#I love owning physical copies of books I read as ebooks
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Preordered the revised ABM ebook AND the physical copy so I can actually read the ebook and but also display the physical book on my shelf to prove that I read a real book lol
#I love owning physical copies of books I read as ebooks#I know effectively buying a book two different times is kinda wasteful but like#if I just read the ebook and don’t have a physical#I feel like I just read a nonexistent online thing#the physical copies make it feel more real lol AND it’s cool to see how big the physical book is and be like#heck yeah! I read all th at!#oh but while I think it might be a bit financially unwise to buy books twice#if they’re by big popular authors#at least for me personally to do anyone can spend money however u want I am not judging lolol#but I completely justify buying ABM 4 separate times because indie authors need support!!#I adore Rafael’s work so much and I want to support him as much as I can lol#anyhow#chatterbun#abm#angels before man
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in all my two years in the book community, i never thought about how in my desperation to read a book i’ve been anticipating for months but can’t read until my physical preorder arrives…i simply forgot that you could also just preorder the ebook…and so it’ll drop straight in your kindle library as soon as the book releases at midnight….which means i don’t have to suffer and wait for so long as i’ve usually done
#❣️#this is about ‘all of our demise’ which comes out in exactly two hours at the time i’m typing this#i preordered the hardcover so that 1. i can have my own personal copy ofc but also!!#2. to qualify for this preorder campaign where torteen were going to be sending these art pieces of our favorite characters#but…for some reason it didn’t occur to me that it doesn’t matter what format you pre-order…#as long as you do the preorder you’re good#anyways i preordered the kindle version of ‘all of our demise’ which means it will be in my kindle in less than two hours i am shaking#it doesn’t make sense how i could’ve come to this realization so late i mean#i love reading ebooks because the kindle highlight features are just really fun (you can color coordinate and everything)#so idk why i didn’t even think how much i wouldn’t mind reading the ebook first and THEN the physical copy#which is what i always do with all my other books#booklr
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Hello Tumblr friends, apropos of nothing, I have a book recommendation for you.
If You Think You Would Enjoy:
First person narration that Does Something Cool With It
Urban fantasy that really leans into the urban aspect. The mundane beauty of the city made magical
London Man Investigates His Own Murder While Committing Several More Murders, more at 8
A protagonist who is just an absolute wet pathetic paper bag of a man and knows it
A protagonist(s) who are the exuberant and unhinged personification of telecommunications technology with an unparalleled zest for life and also sometimes murder
Both of those characters are technically the same person
The most breathtakingly gorgeous prose that has ever been used to describe a magically animated pile of garbage
A tone that I feel can reasonably be described as “gritty,” with its refusal to shy away from the blood and grime of reality, but that is also suffused with a deep unflinching love for everything that humanity is
A supporting cast that includes many of the world’s weirdest and most badass women
The protagonist getting beat up and/or stabbed and/or shot and almost dying at least twice per book
A reading experience not quite like any you have seen before or since
Then You Should Read:
The Matthew Swift series by Kate Griffin, starting with A Madness of Angels
If you love the city of London, you will love this book. If you have never been to the city of London, this book will show you what it looks like through the eyes of someone who loves it.
(And also what it looks like when embodied as a giant dragon made of street signs.)
I cannot emphasize enough the gorgeousness of this prose, the geniusness of the urban magic system, and the amount of love for London and for humanity that oozes out of this book. I am also fully convinced that Matthew Swift would be a tumblr blorbo if his books were not mostly out of print and very niche.
It can be a bit hard to get your hands on a physical copy—try thriftbooks or another online used bookseller, or call your friendly neighborhood bookstore and see if they can order it for you. Or just go for an ebook (maybe your library has it on Libby). It is absolutely worth the trouble.
Brief content note while I have you here: There is a fair amount of violence and it is sometimes very lovingly described. Also...don’t get too attached to side characters.
Go read it and then join the approximately 3 people on tumblr who know this book exists and are obsessed with it!!
#matthew swift#stars has thoughts#books#book recommendations#urban fantasy#i don't know why i felt compelled to make this#i haven't reread matthew swift in a while#but clearly i need to#please i need more ppl to read this book and do fandom about it#it's so hard to explain what the Incredibly Specific Vibe is but it's so good
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Did you know that I write a lot about memory, skunks, uploading consciousness, political maneuvering, skunks, aliens, skunks, queerness, identity, emotions, and skunks? It's true! I'm very proud of them. You can read books best described as
Given the chance to live forever in a world not built for death, what do you do?
Given the inability to forget—all your joys and sorrows, all your foundational memories and traumas—how do you cope?
Given the ability to create a full copy of yourself—down to every single one of those memories—to do as they will, to individuate and live out their own forever lives, or merge back down and meld their memories with your own, what paths do you take?
and
If I had a nickel for every time I accidentally wrote something with heavy plural undertones that I hadn't intended but nonetheless made me doubt my identity, I'd have two nickels! Which isn't a lot, but it is weird that it happened twice.
The Post-Self Cycle is a tetralogy of meta-furry¹, gender-weird sci-fi books. From the very beginning of the consensual dream of the System, the members of the Ode clade, all forks from the same core personality, have dealt with fear each in their own way. Do they search for greater ways to control their lives? Do they hunt for yet deeper emotional connection? Do they hone their art to the finest point?
From roots in political turmoil to the building of a new society, the story is there to be found, and the Bălan clade is there to tell it.
Digital versions come with illustrations from five artists — Iris Jay, Jade Laclede, Floe, CadmiumTea, and johnny a.
Available as paperbacks, ebooks, and free to read in the browser. Omnibus ebook and illustrated hardcovers coming soon!
Book I — Qoheleth
"All artists search. I search for stories, in this post-self age. What happens when you can no longer call yourself an individual, when you have split your sense of self among several instances? How do you react? Do you withdraw into yourself, become a hermit? Do you expand until you lose all sense of identity? Do you fragment? Do you go about it deliberately, or do you let nature and chance take their course?"
With immersive technology at its peak, it's all too easy to get lost. When RJ loses emself in that virtual world, not only must ey find eir way out, but find all the answers ey can along the way.
And, nearly a century on, society still struggles with the ramifications of those answers.
Features the bonus novella Gallery Exhibition: A Love Story.
Madison finds a way to address not only the joys and terrors of integrated simulation technology, but also tackles questions of gender and identity while telling a pretty gripping mystery story in the process.
— Nenekiri Bookwyrm
Book II — Toledot
"I am saying that you trust me — really trust me — and that life in the System is more subtle than I think you know. You let me into your dreams, my dear, and your dreams influence this place as much as, if not more than, your waking mind."
No longer bound to the physical, what lengths should one go to in a virtual world to ensure the continuity of one's existence?
Secession. Launch. Two separations from two societies, two hundred years apart. And through it all, so many parallels run on so many levels that it can be dizzying just keeping up. The more Ioan and Codrin Bălan learn, the more it calls into question the motivations of even those they hold most dear.
Madison Scott-Clary . . . trusts her readers to be able to understand a completely different culture and existence than our own, and makes it compelling to do so.
— Payson R. Harris
Book III — Nevi'im
"Do you know how old I am, Dr. Brahe? I am 222 years old, a fork of an individual who is...who would be 259 years old. I am no longer the True Name of 2124. Even remembering her feels like remembering an old friend. I remember her perfectly, and yet I do not remember how to be earnest. I do not know how to simply be."
The cracks are showing.
Someone picked up on the broadcast from the Dreamer Module and as the powers that be rush to organize a meeting between races, Dr. Tycho Brahe is caught up in a whirlwind of activity. And as always, when the drama goes down, there is Codrin Bălan to witness it.
When faced with eternity in a new kind of digital world, however, old traumas come to roost, and those who were once powerful are brought to their knees
Growth is colliding with memory, and the cracks are showing.
These characters are so well realized, so fleshed out, that I can’t help but to gush about how their interactions with each other inform the central plot of the book.
— Nenekiri Bookwyrm
Book IV — Mitzvot
"To be built to love is to be built to dissolve. It is to be built to unbecome. It is to have the sole purpose of falling apart all in the name of someone else."
Even the grandest of stories can feel small and immediate when it's just one person's life.
One of the most well-known names from one of the most well-known clades on the System, the avatar of political machinations and cool confidence, has been brought low. With help coming only from Ioan Bălan and the most grudging of support from her cocladists, all True Name has left to save herself is the ability to change.
Features the bonus novella Selected Letters.
Mitzvot drills down deeper into the lives of its characters and shows us that between the world-shattering projects that change the very understanding of the System, they’re just people trying to live their lives with love and purpose.
— Nenekiri Bookwyrm
Keep an eye out for Clade, an anthology of short stories from nine authors set in the universe, coming later this year.
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¹ That is, about members of the furry subculture rather than just furry characters.
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currently reading ttou and I am extremely addicted and it is ruining my sleep schedule and ability to study for important exams I have coming up. Incurable grip that it has on my psyche aside, I was wondering if you saw the whole thing (or will do once it's complete) as one book, or multiple, and if it's multiple roughly where does it split up? (I'm only on chapter 29 so no spoilers please! I'm sorry if this question becomes more clear as it goes on)
I'm asking because I would really like to print out and bind it so I can have a physical copy, and I'd love to know if I can get started on that once I'm caught up or if I've gotta wait until the whole thing is out! Either way I love it, I'm very enthralled and you are a very good writer!
You can bind your own copy if you like. It'll be available as an ebook after completion; it'll probably also be available for print but that'll take longer to get out.
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if i wanna be crazyyy abt drizzt like u where should i start
WELL. Disclaimer that like, these books are very "ah the 90s lol" at first, they handle some things well (very well for the time they were written in, and still do, imo!) and some things not great, the writing style might not be your thing, etc. It's basically catnip for me but it may not Fucking Possess You the way it did me because we're different people.
Also like people are very...weird about these books and weird about Drizzt, I would heavily recommend just..not seeking opinions out until you've gone through the books yourself and formed your own opinions on them. People love to hate on the main character, the author, everything about the books and a lot of the time they're genuinely just factually wrong about it, are inaccurate because they literally haven't read it in a decade, or are conflating it with the sourcebooks (which the author didn't write and had no control over).
ANYWAY, YES. Resources!
Intro slideshow by my good friend bramble to give you a better idea of what you're getting into (including content warnings!), and also gives you three different starting points
The reading order guide I used getting into it which lists all the books in order
If you're familiar with the series at all (or you don't mind spoilers for certain events), general trilogy/quartet roundup i made that also lists which DnD edition the books reference/are linked to/desperately trying to follow
If you live in the US you can get them at most libraries I believe. They are also all available as ebooks, and of course less legal means exist. I usually buy them as ebooks because the shipping cost to get physical copies to Australia is awful haha.
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do you own all of lm montgomery books? where do you keep them all?
this ask sent me prowling through my bookshelf, thank you for that!
I do not own all of LM Montgomery's books - I own ~8 physical copies of novels/short story collections, and I also have a lot of her short stories on Kindle because they used to be free (and maybe still are). Because the vast majority of her books are available online or in libraries, I've never felt the need to purchase them. Funnily enough, because of that, the books I do own are the ones that are less popular since they're harder to find. I have A Tangled Web, The Blythes are Quoted (in ebook form), Magic for Marigold, and I believe at one point I owned the ebook of The Golden Road. Looking at my copies, I'm laughing because the wear and tear on these books reflects a younger batrachised - I read The Story Girl so often as a child that the copy I have literally is held together by duct tape and a prayer, but it's nowhere near my favorite lm montgomery book now.
I am making an effort to get more physical copies because the internet can swallow things quickly, so I will soon be the proud owner of Jane of Lantern Hill and Emily of New Moon. None of these are fancy copies because I manhandle my books too much (see The Story Girl's poor fate, loved to the point of destruction) and bc, tbh, unless the edition has some unique draw (there's a reason i own both the entire collections of the far side and calvin and hobbes), I don't really find it worth it. I'd rather have posters than fancy covers.
As for where I keep them (and I love the underlying implication that I'm swarmed by LM Montgomery books, the where do you even KEEP them ALL?) - I wish I could be an elegant book influencer and pull back a wispy silk curtain to reveal a setup with twinkling lights and color coded book shelves and a giant reading nook next to it and green garlands wreathing it and a leafy plant flourishing on the top flesh for good measure--but my lm montgomery books are unceremoniously shoved to the side of my tiny, messy bookshelf which is as overburdened as obi-wan in the star wars trilogy that's off in the darkest corner of my room - i include this incredibly technical schematic for your satisfaction:
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[ID: A blue and white donation prompt banner that reads:
"Can You Chip In?
Dear Patron: Please don't scroll past this. The Internet Archive is growing rapidly, and we need your help. As an independent nonprofit, we build and maintain all our own systems, but we don’t charge for access, sell user information, or run ads. Instead, we're powered by online donations averaging about $17. We'd be deeply grateful if you'd join the one in a thousand users that support us financially.
We understand that not everyone can donate right now, but if you can afford to contribute, we promise it will be put to good use. Access to knowledge is more important than ever—so if you find all these bits and bytes useful, please pitch in."
There is a box next to the banner with donation options ranging from $1, $17, and $100, with the last option being a custom amount, and two checkboxes below that say "I will generously add $0.67 to cover fees" and "Make this monthly". End ID]
Hey, Archive of Our Own fans!
Are you looking for more ways to help preserve media? Want to make sure reading is accessible to everyone without ads or restrictions?
Then please, please consider donating to the Internet Archive!
Each year, Archive of Our Own far surpasses their donation goal for their fanfiction hosting archive-- let's see if we can't meet or beat that for the original archive, that preserves media that would otherwise be lost, is an open free and accessible online library, and is an absolutely invaluable resource if you are a fan of literally any old media; so many books are completely out of print for scifi series such as Quantum Leap, Star Trek DS9, Babylon 5, etc, and physical copies are sold for hair-raising prices ($100-$500+), and digital copies available to purchase are extremely few and far between.
Some of the Star Trek books have been digitalized as ebooks by Amazon, but none of the Quantum Leap books exist anywhere online as purchasable ebooks, and the only place you can find them is on ebay (for various price points from reasonable to absolutely hilariously outrageous), but they are not available in any accessible format...
Until the Web Archive digitalized them for their Open Library!
Not all of them are available on the web archive yet-- physical copies are donated to the archive and have to be digitalized there, but many are already available that you would otherwise have to shell out $100 or more to scalpers and resellers on ebay, while the original creators never see a cent of the profit (the books originally sold for $6.99 when they were released)
Not only does the Internet Archive preserve books that are decades out of print, but also documentaries, ancient video games and software, live music, and what most people know: The Wayback Machine! The magical tool that preserves defunct or dead websites (or even just to show original posts or articles before they were edited or deleted) for future reference and preservation !
And the web archive is not just for fandom purposes-- live news broadcasts, radio plays, NASA images, public domain audio books for accessibility, movies, podcasts, traditional art backups, and more!~
Do you have old family videos and photos? You can upload them to the archive!
Do you have a family recipe book from your great grandmother? You can upload it to the archive!
Do you like to craft and make crochet or knitting tutorials or patterns? You can upload them to the archive!
So, if you love to read, and you love media preservation, please consider donating if you are able (This is not only available during a set time, they accept donations year round if you want to wait til payday!) and please reblog to signal boost this!
#described images#the internet archive#archive.org#archive of our own#a03#web archive#large text#waybackmachine#internet archive#signal boost please
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tag game - either or
tagged by @sweatyflytrap <3
hardcover or paperback? - paperbacks just feel right
bookstore or library? - both.
bookmark or receipt? - i lose bookmarks so receipts it is for physical books
stand alone or series? - i don't have the consistent reading habit to finish series anymore but ALSO it's because of the next question
nonfiction or fiction? - both but i think i read more non-fiction consistently than fiction at this point. i've been reading the tragedy of heterosexuality by jane ward on and off and how to do nothing: resisting the attention economy by jenny odell (for all of you girlsleep, girlrest, girlnappers out there against the busyness = productivity culture, lol but SERIOUSLY, it's a good book... ignore my sheer oversimplification of what it's about). for fiction, i've been reading anne carson's stuff lately and lolita and pale fire by nabokov, which i've been reading since like.....last year, on and off...nabokov is a crazy writer
thriller or fantasy? - i don't read much of either right now TBH but hypothetically, if i could call myself a Reader, then fantasy.
under 300 pages or over 300 pages? - i don't think it matters!
children’s or YA? - self-explanatory, perhaps??
friends to lovers or enemies to lovers? - you know the danmei novel scum villain's self saving system? it's a bit of both, but not quite. i hope this is very revealing about my recent tastes, sorry for being like this
read in bed or read on the couch? - we read to fall asleep babeyyy
read at night or read in the morning? - ^
keep pristine or markup? i love scribbling into physical books lol and i'm always taking notes in my ebooks.
cracked spine or dog ear? - both, though i don't dog-ear pages on my own copies, but i don't mind if i pick up a book that's already dog-eared.. it's very charming
tagging @eljibbity, @arborescendres, @lucirent, @fldx, @mxgicdave @wewentcarracing
#so curious but don't feel obliged to do this!!#tag game#if u can't already tell by my answers#i barely read lol
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answering your tags, I haven't read any of Brandon Sanderson's books yet, but he teaches a sci-fi/fantasy creative writing class that's on youtube and been highly recommended. have you read from him, if so what did you like the most?
yes i am a Big Fan of his — it is probably more accurate to describe me as a fanatic. I just tried to go through his list of works to see which i've read and which i own, and while i wasn't able to get a solid count, I've read most of them and own a fair amount.
the thing to understand about recommending any of Sanderson's books is that the vast majority of his works are set in the same overarching universe, called the Cosmere. While different series are (usually) set on different planets, the magic systems all follow an overarching set of rules, and as the Cosmere continues, we're going to see more and more crossover. that being said, you can read almost all of his currently published books without knowing the wider implications. so with that said, I recommend starting with either The Emperor's Soul or Tress of the Emerald Sea.
I've been suggesting The Emperor's Soul to people for years as a gateway to Sanderson's work, for a couple of reasons. First, it's a novella (I think somewhere around a hundred pages?) rather than some of his gargantuan other works (multiple of his books are over a thousand pages). Second, I think it has a really cool magic system, which I feel is one of Sanderson's strengths. Third, it won the Hugo Award for Best Novella, so I have some critics backing me up. And last but most definitely not least, I really like it. Which is always something you should look for in book recommendations!
Tress of the Emerald Sea was one of the "Secret Novels" Sanderson wrote while quarantining during the pandemic and published through the biggest Kickstarter of all time. Although I still haven't gotten my physical copy, I read my ebook copy on New Year's Day, the day it came out, and I really loved it. The inspiration for it was "What if, in The Princess Bride, Buttercup goes after Westley to rescue him?" It was a very fun read that, like The Emperor's Soul, teases connections to other Cosmere books without relying on you having already read them. This book also has a cool magic system, but even cooler is the worldbuilding, which I think is Sanderson's greatest strength.
I'll also point you to Sanderson's page on where to start.
As for my favorites, the two above are probably my two favorite single stories of his, but I also love The Stormlight Archive (epic fantasy) and Elantris (because the magic system is like programming) and Mistborn because the magic system is cool in a different way and Warbreaker because of the humor and
I like pretty much all of his work. Sanderson's works are also varied enough that even if you don't like any of the above works, you may still like some of his other works.
If you have any other questions, please do ask me — clearly, I love talking about them (and books in general).
Also, just because I love how Sanderson announced his Secret Novels, here's the video:
youtube
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Asian Readathon 2024
[ID: A black cat laying on purple patterned sheets in front of a stack of four books: Bliss Montage by Ling Ma, This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki, and The Night Parade: A Speculative Memoir by Jami Nakamura Lin. End ID.]
Even if I wanted to be an aesthetic blogger I couldn't. Not with my baby boy, Lito, taking every opportunity to lay on me.
It's AAPI month and I'm participating in the Asian Readathon! (See withcindy on YouTube for more details). I wanted to share some of the books I'm reading and talk briefly about my thoughts so far.
Sidenote: You should be reading Asian authors year round. If you aren't already, I recommend checking out Cindy's blog, looking at the kickass spreadsheet of books, and expanding your horizons.
Bliss Montage, Ling Ma
Features eight reality-bending stories about relationships with oneself and other people. Character-driven. Less than 250 pages. Check trigger warnings.
I chose this one to fit the prompt of a book that feels timeless based on the vibes of Ling Ma's first book, Severance (a personal favorite). She goes back and forth between past and present often, at times seamlessly between mere paragraphs, and it gives the feeling of time being stretched and almost uncertain. I greatly enjoyed it in Severance and suspected similar vibes in this book, and I'm not disappointed! I'm wondering if this is autobiographical fiction (it isn't advertised as such, but I can spot some of the shared events of Ma's actual life and the MC). This book is deeply intimate and, at times, very heavy. I'm only halfway through, and I already know it's going to be another favorite.
This is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Adult Sapphic science fantasy about two rival agents on opposing sides of a war. Less than 200 pages (can you tell I like novellas?)
I've started this twice now, once on audiobook and once on ebook, before realizing neither format worked for me and buying a physical copy. I'm only two chapters in, but wow, if you enjoy competitive flirting, these two are incredible at it! I'll say more when I'm further along, but this is some quality writing.
Light from Uncommon Stars, Ryka Aoki
Sapphic science fantasy. A woman makes a deal with a demon to sell her soul for fame in the violin world and must convince seven other violin prodigies to sell theirs in order to get hers back. She finds number seven in a trans girl who runs away from home, and unexpected love with an alien woman who comes to Earth to escape a galactic Endplague. Check the trigger warnings!
I'm 300 pages in (out of almost 400) and this book makes me fucking feral. Apart from the main three characters stories, there are so many side characters with their own stories, and every single one weaves together in some way and packs a punch. I was sold on this book the moment I heard Queen of Hell, and it's just sucked me deeper and deeper. There are so many unexpected events in this book, so many moments that make me go "holy fucking shit?" You think you know what kind of book it is, then some off the wall shit happens and you have to reassess. This is such a deeply trans narrative (written by a trans woman), and as soon as I finish it I'm never going to shut up about it. Probably one of the best books I've ever read and I'm not done yet.
Once more, check the trigger warnings! Aoki is very good at making it super clear what's happening, while also not doing too much on-page (usually by either going light with the details, or fading the scene). But of all the talk about this book I've encountered, no one ever mentioned triggers and I foolishly assumed that meant that there weren't any major ones. There very much are. I'll start you off: transphobia, internalized transphobia, racism, sexual assault, self-harm, parental abuse (the book opens with this one, so mentally prepare yourself).
The Night Parade: A Speculative Memoir, Jami Nakamura Lin
A memoir that users the yōkai and various other figures from Japanese, Taiwanese, and Okinawan folktales to talk about grief in the face of the author's father's cancer and her struggles with Bipolar Disorder. Features amazing illustrations by her sister, Cori Nakamura Lin.
This sentence from the blurb took me out at the knees: "...Jami Nakamura Lin shines a light into dark corners, driven by a question: How do we learn to live with the things that haunt us?"
This is just fucking cool. It's a memoir that basically ripped up the rule book and does it so well. You're never certain if what you're reading really happened (and this is intentional). Stories that show the complexity and humanity of people with Bipolar Disorder are few and far between, so this book has a special place in my heart. It challenges the current narrative of mental health recovery in a way I've yet to see.
Other things I'll be reading:
The Garden of Delights by Amal Singh - Doesn't come out until mid-May, so I'll be waiting impatiently to enjoy it.
Let me know if you have any questions or thoughts. If you've read any of these books, come scream at me!
~ Lex
#AAPI month#Asian readathon#asian readathon 2024#bliss montage#ling ma#this is how you lose the time war#amal el mohtar#light from uncommon stars#ryka aoki#the night parade a speculative memoir#jami nakamura lin#amal singh#the garden of delights#diverse bookblr#diverse booklr#book talk#bookish community#lex rambles
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questions about books!!! the best kind of questions. thanks for the tag @boxboxlewis this was a fun distraction from pretending to write!
An estimate of how many physical books I own: oh jeez. I would say probably about 400 in my flat (it’s a small flat, too) and then maybe another 200 in storage at my mum’s? So yeah probably 600 or so overall. I’ve probably only read maybe two thirds of them, but I have problems with impulsive spending so they keep on piling up 🫠
Favourite author: Can’t pick just one, but JG Ballard, Donna Tartt, William Gibson, Eliza Clark and Bret Easton Ellis (shut up I know he’s problematic let me live) are my top five.
A popular book I've never read and never intend to read: Honestly probably anything else Sally Rooney brings out. I don’t get the big deal.
A popular book I thought was just meh: See above! But also My Year of Rest and Relaxation. Otessa Moshfegh should in theory be right up my street but I just find her writing is trying too hard to gross me out, it’s too edgelord for me. Which, if you’re familiar with some of the authors I’ve listed above, is really saying something.
Longest book I own: Ooh I’m not actually sure. Maybe The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton? I didn’t finish it though. Or the Succession script books are pretty hefty? OH WAIT no it’s probably Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman but I haven’t even started it lmao.
Longest series I own all the books to: Probably Harry Potter, unfortunately. I don’t really read series books much!
Prettiest book I own: My copy of The Sick Bag Song by Nick Cave is pretty lovely. The Roads Editions paperbacks are all gorgeous, especially my copy of Venus in Furs. And idk if it counts but my first ever boyfriend (who was an asshole in all other respects) bought me a limited copy of Laments by Jenny Holzer for my 18th birthday which I treasure.
A book or series I wish more people knew about: Ooh, tricky one. I’m going to say Heroines by Kate Zambreno which is a really beautiful creative non-fiction essay about mental illness and the literary wives and mistresses of quote-unquote Great Authors (white men).
Book I'm reading now: The Weird and The Eerie by Mark Fisher, and The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer. Never let it be said I am not wide-ranging in my tastes.
Book that's been on my TBR list for a while but I still haven't got around to it: I mean like I said I have about 200 unread books and more in my TBR list and sometimes I lie awake at night getting stressed about the fact that I will never have time to read all the books I want to read!!! But the one that springs to mind is The Singularity is Near by Ray Kurzweil which I should read for novel research but it’s a BRICK about the likelihood of machine intelligence destroying humanity. I’m fun at parties I swear. (Disclaimer: I am 34 years old I don’t go to parties anymore.)
Do you have any books in a language other than English: I mean, I have some poetry in translation and stuff but I can’t read it :(
Paperback, hardcover, or ebook?: I much much prefer paperbacks! But I read probably 50/50 paperbacks and ebooks these days since I got my nice shiny iPad.
tagging @lost-decade @zeraparker @formulatrash and @saintdevote if any of you want to fill in!
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I haven't read The Inheritance Games yet, but a couple years ago I read The Naturals series and description seemed intriguing, but I restrained myself from having high expectations. In the past so many descriptions sounded promising only to end up as mixture of romance and fantasy and somehow managed to make me disinterested in both until I found refugee in Brandon Sanderson's books to restore my faith in fantasy genre. Jennifer's writing made me invested from the start. Characters were well written with their own stories, insecurities and demons. The cherry on the top were dialogues. Recently I realised how dialogue could either make story great or make me cringe. I've realised this while reading Demon Copperhead. I gave this book 4 stars only because 5 stars go to my absolute favourites, books closest to my heart and Demon just didn't stole my heart, nevertheless it's good book. Sometimes dialogue, the way characters are speaking, words they're using just seems off to me. I can't imagine x words being spoken under y circumstances by z person. Great dialogues can stay with me and resonate with me long after I finish reading. I still remember Elektra half asking half stating Clytemnestra wished Elektra had died instead of Iphigenia. Did I wish for Clytemnestra to deny it, to say her daughter was wrong? Yes. Was I mad at Clytemnestra for not denying it? Also yes. Did I realise this conversation couldn't take different turn? Painfully so. Costanza Casati wrote one line that made me speechless. That's the beauty of literature to me. I can read book with hundreds of words I'll forget 2 days after I finish reading, but sometimes I read book with one sentence or dialogue that stays with me for long period of time.
I completely understand the love for good dialogue. It's part of why I've gravitated to playwrights a lot, like Sartre or Wilde, despite my general focus on prose during my studies. Good dialogue sticks with you and deeply reverberates.
I will say, The Inheritance Games is a clever YA mystery story. There is romance, but the mystery plot is a at the core of the story and personally, I loved how the many riddles and puzzles in the books kept me on my toes. You can read a book in the series in a day because it's really fast-paced.
Clytemnestra and Demon Copperhead are currently very high on my TBR. I may start Clytemnestra in November on ebook. I'm waiting for a physical copy of Demon Copperhead to arrive so I can really own it (Pulitzer and all). Try out Jennifer Saint's Elektra if you enjoy Clytemnestra as a character as well!
#demon copperhead#clytemnestra#the inheritance games#jennifer lynn barnes#books#book blog#book commentary#ask
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Explore my bookshelf!
Tagged by @searchingforserendipity25 @jouissants and @swanmaids! Thank you so much 💕💕
An estimate of how many physical books I own: I really have no idea especially because they're not all in one place right now. Maybe 200-300? Hmm. A lot (to me)
Favorite author: Tolkien right now? Ursula Le Guin? I really like Sarah Waters and as a wee lass I really adored Patrick Rothfuss. Umm. I realize I usually tend to pick stuff to read from individual authors based on their premise instead of going through an author's repertoire. Sorry, authors. But it's genuinely hard for me to pick a favorite since they all strike different notes! Fandom writers I've known past and present also loom large here for me.
A popular book I've never read and never intend to read: Hmm maybe The Locked Tomb? The vibes just seem too ironic for me. But I might still read it sometime, it just hasn't grabbed me yet. Probably also Discworld. Sorry to everyone.
A popular book I thought was just meh: The Song of Achilles... Whoops. Anyway, I found some aspects of the writing style lovely, but as a story and a retelling it majorly fell flat for me.
Longest book I own: Les Misérables probably, or one of the big compiled editions of Shakespeare or Austen
Longest series I own all the books to: Hmm, I think A Song of Ice and Fire from my fan days in high school—but kinda by accident (I'd already read the last books on ebook when I was gifted them). Still surprises me to think I do actually own all of those tomes in hard copy
Prettiest book I own: Mariana and the Merchild... yes it's a children's picture book. And you've almost certainly heard me bring it up sometime. Lesbian-coded child-rearing of my heart. Look at the pictures!
A book or series I wish more people knew about: As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann—imagine a fictional microhistory that's also a darkly painted yet tender and gripping gay romance that's also about utopian experiments and the English Civil War. When Fox is a Thousand by Larissa Lai—this book is a dream, a messy and confusing dream, but I recommend it to everyone ever! Chinese folklore and mythology, queer and sapphic-ness, through time and space from ancient China to modern-day immigrant communities in Canada—so touching and really beautiful. Many moments from this one still stick in my brain.
Series: The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud—OK, it's been a while since I read this in full, and I just said I don't always like irony and these books are crammed full of silly little jokes and targeted towards a younger audience, BUT just thinking about them makes me tear up with emotion. Ages-old wry shapeshifting djinni, snotty-kid-becomes-politician, and hardened girl from the underclass navigate an alternate magical-spirits-powered British imperialism. It's queer and incisive TO ME.
Nonfiction: A Biography of No Place by Kate Brown, about borderland villages in Soviet Ukraine and the drastic changes in structures/social organization and identities that occurred from 1920-1950. Poorly said but I just think the perspective this book takes is unique and insightful and empathic and everyone should read it.
Book I'm reading now: The Bandit Queens and Lays of Beleriand. In theory I'm reading them hell yeahhh
Book that's been on my TBR list for a while but I still haven't got around to it: Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino and The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison. I checked both of these out to read over the summer and renewed them like 3 times and did I read them... no I did not. Also a bunch more are on the TBR but you know how it is
Do you have any books in a language other than English: La Reine Margot in French is the one I tried seriously to read in recent times, but I have some others in French and Spanish, mostly from high school. 1 in Czech (a copy of With Fire and Sword I have from @sparklingdali for the pictures ❤️). Polish With Fire and Sword & The Deluge pdfs & a couple of physical books ambitiously in Polish, emphasis on the ambition part.
Paperback, hardcover, or ebook? Ideally I check out whatever version the library has. I prefer physical copies and I guess paperbacks, but I'll do ebooks if I have to! At this point I try to only actually buy (hopefully secondhand) books I think I'm really going to want to keep, because I already have too many to move with
Tagging @themelodyofsilence @nibi-nix @tuulikki @sparklingdali @bachaboska if you'd like to do this, and anyone else who hasn't done it yet!
#*i didn't mention orhan pamuk in authors. i failed on that#my posts#tag meme#have been enjoying you guys' recs! 💖
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books
tagged by @wdcmaxy, must complete by law.
an estimate of how many physical books I own: jesus christ, I don't even have a proper estimate. Maybe 200? Maybe more??
favourite author: I don't have one favourite, although I do love Suzanne Collins.
a popular book I've never read and never intend to read: daisy jones and the six...to be fair I started it but it was very meh. Also I will not be reading any straight romance novels. Hard pass.
a popular book I thought was just meh: Lord of the Rings. I loved the Hobbit, but couldn't get into the trilogy. Too much fighting.
longest book I own: I'm not really sure. I'm not really in to super long books. Maybe TBOSBAS?
longest series I own all the books to: Oh, I guess Heartstopper. I own all 4 of the graphic novels, as well as the companion novellas This Winter and Nick & Charlie.
prettiest book I own: I own A LOT of kids books for someone who doesn't have kids, largely because each one is it's own piece of art. Otherwise, I really like my copy of Scattered Showers by Rainbow Rowell. I also have the art book for The Little Prince animated movie, and that's quite lovely.
a book or series I wish more people knew about: Maybe the Simon Snow series? I just love them to pieces.
book I'm reading now: I am in fanfic mode at the moment, but have been reading my poetry books. I was reading Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong last night.
do you have any books in a language other than english: Oh yes! I have a couple books in French (Le Petit Prince and Loup, Loup y et-tu?) and a bunch in German, ranging from text books to novels to dictionaries to childrens books.
book that's been on my TBR list for a while but I still haven't got around to it: Young Mungo! I have a beautiful hard copy from Glasgow that I WILL READ EVENTUALLY.
paperback, hardcover, or ebook?: paperback! We love breaking a spine.
no pressure tagging: @kaleidoscopexsighs, @butcherbacterium and @sommerregenjuniluft
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This or That
I was tagged by @felixantares TYSM FELIX FOR TAGGING ME!!!!!!!!!! It's been a million years and i'm awful for waiting this long lmao
Hardcover or Paperback? Paperback!!!! My hands cramp so quickly from hardcovers so the ones i have are either bc it was the only copy i could find at the used bookstore or just a copy i don't physically read from bc i also own the audiobook. (I'm looking at you, The Anthropocene Reviewed)
Bookstore or Library? EASILY the library, it's free and stimulates the community hello. I like Libby bc i can check out audiobooks and ebooks from my local library!!!!
Bookmark or Receipt? i have a bunch of cute bookmarks so sure i use those but like Felix i am a dog earer! idk it's just always an available option lmao
Standalone or Series? it's definitely less pressure to pick up a standalone bc i don't have to worry about feeling overwhelmed, but sometimes there will come a long series (cough, 39 clues) that i just get so obsessed with and have to binge read. AGAIN like Felix most of my favorites are in series!! BUT standalones are low presh
Nonfiction or Fiction? Fiction! I like the occasional memoir or essay collection or like history book or something, but GENERALLY i prefer to go for Fiction titles
Thriller or Fantasy? honestly thriller!! though i will clarify--i'm not that interested in adult thrillers for the most part. not to be reductive but the divorcee thrillers really bore me. i love a good YA thriller though, from slashers to murder mysteries i just love them!! some of my favorites are (ironically i'm about to list some series') A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, The Amateurs, and One of Us is Lying.
Under 300 Pages or Over? Also over! I do like a short read but between 300 and 400 pages is like the audiobook sweet spot for me honestly
Children’s or YA? YA/Middle Grade for sure!! My favorite book is Holes which is a children's book technically but yeah i freaking love some good YA Middle Grade books
Friends to Lovers or Enemies to Lovers? It depends on the genre for me honestly, but sometimes i think Friends to Lovers has higher stakes and as it stands that's what i would go for, though that could change at any given moment tbh
Read in Bed or Read on the Couch? I do most of my reading in the car technically bc i listen to audiobooks while i drive a lot lmao
Read at Night or Read in the Morning? Day time! It's too scary to read thrillers in the dark LOL
Keep Pristine or Markup? I am such a markup bitch i love to highlight and write notes in the margins fr!!!!!!! I annotate Holes at least once a year
Cracked Spine or Dogear? Majorly controversh but BOTH. I dogear all the time and i am a compulsive spine cracker. It's just too satisfying. But also I'll say i have not spent my whole life as a book person, so idek if i have more than like 2 books that i've had for more than like 3 years anyways
OKAY i'm tagging @vitaminpops @silently--here and @iammyownsaviour, if you've already done this obv ignore
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