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umichenginabroad · 11 months

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Week 5 in Limerick

Hey guys, it’s Katie again, and here’s what happened this past week in Limerick.

Monday: Today, I changed up the procedure in the lab a bit. I’m using the same amount of sludge and acid, but I add the acid after running the reactor, then run it again at a lower temperature. Based on the results from today, it’s possible that doing this results in more liquid product and less hydrochar, but I will need to do a few more trials to be sure. We didn’t do much that evening besides hang out, but we had plans to go kayaking the next day, so it was nice to have a chill evening.

Tuesday: I started by repeating the experiment from yesterday, but during the second run of the HTC reactor, it heated past the set temperature, so I had to discard the products. It wasn’t a huge deal since I have plenty of time to run the various trials, but it was a little frustrating. In the evening, we went kayaking. We lucked out with the weather because it had been pouring rain on and off all day, but cleared up when we went out on the river. It was different than expected since we stayed in the same area on the river and played kayaking games like kayak polo, races, and kayak tag. It was a great time, even though I crashed into everyone multiple times.

Wednesday: Today we switched things up a bit in the lab by going to use the scanning electron microscope, or SEM, to look at the hydrochar I collected. This ended up being kind of boring because they didn’t have time to train me on how to use the SEM, so I mostly watched Nina look at the samples and practice adjusting the microscope to see better. There was also a program to show some of the elements contained within the hydrochar, and to save pictures of the SEM view. Afterwards, it was too late to start another trial that would take hours, so I went home for the day. I took a quick trip to downtown Limerick to get a book, The Priory of the Orange Tree, which I had heard good things about.

A pretty dog mural in downtown Limerick

Thursday: Today, I retried the experiment procedure from earlier in the week, because Nina and I were not sure why the product in the reactor overheated. I observed the temperature, and when it once again went over 10 degrees above the set point, I told Nina, but this time she told me to collect the product as usual, suspecting an exothermic reaction caused by the acid. Unfortunately, I spilled some of my product at the end, so I couldn't get accurate mass measurements. Friday was pretty much the same, so there's not much to say there.

Saturday: Today, Pascale and I took a bus up to Dublin for the Pride Parade. It was my first one, and it was so cool to watch everyone marching and dancing by, having a great time. Super excited to go to another one next year. Then, I went to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College. First, I walked through a room with information about Irish illuminated manuscripts, which had some enlarged photos of the pages (we can't take photos of the actual book). Then, I saw the original Book of Kells in its own room, and walked up to the Old Library. It had busts of several famous people, as well as manuscripts from an old wealthy family's collection. Once that was over, Pascale and I walked around a little more, got food, and almost missed our bus back to Limerick because we couldn't find the stop. In the evening, we went to the David Bowie Experience at Dolan's, which had a band performing Bowie's greatest hits. It was very loud, but lots of fun, and the band did a great job.

Top left: Image from an illuminated manuscript. Top right: The Old Library. Bottom left: Pascale and me at the Pride Parade. Bottom right: idk what that is

Sunday: Since we were all tired from the concert last night, we took it easy in the morning. In the mid-afternoon, Pascale and I took a bus to see the Rock of Cashel, a complex of medieval buildings with great historical and religious significance. In the 25 minutes or so we had before closing, Pascale and I explored the old Gothic cathedral, graveyard, and chapel, all of which have fascinating histories. The Rock of Cashel is known as the legendary site where St. Patrick banished the devil, as well as the seat of the High Kings of Munster (Southern Ireland). Afterwards, we caught the next bus back to Limerick, grabbed a quick dinner, and headed back to the apartment.

Top left: the Rock of Cashel. Top right: view from the Rock of Cashel. Bottom left: side view of the Rock of Cashel, including the Round Tower. Bottom right: tapestry in a chapel.

#umichenginabroad #MaryCahill #ipeireland #ipesummer23 #ireland

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moghedien · 4 years

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Hey, I'm a big wot fan and I've read the big names like asofi and lotr but not a lot more as far as fantasy is concerned and I wanted your recs as far as major big works are concerned...

Ok I’ve been thinking about this for a day or so and I’m not completely satisfied with what I came up with but I got some recommendations. I’m gonna try to mix this with big, more obvious series and also some newer stuff that definitely deserves attention.

The first thing that comes to mind is Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere. If you haven’t read any of Brandon Sanderson’s books outside of the WoT books he’s written, then I’d definitely suggest those. The Cosmere consists of multiple series, so there’s a ton to read there. Elantris (standalone), Mistborn Era 1 (trilogy), Mistborn Era 2 (currently a trilogy), Warbreaker (currently a standalone), and The Stormlight Archive (currently three books, fourth coming out this year) are the books in the series. There’s also White Sand which is a comic series (and honestly isn’t very good) and a few novellas and short stories. If you want to get into the Cosmere, start with either Mistborn Era 1 or Warbreaker. Most people would suggest Mistborn Era 1, but I just prefer Warbreaker and it is a standalone so that would be my personal suggestion. Just don’t do what I did and foolishly start with The Stormlight Archive because those books are like a million words a piece and require a lot of trust. I love the books, they’re probably my favorite Brandon Sanderson series, but they are a bad starting place.

The Broken Earth Trilogy by NK Jemisin is my next suggestion. The series comes with big ol’ content warnings for like, everything. Like literally everything, but its all very, very intentionally handled. It’s not intense and rough for shock value, its like that to make a point and I think it does so well. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot or inciting action, but basically, it’s a world in which there is magic that is related with geology (as in rocks) and also the world is ending and also the main character needs to find her daughter that her husband kidnapped. Also every book in the trilogy won the Hugo for Best Novel, and this is the only series that has ever done that. The first book in the trilogy is The Fifth Season.

Next recommendation comes with a little disclaimer because I’ve only read the first book so far, but I intend to read the rest and it is sorta a classic in fantasy, I believe, and that’s The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. The first book is the Assassin’s Apprentice and like I said, that was the only one I’ve read in the series, but I liked it and intend to read the others eventually. I believe that Robin Hobb’s other series all take place in the same world too, and there’s quite a few of those, but I’m pretty certain that the Assassin’s Apprentice is the place to start.

And here is another series that I’ve only read the first book for so far but enjoyed a lot. It’s also a much newer series: The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee is a sort of combination of a mafia movie and a martial arts movie, but actually it’s a book, takes place in a fantasy world, and there’s magic. The first book is Jade City and I enjoyed it a lot when I read it, but just haven’t gotten to the sequel yet though I’ve heard great things about it. The third book isn’t out yet and I’m not sure if that is the conclusion of the series but I think it is.

Obviously I can’t make one of these lists without mentioning the Witcher Saga by Andrzej Sapkowski. So the Witcher Saga is technically “The Witcher Saga plus two short story collections and also another book now.” If you watched the Netflix series and thought, “you know, that was somewhat confusing but I’d like to be much more confused just in general but also have in depth knowledge of seemingly random things,” then this series is for you! Ok, so I really do love the Witcher books and that sounds like I’m being harsh on it, but I just think its important to note that the writing style isn’t really traditional. Point of view jumps can seem weird and random and disjointed at times, but it does have a point to it all. If you’re going to read the Witcher, I’m going to just go ahead and give you the reading order because its unclear where you should start and in what order you should read it all. Start with the short story collections, beginning with The Last Wish, then Sword of Destiny, then you read the Saga, beginning with Blood of Elves and going in order from there. Read Season of Storms after the Saga. Also, the entire series in general deals with fairy tale retellings, but the short stories are MUCH more so.

The last thing I’m going to suggest isn’t a series but a standalone book, though it is big enough that it could be a trilogy of three books rather than one massive book. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon came out last year and was one of my favorite books I read last year. I don’t really know how to describe it, but its told over multiple POVs and multiple cultures and has a genuine slow burn f/f romance that was definitely a highlight of the book for me personally. The author has said that she wants to write more in the world eventually, so there may eventually be a sequel, but at the moment, the book doesn’t require one and is a genuine standalone.

Some fantasy authors who I don’t really have a specific work of theirs to mention but who I think deserve mentions because I’ve liked their books I’ve read: Mary Robinette Kowal, Naomi Novik, Sarah Gailey, Seannan McGuire, Rebecca Roanhorse

Also I just want to note that there are some gaps, as there are some major series I’ve never read that I know have huge followings like Malazan Book of the Fallen and pretty much every YA fantasy series ever. I don’t really want to outright recommend them because I have no experience with them whatsoever, but there’s a ton out there that’s widely loved that I just haven’t read. I could also make a long list of fantasy “classics” I would actively tell people to avoid, but that’s a whooooole other thing...

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artemisbarnowl · 4 years

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I request Index and Epilogue! (and me too re: your Priory answer)

Index: what fictional character do you want as a best friend?

At first I didn’t really know how to answer this but now I have a few ideas! Perhaps Jean Brown, narrator of Goodwood by Holly Throsby. (I recommend this book if you sort of have an interest in mystery/crime realism novels but the regular ones are too action thriller and not tender enough. I also just recommend it because I think its good). Jean is seventeen, and I think I could have used someone like her around that age. She’s sort of quiet, but pretty confident in herself, which is a fabulous quality in a best friend, and I related to her, her worries and conjecture a lot.

Epilogue: What book made you cry?

I cry a lot, but the first book i think of is The Iron Tree by Cecilia Dart-Thornton. I read this at around 13 and at the end I cried myself to sleep and didn’t get over it for WEEKS. I can’t really say why in case you want to read it, but basically ‘oh how cruel fate can be’. I remember liking this book which is the first of a series, being sort of bored by the second I found a year or so later (it follows different characters) and never reading the third. I remember a lot of the book and while I love a good fantasy for world building reasons, the romance (and sort of love triangle) that runs through it mean I’m not sure I’d like this book now, but I’m picky about things like that.

Thank you for asking!!!! And thank you for talking about and recommending Priory, I hold a lot of that world and it’s people in my head in the same way you’d hold a teddy bear when going to sleep. If anyone else is on the fence, go read Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon it’s fabulous. Fair warning it does open with plague talk and I thought CAN I JUST HAVE SOME ESCAPISM FROM 2020 PLEASE but don’t worry it fades to the background.

Book ask prompts here

#book ask

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beautifulpaxielreads · 4 years

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May Wrap Up

Books completed (ratings out of five stars)

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) * by Suzanne Collins, audiobook read by Tatiana Maslany (★★★★★)

Cairo by G. Willow Wilson, art by M. K. Perker, lettering by Travis Lanham (★★★)

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (★★★★)

Scythe (Arc of a Scythe #1) * by Neal Shusterman (★★★★)

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games #0) by Suzanne Collins (★★★★)

Books currently in progress

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon…

…but I plan to start The Toll (Arc of a Scythe #3) really soon!

*reread

Challenges, Games, and other Booklr interactions

Answered @lizziethereader’s Weekly Bookish Question #179 (May 3rd-May 9th): What’s the latest addition to your bookshelf? and Weekly Bookish Question #181 (May 17th – May 23rd): Where [sic] you ever late to something because of a book? (my answers here and here)

Tagged by @storytime-reviews in the Big Book Tag game (my answer here)

JOMP Book Photography Challenge, May, Day 15: Time Period (set by @just0nemorepage)

Shelf Confidence Book Photo Challenge, May, Day 13: Pretty in Pink (set by @myownlittlebookcorner)

Answered @lizziethereader’s Weekly Bookish Question #179 (May 3rd-May 9th): What’s the latest addition to your bookshelf? (NB This is NOT the same answer I mentioned earlier, I made that post later in the month than this) (full thread here)

Finished 2 books on my backlist, unofficially as part of @bookbandit’s Beat the Backlist challenge.

As of today, I’ve so far read 27 books this year out of my planned 70. Running a bit behind, alas, but the year isn’t over yet!

Original Posts on Tumblr

Posted photograph of my current/upcoming reads shelf as of May 22nd (link)

Posted photograph of my newly-purchased copy of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (link, please note this is reblogged from my original blog @beautifulpaxiel)

Posted an acknowledgement and thank you for reaching 800 followers for this blog, including my own graphic (link)

Posted photograph of my latest bookshop haul as of May 1 (link)

Reflections on May’s Reading Goals

I finished all the books I had been reading in April, except for Northanger Abbey, which I really wasn’t in the mood for.

I didn’t start On the Trail of Genghis Khan. At the rate I’m going, I probably won’t read that until July now – but we’ll see.

Didn’t start any of my e-books. Oops.

I read Scythe, and as I write, I just finished the sequel, Thunderhead, the ending of which was mind-boggling. I’m not counting it as part of my books read in May since we’re already in June. Didn’t start The Toll, unfortunately – but I’m confident I’ll be finished with that one within a few days or so.

As far as books on my backlist go, I finished Cairo and Red, White & Royal Blue.

I didn’t manage to get to Saga Land this month, but hopefully I’ll get to it sometime in June.

No more moodboards yet, but my participation on Booklr has been much better (see above) so I can live with that for now.

Started my new library hold, As far as the stars – but alas, I wasn’t really enjoying it, so I DNF’d it. Life’s too short for books you don’t like.

New followers

52!!!!!! Thank you to all and I hope you are enjoying my blog.

Interesting observations

I’ve really been enjoying the Arc of a Scythe trilogy, starting with my reread of the first book, Scythe. I got done with the 2nd book, Thunderhead, yesterday, and I can’t wait to see how Shusterman gets his characters out of that massive cliffhanger.

My TBR has been slow going. I just seem to keep putting off books and getting hold of new ones which pushes the old ones even further down the list. I DO want to read the books on my TBR, but the thing is there are so many good-looking OTHER books out there! Has anyone got the answer to this conundrum?

I’m starting to get back into my reading groove this month after the lacklustre April I had - both in terms of Booklr participation and actual reading. I think I’m finally getting used to filling all the free time I have thanks to COVID-19, so it doesn’t seem so much of a chore now.

I really need to learn to put down books I’m not enjoying earlier. I justify reading these books in the hope that book will improve, but it doesn’t always do that. I’ve been really wrapped up in the Arc of a Scythe series, which, as good as it’s been, doesn’t always leave much time for other books.

You may have noticed (ha!) that I’m still reading The Priory of the Orange Tree. I think this is one that I’ll keep returning to while I read other, shorter books in the meantime. I think it’s the kind of book that rewards a slow read, especially as the world building is so rich. Still have no end date in sight, but I don’t feel the need to rush with this one.

One big thing that I forgot to mention in my reading goals for April was The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Hunger Games #0) by Suzanne Collins. I read it well into the night and into the early morning and I have to say, it kind of left me shellshocked. I’m still trying to process it all, and I can say there’s a reread on the horizon so I can absorb more.

Reading (and reading-related) Goals for June

Continue reading The Priory of Orange Tree at my own pace. No pressure to finish this month (or possibly the next) …

Start the books I recently borrowed from the library – Harley in the Sky by Akemi Dawn Bowman, Green Valentine by Lili Wilkinson (Aussie author!) and Onyx & Ivory (Rime Chronicles #1) by Mindee Arnett.

Start at least one of the ebooks on my tablet.

Read The Toll (Arc of a Scythe #3) by Neal Shusterman. Can’t wait to see how he wraps this series up.

MAYBE reread The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes? Not sure yet, TBH. @lovelytothebone wants to do a group chapter-by-chapter reread at some point so I’ll probably wait for that.

More Booklr interaction, of course. That’s a given.

My GoodReads count for 2020 so far shows I’m two books behind schedule in my goal to reach 70 books read. I want to bring that up to date.

Maybe do another moodboard? Only if I’m in the mood (pun fully intended, he he) ….

Read at least one book by an author of colour

Start Saga Land by Richard Fidler & Kári Gíslason

I think that will do for the time being. See you all in July for the next monthly wrap-up!

#beautifulpaxiel reads #monthly wrap-ups #may

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sahibookworm · 5 years

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As I keep saying all the time, one obvious thing you can get to know about me by following my blog is that I’m a huge fan of the Throne of Glass series. So, when I saw this tag on El’s blog @ Papertea and Bookflowers, I knew I wasn’t gonna be able to resist it. So, here I am. Before you jump into my tag, make sure you checkout their blog too for more amazing bookish content and beautiful photographs.

LYSANDRA | A book with a cover change you loved

Not to say I don’t like the original cover of The Start of Me and You, but I’m a fan of illustrated covers and I also think the new one reflects the fact that our main characters are huge book lovers.

ABRAXOS | A book that’s better on the inside than it looks on the outside

I just thought the cover of The Huntress was pretty generic, but the inside of this book is brilliant and thrilling and inspirational.

ERILEA | A series with great world-building

Among my recent reads, I loved the world building of The Never Tilting World and how it’s so closely related to the theme of climate change crisis.

RIFTHOLD | A book that combines genres

Three Parts Dead is most definitely a fantasy with it’s own version of gods and magic, but it also has steampunk elements, a whole system of beaurocrats, a murder mystery and a courtroom drama – while also being an allegory to our world’s financial crisis. It packs a lot into the book but it’s done seamlessly and I was absolutely amazed by it.

DAMARIS | A book based on/inspired by a myth/legend

A Spart of White Fire is a YA space opera inspired by the Mahabharata which made me put a lot of expectations on it, but the author still managed to surprise me.

KALTAIN ROMPIER | A book with an unexpected twist

I was definitely expecting some surprises while reading Godsgrave, but the twists that we do get are just mindblowing.

ASSASSIN’S KEEP | A book with an unreliable narrator

I don’t know many but one book which has a brilliantly written unreliable narrator is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I never saw the twists coming.

ASTERIN BLACKBEAK | A book that’s got squad goals

The Bone Witch trilogy is a great example of squad goals, even though our main character Tea tends to like to work alone. The way all her friends always stand by her and believe her, despite evidence to the contrary is beautiful.

TERRASEN | A book that feels like home

You Bring the Distant Near is beautifully written, has great characters and a wonderful family drama that spans decades, but I loved it most because it felt like home.

AELIN ASHRYVER GALATHYNIUS | A book with the power to destroy you

I don’t know if anyone else will have the same reaction to The Clergyman’s Wife, but I bawled my eyes out whole through the second half. It really was a beautiful but heartbreaking read for me.

MANON BLACKBEAK | A book that intimidated you

I have a huge TBR full of intimidating books but one I was scared to read but still managed to is The Priory of the Orange Tree.

ROWAN WHITETHORN | A book that makes you swoon

The romance in A Match Made in Mehendi may have only been a little part of the story, but it was very sweet and adorable and gave me all the warm fuzzies.

CHAOL WESTFALL | A book that challenged you to see things differently

The anthology Burn it Down which is a collection of women expressing their thoughts about their anger really made me think about my own experiences.

FLEETFOOT | A book you received as a gift

No one gifts me books 😦 😦

EYE OF ELENA | A book you found right when you needed it

Just when I thought I was going into a slump and didn’t wanna read anything, I picked up Dispatches from the Wall Corner, and it gave me all the nostalgia I needed to feel a little better.

I Tag:

Jayati || Ali || Jess || Anyone else who loves ToG or just likes this tag, please consider yourself tagged and link back to me so that I can see all your fun answers…!!!!!

Thank you so much @PaperteaBooks for encouraging me to do this wonderful Throne of Glass book tag. I had so much fun !!! As I keep saying all the time, one obvious thing you can get to know about me by following my blog is that I'm a huge fan of the Throne of Glass series.

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