#abookishshade

[abookishshade]

#skip and loafer #skip to loafer #abookishshade

[lonelycatsblog]

MUSIC LOVERS ASSEMBLE!!

i feel like starting a tag chain so i hope this works out :)

reblog this with 3 songs:

the song your listening to right now (or last one you listened to)

your current favourite song

a song of your choice

______________________________________________________________

mine:

its now or never - elvis presley/love in the dark - adele

trastevere - måneskin

nevermore - queen

______________________________________________________________

tagggzzzz: (np ofc) @heartstopper-lover123 @s0lit4ir3 @ali-da-demon @vicwritesfic @skeelly @charliethinks @tori-my-love @chronic-skeptic @toulouseradiosilence @stewpid-soup @nine-frogs-in-a-trenchcoat @pessimistic-gh0st @theshyqueergirl @crowleybrekkers @a-bowl-of-soop @frogfairy444 @robinheaney12 @fairyghostgirlgaming @thatsawesomedontyouthink @venusplanetoflove2 @thelovelyvie @abookishshade @spir4nts-lun4r @i-have-no-idea-111 @kit-the-queer @a-wondering-thought @scatteredraysofhope @coco6420 @softlyunbreakable @givennnnnn @far-beyond-saving @darling-im-wonderstruck @heartstoppernerdsstuff @nonbinary-idiot-obviously @rebelrobinrules1984 @daydream-of-a-wallflower @leonine-elizer @angel-devil-star and anyone else who wants to join!!

#blasting music #music core #music lovers #listen to music #music #tunes #my music #song #tag game #i love my mutuals

[abookishshade]

***Spoilers for Percy Jackson book 1***

Ok, so I reread The Lightning Thief because I have been going gaga over Percy Jackson since the new TV series is released. I have been enjoying it very much, and I have ended up wanting more after each episode.

Anyway, here are my thoughts after my reread, having watched till episode 4, and with no memory of the other books.

1) Percy's relationship with his father in the book seems better than that in the show. He remembers warmth when he thinks of his father. Though he also does resent the fact that his father only claimed him because he needed Percy.

2) Sally's situation in the book seems different from that in the show. In the book, Gabe seems to hold more power over Sally than in the show. I can't imagine the Sally in the show, who could make Gabe say please, flinching from him as the Sally in the book did towards the end.

3) There's more drama in the show and there's more comic in the book, both of which is completely fine by me. I enjoy both drama and comic, and I like how, in this case, they work in the respective mediums.

4) Loved the themes of friendship and loyalty in both the book and the show. Loved the theme of environment in the book. Also loved the exploration of parent-child relationship in both.

5) One thing I did not like in the book was its explicit emphasis on its Western centricity.

6) I also didn't like how most of Percy's antagonists like Nancy, Gabe, etc. were described as "ugly".

Overall it was a fun ride. This was both my first read and reread of 2024.

#percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson #pjo tv show #book blogger #bookish #bookblr #booklr #books and reading #abookishshade #book reviews #the lightning thief

[abookishshade]

What I loved in Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (spoilers):

1) The writing. It was so intricately and tightly written. Everything made sense. I could feel with the characters; and everything was so well-connected.

2) Multiple perspectives. There were no chapter headings with different character names like most books with multiple perspectives. Every character's voice was distinctive and recognisable. At first I had expected just one main character like in Scholomance, but as I read and talked to someone else who had read it and recommended it to me, and also after seeing certain fanarts, I expected there to be three main characters and I expected only the main characters to have povs; but then we got Stepon's perspective which was so heartbreaking, and then we also got Magreta's perspective which I didn't mind and rather found insightful in regard to Irina's characterization. I also liked how we saw certain incidents through different character's perspectives, especially in the beginning as new characters were introduced — as when Wanda was introduced through Miryem's perspective first, and I didn't pay attention to her then that this girl whom Miryem has kinda bought from her father to pay his debt would turn out to play a major role later, but then we see Miryem through Wanda's eyes! Same thing happened with Irina too. Oh, and I also liked how snarky and ultimately sad Mirnatius's perspective was.

3) The theme of abusive parents. How the theme of parents selling their children was executed through different characters in different ways. Wanda, Irina and even Mirnatius were all dealt shitty hands in regard to parents, though Irina was still better off than the other two. I was glad when Wanda and the kids escaped. I felt part of why Wanda's voice sounded the way it did, so pragmatic and stoic, was because of her traumatic childhood. Then there was Mirnatius, who was bargained away while still in his mother's womb, which reminded me of Scholomance.

4) The theme of remembering and forgetting. This theme also reminded me of The Winternight Trilogy. I really liked the fairytale-esque effect of this theme in both. After Miryem was gone with the Staryk, it was so hard for others to remember her or where or when she had gone. During the confrontation with the Staryk, it was only when her mother remembered her that others could remember her too. I liked how memory was connected to love in that scene. The Staryk would have found it easier to take Miryem against her will if others had totally forgotten her. Unlike Miryem and Irina, Wanda didn't have any powers but she did have the bond of love and memory, and through that she helped Miryem. Wanda and her brothers also remembered how they had needed help and got it, and so wanted a house so that they could be in a position to provide similar kind of help.

5) The characters. I loved the stubbornness of Miryem, the ruthlessness of Irina and the strength of Wanda. I also liked the other characters like Miryem's parents, Wanda's brothers, Irina's companion Magreta, all the staryks whom Miryem met and Mirnatius. I loved how all these characters were portrayed with empathy and understanding. They were also understanding of each other's situation. None of the characters at any point felt unreasonable to me.

6) The representation of antisemitism. These lines by Wanda, when she along with her brothers and Miryem's parents came to stay with Miryem's extended family, particularly seemed to emphasize the experience of being a minority: I thought that when Miryem had to go to the Staryk kingdom maybe it was like this for her. All of a sudden everyone around you was the same as each other but not like you. And then I thought, but it was like that for Miryem already. It was like that for her all the time, in town.

What I didn't like:

The ending chapters. I felt like not enough happened and not all characters were properly utilized at the end. I had loved how Scholomance had ended and was expecting something similar but this one felt less somehow in that aspect.

#spinning silver #naomi novik #bookish #fantasy #fairytale #fairy tale retelling #book review #book blogger #books #books & libraries #booklr #bookblr #books and reading #literature #book blog #abookishshade #book quotes #book reviews

[abookishshade]

I'm thoroughly enjoying watching the show at the same pace with the fandom and having everyone talk about every little detail here. I think this is one good thing about the weekly release of the episodes.

#percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson #pjo tv show #abookishshade #pjo fandom

[abookishshade]

If only his voice had not been quite so gentle; if only he had comprehended me just a little less. I would never have voiced my doubts. It is easy to stiffen one’s upper lip and carry on when you dare not share your cowardice for fear of being misunderstood. But it is a difficult thing to heft one’s burden alone when there is someone willing to share it.

- from A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

#a curious beginning #veronica speedwell #deanna raybourn #book quotes #bookish #book blogger #bookblr #booklr #books and reading #abookishshade #books

[abookishshade]

Started reading Vicious by V. E. Schwab and this seems like a wise advice from Professor Lyne:

You will do yourselves no favors by making a safe selection and flying under the radar; however, an ambitious thesis will win no points on the grounds of ambitiousness alone. Your grade is contingent upon execution. Find a topic close enough to your area of interest to be productive without selecting one you already consider yourselves expert on.

#v e schwab #victor vale #books & libraries #books #book blogger #bookish #booklr #bookblr #academia #student #villains #vicious #books and reading #studyblr #literature #book blog #abookishshade #bookworm #book quotes

[abookishshade]

#em beihold #numb little bug #abookishshade #Spotify

[abookishshade]

Introductory post for my bookblr account

Hi, I'm Ekta. I love reading fiction, but I also read non-fiction occasionally. I mainly enjoy reading adventurous, emotional and dark stories according to Storygraph, but from time to time I do venture out of my usual types of books. I seem to have phases while reading— like I can't get enough of a particular genre, or author for awhile, but then eventually I do get out of the loop hehe. I also read different types of books together sometimes. And then there are those times when I read very less. So, my reading habits are pretty dynamic, they seem to keep changing all the time.

Now, coming to this account, I tend to forget a lot about the books I read which isn't great when I am trying to recommend the book to someone based on my feelings for it, no matter how strong they might be; or alternatively, when I am trying to express my dislike for a book. Therefore, I thought if I manage to write something on the books I read then that will be useful while talking about it to someone. And to motivate myself to keep writing, I needed a platform where there might be some possibility of fellow readers reading my thoughts, so I created this account. I also created it to practice writing through bookish content and to connect with fellow readers. Additionally, tumblr allows me to get away with just writing without bothering with pictures or blog design when I don't want to bother with them, unlike other platforms 🥺. Let's see how it goes. Cheers!

P.S.- I made this hashtag #abookishshade—added to this post too—to make my posts easily accessible for anyone curious to check them out amidst my reblogs on this account.

#bookblr #booklr #book blogger #bookish #books #books & libraries #booklover #books and reading #book community #reading #reading community #literature #introduction #intro post #introductory post #book blog #abookishshade

[abookishshade]

To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never, to forget.

-from The Cost of Living by Arundhati Roy

#book quotes #arundhati roy #booklr #bookblr #literature #abookishshade

[abookishshade]

At a concert in the summer of 2018, I felt the power of young women turning their anger outwards and putting patriarchy on notice, telling it, “I am fucking done.” Leading them in that unadulterated anger was the singer Halsey, one of the few female stars who has used her platform to openly express sexual desire for both women and men. For example, she recorded a duet with another openly bisexual female singer about a relationship between two women.

Concerts, much like congregational prayer or pilgrimage, allow us to lose ourselves in the communal. Teenage girls are a major source of fandom and money for the music industry. They are often portrayed as hysterical or out of control. All things girl-related are mocked—from the colors they like, to the music they listen to, to the books they love. Patriarchy keeps boys in line by taunting them with proximity to girlhood: you run like a girl, stop crying like a girl, and so on. To that end, power is rarely associated with girls. Consider instead the power behind the passion girls have for music. For the girls who fainted during Beatlemania or at any other megastars, in place of “hysteria” and “screaming” and “shrieking,” which is how the male-dominated music media usually report on teenage girls and music, replace those pejoratives with “rage” and “power.” That is what Halsey led during her song “Hurricane” in the concert that I attended. She essentially acted as a conductor for the rage and power of young women. And it was glorious.

Halsey has said the lyrics about the young woman in “Hurricane,” which she cowrote when she was nineteen, “mean that she [the young woman] will not be victimized. She belongs to no one but herself.” At the concert, Halsey led the audience in a refrain from the song, “I’m a hurricane”—to which she added “Fuck.”

The force of hundreds of girls and gender-queer pre-teens (Halsey draws a young and queer audience) chanting, “I’m a fucking hurricane! I’m a fucking hurricane!” over and over is revolutionary! The walls shook with the reverberation. The collective power and rage in that concert hall could have gone out that night and torn the patriarchy to bits. Girls know their power. They are born knowing it. Which is why patriarchy socializes it out of them, and why it extinguishes the pilot light of their anger.

— from The Seven Necessary Sins of Women and Girls by Mona Eltahawy

#the seven necessary sins of women and girls #nonfiction #bookblr #book quotes #abookishshade #books #songs #halsey #hurricane #feminism #mona eltahawy #booklr #music #fandom

[abookishshade]

#halsey #graveyard #Spotify #abookishshade #listened to it intermittently the whole day but then ended the day with listening to it almost three hours straight doing nothing else #on loop

[abookishshade]

So January, 2024 was a productive reading month for me.

I read 7 books in all, of which, I read:

🔹️2 audiobooks

1️⃣▫️The Disaster Tourist by Yun Ko-eyn, tr. Lizzie Buehler- ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (lit fic, thriller, contemporary)

I had not known about this aspect of the tourism industry before reading this book. So it was quite fascinating to me.

2️⃣▫️All Systems Red by Martha Wells- ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Sci-fi)

This is, I think, the first pure sci-fi that I have read, and I enjoyed being inside the head of a robot.

🔹️1 series continuation

3️⃣▫️Sweep of the Heart by Ilona Andrews- ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (fantasy, romance)

Finally I'm done with the Innkeeper Chronicles. While this was still a comfort read, it was also a slow read. There was a lot of political intrigue involving characters I didn't much care for so this one wasn't as fun as the previous books in the series.

🔹️2 rereads

4️⃣▫️The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (middle grade, greek mythology, urban fanasy)

It was also my first read of the month. The recently released show got me interested in this again. I have made another post on it.

5️⃣▫️The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (middle grade, greek mythology, urban fanasy)

It was also as much fun as the first Percy Jackson book, especially because I have forgotten everything from my first read. Came across the character Circe in this one, and couldn't help myself from wanting to know her pov next before starting the 3rd book in the series.

🔹️2 fresh reads

6️⃣▫️Circe by Madeline Miller- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (greek mythology, feminist retelling)

The Sea of Monsters made me want to read Circe. And this was my favorite read of the month. I loved the character development of Circe. I loved the witchy vibes. I loved the depiction of her solitary independent life on the island. I loved the critiques of patriarchy. What I didn't like was the ending.

SPOILER AHEAD

I understood Circe's loneliness but I didn't like that the powerful witch Circe ended up needing to spend her mortal life with Telemachus and bear his children to get her happy ending.

SPOILER OVER

7️⃣▫️The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (historical fiction, mystery)

I buddyread this one, and enjoyed reading it even though it was a slow read. Buddyread definitely helped in going through with it. There were two timelines. Sometimes the transition from one timeline to another felt like an interruption but at the end both the timelines added to the substance of the story, especially the past timeline was important for the characterization of our protagonist. I loved the various little details including those pertaining to the setting, the law and the architecture and also those pertaining to the various characters and their dynamics with each other. I also enjoying making speculations about the killer. I also liked how it touched upon some of the societal issues of the time period through the lens of a woman.

#abookishshade #book reviews #bookworm #books #booklr #bookblr #book blogger #books and reading #book community #reading community #monthly wrap up #the disaster tourist yun ko eyn lizzie buelher #all systems red martha wells #sweep of the heart innkeeper chronicles ilona andrews #percy jackon and the olympians #rick riordan #the lightning thief #the sea of monsters #circe madeline miller #the widows of malabar hills #sujata massey #percy jackson

[abookishshade]

Maybe some people scanned the shelves for the heftiest one, assuming that more pages meant more emotional or psychological aid.

from Vicious by V. E. Schwab

Do you look for lengthy books?

I think I usually do that in case of the fantasy genre, and indeed, it does serve as emotional and psychological aid for me ;)

#vicious #v e schwab #villains #bookblr #book blogger #books & libraries #book quotes #booklr #books #bookish #books and reading #literature #book blog #fantasy #fantasy genre #abookishshade

[abookishshade]

What I liked in Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi, tr. by David Boyd and Lucy North (spoilers)

1) Theme of gender roles in workplaces. Shibata is the only woman in her section at the office, and all menial work like getting tea or coffee for others, cleaning up the fridge, etc. falls on her. It makes it difficult for her to focus on her actual work for which she was hired. It also gives her less time to herself at home as she almost daily ends up leaving for home from work past her time. So, one day in annoyance she comes up with the lie of her pregnancy. That solves all of the above issues for her in addition to gaining her the maternity leave that gives her a break from her annoying workplace.

2) Theme of loneliness. Shibata seeks solitude but she is also alone at times. She considers herself less miserable than the married women who despite being drained and tired themselves do the housework for their family, while she can spend her time doing what she likes. She does not like talking to people who do not care for her but would ask intruding questions about her private life and comment on what she isn't doing right according to them. Talking to those people makes her feel very alone. And it is not even as simple as avoiding the people she finds annoying because perhaps the vibrancy in those interactions makes her solitary apartment more darker: But why do I have to deal with these people who try to act like they care about me or my pregnancy while they ask the most inane, prying questions? Why is it up to me to produce answers that please them? And why is the way home so much darker and colder on nights like that? More than that, why is my apartment so dark when I come home alone from aerobics, after talking with the others about nothing in particular, snacking on whatever sweets are spread out on the table? There is also the fact that not everyone she finds annoying is so merely because they have nothing better to do or because they are inconsiderate. I think this was particularly emphasized through Higashinakano's character. He seemed annoying at the beginning, but later we find out that he has his own emotional reasons related to pregnancy and babies. At one point she also talks about family: Maybe that’s what making a family is all about: creating an environment in which people make space for one another— maybe without even trying, just naturally, to make sure that nobody’s forgotten.

3)Theme of lies. She is a 34 year old unmarried single woman living alone. But her lie turns her into an unmarried single mother, and she dedicates herself completely to this lie doing everything exactly as a pregnant woman would do for the entire period of a normal pregnancy. She does this because she doesn't care about lying to those intruding people and this lie enables her to maintain her privacy while still interacting with them: Even if it’s a lie, it’s a place of my own.

4)Theme of religion and motherhood. She talks to Mary, the Virgin Mother, in her head at parts. She sympathises with the role thrust upon Mary and the circumstances of her becoming the Virgin Mother and being eternally known as such, her personhood entirely ignored. Shibata too, after all, could get out of her uncompensated for extra duties only after she turned herself into a would-be mother through her lie. She finds solace in talking to this famous mother who must not have had it easy either, especially in those times, eons ago.

5) Theme of body. I liked how relatable Shibata's self-consciousness was: It was the bottom part of me that was different. I quickly dried myself off and tried on some skirts and jeans. Nothing looked right. My thighs were jutting out. And the way I looked from behind was . . . Well, it was just too painful to behold. This. I have felt this too. And I was happy for her when she felt better about her body after her walks and aerobics: It hadn’t even been three weeks since I’d signed up, but my body was already changing, little by little. Whenever I got out of the bath and looked at my backside in the mirror, I could see a real difference in my hips and thighs. My core felt stronger, and I didn’t feel like I was about to fall over all the time. My belly was getting bigger, and sometimes I felt a pain in my back, but it wasn’t unbearable. Honestly, I was feeling better than I ever had in my life.

6) The writing. I liked all the descriptions of the mundane day-to-day life activities. And her thoughts. Her overthinking tendency was also very relatable to me.

What I didn't like:

The visit to the doctor. It made zero sense to me. I was confused af.

#diary of a void #emi yagi #david boyd #lucy north #booklover #book blogger #bookish #books #bookblr #booklr #books & libraries #book quotes #book review #books and reading #japanese literature #literature #abookishshade #book blog #bookworm #book tumblr #book nerd #translated literature #book reviews

[abookishshade]

#🥺 #ya'aburnee #halsey #Spotify #😭 this is so beautiful #what do i do with all these feels! #abookishshade