#if i pick up one more book

[themoonking]

i actually hate the whole "buying books and reading books are two different hobbies XD" thing. like you guys booktube / booktok already has a huge consumerism issue, we shouldn't make "i have a spending problem" into a funny little quirky trait.

#and in general i don't like the idea of making the act of purchasing something into a hobby #don't like glorifying capitalism et cetera et cetera #i speak #fandom nonsense #anti booktok #i don't watch any booktubers like regularly i usually look up the type of video i want to watch and then just pick one #but one of the like two booktubers i watch with some kind of frequency has like 500+ UNREAD books and she keeps buying more #and like i lover her personality and her videos are so fun but its like babygirl YOU HAVE A SHOPPING ADDICTION

[communistkenobi]

I’m reflecting on cesaire’s work again and one of the little flourishes he does in discourse on colonialism is that he says the west will have to answer for its crimes against the human community. and I especially love this line because he’s using the same bourgeois universalising language that the imperial core so often does (“human rights” “freedom and justice for all” “spreading democracy across the globe”) but as a cudgel against the west, to reframe the human community as all those who lay outside of it. anyway I think everyone should read discourse on colonialism

#I need to brush up on my post colonial reading I’m not as well read as I’d like to be #once I finish my coursework I’ll have more time for reading shit I actually want to read lol #like I’m reading so much stupid bullshit that does not matter for class #genuinely useless theory that I will never pick up again #I want to finish orientalism in particular. one of the most didactic books I’ve ever read #like said’s writing is like every sentence restates his central argument. It’s an unrelenting book in a really compelling way #Interspersed with him talking fine grain shit about a bunch of European intellectuals I’ve never heard of lol #book club

[endofbeginningmp3]

BEANIE BOY 🥰

#he should pick a book and just come to me already #i will make us some tea or coffee idm and we will lay down on my bed and he will read to me and i will listen #then he will stop to comment on the stuff happening and i will listen some more bc shhhh he is TALKING #then we will have a discussion about it like the hot intellectuals that we are ( just kidding he is the hot one) then we will realize #tea is getting cold then who cares about i will kiss his nose then i will wake up bc DAMN THAT IS A DREAM #steve harrington #joe keery #sigh #i love this man #he should read me a book #if i say it enough it will happen maybe #look at me verbalizing my dreams lmaoo #ugh 😔

[yourqueenb]

I do not think it’s a good idea to keep Nia’s situation from the rest of the group. But the bitchy side of me is glad she doesn’t wanna tell anyone because I know the moment we do, it’ll become all about her again and MC’s issues will get pushed even further into the background 😑🤷🏽‍♀️

#choices bolas #choices blades #blades of light and shadow #choices stories you play #playchoices #‘she’s the baby of the group’ ‘you’re our heart’ ‘poor innocent Nia needs to be protected and saved again’ #and the thing is that I do like Nia as a character #but 1) I hate when MCs aren’t treated like MCs #and their only purpose is to observe and facilitate the other characters’ stories and growth #and I feel like that’s ultimately what ended up happening in book 1 of this series and will most likely happen in this one as well #like yes obviously MC experienced growth as well but it’s always in the ‘going from a newbie to a competent individual’ sense #and that’s beyond old #plus it doesn’t work when they pick and choose when they want to acknowledge our competence in book 2 #and 2) I also can’t stand this flawless/perfect character archetype they do #or rather the ‘only flawed in ways that make them look even more perfect’ characters #it’s so overdone and unrealistic imo #like Nia is so selfless she doesn’t consider her own needs? #she’s generally timid and lacks confidence? #she can be naive and a bit too trusting? #please those aren’t even really flaws #they just serve to make the character even more the paragon of virtue which again is just unrealistic #especially because the last two often end up being flipped and portrayed as the person always seeing the good in others #but idk maybe I’m missing the point or something #I know this is a common character archetype but it’s one of my least favorites #which sucks because as I said I do actually like Nia even though I might be coming across as a hater #i like some of the writing for how she fits into the group and I also like how her faith is unwavering #plus she is competent and has skills in her own right #but for whatever reason the writers thought giving her real flaws or at least acknowledging the shallow ones they did give her #beyond face value wasn’t a good idea? #idk maybe I’m wrong though and things will play out different than I expect

[saintbleeding]

i think jon jarchivist should get to have some ability on piano as a treat

#not a Ton (i sorta hc him having eds and i Know from Experience that means piano is tricky) #but i just imagine someone like him would be able to play some chords and flesh out accompaniments by ear #like he knows enough piano to accompany his own singing when he’s a little tipsy and there’s one nearby #maybe his grandmother had one that was more intended as ornamental #a weathered brown upright perhaps #and when she was out and he was old enough to be left alone he began figuring things out #maybe in the books she’d get him there were sometimes music theory books and he learned enough about keys and bass and chord inversions #that he picked up a little bit of skill #and kept practicing #bc us adhd havers can form habits when we’re not Meant to >:3 #and now something something i have an image of him drunkenly at the piano #singing ‘the baffled king composin hallelujah’ #then he tries to get thru the chorus and maybe it’s s3 maybe it’s s4 maybe he starts crying #who knows! jon playing piano mediocrely! ur welcome!

[tleeaves]

The art is lovely and now I'm gonna ramble because that's what I do when I care about something.

For the love of women, please PLEASE can fan artists remember to add muscle to their Shadowhunter ladies? I'll commend Bowater for cleverly giving James that sculpted and lean look without making him a beefcake (nothing against beefcakes, I'd love to hug them), but Cordelia is once again suffering from Arms And Shoulders Too Slender It's Hard To Even Imagine Her Picking Up A Sword. There is some there, yes, but artists shouldn't be afraid of giving particularly Female Main Characters weight and toned muscle. Cordelia is supposed to be nearly the same height as James as far as I can remember, and she's curvy, and full, and she wields a sword like it's second nature to her. Please explain why she looks so tiny in James' lap.

Also I'm pretty sure marriage runes are supposed to go over the heart whenever possible (thinking about Will's parabatai rune being over his heart instead -- he didn't get Tessa to draw over the scar, did he??) and... either I'm looking at the picture wrong or James' rune is not over where his heart should be.

For the matter, where are their other runes and scars?? James' Voyance rune isn't even on his hand. And I'm pretty sure he's right handed. I could have that wrong though.

Another thing: no one can ever decide what Cordelia's hair looks like and it's the funniest thing to me. This is what happens when all you do is vaguely say the colour is like fire but also like rose petals but also a flowing river of those things but also is Red (probably for redhead, but then from there I never understand where the rose petal analogy comes from considering the typical rose is a deep bloody colour -- I do acknowledge the existence of those light orange varieties though which might more closely resemble red hair). In the end, I'm glad readers can infer what they want and imagine the characters how they like.

Anyone else think James looks like he's built like a tennis player? Oddly specific, maybe, but it was a thought I had. Mostly the arms and somewhat narrow body.

James' hair is nice, his eyes are an interesting take on gold in the shadows. Bowater managed to also make him look closely related to his father, so bravo for that.

In the end, the focus is obviously on the marriage runes and not other physical aspects outside of it being clear that this is James and Cordelia. Bowater's style is very beautiful and elegant. Love the way fabric and lighting is done too. I'll add also that it is possible to be a smaller person who is slender but still strong so I mean Cordelia's not necessarily done wrong, I just interpret her appearance differently. Obviously, they're both hot and they're both attractive and I have my qualms with the series, chronicles, and author -- the fandom I am so-so on, though I'm still here, aren't I? And I'm taking the time to ramble about my thoughts on a piece of fanart -- but this is good. Gorgeous, even. Both James and Cordelia are beautiful.

#side note: am I the only one who thought cc made a mistake trying to describe james as handsome in cordelia's eyes #as opposed to matthew being the beautiful one #when there has always been a deep and aching strange beauty to james?? #james herondale #cordelia carstairs #vaguely crediting charlie bowater though it isn't like you can't find a dozen more copies of this with the credit #also yes I mercilessly picked this apart because I am still trying to find avenues to express my dissatisfaction with tlh #I search for flaws what else can I say #I am aware of it but it's hard to turn those thoughts processes off #maybe I'll write a post at some point all about the authors I once Loved that I am now deeply critical of #a lot of people would hate me for it but eh #also we all know about the marvelisation of cinema #but is it time to talk about the marvelisation of book series/worlds? #or perhaps it has a better and more book-focused name? the jkr approach? rick riordan's marvel-esque flaw? the sjm plague? the clare affair? #we'll workshop it #maybe it's the curse of middleschool-YA series and the issue of aginh readers in fandoms #and I don't mean this as discriminatory against anyone older in fandom because there is not really a limit nor should there be #for most media #but the issue of when the readers grow up amd authors try to accomodate for that -- not necessarily by making their work more adult -- #but by making MORE because there is also an influx of new fans and they want to stay relevant while retaining the old #it's a whole thing though I'd need to sit down to properly organise my thoughts to talk about it

[stuckinapril]

honestly crazy how much trial by fire we had to go through for bioethics to find a place in biomedical research. 23 nazi doctors were accused of crimes against humanity during the nuremberg war crime trials. from 1932 all the way through 1972, black american men were (unbeknownst to them) subjects in the phs study of untreated syphilis, and weren't even offered treatment when it became available. the revolting willowbrook trials, where mentally disabiled children were deliberately infected w hepatitis. the jewish chronic disease hospital study, where cancer cells were. on purpose. injected into cognitively impaired patients. fucking wild and crazy and insane. this is why the national act and the belmont report and 38736 other regulations exist. i cannot imagine being a doctor or clinical researcher during that time and just 1000% doing this w no conscience.

#this is why as a pre-med student i try to keep books on bioethics in my rotation all the time #and i'm rly enjoying the history modules i was assigned before i start my neuro hospital internship. #i want to know all this stuff. i want to constantly be questioning review committees. #bc i rly truly care about becoming an ethical physician one day. and currently an ethical clinical research scholar #i don't want to blindly accept what my superiors say like i actually want to know how this stuff works #it's also all super fascinating #the healthcare system is still hella broken these days but it's just in more insidious ways lol #major tangent but i wanted to document all these studies so i could pick up books/articles on them #text

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Where Black Stars Rise

horror graphic novel about a newly licensed therapist who’s recently moved from Beirut to Brooklyn, and is talking with her new client, who has schizophrenia, and is experiencing night terrors that she’s convinced are different from normal

her stress over her new job causes her to dismiss this, but when the client goes missing she tries to find her - and slips into the alternate dimension of The King In Yellow, and has to find a way for them both to escape

unique, bright and dynamic art

#Where Black Stars Rise #aroaessidhe 2024 reads #I don’t uuuusually do graphic novels here (just one more thing to summarise..) but this is really good! #and by a Palestinian author; you should pick it up. (same author as Squire) #and the art is really funky. #do you love Pomegranate symbology. Pomegranate With Teeth Inside #sapphic books

[bookwyrminspiration]

“i’ll never be able to read all the stories out there.” how wonderful, I think, to live in a world where there will always be more to read, to experience. where you’ll never run out of stories and tales and never find an end to this joy

#positivity #reading #listen I was having thoughts #when I finish a book I love I can pick up another and love it too #and that will never end my entire life #no one can read all the stories in the world. but that means there is always more for us to discover #that this joy will never end #and I think. that’s wonderful

[asterlark]

just finished system collapse and i literally almost CRIED reading the last two paragraphs, not because anything bad or upsetting happened, but simply from the power of murderbot & ART's friendship. what the fuck!!!!!!

#the murderbot diaries #mine #system collapse #i finished it in 3 days but the majority of it (157 pages) i read tonight in one sitting #I LOVE SLURPING UP MURDERBOT CONTENT YUM #this was so goooood ugh #i will say the first 1/4 to maybe 1/3 of the book is a lot slower and if i wasn't so invested in the characters i would've prob gotten #a bit bored #but when it picks up it REALLY picks up and hoo boy. it was excellent after that #literally going to be in such a bad book hangover after this bc mb and art!!!!! and iris!!! and ratthi!! and all of them!!!! #also no spoilers but holy shit the thing revealed near the end puts so much interesting flavor into one of the characters and im so excited #to see if we learn more in future books #AAAAA murderbot : ' )

[petricorah]

nine (9) people u'd like 2 know better

tagged by @izzac and @chiptrillino thank you both! <3

three ships: zukka (surprise suprise) korrasami, and bubbline

first ever ship: starfire and robin from teen titans! (also wally and jinx...i rewatched that episode so much as a kid)

last song: Hey I Don't Work Here by Tom Cardy

currently reading: Blue Period and She Who Became the Sun (so I can understand ash-and-starlight's art...) and Six of Crows

currently watching: I'm rewatching doctor who. I've been feeling so nostalgic lately...

currently consuming: apple cider

currently craving: anything sweet

current obsessions: Baldur's gate. I've finally gotten on a roll of accomplishing things in the game and have been playing it all weekend and then listening to the soundtrack during work. it makes work sound very epic...

currently up to: commissions, drawing some angsty zukka comics, and some bg3 fanart (aka spending forever failing to draw astarion)

aand tagging: @chief-boomerang @frstcorinthians @bisexuallsokka @ash-and-starlight @icrowler and anyone else who wants to do it!!

#man i should draw teen titans fanart. make my middle school self proud #my friend says the way i read books is weird but i think having one at my nightstand for bed and one in my backpack for my work commute and #then reading manga voraciously at my desk is a totally normal way to split up a reading load #anaaand technically i have two more on my nightstand that i alternate through via stack but i felt like that was adding too many titles #ask game #notmyart #these are fun but tagging people always stresses me out lol #so many things i want to draw!!! how to pick one?? #i can't wait to share my tav too! lots of fun comics if i ever get around to it. i wanna talk about him....aagggg

[bonesandthebees]

man I'm glad I decided to read a game of thrones as a way to take notes for how to write rose... I just read about a huge battle with thousands of soldiers and it was so well done... now am I going to write a battle? no fucking way I don't hate myself that much but I know HOW to execute it in a very easy to visualize way and that's what's important

#also i'm just enjoying the book guys i literally tried watching one ep of the show and i was so furious at the changes they made #like are there issues with the way the book treats female characters yes but does it treat them INFINITELY BETTER THAN THE SHOW also yes #especially catelyn stark she's probably my favorite character so far #those showrunners just really hated women it's so fucking obvious #anyway my goal is to finish this book in the next few days #i have been slowly chipping away at it since february of this year #I want to specify i have actually picked up and read this book less than 10 times total this year #so like yes it's slow going but i am not a slow reader i just dont actually pick up the damn book a lot #i wanna get back into reading books more i am trying over here #anyway sorry for all the rambling in the tags i am so tired #ramblings

[kithj]

i have like 100 pages of girl flesh left and i WILL finish it tonight <- affirmations chanted in front of the mirror

#ITS GOOD im just bad at reading #i swear i feel like ive been reading this book all year lmfao #idk whats next after this ig i should pick up pageboy again #i could probably finish that in one sitting i just got. upset. for no real reason #there's nothing triggering in there for me idk it was just hard for me to read. i cant explain.... #i also just got chlorine by jade song and dowry of blood #i had some reward points on my kindle so i got them for free teehee #and some novellas too #too many books....ALSO bought 2 more for my lesbian lit collection. hopefully. unless i got scammed which is a possibility #those bitches are expensive. maybe once s/he gets here i'll post a pic of my collection all together :3

[rosetintedkaleidoscope]

best books i read in 2023:

- comfort me with apples by catherynne valente. fantasy/horror. this is a creepy, dystopian, fairy tale kind of story. some biblical references. the creepiness builds up slowly through strange little details.

- quest for a maid by frances mary hendry. children's historical fiction / fantasy. 13th century scotland & norway. read as a child, completely forgot, then found in a used bookstore this year. it absolutely lives up to my memories: rich with details, from the foods to the clothes to the activities to all the little things you don't really notice that create a sense of another time & place. the loving attention to detail is a big part of why i like this book so much. also excellent characterization.

- nisa: the life and words of a !kung woman by marjorie shostak. nonfiction. okay, if you're following me you've probably heard of this because of @etirabys, whose posts inspired me to read it, but i had to include it anyway. based on interviews with a hunter-gatherer woman, it tells about her life and worldview. moving and immensely fascinating

- making babies: the science of pregnancy by david bainbridge. nonfiction. also immensely fascinating. my ideal kind of science book: readable yet detailed and in-depth, and full of strange facts. strong contender for the coolest nonfiction book i've ever read

- the ladies of grace adieu and other stories by susanna clarke. fantasy. wonderful eerie fairy stories

- we have always lived in the castle by shirley jackson. classic, horror. sinister and evocative. one thing i really like is that the characters are likeable and often happy despite the weirdness and the horror. it's optimistic and tragic at the same time, and gives you things to think about even after you're done reading

- murderbot series by martha wells. science fiction. it has an interesting plot and setting and all that, but the main appeal is the character and charm of the protagonist, a robot who hacks itself to gain freedom. all it wants to do with that freedom is watch tv, but dangerous stuff keeps getting in the way

#i read many other books that i loved #if you want a rec of something with a more specific vibe hit me up #but i didn't want to post too many slash i am too lazy to write that many reviews #not that these are really reviews #just little summaries of what i liked about them #i haven't made a book post in ages because i moved to goodreads but i think i actually do like making these Top X summaries every so often #i tried to pick ones people are less likely to have heard of so like... not brandon sanderson for example #even though i did love tress of the emerald sea #books #t

[fromtheseventhhell]

I appreciate Dany and Arya antis always coming up with takes that are so easily disproved by the text, it makes it so much easier to defend my girls 🫶🏾

#it's like they're undercover daenarya stans cause some of the takes they come up with are just embarrassing #they'll write whole essays mischaracterizing them a a majority of the time only ONE quote from the books is needed to disprove it 😭 #sometimes I have to just scroll away and laugh cause it's so obvious they've never even thought about picking up the books #also glad that I'm seeing nonsense getting called out more and more lately...this fandom finally making a turn for the better #fandom nonsense

[skygemspeaks]

you are inspiring me to read the martian. it has been languishing on my shelf for like 5 years

IT'S REALLY GOOD.

Like okay I'm not saying it's perfect, right? Because there are a couple things about weir's writing that get on my nerves, but overall they're pretty small nitpicks.

The science is pretty easy to digest even for people who don't know a lot about that kind of stuff (like me) and I personally really loved the main character's irreverent attitude and his crass sense of humour!

also, i feel like it showcases the best of what humanity could be. it was really great seeing the world come together to cheer on the survival of this one man, and given the protagonist's very bleak circumstances, i loved how Weir was able to bring levity to the story while still keeping me on the edge of my seat from suspense.

#the martian #anon asks #booklr #book talk #my tumblr is starting to gear more towards books recently #it's because as i grow older i find myself less and less tolerant of some of the more grating tropes in shounen anime #i still follow and absolutely adore one piece #but i haven't really picked up any new anime or manga for a long time now #because every time i try one i just cannot deal with all the...everything #i've been experiencing the same thing with ya books as well #but that's okay! #i'm enjoying seeing how my tastes evolve over time! #also that isn't to say i'm going to be completely moving away from manga and ya #just that i'm branching out into more kinds of media #i've been thinking of starting dungeon meshi recently