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ohsalome · 4 months

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Ivan and Phoebe by Oksana Lutsyshyna

Ivan and Phoebe is a novel about a revolution of consciousness triggered by very different events, both global and personal. This is a book about the choices we make, even if we decide to just go with the flow of life. It is about cruelty, guilt, love, passion – about many things, and most importantly, about Ukraine of the recent past, despite or because of which it has become what it is today.

The story told in Oksana Lutsyshyna’s novel Ivan and Phoebe is set during a critical period – the 1990s. In the three decades that have passed since gaining independence, Ukraine has experienced many socio-political, economic, and cultural changes that have yet to be fully expressed. The Revolution of Dignity in 2014 marked a pivotal moment in the country’s history, as it signaled a shift towards European integration and a strong desire to distance itself from Moscow. Prior to this, Ukrainian culture had remained overshadowed by Russian influence, struggled to compete for an audience and was consequently constrained in exploring vital issues.

77 days of February. Living and dying in Ukraine

"77 Days," is a compelling anthology by contributors to Reporters, a Ukrainian platform for longform journalism. The book, published in English as both an e-book and an audiobook by Scribe Originals.

"77 Days'' offers a tapestry of styles and experiences from over a dozen contributors, making it a complex work to define. It includes narratives about those who stayed put as the Russians advanced, and the horror they encountered, like Zoya Kramchenko’s defiant "Kherson is Ukraine," Vira Kuryko’s somber "Ten Days in Chernihiv," and Inna Adruh’s wry "I Can’t Leave – I’ve Got Twenty Cats." The collection also explores the ordeal of fleeing, as in Kateryna Babkina’s stark "Surviving Teleportation '' and "There Were Four People There. Only the Mother Survived."

It also highlights tales of Ukrainians who created safe havens amidst the turmoil, such as Olga Omelyanchuk’s "Hippo and the Team," about zookeepers safeguarding animals in an occupied private zoo near Kyiv, and one of Paplauskaite’s three pieces, "Les Kurbas Theater Military Hostel," depicting an historic Lviv theater turned shelter for the displaced, including the writer/editor herself.

In the Eye of the Storm. Modernism in Ukraine 1900’s – 1930’s

This book was inspired by the exhibition of the same name that took place in Madrid, at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, and is currently at the Museum Ludwig, located in Cologne, Germany.

Rather than being a traditional catalogue, the publishers and authors took a more ambitious approach. Rather than merely publishing several texts and works from the exhibition, they choose to showcase the history of the Ukrainian avant-garde in its entirety – from the first avant-garde exhibition in Kyiv to the eventual destruction of works and their relegation to the "special funds" of museums, where they were hidden from public view.

These texts explain Ukrainian context to those who may have just learned about the distinction between Ukrainian and Russian art. Those "similarities" are also a product of colonization. It was achieved not only through the physical elimination of artists or Russification – artists were also often forced to emigrate abroad for political or personal reasons. Under the totalitarian regime, discussing or remembering these artists was forbidden. Archives and cultural property were also destroyed or taken to Russia.

"The Yellow Butterfly" by Oleksandr Shatokhin

"The Yellow Butterfly" is poised to become another prominent Ukrainian book on the themes of war and hope. It has been listed among the top 100 best picture books of 2023, according to the international art platform dPICTUS.

The book was crafted amidst the ongoing invasion. Oleksandr and his family witnessed columns of occupiers, destroyed buildings, and charred civilian cars. Shatokhin describes the book’s creation as a form of therapy, a way to cope with the horrors. "During this time my vision became clearer about what I wanted to create – a silent book about hope, victory, the transition from darkness to light, something symbolic," he explains.

Although "The Yellow Butterfly" is a wordless book, today its message resonates with readers across the globe.

A Crash Course in Molotov Cocktails by Halyna Kruk

A Crash Course in Molotov Cocktails is a bilingual poetry book (Ukrainian and English) about war, written between 2013 and 2022, based on Halyna’s experience as an author, volunteer, wife of a military man and witness to conflict.

The Ukrainian-speaking audience is well-acquainted with Halyna Kruk – a poet, prose author and literature historian. Kruk is increasingly active on the international stage, with her poetry featured in numerous anthologies across various languages, including Italian, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Polish, English, German, Lithuanian, Georgian and Vietnamese.

For an English-speaking audience, her poetry unveils a realm of intense and delicate experiences, both in the midst of disaster and in the anticipation of it. The poems are succinct, direct, and highly specific, often depicting real-life events and individuals engaged in combat, mourning, and upholding their right to freedom.

#ukraine #ukrainian stuff #ukrainian literature #books #book recommendation #ukrainian culture

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taurgo · 2 years

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For those interested in the Sandman series (or getting others to try and read/watch it)

[Image 1 ID: A black and white power point presentation with the text “so you wanna read some “the sandman” (but you have no idea where to start and comic orders can be confusing)”. “A handy flowchart/ power point disaster for the curious, peer pressured and suffering waiting for the August 5th TV release date, from someone who cares a fuck-ton about this series and needs to yogurt starter about it. This is just a fan PowerPoint I spent way too much time on”. There are two green circular characters with smiling faces and limbs. One has a bowtie and a pointer for instruction./.End ID]

[Image 2 ID: A flowchart that asks the reader if they are familiar with the story. There is the James Franco “first time?” image meme where there is a noose around his neck. A green path answering “yes” suggests “take a moment to reread anyways! (seriously it’s so good)”. A blue path answering “I am Jared, 19 (Don’t read) suggests “check out the Audiobooks (1&2). They cover volumes 1-6.” A circular green character with an open mouth says “James McAvoy voices the lead, what better reason is there?”. An Orange path answering “no” suggests “start with the original 10 volumes” and proceeds to the next page/.End ID]

[Image 3 ID: A power point slide of the original ten sandman volumes with pictures of each cover and the reading order. The top of the page lists volumes 1-5; (1) Preludes and Nocturnes, (2) The Dolls House, (3) Dream Country, (4) Season of Mists, (5) A Game of You. The bottom of the page lists volumes 6-10; (6) Fables and Reflections, (7) Brief Lives, (8) Worlds End, (9) The Kindly Ones, (10) The Wake. To the left there are bullet points with the following information: “They cover the original run of 75 issues since the 80’s. Read in order there is an A plot and a B to Z plot they’re all relevant. If it’s a genre of story it is in this series”. An orange circular cartoon with a smiling face, a bowtie and a pointer says “Now that we’re familiar with the dreaming, let’s look at the bonus content where order doesn’t matter (too much)”. An orange arrow continues to the next slide. /.End ID]

[Image 4 ID: A power point slide titled “additional stories and content”. A Flowchart prompt asks the reader “what’s your poison?”. A white arrow answers the prompt “give me more(pheus)”. The original poster suggests reading Sandman: Dream hunters, Sandman: Book of Dreams, Sandman: Midnight Theatre and Sandman: Overture. The original poster includes photos of the volume covers and two notes for Sandman: Overture. The cover of Sandman Overture is Morpheus standing in a flower field with his helm of power on. The first note says “WARNING: OVERTURE IS A PREQUEL FOR THE ORIGINAL SERIES” The second note says “THE ART IS ALSO INCREDIBLE LIKE IT’S NUTS Y’ALL they sell a gallery version I’d kill for”. A second white arrow answers “I want meta info on the development”. The original poster recommends the Sandman Companion and includes a picture of the cover which is yellow with a golden mask on the front. The original poster clarifies it was published in 2000, and says “this is a book and it is amazing (art, interviews, breakdowns)”. A third arrow answers the prompt, stating “I want more cosmic sibling drama and/or goth girls only please”. The original poster recommends Sandman: Endless Nights, Death: The High Cost of Living and Death: The Time of Your Life. The original poster provides images of each cover. Sandman Endless nights has two masks on the front cover one grey, one multicolored patchwork. Both Death comics have the image of a pale skinned, dark-haired woman on the front with a grainy picture overlay. An orange circular cartoon character with a smiling face says “wait that’s it right, I read everything now?” an orange arrow continues to the next page. /.End ID]

[Image 5 ID: This slide is titled “Oops Even More Content, Welcome to the New Age of The Sandman Universe”. The elmo on fire meme is visible on the right side of the slide. There is an orange smiling character with a bowtie and a pointer saying “Start with the Dreaming #1, It’s like a teaser chapter for a choose your own adventure in picking a story you want to read. This all happens after the original ten volumes (ish) YOU ARE WARNED”. The orange figure is pointing to the first edition cover where Dream and six individuals stand on the cover. An orange arrow points to the next flowchart prompt asking the reader “What did you enjoy most in the original series?” An authors note in the corner states “There is also a little crossover between characters in stories within the Sandman universe”. A Pink arrow continues to the next slide /.End ID]

[Image 6 ID: This slide has predetermined answers to the question of “What did you enjoy most in the original series?”. The first directional arrow answers with “LUCIFER!” The original poster recommends Lucifer (2000) that is 75 issues in one volume and Lucifer (2019) in four volumes. Both images of the covers are included with lucifer on the front bent over and then holding a sign. A purple circular character with their mouth open says “Yes this series inspired the Netflix tv show”. A blue arrow answers with “That one John Constantine Cameo”. The cover is included with John Constantine smoking on the front. The original poster recommends John Constantine: Hellblazer (2019) in two volumes. A Red arrow answers “Actually you know what? Give me a better Harry Potter that’s not written by a TERF”. A red circular cartoon character with a bowtie and a pointer recommends Books of Magic (2019). The lead protagonist, Timothy Hunter is on the cover holding a large open tome. The red character says “Based on the 1990 miniseries written by Gaiman of the same name.” A Green arrow and a purple arrow with the options “Gods and Mythos” and “The Dreaming Inhabitants” are included and continue on the next slide /.End ID]

[Image 7 ID: This is a PowerPoint slide that continues to answer the flowchart question of “What did you enjoy most in the original series?”. A Green arrow answers “Gods and Mythos”. The original poster recommends House of Whispers (2019) in three volumes. The cover of the first issue is included where a beautiful black woman stands in and holds up a mirror with a man inside it an a house in the background. The original poster provides a note saying “This one has divine feminine ™, family drama and some great queer representation. If you liked the Gaiman book Anansi boys, you’ll like this story”. A Purple arrow answers the question with “The dreaming inhabitants” which branches into three white arrows. The first arrow leads to the original poster recommending the Dreaming (2019) in three volumes. An image of the cover is visible with Dream and many inhabitants of the dreaming on the front cover spread around him. The author leaves a note saying this series includes “dream hopping. Giant moth baby. Absolute chaos”. A second white arrow leads to the recommendation of The Dreaming: Waking Hours (2021) with one volume. The cover is included and has Dream in the background with Lucien and Merv, and William Shakespeare in the foreground performing on a stage. The original poster leave a note saying that the story includes “Shakespeare, Shakespeare and Shakespeare walk into a bard… grad student pain. mages, nightmare and macbeth.” A third white arrow leads to the recommendation of Nightmare Country (2022) an ongoing series with four issues as of July 2022. The cover is included and shows the Corinthian in an American flag colored mask with his glasses partially removed. The author includes a note saying “The Corinthian gets a spin-off. So do other nightmares. Ongoing.” There is a purple circular character with a smiling face pointing at the Waking Hours cover, and a green circular character standing next to the House of Whispers cover. /.End ID]

[Image 8 ID: The slide is entitled “Congrats! You now have a good idea about where to start and what to read”. Next to this title is a teal circular cartoon that is smiling. The original poster includes a note that says “I could go into so much depth about why you should read it and why its great but its either do that or work on my master’s thesis and only one pays bills and its already 3 a.m. (frowny face).” A white arrow leads to a note that says “TLDR: THE ART IS GOOD, THE CHARCATERS ARE COMPLEX AND VOLUME TEN MADE ME OPENLY WEEP BECAUSE OF HOW GOOD IT WAS. IMACULATE ANTHOLOGY-esque STORY TELLING” a sub footnote says “I like this series so much I paid a guy for an advertisement of a sandman themed chess set that I have framed on my wall cause theres like no merch”. A green circular character that is smiling with a bowtie and pointer is standing next to the “preludes and nocturnes”, and “the dolls house” covers saying “season 1 of the tv show will be covering volumes 1-2 ish”. A picture of Morpheus in a panel with his hand outstretched from the comics is on the slide next to the “graphic design is my passion meme”. A large yellow crying emoji is on the slide with its hands in the air /.End ID]

#sandman #the sandman #sandman netflix #i spent an embarassing amount of time on this third grader presentation but my god i have feelings and i gotta share them #i dont care if this gets zero pickup i just remember when i was reading there was a lot of confusion about the order #morpheus #dream #sandman 2022

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rotzaprachim · 22 days

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nothing like introducing a friend to the sheer joys of

a) https://www.nli.org.il/en/newspapers/?startyear=1783&endyear=1981

the national library of Israel historic newspaper archive!!!! - this is one of the widest ranging collections of Jewish language documents I’ve ever found and includes quite literally millions of pages of Jewish papers and magazines not only in Yiddish and hebrew but also ladino, Spanish, French, judeo-Arabic, polish, Lithuanian, Hungarian, the list goes ever on…. If you’ve seen the very very pretty covers to the milgroyim and rimonim art journals then you should know they are available online for free:

https://www.nli.org.il/en/newspapers/rmn? https://www.nli.org.il/en/newspapers/rmn? Learning ladino? Here’s a ten years of a monthly paper for ladino speaking immigrants to the early twentieth century U.S.:

https://www.nli.org.il/en/newspapers/laa? Here’s a Yiddish paper from 1920’s Havana!:

There’s so so much here! b) Yiddish book center! And their ELEVEN THOUSAND YIDDISH BOOKS which are free to read anywhere without an account! https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/search?f%5B0%5D=collection%3AYiddish%20Book%20Center%27s%20Spielberg%20Digital%20Yiddish%20Library

Overwhelmed? Here’s the top 1000:

still overwhelmed? Here’s a more manageable list of audiobooks read off by native speakers:

Learning Yiddish? Here are some readers and children’s books:

Enjoy!

#In a world where we talk about things needing to be free! Let’s celebrate what is!#ייִדיש #Yiddish #yiddish resources #learning Yiddish #Ladino #לאַדינו

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beautifulmakkaris · 1 year

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i do hope one thing that comes from the fan uproar around l&co’s cancellation is that it catches the attention of other parties. the goal is obviously to be picked up by another service or have netflix change their mind, BUT it would be amazing if other people took note of the noise being made and realised how much desire there is for l&co.

for example, bookstores: STOCK THESE BOOKS!!! i haven’t seen physical copies in any bookshops both independent and national chains and my library only stocks the first one and i live in the uk where the series originates. i read them on kindle but i’d love to have them on my shelves, fans want to buy them. plus jonathan stroud clearly enjoys signings and festivals and events - get him in your shop and the fans will flock!

book publishers: print these books in the countries/languages that don’t currently have them, there is such an obvious demand, especially if the show doesn’t continue even more fans will be turning to the books to finish the story and we’re an international fanbase (the show was TOP TEN in EIGHTY COUNTRIES). and while we’re at it, it would be the perfect opportunity to do a reprint with some nicer covers or make some anniversary/illustrated editions, update the audiobooks with a better narrator (ruby stokes is RIGHT THERE), the treatment most popular ya series get!! l&co is a hit series and like i said before demand is probably going to get even higher for the books but right now it’s weirdly hard to access and enjoy them.

etsy and redbubble designers: make bookish l&co merch!!! people will buy it!!! where is my ‘a female serial killer? woo inspirational! why don’t you put it on a t-shirt’ t-shirt??? where is my candle inspired by ‘the library at portland row’??? bookmarks that look like mini rapiers???

hell, jonathan stroud has watched first-hand from twitter as the fandom has exploded and the demand to know more has grown; if he wanted to write a new short story like the dagger in the desk or put together a demi-god files style collection with missing moments or an update on the gang post-teg in canon, we’d go feral!!!! i’d read the portland row shopping list at this point and say thank you for it.

i guess what i’m saying is, even if the effort to save the show doesn’t succeed (and i REALLY hope it does), i hope the engagement and passion from fans leads to more l&co content in a variety of forms and that it’s accessible to everyone who wants it.

#lockwood and co #save lockwood and co #renew lockwood and co

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benkyoutobentou · 4 months

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Ranking the books I read in Japanese this year

It’s the end of the year and I don’t think I’ll be finishing any more Japanese books this month, so I thought it would be fun to rank what I read! I read twelve novels in Japanese this year, hitting my goal (but not quite reading one a month). There won’t be twelve rankings here, though, because I read multiple books from the same series and will be combining those.

9. コーヒーが冷めないうちに - 川口俊和: This book just didn’t do it for me. I listened to it on audiobook in February for a target language listening challenge and got stuck in a vicious cycle of not paying attention because the story was boring me and being bored of it because I wasn’t paying enough attention. Most other people I’ve seen who have read it in Japanese also thought it was boring, though, so I’m not mourning any loss.

8. 宝石商リチャードの謎鑑定 - 辻村七子: I really wanted to like this series but the negatives outweighed the positives so much that I only read the first volume. The most damning part of this for me was that I couldn’t stand the writing style. It was extremely confusing, and having a language barrier on top of that just made it miserable. I’m really glad I read this with others because I was not the only one who found the writing style to be ridiculously confusing for a book that doesn’t even handle confusing or difficult topics. Seriously, the writing was so bad that I considered continuing the series in English. But the characters were good.

7. あん - ドリアン助川: Now we get into the books that I enjoyed, just not as much. I liked this book well enough, but it was just a bit middling. I wasn’t overly invested in the characters or story and I found myself wondering how on earth this story could go on for another hundred pages. It was sweet, but ultimately I don’t think the story will stick with me at all.

6. ちょっと今から仕事やめてくる - 北川恵海: This was another audiobook read and although I know I enjoyed it, I really don’t remember much about it. I’m also not sure if the twist, which I did think was really good, actually happened or was something I misunderstood (I’m pretty sure I understood it though). Overall, this one goes on the to-reread pile, just as soon as I can find a physical copy of it.

5. 旅猫リポート - 有川浩: This was an adorable story perfect for cat lovers, but the end had me a little bored. Honestly though, it was quite the experience to go from being a bit bored to crying my eyes out in the span of ten pages. The writing style and the main cat’s perspective was super charming as well.

4. 人間失格 - 太宰治: This was my first classic in Japanese and wasn’t as difficult as I expected. Dazai’s writing style is a pain in the ass, but I will admit that it started to grow on me as the book went on and now I find it endearing. It also wasn’t as depressing as I had heard it was, and I really enjoyed getting a perspective of that time period.

3. 美しい彼 - 凪良ゆう: I only read one volume of this, probably exclusively because I suddenly couldn’t stand romance when I had fifty pages left of this. What can I say, I love a good toxic gay romance. The writing style is chronically readable and the story is super engaging.

2. No. 6 - あさのあつこ: I’m a fan of the anime for this and the novels have not let me down. I’ve only read two so far, but the story and characters are super gripping. I really love the emphasis on dialogue in this series, I really feel like it makes the characters pop more. The only problem I have is this odd quirk in Asano’s writing style, where the majority of the series is told from third person point of view, but will suddenly switch to first person point of view for a single sentence. It’s not enough to deter me, but it is a little odd to see.

1. キノの旅 - 時雨沢恵一: My number one favorite read in Japanese this year and no one should be surprised. I’m a massive Kino fan and read three volumes this year. I love books that I can analyze the hell out of and this is exactly that. Additionally, I think the writing style and the way both Kino and Hermes are characterized adds so much to both the stories and the underlying meanings that Shigusawa is trying to get across.

#some of these reviews are so vague because I read them so long ago #but some are vague because I’m like. it was good. I enjoyed it. next #but also there are some where I’m holding myself back so hard #god I wanted to rip 宝石商リチャード APART that book made me so mad in so many ways #sometimes I feel like the more I like a book the less I have to say about it #langblr #studyblr #studyinspo #polyglot #japanese langblr #日本語 #language learning #booklr #bookblr #benkyou posting #studying #this post is a lie because i havent quite finished my twelfth book #(as of writing this because im not sure when itll be posted. queue vibes)#but i completely intend to finish it before the end of the month and i dont think it will be difficult to do so

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glowingmushroom0 · 9 months

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Top Ten TBR for August

1. The Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (currently reading)

Back in December, I was re-watching a bunch of Zhao’s videos on YouTube and in one of them she was promoting her novel Iron Widow. While I’ve never been too into mecha-novels in sci-fi, I decided to give this one a try! I’ve been finding the mechanics of the mechs really interesting, and I find Zetian a very engaging character. It also helps that Zhao explains some of the history of the real-life Wu Zetian in two of her YouTube videos. I still haven’t finished the book, but I am pretty close to finishing it.

2. Epithet Erased: Prison of Plastic by Brendan Blaber (currently re-reading)

This novel is a part of the Epithet Erased series on JelloApocalypse’s YouTube channel, which also includes several trailers for this novel and a part of chapter 1 of the novel’s audiobook. I remember seeing the original show on YouTube when it was coming out and it’s a really fun series! This part of the novel focuses on the story of Molly Blyndeff, a twelve-year-old with an epithet, a power that depends on whatever word the epithet is based off of. The story focuses on Molly’s relationship with her older sister Lorelai, and how her friends support her and try to help her as she tries to stop her sister from expanding her dream world within their family’s toy store. I’m actually listening to the audiobook while writing this post! I really recommend the audiobook version of this novel, the voice actors did an excellent job!

3. Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austen

I actually was recommended this book a couple of years ago by an aunt and a cousin of mine. I had gone to a Catholic school and they both knew I was pan (I still haven’t come out to them as agender though, but that’s because I don’t see or talk to them very often). However, what actually convinced me to try the book was an old friend group that started a book club, and this was their first book. I still haven’t read it because I didn’t end up making it to the meetings, but I am interested in reading it.

4. The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

This novel I was interested in more from the author than the subject matter, but that doesn’t mean I’m not interested at all. I first read Jaigirdar’s Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating and really enjoyed it, so I wanted to read more of her works! That’s when I learned that this was her debut novel, and I wanted to compare the two. Plus, I will always find some joy from learning about different art forms through writing in novels. The most I know about henna so far is from a friend of mine who had another friend who wanted to practice henna on them. Because of that, I’d like to learn more about how Jaigirdar depicts henna artists.

5. A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation by Jacoby Ballard

I actually found this book at a book exchange that was at an LGBTQ+ friendly event. My friend and I are both interested in this book because we’re both into learning about different kinds of religion and how to express different kinds of spirituality. From what I’ve looked over with the book it talks about how queer people create their own spaces within Buddhism and yoga.

6. So This is Ever After by F. T. Lukens

I’ll go more in-depth with this particular choice in the next book, however the main reasons why I was interested in this novel is because I had already gotten a book from this author that I was pretty interested in. And after looking through another book of Lukens’s (or Lukens’), they also seemed to be really interested in fantasy, especially magic. I also thought it was an interesting idea that the story takes place after the typical “ever after” of defeating an evil king.

7. In Deeper Waters by F. T. Lukens

Now this is the novel that I originally found F.T. Lukens from, and the main reason why I was interested in reading this novel is because I love pirates. I also found myself hooked from just the summary of the novel. When people say a character is mysterious, I don’t really know if they’re going to be mysterious until they appear in the story. However, the summary does show how mysterious Athlen can be, considering he’s introduced as a prisoner on a burning ship. So, I’m interested in learning more about Athlen just from the summary.

8. Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

This novel has a bit more controversial reason for why I want to read it. I originally got this book because it was popular, and I was vaguely interested, but then I started hearing about debates on whether this is good MLM (men-loving-men, not multi-level-marketing) representation. However, I then had another friend that’s a part of the queer community that read the book and he liked it. So I wanted to read the book to figure out my own opinion on the novel. Plus I thought it would be a good time to read it since the novel’s getting it’s own show soon.

9. Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Trans (But Were Afraid to Ask) by Brynn Tannehill

This book is less for me and more for family reasons. I’m not going to go into too much detail for privacy reasons, but a lot of my family still don’t quite understand much about what it exactly means to be transgender, especially not someone who’s under the non-binary umbrella. So I wanted to read this book and see if it’d be a good fit for some of my family members who do read.

10. Video Game Storytelling: What Every Developer Needs to Know about Narrative Techniques by Evan Skolnick

This book is more for my own learning and future career. My specific dream job is to create a video game story, which would go into scriptwriting. However, most of the creative writing advice and tips I’ve gotten were either for fiction in general, or for short stories and poetry. This book might be able to teach more about scriptwriting, but also how to develop scripts for video games.

#tbr list #tbr #fiction #bookish #bookblr #book blog #nonfiction #lgbtq #lgbt literature #epithet erased #iron widow #everyone in this room will someday be dead #the henna wars #a queer dharma #so this is ever after #in deeper waters #red white and royal blue #everything you ever wanted to know about trans #video game storytelling

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mostlysignssomeportents · 2 months

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The Bezzle excerpt (Part IV)

I'm on tour with my new novel The Bezzle! Catch me TONIGHT in SALT LAKE CITY (Feb 21, Weller Book Works) and TOMORROW in SAN DIEGO (Feb 22, Mysterious Galaxy). After that, it's LA, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix and more!

This week marks the publication of my latest novel, The Bezzle, and to celebrate, I'm serializing an excerpt from Chapter 14 in six parts:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865878/thebezzle

The Bezzle is a revenge story, a crime novel, and a technothriller. It stars Martin Hench, a hard-fighting forensic accountant who specializes in unwinding high-tech scams. Hench made his debt in last year's Red Team Blues (now in paperback!); The Bezzle is a standalone followup:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865854/redteamblues

The serial tells the tale of Stefon Magner, AKA Steve Soul, a once-famous R&B frontman whose disintegrating career turned to tragedy when his crooked manager forged his signature on a rights assignment contract that let him steal all of Stefon's royalties, which ballooned after modern hiphop artists discovered his grooves and started buying licenses to sample them. The first three installments related the sad circumstances of Stefon's life, and the real-world analogues (like Leonard Cohen and George Clinton, both of whom were pauperized by sticky-fingered managers) as well as one real-world countermeasure, copyright termination, a thing that more artists should know about and use:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/09/26/take-it-back/

Today's installment weaves in a major subplot for the first time in the serial: Los Angeles's notorious, murderous Sheriff's Deputy gangs. These are another unbelievable true tale: for decades, the LASD's deputies have formed themselves into criminal gangs, some of which require that initiates murder someone to be inducted:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LASD_deputy_gangs

They sport gang tattoos, have secret signs, and run vast criminal enterprises. This has been the subject of numerous investigative press reports, and one extensive official report that called the gangs "a cancer":

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/deputy-gangs-cancer-los-angeles-county-sheriffs-department-scathing-re-rcna73367

The sordid tales of the LASD gangs beggar belief. For example, deputies in charge of LA County jails forced inmates to pit-fight and took bets on the outcomes:

https://www.aclu.org/publications/report-cruel-and-usual-punishment-how-savage-gang-deputies-controls-la-county-jails

The taxpayers of LA have shelled out tens of millions of dollars to settle claims against LA's criminals with badges:

https://news.yahoo.com/deputies-accused-being-secret-societies-230851807.html

Periodically, LA judges and officials will insist that they are tackling the problem:

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-05-17/dozens-of-lasd-deputies-ordered-to-show-suspected-gang-tattoos-reveal-others-who-have-them

But at every turn, the LA police "unions" manage to crush these investigations:

https://abc7.com/los-angeles-county-lasd-deputy-gangs-cliques/13492081/

And top cops are right there with them, insisting that these aren't "gangs" – they're just "subgroups":

https://lapublicpress.org/2024/01/former-la-sheriff-villanueva-sheriffs-gangs-are-just-subgroups/

It's very weird being an Angeleno and knowing that one of the largest, most militarized, best funded police departments in the world has been openly captured by a hyperviolent crime syndicate. When I was in the Skyboat Media studios last December with Wil Wheaton recording the audiobook for The Bezzle, Wil broke off from reading to say, "You know, someone's going to read this and google it and have their mind blown when they discover that it's real":

https://sowl.co/8nyGh

That's one of my favorite ways to turn literature into something more than entertainment. It's why I filled the Little Brother books with real-world surveillance, cryptography and security tech, giving enough detail to advance the plot and give readers an idea of what search terms would let them understand and use the concepts in the novel. That's something I'm happy to keep up with the Hench novels, unpicking the inner workings of scams and corruption. The more of us who are wise to this, the sooner we'll be able to get rid of it.

Here's part one of the serial:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/17/the-steve-soul-caper/#lead-singer-disease

Part two:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/19/crad-kilodney-was-an-outlier/#copyright-termination

Part three:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/20/fore/#lawyer-up

And now, onto part four!

The last of the boxes had been shelved.

Benedetto rose from his chair. “Thank you, gentlemen,” he said to the movers, and dug a roll of twenties out of his pocket and handed each of them two of their own. He turned to me as they filed out. “You wanna get sushi? The place next door is great.”

The empty storefront was in a down-at-heels strip mall in Eagle Rock. On one side, there was a Brazilian jujitsu studio that never seemed to have any students training in it. On the other side was Sushi Jiro, name on a faded sign with half its lightbulbs gone. Beyond that was a vaping store.

“The place next door is good?”

He laughed. “You San Francisco motherfuckers got terrible LA restaurant radar. Put Sushi Jiro in the Mission and it’d have a Michelin star and a six-month waiting list. Here it’s in a strip mall and only the locals know how good it is. Bet you never had a decent meal in this town, am I right?”

“I’ve had a few,” I said, “but I admit my track record isn’t great.”

“Let’s improve it.”

The sushi was amazing.

Inglewood Jams had the kind of books that were performatively bad, designed to foil any attempt at human comprehension.

But whoever cooked them was an amateur, someone who mistook complexity for obfuscation. Like cross-referencing was a species of transcendentally esoteric sorcery. I don’t mind cross-referencing. It’s meditative, like playing solitaire. I had Benedetto send over some colored post-it tabs and a big photocopier with an automatic feeder and I started making piles.

One night, I worked later than I planned. Sushi Jiro was becoming a serious hazard to my waistline and my sleep-debt, because when your dinner break is ten yards and two doors away from your desk, it’s just too damned easy to get back to work after dinner.

That night, I’d fallen into a cross-referencing reverie, and before I knew it, it was 2 a.m., my lower back was groaning, and my eyes were stinging.

I straightened, groaned, and slid my laptop into my bag. I found my keys and unlocked the door. The storefront was covered with brown butcher’s paper, but it didn’t go all the way to the edge. I had just a moment to sleepily note that there was some movement visible through the crack in the paper over the glass door when it came flying back toward me, bouncing off my toe, mostly, and my nose, a little. I put my one hand to my face as I instinctively threw myself into the door to close it again.

I was too late and too tired. A strong shoulder on the other side of the doorframe pushed it open and I stumbled back, and then the guy was on me, the door sighing shut behind him on its gas lift as he bore me to the ground and straddled my chest, a move he undertook with the ease of much practice. He pinned my arms under his knees and then gave me a couple of hard hits, one to the jaw, one to the nose.

My lip and nose were bleeding freely and my head was ringing from the hits and from getting smacked into the carpet tiles over concrete when I went down backward. I struggled—to free my arms, to buck off my attacker, to focus on him.

He was a beefy white guy in his late fifties, with watery dark eyes and a patchy shave that showed gray mixed in with his dark stubble. As he raised his fist for another blow, I saw that he was wearing a big class ring. A minute later, that ring opened my cheek, just under the orbit of my eye.

Apart from some involuntary animal grunts, I hadn’t made a sound. Now I did. “Ow!” I shouted. “Shit!” I shouted. “Stop!” I shouted.

He split my lip again. I bucked hard but I couldn’t budge him. He had a double chin, a gut, and he was strong, and used that bulk to back up his strength. It was like trying to free myself from under a boulder. That kept punching me in the face.

The strip mall would be deserted. Everything was closed, even the vaping store.

Shouting wouldn’t help. I did it anyway. He shut my mouth for me with a left. I gagged on blood.

He took a break from punching me in the face, then. I think he was tired. His chest heaved, and he wiped sweat off his lip with the back of his hand, leaving behind a streaky mustache of my blood.

He contemplated me, weighing me up. I thought maybe he was trying to decide if I had any fight left in me, or perhaps whether I had any valuables he could help himself to.

He cleared his throat and looked at me again. “Goddammit, I messed your face up so bad I can’t tell for sure. I hope to fuck that you’re Martin Hench, though.”

Even with my addled wits, this was an important piece of intelligence: he came here for me. This wasn’t a random act of senseless Los Angeles street violence. This was aimed at me.

I was briefly angry at Benedetto for not warning me that Chuy Flores was such a tough son of a bitch. Then I had the presence of mind to lie.

“I don’t know who the fuck this Mark Hendricks is.” My voice was thick with gargled blood, but I was proud of Mark Hendricks. Pretty fast thinking for a guy with a probable concussion. The guy slapped me open-handed across the face, and as I lay dazed for a moment, he shifted, reached into my back pocket for my wallet, and yanked it—and the seat of my pants—free. Before I could react, his knees were back on my biceps, pinning my arms and shoulders. It was a very neat move, and fast for an old guy like him.

He flipped my wallet open and squinted at it, then held it at arm’s length, then smiled broadly. He had bleach-white teeth, a row of perfectly uniform caps. Los fucking Angeles, where even the thugs have a million-dollar smile.

“Shoulda sprung for botox,” I slurred.

His grin got wider. “Maybe someday I will. Got these in trade from a cosmetic dentist I did some work for.” He dropped my wallet. “Listen, Martin Hench, you stay the fuck away from Thames Estuary and Lawrence Coleman.”

“It’s Lionel Coleman,” I said.

“What the fuck ever,” he said. He labored to his feet. I stayed still. He looked at me from a great height, and I stared up his nostrils. Without warning, he kicked my ribs hard enough that I heard one of them crack.

“You’ve been told,” he said to my writhing body, and let himself out.

ETA: Here's part five!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/21/im-feeling-unlucky/#poacher-turned-keeper

#pluralistic #the bezzle #martin hench #marty hench #red team blues #fiction #crime fiction #crime thrillers #thrillers #technothrillers #novels #books #royalties #wage theft #creative labor

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noneedtoamputate · 3 months

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Miscellaneous Tag Game

Thanks for the tag, @ronald-speirs.

Favorite place in the world you’ve visited?: Australia

Something you’re proud of yourself for?: For making it through a difficult time in my life with a greater understanding how hard life it and a greater compassion for people

Favorite books?: Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy, The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, Say Goodnight, Gracie by Julie Reece Deaver

Something that makes your heart happy when thinking about it?: My child's hugs and a night in my 20s when I was in the car with my friend and "Dancing in the Dark" came on when we were at stoplight and we started singing at the top of our lungs with carefree abandon. A car with people in their 50s next to us laughed and cheered us on. Now that I am closer to their age than the age I was when I was in the car, I understand the joy they felt at watching us.

Favorite thing about your culture?: Americans are weird that we consider ourselves from somewhere else. My great-grandparents were from Eastern Europe, and my favorite thing about that is the food. My favorite thing about being American is diversity we have here, and Independence Day. I know it's not poltically correct to say one loves Independence Day, but I do. Parades, baseball, day drinking, cookouts, fireworks - Americana all in one day.

When did you join the HBO War fandom? What was the first show you watched?: I joined the fandom rather recently in the summer of 2023, but I watched BoB when it first aired. I just watched The Pacific over the summer.

Have you read any of Easy Company’s books? If so, which ones were your favorite?: I've read Band of Brothers and bits of pieces of others. My favorite is "Easy Company Solider" by Don Malarkey. I just borrowed "Helmet for My Pillow" on audiobook read by James Badge Dale.

Favorite HBO War character and your favorite moment with them?: I can't pick one favorite, but one of my favorite moments is when Tipper goes along when Luz pretends to be Major Horton. He wants to laugh so much.

Do you make content for any fandoms, if so; what sort of content?: I am in the middle of a series called "Every Beautiful Thing" featuring Chuck and an OFC in postwar San Francisco.

Favorite actor/actress and your favorite film of theirs?: I love Tom Hanks ("A League of Their Own"), Jimmy Stewart ("It's a Wonderful Life"), Ingrid Bergman ("Casablanca") and Jodie Foster ("Silence of the Lambs")

Favorite quote/s that you wish to share with others?: "The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off." -Gloria Steinem

Random fact your mutuals/followers don’t know about you?: You want me on your trivia team.

If you’re a writer, do you need a beta reader (say yes so I can be your beta reader 🤭)?: I've never had a beta and would be happy to let anyone read my WIP.

Three things that make you smile?: Finding money in a coat pocket the first time I wear it in the fall, little kids trying to play baseball or softball, a really cold beer on a hot day

Any nicknames you like?: My dad used to call me Pumpkin when I was little.

List some people you love to see around on tumblr!: There are so many, but some people off the top of my head are @xxluckystrike, @the-cinnamontography-is-amazing, @dcyllom, @latibvles, and @jump-wings.

What would you do during a zombie apocalypse?: Find the best people and do what I can to earn my keep in their group

Favorite movie?: Too hard to pick one but two of my favorites not listed above are "The Sound of Music" and "Hoosiers." I recently watched "1917" and the way the it was filmed like one continuous shot was really innovative.

Do you like horror movies?: I don't like slasher films, but I like psychological horror films. My husband made me watch "The Shining" about ten years ago, and it scared the crap out of me,

#meme game

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daenystheedreamer · 5 months

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favorite book?

god i cant pick one.... im gonna have to give you a list im sorry!! no order just off the top of my head. ill do ten but there probably more<3

pride and prejudice i read in a british accent in my head because i would listen to the pnp audiobook to get to sleep

hungie games katniss girl of all time i lvoe that fucking series so much

handmaid's tale... made me who i am today.

catch-22 possibly my most favourite book? idk... yossarion let me throat that dick i know its big. i will let you explore your bisexuality if you let me explore your body

clockwork orange LOVE nadsat i think its what made me so crazy about etymology

I ROBOT OMG I ROBOT THATS MY FAVE

NOOOOOO CONTACT contact carl sagan. fucking LOVE contact i read it at 12 and it CHANGED MEE!!!!

others i grabbed off my goodreads: thousand splendid suns (wahhh), like water for chocolate, the martian (dumb fun read im not immune to redditorism). i have song of achilles listed as one of my faves on goodreads i will not defend or deprecate myself.

and asoiaf i guess 🙄 ball and chain lmao nag nag nag but i love her <3

#ask #anonymous

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quantum-leap-writing-prompts · 1 year

Text

1/24/2023

Hello everyone, and welcome to a remastered Masterlist of Quantum Leap Novels included on the Web Archive of Archive.org!

This is not a definitive list -- yet-- of every single Quantum Leap Novel on the archive; that post can be found here. from @fandomjoy ! Instead, this will be a WIP Masterpost of the "Remastered" Quantum Leap Novels, as they're uploaded them to the archive with the help of some volunteers !

What does "remastered" mean in this sense? Well, to start, all of the novels originally on the archive were just PDFs. and by PDFs I mean almost raw book scans, sephia background with black text and everything. Great for finding them in the first place, but not very accessible for people who need larger text, more contrast, or need some kind of audio format.

So, the "remastered" Quantum Leap novels that are linked in this post have been painstakingly edited from those original PDFs into actual, readable, editable Word Documents that were then exported into EPUBs (Generic ebook format, widely used), MOBI (old kindle format) AZW3, (new kindle format(?)) and clean PDFs of black text on a blank white background.

So now, you can download the file format of your choice; everything except PDF should have the option on your ereader or ereader app (ReadEra is my top Android recc, and Calibre for PC) to increase the font size, color, font style, and a ton of background and color options for more accessible reading!

and that's not all ! These links will also include homemade audiobooks of the Quantum Leap Novels, created using the program Balabolka :)

Anyways, it's already a long post, onto the links!

(please note, this is a work in progress, check back here often for updates!)

Begin Masterpost:

Book One: Carny Knowledge Here

Book Two: Too Close For Comfort Here

Book Three: The Wall Here

Book Four: Prelude Here (added 4/3/2023)

Book Five: Knights of the Morningstar Here (added 4/13/2023)

Book Six: Search & Rescue Here (added 4/4/2023)

Book Seven: Random Measures Here (added 4/3/2023)

Book Eight: Pulitzer Here (added 4/13/2023)

Book Nine: Double Or Nothing Here (added 4/5/2023)

Book Ten: Odyssey

Book Eleven: Independence Here (link added 2/8/2023)

Book Twelve: Angels Unaware

Book Thirteen: Obsessions

Book Fourteen: Loch Ness Leap

Book Fifteen: Heat Wave Here

Book Sixteen: Foreknowledge here: (link added 4/3/2023)

Book Seventeen: Song and Dance

Book Eighteen: Mirror's Edge Here (link added 4/3/2023)

separate continuities:

The Beginning (Novelization of the Genesis Part 1 Pilot):

The Ghost And The Gumshoe (Novelization of "A Portrait for Troian", released exclusively in the UK) :

End Notes:

As of 1/24/2023, we still need a physical copy of Foreknowledge to even begin the digitalization process! We were very lucky and two of us were able to get Mirror's Edge for under $60, but Foreknowledge is still very expensive out there!

If you have a physical copy of Foreknowledge on hand please consider DMing me or joining the Quantum Leap Lovers Discord to find out how you can help contribute :)

1/24/2023: Book 15: heatwave is currently being re-edited to make a cleaner page scan (no watermarks or fingers visible) and then it will get the Epubs, mobies, clean PDF, audiobooks, etc uploaded once the OCR has been cleaned up. 4/3/2023 done! original pdf has been cleaned up and reuploaded as an edit, and the other files will follow in the next hour or so.

4/3/2023: Someone uploaded an old book scan of Foreknowledge to the web archive ;)

#Quantum Leap #long post #bold text #this post is a work in progress!#Ql #Quantum Leap Novels #Project Quantum Leap Novels #book preservation #media preservation #out of print books #accessibility

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ackb · 2 months

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2023 Reading Challenge Report

It was a great year for books. It wasn't exactly hard to pick my top ten—they were standouts—but there were lots more that were on the cusp. I did up a little list on my bests page here because I didn't want to lose them.

Once again, my reading goal for the year was 100 books and I really had to struggle to meet it there at the end. (It helped that I got sick and managed to read/listen to five books while I was down for the count—two of which actually ended up on my top 10!)

In general, books I read earlier in the year tend to be at a disadvantage in the running as my memory is terrible. But this year the very first book I read this year made it onto the list (brown girl dreaming), as did the very last book I read (My Government Means to Kill Me).

I made the decision this year not to participate in any particular reading challenge beyond the quantity. I also decided not to make any particular rules as to reading a certain number of authors of color as I had in the past. This had predictable consequences and I'm going to do it differently in 2024.

It was still a great year for reading and I do love the opportunity to recap—even if I'm two months late!

Metrics after the cut.

Total books read: 105

Fiction—65 (counting graphic novel series as 1 each) NonFiction—34 Graphic Novels—25 (series = 1) Picture Books—6 Re-Reads—11 Audiobooks—31 Authors of color—18 Black authors—13 Women & trans authors—67 Books with queer characters—34

Favorites:

Lost & Found, Kathryn Schulz brown girl dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson How to be Perfect, Micheal Schur The Sum of Us, Heather McGee Chance, Uri Shulevitz Our Wives Under the Sea, Julia Armfield The Door of No Return, Kwame Alexander My Government Means to Kill Me: A Novel, by Rasheed Newson The House in the Cerulean Sea, T.J. Klune Yellowface, R.F. Kuang

Each one of these deserves a full review highlighting what makes it special, devastating, awesome, brilliant, or amazing. But, well, here we are.

(I did a much better job with my reviews in previous years—last year's post)

#2023 Reading Challenge

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jailynn24 · 2 years

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My Couple Rankings (so far) from Ruby Dixon books

So I've read all the Risdaverse books and about half of the original Ice Planet Books (except for some of the short stories) I'm up to Farli's book- though I don't know if I'll read that because it feels weird thinking of Farli having sex (when we started she was 13-14 and a kid) These rankings might change. These opinions will be somewhat unpopular as well...

Here are my bottom four then I'll do my top ten: (1 is the worse couple- 4 is the best of the bottom)

1) Georgie and Vektal- The more I read about this couple the more I dislike them. They are the first couple you meet, but, to me, they are the most annoying. Vektal is supposed to be a leader- but all his decisions are horrible and I will never quite forgive him for thinking since Raahosh was banished, Liz should jump on another tribe member like it's no big deal- when he KNOWS that being a mate means a lot. Yes Georgie talked him out of it, but the fact he thought it was a good idea to begin with... just mind blowing. Georgie just irks me. Could be because of the audiobook reader insisting on giving her a country accent- which she's from ORLANDO Florida- the girl would not have a country accent! Liz would, not Georgie.

2) Kira and Aehako- They were cute, until they got boring. Aehako and Kira could have been good, but towards the middle part of the book, I was just ready for them to mate and go away. Aehako acting like a dick about Harlow didn't help and I still don't understand why Vektal made him the leader of the second set of caves. Kira had very little personality but I did feel for her at first- her interactions with the kidnappers was well done, but yeah- not my favorite couple at all.

3) Lila and Rokan- Another couple that had potential, but Lila was so boring at the beginning that I instantly wanted the book to end. I think the kidnapping plot was not the best way to go and frankly I was tired of Lila pretty quickly. I think a better story would have been for Maddie (Lila's sister) to be kidnapped instead. This girl annoyed me so much, I didn't finish this book because I didn't care about her getting rescued. Such a waste. The only reason they aren't the bottom couple is because they didn't make me hate them, I just didn't care. I was invested in Kira and Georgie so their stories were frustrating and disappointing.

4) Lucy and Rektar- (When She's Bold- Risdaverse) This couple just didn't move the needle for me. It wasn't bad. It was cute and Lucy was bubbly. The story itself is short and that might have had something to do with it. My favorites from this series are the longer ones. But yeah- cute, but not one that I remember in great detail.

Here are my Top Ten:

10) Asha and Hemalo- This couple took me by surprise. I really didn't think I would enjoy them as much as I did, but honestly- their story was heartbreaking. Asha's deep sadness and Hemalo's unwavering love was so sweet to read. If anything it made me not like Aekaho and Kira even more because of how they treated her in their book- yes I understand it was their book and she was trying to creep on Aekaho- but still seeing what she was going through and knowing that she was just needing comfort- well I get that. I was so pleased by the end of Asha and Hemalo's book. I'm happy for how it all turned out.

9) Nicola and Emvor- (The Alien's Mail-Order Bride- linked to Risdaverse) This is the story of my trope I think. From here on out most of the couples will have similar themes. Emvor is broken from war and scarred and a loner, Nicola is a human that needs to find someone to protect her and she lies about how she looks to get a male order husband. It's cute and sweet and I loved how protective he got right away. This one is a short story, but it made me smile.

8) Maddie and Hassen- Everything wrong with Lila and Rokan is made right with this book for me. I loved Hassen (and really didn't hate him from his kidnapping of Lila- I got where he was coming from and even though it was wrong, I felt his desire for a family) Maddie is sassy and can be cruel, but under all that beat the heart of a woman that wants to be needed. She spent her whole life caring for her (undeserving) sister and suddenly she's thrust into a world where she isn't needed any longer. She also has a lot of insecurities that a lot of females feel. Hassen and her are hot together, and real as well. They go into their union without expectations (or Maddie does anyway- one taste of Maddie and Hassen is hooked). It felt like together they made each other whole and I loved that.

7) Claire and Ereven- They haven't been featured by themselves yet (or maybe never now) but I like them. Claire is sweet and her first "relationship" with Bek was not great, but when she started flirting and falling for Ereven- it was so sweet. I love how kind and gentle he is with her and how he encourages her. Her friendship with Asha was made possible because Ereven knew how special Claire was and how she could reach Asha by being herself. Such a sweet couple.

6) Harlow and Rukh- This book was a bit of a mix between Georgie/Vektal and Liz/Raahosh because he kidnapped her (Raahosh) and they couldn't communicate (Georgie/Vektal) but it was made sweeter because of Rukh's almost childlike nature. He had been on his own for so long and once he found Harlow- he couldn't understand what was happening. I loved how she taught him how to speak and he took such good care of her. This couple was both innocent and hot and I love their little baby Rukhar

5) Sophie and Jerrok- (When She Belongs) Grumpy loner and traumatized human meet and bicker. The slow burn of this duo made it so worthwhile when they finally got together. Jerrok had so many issues with how he looked and his own trauma, but at the core of him was a man that had just been through so much and just wanted to be left alone. Sophie was the same. She was a slave and still had a lot of anger and fear to work through. Together they found a home and hope... with the help of a very protective spider/cat pet named Sleipnir.

4-a) Stacy and Pashov- I don't have much to say about them, other than I just melted reading their book. I felt so bad for Stacy as she struggled with having a mate that didn't remember her or their baby and poor Pashov just wanted to love her. Their story was really a sweet tale of rediscovering love. And Pacy being a part of it was just adorable.

4-b) Josie and Haeden- Grumpy and bubbly strikes again. I can't help that I have a type. This couple were hilarious and awkward and adorable. Poor Haeden had a long journey to get his mate, but once he got her- pure cuteness and heat. I have reread their story at least three times and smile and giggle and sigh each time. I loved their "bedtime" story short with their son as well.

3) Tessa and Zokoar- (When She Dances) So much goodness with this story- both were introduced (sort of) in Sophie and Jerrok's story. You see Tessa and meet Zokoar and I was intrigued right away. Zokoar is another broken male, both physically and emotionally. He thinks himself hideous and that no one could ever want him because he is scarred up and has metal plating. Tessa does want him though. She thinks about him while stuck as a slave and hopes one day he will rescue her. When it happens that's when the real story starts. While this story isn't a "slow burn" (they have sex right away) it's still a beautiful story. Zokoar finds peace with Tessa and Tessa finds love with him.

2) Kim and Nassakth- (When She Purrs) Full disclosure... this was the first book I read. Nassakth is also the only non-Mesakkah/Sa-Khui alien. He is a cat-like creature called Praxiian and can be ferocious. In the other books the Praxiian are not seen as heroic characters and are often placed in the role of villain- but Nassakth is protective and loving- especially to Kim. The premise of this story is straight up romcom. Kim hires a bounty hunter to get her a husband to protect her from her neighbor who she's convinced is going to kill her, her neighbor is Nassakth who is really trying to court her in this most feline of ways. The bounty hunter wraps her up a husband and to her shock it's the very male she was trying to avoid. Their love story is a slow burn but its sweet as well. Nassakth understands Kim's trauma about being a freshly freed slave, having been one himself and he gives her confidence to take control of her life again. I just love them!

Liz and Raahosh- Hands down my favorite couple! From start to finish I adored this book. Liz is quite possibly the best character in the series. Her observations and thoughts were down right hilarious, especially when she was talking to Raahosh when she didn't know he could understand her. Raahosh is the most patient of males when it comes to her. I could not help but adore them together. Raahosh's back story was so heartbreaking and once again, I fell for his silent/grumpy nature. I enjoyed how strong and smart Liz was. She wasn't some shrinking damsel. She taught Raahosh how to use a bow and when he was injured she nursed him back to health. They were just so great together and each time they show up in another story it fills me with glee. This story was the start of my dislike for Vektal and Georgie (it has since grown). I loved Liz outsmarting them to get back with her mate.

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black-cat-aoife · 4 months

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1, 8, 20, 23 for the book ask please!

1. Did you set a goal for yourself this year? How did you do? If not, why not?

Like every year, I did the GR Challenge where you can challenge yourself to read a certain number of books. I went for 60 and managed 70 (minus 5 or so that I dnf'd). I know from experience that any other more concrete challenges just Do Not Work for me. I come to a point where I don't feel like reading any of the books that would fit for the challenge and instead of going "these are arbitrary rules anyway, go and read something else and see how you feel after that" I'm like "Nooooooo" and stop reading altogether.

8. If someone were to ask you what your top ten books for this year were, which would you choose?

Ohhhh, I like that question, but don't take the exact order too serious. I loved all of those books:

Simon Jimenez - The Spear Cuts Through Water

Kim de Horizon - Blutbuch

Taylor Jenkins Reed - Daisy Jones and the Six*

Aliette de Bodard - Of Ghosts Charms and Grievances

Ivan Turgenjew - Fathers and Sons**

Jeanette McCurdy - I'm Glad my Mom Died

Pat Barker - Regeneration

R. F. Huang - Yellowface

KJ Charles - A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel

David Mitchell - Unruly

* specifically the audiobook version, I genuinely doubt I'd enjoyed it if I'd read it and not listened

** specifically the (fairly modern) German translation I read, which was damn good and which actually made me look up the translator (Ganna-Maria Braungardt) to see what else she translated. (I haven't picked up anything else by her yet, but I really want to)

20. Would you say that you had any kind of growth as a reader?

I have branched out from my usual genres (Fantasy and mystery with some romance thrown in) and read some more *~*literary*~* stuff, more non-fiction and - well - three classics (if you don't count the Jules Verne re-reads), which is more reading out of my "comfort zone" than I've done in previous years I think. And even in "my" genres, I picked up stuff that wouldn't have been on my radar earlier. (The Spear Cuts Through Water is definitely not a fantasy book I thought would have appealed to me, and The Tattoo Murder is also unlike my usually mystery fare)

23. What new releases did you read this year?

Brb checking release dates (I'll just take this as 'books released in 2023' even if I did not read it immediately after publication). So:

Yellowface

Claire North - House of Odysseus

Sarah Underwood - Lies We Sing To The Sea

Unruly

Priest - Guardian*

Martha Wells - Witch King

Josh Lanyon - Lament at Loon Landing

Courtney Smyth - The Undetectables

KJ Charles - A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel & The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen

* well the translation came out this year

(And I remember less than I'd like about Witch King because I took long breaks inbetween and because I read it when I was...not in a great place)

Thank you for asking <3

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