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ofliterarynature · 9 months

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2023 Reading Wrap Up: Favorites from the First Half

Not to sound like a broken record, but I can't believe we're already halfway through the year! (and even further, given how late I'm posting this lol). I've read an ungodly amount of books already, and while I try my best to shout out my favorites as I go or in my monthly wrap-ups, I don't always succeed. So Here I Am, to do a little more shouting about the 10 most memorable books or series I've read so far in 2023!

The God of Endings by Jaqueline Holland

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

Sword Stone Table ed by Jenn Northington & Swapna Krishna

Sea Hearts (The Brides of Rollrock Island) by Margo Lanagan

Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld & Alex Puvilland

Will Darling/Lilywhite Boys by K.J. Charles

Lord Peter Wimsey by Dorothy L Sayers

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein

More discussion below the cut!

The God of Endings by Jaqueline Holland had me entirely engrossed. It's slow and moving and dark, with it's own take on vampirism, with any number of the associated content warnings. All the content warnings actually (but harm to animals, harm to children, and domestic abuse are some of the big ones. Does the Nazi murder make up for it?). Best described as The Historian meets everything I wanted from The Invisible Life of Addie Larue but didn't get.

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez I have, in fact, already yelled about a bit. It was so good! Think A:TLA meets The Raven Tower and The Hundred Thousand Kindgoms, and queer! The thing that really blew my mind was the second-person narration, which is always a swing, and I think this nailed it! I loved how it worked with the story and frame narrative, and let me tell you, on audiobook parts of the story felt positively haunted. I won't say it's the perfect novel (I'm a little eh about the last third), but that in no way dampens my enthusiasm. cw for ritual cannibalism.

Sword Stone Table ed by Jenn Northington & Swapna Krishna is an anthology of Arthurian re-imaginings with about a 1-in-3 success rate (for me anyways. is that good for an anthology?) that snuck onto this list purely on the strength of Mayday by Maria Dahvana Headley. I just yelled about my love for unusual narrative structures, so when I tell you that this is a retelling of the Arthurian family drama set in late 19th century America, told only through found objects, newspaper clippings, and manuscript exerpts? I had *such* a great time trying to puzzle things out with my half-remembered memories of the lore (heavily corrupted by the show Merlin, lol). Additional shout-out to Spear by Nicola Griffith, which didn't make it into the collection due to length but was also amazing!

Sea Hearts (aka The Brides of Rollrock Island) by Margo Lanagan was an absolute surprise, for several reasons. For one, I own both a physical and digital copy under different titles and didn't realize it until I was cleaning up my goodreads account! And second, the Brides cover is an absolute travesty and is entirely the wrong vibe - this may be YA (technically?) but it doesn't read like it! Sea Hearts is the story of a small island community with a history of summoning wives from the sea, a tradition only whispered about until an outcast young woman revives the practices to sow discord and revenge among the community members we follow. Incredibly moving and sorrowful, this is for fans of literary, historical, and speculative fiction.

Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld & Alex Puvilland. This graphic novel is about a city hit by an unknown disaster that has killed or mutated everything and everyone who wasn't able to evacuate in time. Our main character sneaks back in to take pictures to support herself and her little sister, and while I have some reservations about the larger plot, the art of the Zone is GORGEOUS. Sketchy, eerie, hauntingly beautiful, I loved it, enough that I have no regrets. I could see this making a great comic series or animated show instead.

Major, heartfelt shout-out to K.J. Charles, who absolutely saved my sanity for a few months there. My brain was in a weird spot for a few months and I burned through a good chunk of her backlist, so it's absolutely necessary to name drop a few of my favorites. The Will Darling series, a 1920's spy adventure/gay romance, did not immediately win me over, but exposure makes the heart grow fonder? I don't think they say that, actually, but I love a competent dumbass, and when I finally picked up on the crossover with Charles' England duo, I absolutely cackled. I can't wait to reread these! Any Old Diamonds of the Lilywhite Boys series did catch me immediately, even if I managed to read it out of order with one of it's prequel series. Jewel thieves, a heist, revenge, family drama, what's not to love? I loved every single book and novella in this series.

Lord Peter Wimsey (series) by Dorothy L Sayers. This has been a work in progress since 2022 and has consistently made my favorites lists, but truly, she saved the best for last! Murder Must Advertise was stellar, but everyone who said the Harriet Vane novels were the best is absolutely correct. I don't know why I love them, other than that they're wonderfully complex mysteries, but I do. I definitely need to find another long mystery series for my mental health or else I'm going to start these from the beginning again (I still need to read the short stories after all).

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green. I'll be honest, I didn't write a review for this at the time, and my memory for non-fiction is terrible. But I loved this book, I love John Green, and this was fantastic on audio. Thank you John for putting hope and goodness and beauty into the world.

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff was a beautiful little book for the book lover. It's a collection of letters between the American author and a used-book seller (and family and associates) in London in the 50s and 60s. Its funny, it's friendly, it's lovely, but there's also an underlying tension that builds throughout from the repeated invitations to the author to come visit, and the book copy saying that THEY NEVER MEET. It about killed me, and did make me cry. For further reading you can also check out the author's related memoirs, The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street and Q's Legacy.

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein. Frankly, I'm impressed by my nonfiction choices so far this year. This one is what it says and it HURT. SO. MUCH. I am absolutely a generalist and it's made life frustrating, so reading this was both extremely comforting but also enraging, because society doesn't need another reason to suck. Alas.

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redbread-design · 1 year

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Group Patrol (2020)

For this piece, I wanted a festive scene amongst the Doom Patrol where just about everyone was there. Incorporating characters and designs across iterations of the timeless Doom Patrol, I set to incorporate the wide legacy of camaraderie and history.

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weirdlookindog · 11 months

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Revolt of the Zombies (1936)

#revolt of the zombies #dorothy stone #dean jagger #1930s movies #victor halperin #horror #pressbook

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the-antiapocalyptic-man · 2 years

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New Doom Patrol Groupshot

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letsscreamwithme · 6 months

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Welp. Wedding time. I said I would.

Larry readjusted his tie for what felt like the hundredth time. He was nervous at his first wedding but this was different. The first time, he wasn't really excited. Yes, he loved Sheryl but not in the way he was supposed to. Larry shook his head, he shouldn't think like that. He didn't love Sheryl in the way people wanted him to. While yes, theoretically he could legally marry Rama, he couldn't in practise. He had been considered dead since the sixties and Rama couldn't exactly prove he existed. Still, they were doing it. They were going to get married. Larry couldn't help but let out a breathy laugh. He never thought he'd marry someone he actually wanted to, not just someone he felt like he had to. Keeg flew in, crackling excitedly.

"I know your excited bud...I am too." Larry watched as Keeg happily spun around in his matching suit. Larry was glad Keeg liked his suit as it was a pain in the ass to make. Keeg grabbed Larry's hand and tugged.

"Ok! ok!" Larry finally left his room and followed Keeg downstairs. Rita grinned.

"Oh! Larry, you look perfect!"

"I-I wouldn't say prefect. More like...close enough?"

"I bet Rama would say something very different to that, wouldn't he?" Rita teased.

"Let's just go outside." Larry headed that way before Rita could continue to tease him. Rita chased after him.

"It's almost ready!"

"Almost?"

"Rama."

"He always wears a suit, how is he not ready?"

"Well, he decided on something special for a special day." Rita grinned. Larry looked at her for moment before Keeg grabbed his hand and tugged again. He followed Keeg outside where an arch was set up. It was off-white with marigolds and dahlias decorating it. Larry took a deep breath, let it out, then stood on his side of the arch. Keeg flew down and picked up the pillow that was laid out for him at the beginning of the aisle. On Larry's side, Laura and Rita were waiting. On Rama's side, Cliff and Jane sat. Rita had a yellow sun dress while Laura wore a black cocktail dress. Larry knew that wearing black to a wedding when it wasn't a suit wasn't exactly the best but he was in bandages head to toe so who was he to complain? Cliff and Jane had matching suits on. Vic came out of the house, also in a suit, and got up behind Larry at the arch.

"You're a marriage official?" Larry asked.

"Uh...no. But even if I was, would it matter? It's not legal anyways." The back door opened and everyone looked over. Dorothy stood there in a purple dress holding a basket of flower petals. Dorothy tossed the petals as she came down the aisle before standing on Rama's side of the arch. Larry held his breath. He knew Rama was next. After a moment, Rama stepped out. He was in a white suit with a veil and holding a bouquet of flowers, ones all found in Larry's garden. Larry felt lightheaded as he watched Rama walk down the aisle.

"You look perfect." Rama said, taking up his side of the arch.

"You should look at yourself." Larry mumbled. Rama giggled.

"We are gathered here today for wedding of our good friends Larry and Rama."

Keeg grabbed the pillow and walked down the aisle up to them. The two took the rings.

"Larry, your vows?"

"Rama...I never thought that a day like this would come. I never thought there would be a day where I could just be happy, a day where I could just be me without anyone telling me I'm wrong but that day came when I met you. I know there were times at the beginning where I wasn't the kindest but you put your faith in me and stayed by my side. Without you, I don't know who I would be. Thank you."

"Rama, your vows?"

"L-Larry. I...I know very little about myself but what I do know is that my life was never the same after I met you. We may have started out rocky, but my time with you has been the best. I don't know where I would be without you, maybe I'd be at that fucking bureau. I...I just love you so, so, so much." Rama wiped tears from his eyes.

"Larry, do you take Rama as your husband?"

"I do." Larry put the ring he had on Rama's finger.

"Rama, do you take Larry as your husband?"

"I-I do!" Rama put the ring he had on Larry's finger.

"You may now kiss!" Rama grabbed Larry's face and kissed him with all the passion he wished he did when he kissed Larry the first time. Jane wolf-whistled.

"I now pronounce you Larry and Rama Trainor!" When Rama pulled away from the kiss, Larry put their foreheads together. So who cares if their marriage wasn't real in the eyes of the law? It was real in their eyes and that was more than enough.

#doom patrol #larry trainor #rama/104 #larry x rama #rita farr #cliff steele #crazy jane #vic stone #keeg #keeg bovo #dorothy spinner

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elfangel94 · 3 months

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bro the end of doom patrol bro i’m not ok bro holy shit bro

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scarlettjohanssons-mistress · 2 years

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Keep your mouth closed

Warnings: Reader is a witch and she is over 200 years old, secret relationship, a bit of internalized homophobia, fluff.

You have to watch "Doom Patrol" because it is the best series IN THE WORLD

Word count: 2.2 K

Pairing: Rita Farr x Fem!Reader

Prompt: Rita and Reader have a secret relationship, but Reader is tired of hiding her beautiful girlfriend from her best friends, it all ends in an ugly argument.

Requests: OPEN

[Main masterlist] [DC masterlist]

My alarm clock rang, reminding me that I had to train with Victor at exactly 6:00 AM.

So, I got up, went to the bathroom to relieve myself, brush my teeth, brush my face, braid my hair, put on some leggings, a sports top, my tennis shoes and left my room, meeting Victor who was already warming up on the stairs

"Good morning, Y/N" I only replied with a grunt "wow, someone got up with the left foot"

“Is it really necessary to go out and exercise today?”

"Of course it's necessary, do you want to be a great hero?"

"Is this where I have to say 'Yes'?"

"Forget it, just follow me, today is a hot day and the later we start, the hotter it will be"

———————————————————————————

Going to exercise with Victor was synonymous with torture; sit-ups, squats, running long distances, carrying large amounts of weight, fighting each other, so no matter the weather, we always arrived at the mansion full of sweat, but, on a day like today, with 84.2 ° F, it was logical that we were going to arrive, sweating and wanting to have a big glass of ice water.

When we arrived, everyone was already awake, Larry was making breakfast, while Dorothy and Rita were sitting at the table, having breakfast, Cliff was in the living room, watching as Jane finished painting a picture.

“Good morning” Victor greeted, letting Larry, Rita and Dorothy know of our arrival.

"They're drenched in sweat, Ewww !" speak Dorothy

"I want to die" I let myself fall into a chair, in front of Rita

“Do you want a smoothie?” asked Victor

"Yes, but, I'll take a shower first" I got up slowly, until I was behind little Dorothy "but, first, I want to hug my favorite person"

I hugged the girl, causing her to burst out laughing and did her best to get out of my arms, until I looked at Rita, who was laughing.

"What's up, red, do you want a little hug from the sweaty lady?" I let go of Dorothy and started walking towards Rita

"Don't even think about it Y/N" he stopped me just raising his index finger, so I stopped, but I ruffled his hair a bit

“I leave you alone, because I want to, not because you ask me to”

I walked to the stairs and went up to my room to take a shower.

I opened the door and realized I hadn't brought my cell phone up so I wouldn't be able to listen to music, so it had to be a quick shower. Just wash my hair, my body and wait a bit for my body temperature to drop, so I can go out.

Outside, I brushed my teeth, put on my face creams, dressed in a cute skirt and little crop top, put a towel on my head, and went back downstairs to the kitchen to find Larry, Cliff and Rita sitting while Victor I finished preparing the smoothies

"Here you go" Victor handed me my glass and I gave him a small drink, thanking with a grunt "by the way, while you were taking a bath, someone called you, a certain Monica"

I spit out some of the milkshake

"Monica?"

"Yes, the same" Victor started patting me on the back with a strange look "who is this Monica?"

"Yes, Y/N, explain us, who is Monica?" speak Rita, not taking my eyes off of me

"She's a friend, but I haven't heard from her in years."

"Come on, Y/N, you don't react like that if it's just a friend" Cliff spoke "and tell us, are you fucking her?"

“ Clif !” shouted Larry.

“Come on guys, are we going to pretend we don't hear the strange noises coming from the bottom of the hall? Literally the only 2 people in there are you and Rita, and I'll bet Victor's dick that the one having fun at night is you, Y/N."

Without giving me time to protest, Rita got up and walked to her room, while Cliff just looked, Larry looked down, shaking his head and Victor was more confused than at first.

"You're a fucking asshole, Cliff."

I got up to go after Rita, while listening to some reproaches from Cliff himself. I stood in front of the redhead's door and knocked repeatedly.

"Rita, open me please"

I was ready for some warning and to insist again, but to my surprise Rita just opened me up and sat on her bed, coming face to face with me.

"Who is Monica?"

"No one relevant" I sat next to she, but looking at the ground "but, something relevant was your attitude, what kind of scene of jealousy was that?, you're not being very discreet to say"

"I'm sorry" now I turned to see her profile, and his eyes that looked at nothing "you know what my insecurities are, and my biggest fear is that…"

“I know love, I know. Hey, look at me” I took her chin between my fingers and forced her to look at me “Honey, I understand your fears, insecurities, traumas and all the pain you carry, and guess what? I love you, in spite of everything; but it seems a bit incongruous to me that you ask me to keep silent about our relationship, when you make those comments in front of everyone- I started kissing her neck tickling her and making her laugh a little- that's why I thought we should tell them now "

"Y/N, you know I can't…"

I walked away, tired of this conversation

"Rita, I understand, but I'm tired of having to hide, I hid for more than two centuries, I don't want to do it anymore" Rita didn't even deign to look at me "Is it because you're ashamed of me?"

"What? Of course not, I'm very lucky to be your girlfriend" Rita kissed my cheek "I just... I don't want them to know that I'm... this"

That's when I started to feel my anger going to my head, so I stood up to face her fully.

"Aren't you what?"

“Like...Larry”

"Come on, Rita, say the word" I started to raise my voice

"I can't" I saw how her eyes began to fill with tears, but the fury took over me, so I ignored them

“Yes you can, SAY IT!”

"I'm not...g...a..."

“Yes, you are gay, Rita, say it, you are gay, you are a fucking homosexual woman, where is the harm in that?” she didn't answer, she just tried to dry her tears "sure, do you think that of me?" My voice also began to break "Do I disgust you for saying that I am homosexual?"

Rita just kept quiet

"Oh, thank you. Your silence calms me down a lot” I felt my throat begin to close, as a warning of my violent crying, so I turned my back on her and started to walk to the door “you know what, Gertrude?, all this time you were right, You don't deserve even an ounce of love."

Without more I left his room, going to mine, where I threw myself to start crying, I felt bad for that last comment I made, but anger was stronger than my reasoning. I can't believe I've been in love with such a...so...a person like Rita for a year.

———————————————————————————

Without realizing it I fell asleep and after many hours Victor woke me up.

"Hey, you went up and didn't come back down"

"Sorry, I came here really wanting to sleep and went straight to it" I tried to laugh, but that didn't calm my friend.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes do not worry"

"Okay, get ready, because Maura and I are going to have a big party here at the mansion" I raised an eyebrow at that last one "you know, things have been a little tense regarding Niles, so we wanted to relax and have Dorothy It feels better"

“Well, it's perfect. I'll start getting ready." Victor started to leave my room. "Hey, Victor, can I call someone?"

I saw how Victor's mouth began to form a flirtatious smile "of course, you can bring your girlfriend"

"She is not my girlfriend"

He came out of my room and yelled "whatever you say captain baba"

I took out my phone and started to dial the number, while a hand went to my mouth, to realize that, indeed, I had drooled in my sleep.

"Hello? Monica? It's me, Y/N…"

———————————————————————————

The party came faster than I thought, so I simply shaped my long hair, I put on a cute black dress with straps, short, barely covering my butt, which molds my figure perfectly, with black stockings and a pair of classic red heels, with a simple but cute makeup, and I went downstairs, just in time to see my friend Monica walk in the door

"Hello beautiful" I greeted her kissing both cheeks

"My goodness Y/N, you are just as beautiful as you were years ago" she intertwined her arm with mine and we began to walk to the living room

"Of course, I'm still a murderous woman in bed" we both let out a big laugh

"Hey, now yes, tell me, what is the problem you have?"

"It is a long story…"

———————————————————————————

Narrates Rita

The party had started, and much to my regret and thanks to Larry's constant insistence, I went downstairs, trying to enjoy myself, and of course, with the intention of fixing things with Y/N, but, I didn't know how to fix things, So I plucked up the courage and told Larry the truth.

"I already knew" he commented while trying to remove trash from his shirt

"What? How did you already know?"

“Rita, you are not the most discreet person on the planet, not to mention that you LITERALLY have the word lesbian written, tattooed on your forehead” he pointed to her own forehead “in fact, you were late. But I'm very happy for you, for both of us. you guys make a nice couple”

"We were a nice couple" I corrected

"Rita, you're exaggerating, clearly Y/N still loves you"

"How do you know?"

"Look, I don't think they'll end up like me and John," he sighed, "but if you don't change that attitude you might."

"So what should I do?"

"Rita, come out, shout out to the world your love for Y/N, what's the worst that can happen? We are in the 21st century, no one says anything about homosexuals anymore, see Maura and her friends"

Look how Maura danced, happy, despite everything she has lived

“I remind you that homosexuality is no longer illegal. You can't get married in Ohio, but in Pennsylvania you can."

"Do I have to work things out with Y/N?"

"Of course, I don't want to see you alone, like me"

"Yeah, I'm going to work things out with Y/N."

I got up from my seat, ready to walk towards Y/N's room, when suddenly, I saw her come down, holding the arm of another girl. A blonde girl, with short hair, tall and wearing a very nice dress, with a fairly pronounced neckline, and with nice shoes, very matching with the sexy dress that Y/N was wearing, making me feel uncomfortable with my choice of clothing.

I saw how Y/N didn't even notice my presence, and just followed her friend to the kitchen, so I sat back, staring blankly, and seeing how Victor approached us.

"How are you doing?"

"Who is the woman with Y/N?" I asked , as I snatched his drink from him and downed it in one gulp.

“ Wow , watch out Rita, it's not water. it's her old friend Monica, why do you want to know?" I got up again, now much more determined and angry than before

"Because I'm not going to let any woman get close to my girlfriend"

"Your girlfriend?"

I didn't even answer he, I just walked across the makeshift dance floor and had another 2 drinks in one shot, until I reached the kitchen, finding Y/N hugging her friend, until the friend patted her and left. walked away, making Y/N look at me

"Rita, I want…"

I didn't let her finish her sentence, I just took her hand, making her follow me to the dance floor, and making her dance with me, to the rhythm of 'Teenage Dream', Y/N's favorite song. Without giving her time to answer, I gave her a big kiss, a deep one, and showing her how much I love her

"I love you" I kissed her cheek "I'm sorry my fear has driven us away"

"Don't apologize love" she also kissed me, my nose and my chin "sorry for what I told you, I didn't mean to hurt you"

“There is no need to apologize. I just want to dance with you all night and kiss you all night."

"Regardless if anyone sees us?"

"I just want people to see the beautiful girlfriend I have"

And we kissed again, feeling the happy looks of all our friends, knowing that we would be completely happy, finally.

Note:

Maybe I'll write a little more about Rita and the Doom Patrol.

I hope you enjoy this.

I appreciate the reblogs, the likes and the comments

#rita farr #rita farr x reader #rita farr x femreader #rita farr x female reader #DC #DCEU #doom patrol #lgbtq #lesbian #bisexual #bisexuality #larry trainor #crazy jane #cliff steele #victor stone #dorothy spinner #elasti woman #negative man #robot man

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