#learning from fiction books

[fictionadventurer]

There's something about reading really great writing that's so relaxing. You can just sit back and let the words wash over you, knowing that you can trust the writer.

#random thought of the day #books #part of the reason i'm not getting writing done today was because i spent most of my free time reading from books i've let sit for too long #i haven't been able to sink into good fiction for a while #so elizabeth goudge felt like a spiritual experience #cleansing and uplifting #it always takes me a while to get into her books #there's a learning curve of a couple of chapters to adjust to the style #but once i break through it's bliss #it becomes easy as breathing #there's nothing quite like what she does #i love books that understand that goodness isn't boring or trite #you don't need to have 'darkness' and 'grit' to be complex #like one bit that took my breath away was the talk about sallie and david's marriage struggles #they're both good people who love each other #but they also have their differences because they're human and that causes struggles #not marriage-breaking struggles just nuanced life struggles #and i'm not sure i've seen something like that in a book before #it's a good marriage they married the right people but that doesn't mean life is perfect #goudge uderstands that marriage isn't happily ever after--heaven is #and a good marriage is two people partnering up to help each other reach that goal #it's so much more adult than any 'complex adult' work i've seen

[mando-abs]

Guys, I’ve read the Wild Robot

And let me tell you, if I hadn’t recently taken a Children’s Literature class in college, I would’ve said this was the best middle-grade book I’ve read since elementary/middle school. I almost read this book in one night (I was sleepy 😴) like I couldn’t put it down.

The heart behind this book is astounding and it never shies away from showing complex and difficult concepts. You will fall in love with Roz and her gosling son along with all of the other animal on the island.

If you’ve got younger ones, I highly recommend reading this to them or having a little book club moment with them. However, be prepared for whatever hard questions may come your way (i.e. circle of life and climate issues). You know your child and how much they can handle/understand. If you’re like me and much older, it’s a quick read and a great way to finish off a long day. It’s a part of a trilogy and you bet I’m patiently waiting for my hold on a copy at the library.

If the movie is anything like the book (which, given a rewatch of the trailer, it’s looking like so), we are in for a special treat.

#the wild robot #children’s literature #pedro pascal #did I get the book on the off chance pedro might have been casted - yes #but from what I learned in my kid lit class is that middle grade fiction in much more nuanced than ya lit today #ya lit has better potential of being good bc it has more room to work with #however ya tends to lean on tropes more heavily than middle grade #middle grade is much more focused on learning topics and issues than playing with them #making them more tightly knit #also with the decline of media literacy I think this book is a wonderful counterattack #it’s not shattering by any means but def a big step in the right direction #especially for those who have a harder time getting interested in books #and once again I’m so pleased with how carefully curated Pedro’s projects are amidst his growing stardom #he truly cares about the message and thought provoking-ness of his work #and it makes this writer/literature nerd so proud #(yes I know there’s no true messages behind his recent gladiator and marvel roles other than it sounded like fun to him but I support that #- too… the man must have his fun purely for fun’s sake)

[uncanny-tranny]

Something kind of funny I never anticipated about crocheting with longer hair was pulling out a piece of my own hair out of my project that I somehow crocheted into it

#art #fiber art #crochet #most likely that strand fell out mid-stitch and i just... crocheted it in #love in every stitch? no. HAIR in every stitch #also i'm watching a video about knitting (war-time knitting specifically) and it's sparking memories #i forgot the sheer effort that was getting women to knit for soldiers (understandably because i wasn't alive during those wars but still) #molly was my favourite american girl book and i think that's where i first learned about that as a kid???? #but those books weren't mine they were just family books and i LOVED reading fiction back then #and i really liked the historical aspect to those books in the sense that they were about girls in specific historical periods #and they incorporated actual history in it - to the full extent i'm not sure because i haven't read them in close to ten years (idk) #and it's interesting to see just how many people - not even just women! - knit for soldiers #i'm learning now from this video the sheer number of other people who started in knitting #anyway this is why i'm begging men to also do fiber arts (watching a reel of a guy crochet a blanket and HELL YEAH BROTHER)

[animentality]

I know hunger games is good, I just can't put myself through a sad dark dystopian world where things are sad and dark and suck and everyone hates each other and everyone dies.

Like I could watch the news...

#the hunger games #thg #its why ive avoided the books too #like im sure katniss is a grim faced survivor who also happens to be super hot and sexy #but i dont know man #i know government is bad #you are correct #i agree with you already bestie #dont see what else i can learn from hunger games other than heres how we should revolt but wont bc people will only see thg as fiction #with not practical application irl #plus i cant watch two straight people fall in love #sorry #i believe when people say its good #i just dont think itd make me feel anything personally #i already know who dies anyway #its not the sexy love interest #its the non character

[trans-cuchulainn]

the trouble with learning a minority language is that once you've hit the upper-intermediate stage of actually reading books in the language and so on, it doesn't take very long to exhaust the books at your level that you have any interest in whatsoever, and then there aren't any more. so you read the ones you're not really interested in, but that feels like Work, because you're not really interested in them. but it doesn't exactly get better as you get more advanced because even the more difficult books tend not to correspond too closely to your preferred genres

#there's a serious lack of queer historical romance as gaeilge i'll tell you that #or yunno queer genre fiction in general :/ #RIP #i haven't completely exhausted my book collection but the number of unread books is shrinking #and most of the others available at my reading level are translations #which a) i tend to find have harder language relative to the level of the story #and b) don't feel as helpful in learning the rhythms of storytelling in the languages #i will read them but i want more original fiction to read too #probs gonna have to email an siopa leabhar and be like. help me. i need you to send me more books #personal #néide ag foghlaim gaeilge #i'm pretty sure that tag is grammatically incorrect but blame me from three years agp

[shut-up-rabert]

Is it just me or do Percy Jackson fans have this habit of poking nose in anything greek mythology related thinking they know a lot because they read works of fiction based on it?

#I mean #there was these two times #once in a DC discussion #Where we were talking about Wonder Woman and her ancestry to Zeus #And this kid shows up saying “actually wonder woman’s father is Jupiter since Diana is equivalent of Artemis so she’s Roman yeah I read PJO #Kid you clearly haven’t read a DC comic or you’d know that this Diana is both entirely fictional created by DC and based in Greek mythology #And another time ppl are talking about Hades and his loyalty to his wife #And another kid be like “actually he has other children with other people” #*lists names that are clearly not ancient greek * #Like no disrespect to the books or fandoms ik most of you must be cool #But #learn to seperate fiction from reali- er #mythology y’know?

[soullessjack]

#cal.txt #shitpost #fictional characters #all that fun stuff #truly don’t think I’ll ever learn how to tag these things I crave specification #media literacy #I guess? #blorbo tag #poor meow meows #the skrunkly #blorbo from my books #blorbo from my shows #blorbo from my games #favorite characters #spn #supernatural #jack kline #this is about jack because of course it is but please feel free to add your own sillies

[redysetdare]

I think i would like sci-fi a lot more if more stories took the evolution route to it. so many sci-fi stories focus so much on the technology side and "Let's go to space! let's see capitalist hell!" and like, yeahh those have their purpose and place in sci-fi. But personally i love when sci-fi gets speculative with biology. How will the earth change? what animals developed from changed ecosystems - which animals evolved and which ones went extinct? I want people to take the science part of science fiction and explore biology and ecology and how the planet and animals change with the world. I"m tired of it only focusing on technology and robots and being more cyber fantasy.

#text #b4 anyone says 'u want specfic' sci-fi does count as specfic #i just want some science fiction that focuses on nature rather than tech #tbh most my sci-fi tho comes from books i read in my college class on it and the book i got full of classic sci-fi stories #but not many were able to capture my attention like i had hoped #if you guys have any recs that do what i say in the post im all ears!!! I'll be happy to learn abt sci-fi stories like that!!! #basically in this case I want to be wrong I want there to be books about what this post mentions #sci-fi #science fiction #uhh idk tags #oops #anyways a bit outta left field for ppl who usually follow me lmao #if u didnt know i wrote my own story for that class that was basically this #it took the idea of humans going extinct and how the world would grow and change after that #it also speculated on primates becoming more sentient and the fact that new species of monkey appeared #a little more fantasy now that im out of that class but still a bit focused on some sci-fi elements

[the---hermit]

Time Is A Mother by Ocean Vuong

As I think I have mentioned in other posts one of my goals is to get back into poetry. I loved it in high school, but after I stopped studying it I stopped reading any poetry. So I really took my time reading this book, I didn't want to rush it, and I still have to get back into being used to reading poetry. I read a few poems a day when I was in the mood for it, I annotated it, I savoured it. I have yet to learn how to review and discuss poetry collections to be honest. I don't know where to start. The author's writing is absolutely stunning,the imagery is beatiful, and the phrasing is gorgeous. I feel like it would be worth it to read just for that. The themes are varied, but you can always feel how personal they are to the author. Some of my favorutie poems from this collection were: Beautiful Short Loser, The Last Dinosaur, Not Even, Reasons For Staying and Almost Human. These of course are just a few, but I really loved them. I am definitely looking forward to read more poetry, to read more stuff by Ocean Vuong, because it's an absolute pleasure to read his words, and to reread this poetry collection in a few years. I feel like once I get more into reading poetry it will feel differently, and maybe being in a different moment of my life will make me pick on different things. In general I can only say that if you are curious about his work, is surely worth it.

Also I had completly forgot that I added this on thestorygraph as my book for the studyblr w/knives pride reading challenge #own voices prompt. So I should have waited to post my last reading challenge update, but whatever.

#as i said i really have to learn how to review this type of book #because it's a whole other thing from talking about novels or non fiction #book #books #2022 book #book cover #time is a mother #ocean vuong #book rec #book review #book recommendation #poetry #poetry collection #contemporary poetry #bookish #reading #pretty covers #studyblr w/knives reading challenge #pride reading challenge #own voices #mine #the---hermit

[jakeperalta]

in hindsight it is amazing that I managed to get two literature degrees because I am terrible at remembering any details of any book I read

#all the rwrb movie stuff is making me realise i straight up do not remember anything #people being like 'omg the __ scene!' or 'what about __' and nothing is even ringing a bell #admittedly it's been like 3.5 years since i read it but still i should be able to remember more than just a vague overview of the concept 😭 #the same goes for non fiction which is frustrating because it means i forget the cool facts i learn #the thing is i clearly have the ability to retain information from a book and think in depth about it #my brain just opts not to whenever it's not being graded i guess #talking

[lemongogo]

Quick question, what are some books that you have enjoyed?

ehehe maybe this answer will be super boring 2 u but i lovee scientific nonfiction .. esp if its to do w cell or cancer biology

^ siddhartha mukherjee is my fav at the moment . maybe forever idk .. “emperor of all maladies: a biography of cancer” or “the gene: an intimate history” are BOTH SOOO GOOD !!!SO INTERESTING & CAPTIVATINGG !! “the song of the cell” is also very enjoyable, but i think the first two definitely appealed to me more 🤔.by a small margin ,mind u

“the open heart club” by gabriel brownstein is a part memoir , part historical summation of the rise of cardiology / cardiac surgery . iirc i think this book is what convinced me that i only want to read nonfiction GAHAHA loved it from what i remember. “a good time to be born, how science & public health gave children a future” by perri klass 🤔?maybe

tryinf to think.. i fell out of reading for a while before i came across ohc so i dont have a lot that come to mind . ive been working to get back into it though.. currently listening to “the world according to phsyics” by jim al-khalili and “the universe” by andrew cohen and theyre great but im also on the search 4 something more .. something like history/development of x theory, event, or discipline ykwim.. i def want to read “the genome defense” by jorge contreras (smt smt med legal look into civil rights & human genetics law), “the rise and reign of mammals” steve brusatte , urhmmm, yah.

#i like.specificslly want a focused history of physics . #or to find some geology books maybee .. but i listened to a few podcasts on the opioid & aids crisis recently and i want to learn more abt #those in depth yk .. #so much 2 choose from #SRY IF U WANTED FICTION 🧎.. o read warrior xats and that was itHAJAHAHHAHAAH #asktag #anonymous

[cocteautwinslyrics]

i literally cannot for the life of me understand people who engage with fiction to insert their own familiarities into it. if I'm reading something that feels the same as what im used to i almost start feeling caged. the only time i really read things related to my experiences is to see someone articulate feelings i have better than i ever could because for the most part reading isnt supposed to be about your experiences its supposed to be about discovering others especially if you're privileged in the global north. i loved reading adiga's the white tiger precisely because i could compare the similarities and differences between the way class works in india and in the uk and possibly examine the way colonialism may have affected that. basically i think for the most part it is better to read in order to learn through fiction than it is to read for fun to be honest like read some fun books i dont care knock yourself out but like there have been bodies of work translated into your language from around the world and you can take advantage of that by broadening your mind with the help of a compelling story and if you turn that down well i think you're making the wrong call but that's just me. this is literally just a string of semi related ideas because its 1am but whatever

#and if you have to read any african novel read achebes things fall apart #< i hate when the book everyone says is going to be good is good because its like. called one of the great postcolonial novels and it is💥 #also i should have made it clear these dont have to be different country experiences nor necessarily fiction to be compelling and also #worth learning from. like charrières papillon is personally a great insight into how fucked up the french penal system was until #way too recently. running french guiana like how the british ran Australia etc.

[valliass]

Me: Hmmmm I wanna read something quick to relax let's open ao3- ah right. Ddos."

Me: .......

Me: Eh, what the hell, I still have wattpad on my phone. I haven't opened it in about a year, but it's there and -

Wattpad: Phone instantly starts lagging and overheating on startup. Immediately blasted with 10 ads in a row. Everything lags as I swipe through pages scrolling through algorithmic bullshit to find literally anything I care about enough to read. Blasted with 10 more ads for ~premium~ content. Also the layout has somehow gotten even worse since the last time I opened it???

Me: Oh god it's so CORPORATE okay nvm ffnet I'm going to ffnet-

Ffnet: "Hello my name is gemstone three middle names von insert. I was written by a 10 year old who just got internet access yesterday! Want 50 chapters of completely unreadable spelling, no spaces between paragraphs or punctuation marks, and characters that are reduced to fandom memes????"

#ao3 please come back from the war soon #we're all rooting for you #btw before anyone snarks at me like #'uhm just read a book' #reading something 100% new #with characters to get to know and worldbuilding to learn #is not what I would call 'relaxing' #reading original fiction and fanfic are very different #i consider them to be completely separate activities #and right now I am not in the mood for the former

[fantasticalleigh]

seeing so many videos on YT lately that are like “I read this dark romance book and i’m calling the police” or some condescending put-down derivative

babe if it’s not for you then put it down and find something new to read nobody wants an hour-long video of you yucking someone’s yum

#tired of people acting holier than thou bc something goes against the norm #leigh speaks #if it's bad then who gives a shit honestly #have we learned nothing #there will always be an audience for something #'if it doesn't have a happy ending then i don't want it' #eat! my! ass! #this sounds super aggro sorry but this is like the third video like this i've inexplicably had recommended to me this week #if you don't like dark romance then fine i hope someone picks you at last be on your merry way #but just bc it squicks you out doesn't mean it isn't valid to someone else #listen i hated 50 shades as much as anyone else back in the day and then at one point i realized #this is a lot of people's favorite book and i don't have to agree with them but it also isn't fair to make them feel shitty over it #so i ignored it and moved on and stopped dogpiling onto it bc i wasn't the audience for it and! that's! ok! #not to say that it wasn't problematic bc it was but that's veering from the topic #most if not all dark romance is problematic anyway but! it's FICTION and people forget that #like come on feysand started out preetttttyyyy problematic in acotar and bc of its origins i do consider it partly a dark romance #look at me writing an essay here when i should be working on other stuff ok i'm done

[terrainofheartfelt]

Okay so the thing about Sally Rooney is she is so good at third person limited unreliable narrator and sitting in the complexity of people and letting them be ambiguous and messy and imperfect and then she’ll hit you with a line of prose that butterflies you open like a shrimp

#I’m reading normal people and it is. SO good #i feel like….it’s not the story that people are talking about #like the Normal People that I’ve seen on the blogs is different from the Normal People that I’m reading #and I felt like Daisy Jones was the same way #and maybe….absorbing novels through web weaving posts isn’t actually the way to know them #and (I know I do this too) that the tendency to focus only on the romantic relationship in the story #diminishes what the novel is really about #which is young people learning how to exist in the world #and allow themselves to live with joy without having to atone for it first #like sally rooney isn’t a romance writer #she gives bildungsroman with a side of romance #because when one is young romance is often a component of their self actualization #but she doesn’t construct a story like emily henry does #idk i think there’s a difference between Romance with a capital R which is about people falling/being in love #and fiction that is about people and who and how they love #and they serve different purposes #and maybe that’s lost when a book is adapted into a show #or maybe it’s lost when people see the story is written by a woman #I don’t know…. #I’m really enjoying the novel though #kinda wish I owned it so I could annotate it #liz reads

[bluesadansey]

remembering on my circa 2017 booklr I used to tell people to read Gemma Doyle by describing it as trc but with an all girls boarding school / all girl group in a historical setting… I was trying to do the lord’s work she deserved tumblr fame

#I do think that was an oversimplification of both but. Not totally off base there are some similar char tropes used I’m proud of past me for #the attempt. Also I think I’m going to start advocating for Diviners in that way now that trc fandom is apparently quite miserable post GW #you like gay people doing dream magic? you like witchcraft and ghosts and strong ensemble casts? #you like an ambitious abuse survivor getting a healing arc with learning to control magic/psychic abilities as a metaphor? you like four #book series where the first three books rock and the last book which is named king + corvid is a bit underwhelm who said that? #a positive point in diviners favor is Ling x Wei Mei >>>> RonanKavinsky. Generally find the take on dream magic in diviners more compelling #(although LingHenry + RonanHennessy both being mlm wlw duos who are the dreamers is kinda fun) #anyway. This is not actually a fair comparison because Ling is my fav or at least top two w Theta of the leads and I love Ronan but he is m #least favorite of the trc leads of which there are four all of whom I love so it says nothing bad about him. But it does put me as an #outlier re: fandom priorities.. #on the flip side while I love diviners dynamics sadly I don’t think they ever come anywhere close to Gangsey levels of extreme codependency #so I can not care quite as much…. #from what I remember the girls in Gemma Doyle are a lot more codependent good for them. Would have to reread to compare codependency levels #Ling and Theta are both my favorite in diviners in the same way Blue and Adam are my favorite in trc and Abed and Annie are both my fav for #community. basically one char who I love and overidentify with (Ling/Blue/Abed) and one char I love who in many ways I’m not like #but in a handful of very niche specific ways I also relate quite a bit. And am fascinated with (Theta/Adam/Annie) #s speaks #very off topic from my initial point which was you should read Libba Bray’s books #and in both cases I have a second and a half tier fav (Evie/Gansey/Britta) who I love fictionally but if I was trapped in a room w them I’d #kill myself. with the white blonde women I’d also want to make out w them debatable if that makes it better or worse #but like. I could not stand listening to them speak for that long I know this #Gansey might just die a third time by my hands…