

-Pyromaniac for sure, and just wants to watch flames

-Doesn’t like talking

Clem -Old man but fairly new

-Thankful to be there

-Tires easily

-Everyone’s comforter

Scooby -A child....no actually baby

-Funniest joke is sticking his tongue out and making a face

-Jumps out to scare people often

-Emotions can be a rollercoaster some days

Crisp -Still trying to figure out his role

-That one kid that came back from summer break hot AF

-Always has a question cause he’s spacing out or being clueless alot

-Likes to go fast tho

Romanee -Some times is simply tolerated

-Looks like he stole your wallet, actually stole your lunch

-Thinks he’s hot shit

-Gets punched the most

[slightlyti]

I’m reading Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun and it is so cute! It is one of those romances that really gets me, and it also makes me quite sad but in a like.. nice way

[brightbeautifulthings]

Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield

"When a hurricane finally forms, you feel it in the depths of your bones. It is the feeling that tells you nothing will ever be the same. That nothing can ever be the same."

Year Read: 2021

Rating: 2/5

About: Tilla and her younger sister, Mia, are spending the summer in Jamaica with their father. Though she was born in Canada, her parents are Jamaican natives, and she's resigned herself to a summer without friends or internet. Yet there's more waiting for Tilla in Jamaica than even she realizes, and she at once experiences a sexual awakening and a cultural backlash intent on shaming her for it. When the threat of a hurricane cuts her off completely from the outside world, Tilla will have to learn how to survive and flourish in the middle of the destruction of everything she loves. I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at St. Martin’s Press. Trigger warnings: character death, car accident (off-page), drowning (off-page), sexual assault (on-page), rape mention, incest, cancer mention, injury, racism/colorism, sexism, slut-shaming, slurs, threats, bullying, infidelity, grief.

Thoughts: I wanted to rate this higher because I think there are some good things in it, but there was very little of it I actually enjoyed. Let's start with the good things. It's an #ownvoices novel set in Jamaica, and I enjoyed the immersive look into a culture that's totally unfamiliar to me. This isn't tourist Jamaica or even city Jamaica; it's Jamaican country in a small town where everyone knows everyone and poverty is extreme. Almost all the dialogue is written in Patois, which makes it feel very authentic. At first, I was flipping back and forth a lot to the accompanying glossary, but after a while it slips into a kind of rhythm and it wasn't as necessary. I think the phrase "kmt" or "kiss my teeth" should have been included though, since it's used a lot and is specific to Jamaican culture. (I recommend a YouTube video, since I had never heard it before.)

It's very much a first novel though. The language is poetic, but it often feels overwritten and overdramatic. More words don't always lead to more emotion or more meaning, and Tilla never feels anything halfway. I think this will appeal to teenagers (it is a YA novel, after all) or readers who prefer a very emotional experience, but I'm resistant to anything that comes after my feelings too hard. There's also way too much packed into too short a time frame. The novel tries to tackle too many issues: absent fathers, female sexuality and slut-shaming, rape, incest, cancer, hurricanes, poverty, family death, infidelity, and the kitchen sink, and it ultimately does justice only to the first two. At some point, it begins to feel like Bromfield is including things for the added drama in a book that's already quite dramatic. Much like in writing, more isn't always better when it comes to plot.

It doesn't help that I wasn't feeling Tilla's romance at all. I never once warmed to her love interest or her reasons for pursuing him when there are so many obvious downsides to it. Though Tilla claims to love Jamaica and the novel is praised as a love letter to it, it's also portrayed as extremely religious and oppressively racist/colorist and sexist. While I appreciate the realism and I'm glad these stories are being told, it makes for a very heavy read. There are a few too many characters to keep track of, most of them hugely unlikeable. Tilla's character development with her father is well-done, but the rest doesn't quite get the attention it needs, and it all resolves a little too fast for me. There’s a heavy theme of looking at trauma as a growing experience that I don’t care for. Sometimes there's no poetry in destruction; sometimes things just hurt. Many of the issues feel glossed over, and the end doesn’t help. I never appreciate character death being used for added drama, without a chance to actually develop any plot around it. It's not for me, but I'm not sure it was ever intended to be. It’s a worthwhile story to tell, and I hope it finds its perfect audience.

[secondgenerationnerd]

Irey and Damian talking to each other during a chaotic moment drabble?

I really had to think about what would count as a chaotic. So.....DAMIAN’S FIRST SPEEDSTER FAMILY DINNER!

-----------

“Babe! Where’s the Tor-tilla chips?” Bart shouts.

“Dawn!” Iris calls into the living room.

“We’ve been married for three years and you still say it wrong?” Jaime shakes his head.

“Wally! Where’s the grill brush?” Barry searches through the cabinets. 

“Yeah, Mom?” Donny’s voice from upstairs 

“It should be outside!”

“Not you, Donny, your sister!”

“Heh.” Irey laughs softly, gesturing to the ever moving bodies inside the house. She and Damian sit on the back porch, “Welcome to the Flash Family.”

“You all actually call yourself that?” Damian shakes his head, a small smile on his face. 

“Everyone except you and Bruce call it the Bat Family.” Irey teases. She fiddles with his fingers, “You ready to deal with family dinner?”

“I’ve spent every weekend with you and Jai since we were 13. How bad can it be?” He asks. 

“Remember that time Jai and I invented ‘Speedster Redbull?’“

“...Yes...”

Turns out dinner with speedsters is waaaaaay worse than two overly hyper ones chattering away. Damian’s lost between the fifteen different conversations going on at once. The other non-speedster spouses seem unconcerned with the ever changing conversation, even talking part in it. 

“Jaime, how’s your work going? Dawn, don’t hit your brother!” Iris gives her daughter a stern look as Dawn and Mel high five. Donny wipes salsa off his shirt.

“It’s been great! We’re definitely helping a lot of people--Jai, did you ever read that book I sent you-- and getting more and more funding from research grants.”

“The space one or--Bart I swear you touch my burger and I’ll kick you so hard, your past self will feel it- or the medival art history one?”

“Dami?” Irey’s gentle voice breaks through the chaos around him. Her hand slides into his under the table, squeezing it tight. “You ok?”

“Just...processing? Not sure where I can jump in.” He won’t lie...seeing how close this family is and how content they are with their insanity. They don’t mean to, but it’s really easy to exclude newcomers. Irey reads the slightly fallen look on his face before turning to her brother.

“Hey, remember that time you, Colin, Jon, and Damian went overnight camping--”

“And Damian had to save Colin from getting poision ivy!” Jai laughs, “Dude, remind me why you had to yell at him?”

“He was going to wipe himself with the leaves! If anything I saved him and Reyes from uncomfortable rashes- er, sorry, Jaime.” Damian feels weird using the man’s name, but Jaime just laughs.

“If Papi found out Colin gave Mil poision ivy there, you’d be short a team memeber for murder. You guys just updated part of your training program right? Tim mentioned it the other day--”

“Donny,” Damian looks at the man at the end of the table, inching towards Dawn, “Keep in mind how close your wife is to Dawnand how long she can make you sleep on the couch. Yes, we did. I suggested we focus more on defense, especially with Jai and Colin leaning more towards offense.”

“Colin hits ‘em hard, I hit ‘em fast.” Jai snorts. 

“That’s almost as lame as Dad saying--”

“Back in a flash!” Iris laughs with her daughter as Barry pouts. “Honey, I love you, but you knew you’d regret that one day.”

“What about ‘Holy hot tubs, Batman!’“ Mel snorts as Damian’s face turns red.

“That was all Grayson!”

“I’ll back Damian up on that,” Wally nods, “That was originally a Dick-ism, but Jason’s used it too.”

“Tim does if he’s super sleep deprived.” Bart gestures to his husband, “Right, babe?”

“I think I’ve heard Mar’i use it more than Damian, but I’ve heard Damian use it-hey! Jai, give that back!”

It’s chaotic, but he’s starting to get the hang of it.

[snipexshot]

Name: Hikari “Dawn” Berlitz Age: 19 Eye: Steel Blue Hair: Slate gray Weight: 127lbs Height: 5'5 D.O.B: January 21 Orientation: ????? Location: Everywhere??? | Twinleaf Occupation: Dex Holder | [Lost] Champion of Sinnoh 

Background Born in Twinleaf, Dawn lived a pretty quiet life. Her mother, Johanna raised her on her own while running her very own business from home. As a child, she always had a knack for adventure, her mother often found her trying to climb the tallest tree, or finding the dirtiest Pokemon, and provoking it. Nothing was easy when it came to Hikari, Her interests switched as she grew older, finding that books about ancient myths were suddenly more important than climbing the rotten oak in the forest. Instead of finding new Pokemon to bother, she started to read about them. What made them evolve, what enhanced their move sets, and so on. Every once in awhile, she would indulge in such behaviors, if her long time friend Barry was around. Once she reached the age of 11, she found herself more prepared, than she thought she would have been. After watching the tv special about Professor Rowans' return, she and Barry set off on route 201 to get their very own Pokemon. But before they could engage in their own reckless mission, as fate would have it, they ran into the Professor, and his assistant Lucas. Choosing Turtwig, Barry immediately demanded that they battle. Much to her surprise and Barrys dislike, Hikari won her first battle. Shortly after, they went to return home. To tell their parents that they would be embarking on their own journey, but before that, a quick pit stop at their favorite spot (Lake Verity) was due. Upon reaching their destination, they spotted a newcomer, someone who would continue to appear in their journey as time would go on. Galactic-Arc Hikari's first run-in with Galactic was that very same day at Lake Verity, where she and Barry met their leader, Cyrus, as he started to act on his suicide mission to harness the power of Dialga and Palkia. His ultimate goal of destroying the universe to create a new one didn’t make any sense to the young trainer, thus compelling her to fight against them. Dawn and Cynthia both embarked on the mission to stop Giratina from destroying both their world and the Distortion World. Upon arriving in the Distortion World, all she could hear was static at first. She had a champions spirit, but even that much wasn’t enough to stop the events before her. After facing Cyrus, she began to have trouble deciphering what was real, and what was fake. Post-Galactic Much to her disbelief, she defeated Giratina, then returned home. Even though it was celebrated, Dawn resorted to going back home. There, she struggled to find who she was, and how she fit into her own world. For two years, she spent it cooped up in her room, selectively mute. She received visits from her friends and even Cynthia, but she still refused to talk. Every so often, she would sneak out to stand at the edge of Lake Verity. Her first words spoken weren't to Looker, Lucas, or Johanna. But rather the clumsy blonde, that she grew up with. The one person who was always by her side, no matter what kind of trouble she was in. As Barry went to leave her room, she caught his sleeve and started to cry. Nothing unusual, until her hoarse voice uttered the words, “Please…don’t leave.” Since then, she has been trying her best to travel more, absorbing every moment she has. Participating in therapy, she has started to find her groove. Now, she spends time finding new lore and exploring every region she can. + Witty | Collaborative | Forgiving | Trustworthy - Paranoid | Sarcastic | Detached Team Torterra - Tilla, her grumpy old man. This Pokemon acts like an old man but is just really lazy. Not that its trainer minds. Bidoof- Boofy, Hikari's nap partner. Boofy enjoys bringing random trainers sticks. Lucario- Lucky, the grounded one. Lucky was a gift from Riley, and one she treasures with all of her heart. Lucky is also partially responsible for keeping Hikari grounded when she starts to revert to old habits. Combee- Bay, her loyal companion, and her first Pokemon she caught. Bay is a happy Pokemon, who hates being in the ball. Gible- Gibby, the newest member of Hikari's party. After taking inspiration from Cynthia's Garchomp, she sought out an egg. Gibby likes to steal snacks from unsuspecting trainers. Smeargle- Easel, the artistic Pokemon. Easel prefers to make a show out of all of his battles, often boring Hikari to tears, or making her laugh until she can’t breathe. Headcanons Hikari's nickname is Dawn because she was literally born at the crack of Dawn. Johanna thought it was a great nickname. Hikari likes to read under shaded trees and will climb it if she finds it comfortable enough. She won the title of Champion from Cynthia but refused to take the position seeing as she didn’t talk for two whole years. After spending time in Unova, she decided to face Cynthia head on and claim the title of Champion. 

[the-in-between-honey]

“I can’t come back.”

Fictober prompt 14

Original Fiction: Starling

Rating: T

Warning: none

Tilla sat on the sofa by the window in her sitting room, trying to read a book Einar gave her on political history over the last two hundred years. The reading was slow-going, but she determined herself to focus, if only to keep from looking like a fool. Molly bustled around the room, gathering up her belongings that had scattered over the sitting room for the past two months. She smiled and hummed to herself, more than thrilled to be returning home the next day. 

“Would you like me to begin packing your things for you?”

“Hmm?” Tilla looked up, blinking away the bleariness gathering in her eyes. “Oh no, I’ll get started on that shortly.”

Molly cut her eyes over to Tilla while tucking away her needlepoint into a small basket. “I know you don’t like packing, but it is certainly odd to see you put it off in favor of reading something other than a tawdry love story.”

Tilla smiled before turning back to her book. She found herself reading the same passages over and over, not taking in any of the information. The guilt of lying to Molly nearly outweighed the guilt of waiting so long to come clean. How could she tell Molly that she would not be going home with her, and that she had known for a week? 

“Is the book that bad?” Molly asked as she walked back into the room. 

“What? No, it’s quite good.”

“You let out a groan that would indicate otherwise. Really, Tilla, I could begin packing for you. You know I’m better at it than you, anyway.”

“I won’t disagree with you there,” Tilla said, marking her place with a ribbon and setting the book down. She took a deep breath. “Molly, I need to confess something to you.”

“Let me guess - you’re becoming a scholar and are studying for your university entrance exams.”

“No, Molly, I’m serious.” Tilla sat forward on the edge of the sofa, hands clasped in her lap. 

Molly must have seen the sincerity in her eyes, because she set down the clothing in her arms before sitting next to Tilla on the sofa. “Are you okay? Is Kerre okay?”

“We’re fine,” Tilla said, squeezing her hands tighter to prevent them from trembling. “But tomorrow morning, I won’t be leaving with you.”

“I don’t understand.” Molly put her hand on Tilla’s arm. “You said yourself that Kerre is on the mend. Is that not why we came here in the first place?”

“Things have changed, and I can’t come back with you.”

“You’re not making sense, Tilla.” Molly’s voice became more urgent, her brow furrowed. “How did this come about?”

“I’ve been offered a position of sorts,” Tilla said; not a lie, certainly, but far from the truth. “Kerre will not be fully recovered for quite some time, and she and Einar will need my support.”

Molly’s lips pressed together into a flat line. “This was Einar’s suggestion, was it not? What is the position title - mistress?”

“Gods, Molly, this is about more than getting into bed,” Tilla said with a huff, leaning back into the horrible lacy cushion behind her. “I’m talking about a legitimate advisory position, helping my sister get back into her role as queen.”

“If you say so.” Molly raised her eyebrows, clearly suspicious. 

“Can you not just be excited for me? This is all I’ve wanted for the past year.”

Molly snorted, crossing her arms. “You just wanted to go to parties and dance with men while wearing fine dresses. Don’t pretend that you ever had any interest in actually working.”

“I am trying to do what is right for my country and my father’s legacy,” Tilla said, her voice growing cold and angry with each breath. “Finally, there is someone who looks at me and sees more than a vapid, shallow woman looking for the next bite of gossip. Einar knows that I am capable, and I want to do everything I can to help my sister through her recovery.” 

“Forgive me if I am unconvinced.” Molly stood up and strode to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.