Alavi Anan Meem
So very banal and predictable, I could condense it down to a recipe or sum it up in a formula. Glitzy art and cheesy story, but i can't deny that it was loads of fun to read. I wish I could have discovered this three years earlier, I would have loved it then. Don't judge this book by it's glossy cover, the Emma inside is much classier.
NOVEMBER? BUT, BUT, BUT . . . WHY? WHY NOVEMBER?! Why are you torturing me? I feel like some unlucky Seraphim caught in the harrowing stare of your hamsas! (Speaking strictly hypothetical here. Although . . . Laini Taylor's vibrant cerise pink hair MIGHT just grow out of her head that color too. [ai:Laini Taylor 324620 Laini Taylor http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1224474224p2/324620.jpg] It looks real enough to ME.)Anyway, that's what if feels like to be WAITING so long. Have some mercy, woman! Save me and let this book come out SOONER. Please. I'm begging. (Also, wear fingerless gloves. Karou knows where to find the best deals on them.)The cover! FAINTS JUST LOOK AT IT. [bc:Days of Blood and Starlight 12812550 Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #2) Laini Taylor http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337964452s/12812550.jpg 17961723]THEN LOOK AT IT AGAIN.[bc:Days of Blood and Starlight 12812550 Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #2) Laini Taylor http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337964452s/12812550.jpg 17961723]So, so pretty.
BEFORE:
In politics, a casual vacancy is a situation in which a seat in a deliberative assembly is vacated during that assembly's term. Casual vacancies arise through the death, resignation or disqualification of the sitting member.
I believe that's as far from magic as something can get.
I don't CARE about the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery anymore! Surreptitiously takes out wand. Looks around furtively.
Accio The Casual Vacancy!
. . . Nothing happens . . .
GREAT. Okay, don't panic. Clause 7 also states that magic can be used in front of Muggles in exceptional circumstances, including situations when the life of the witch or wizard is threatened, or the lives of other witches, wizards and Muggles are threatened. Lives WERE in danger here, after all. If I didn't have this book RIGHT NOW, I might've killed someone. Or myself. Right. That's what I'll say when those old schmucks from Improper Use of Magic Office show up to get me. NO. Okay, stay calm. What's the worse that could happen? It could be...or it could be....Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, THIS IS SICK THIS IS—
Starts hyperventilating.
THEY'LL LOCK ME UP IN AZKABAN! Doesn't matter, I'll just break out.
Boromir: One does not simply walk out of Azkaban.
Oh, the horror. I don't want my first kiss to be from some bloody Dementor! Oh, fuck.
They're here.
Oh, wait. I can do better.
Points wand at herself and quietly whispers
Avada Kedavra.
DIES, OBVIOUSLY.
Carol Rifka Brunt's one and only book marked the beginning of my fascination with love stories centred around grief or loss, such as [b:The Song of Achilles 13623848 The Song of Achilles Madeline Miller https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1357177533l/13623848.SY75.jpg 16176791] or [b:Atonement 6867 Atonement Ian McEwan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320449708l/6867.SY75.jpg 2307233]. I still question why grief resonates with me so deeply. In this book, 14-year-old June adores her gay uncle, Finn Weiss, seeing him as her sole companion. He serves as her godfather, confidant, and closest friend until he succumbs to AIDS. June later falls for Finn's boyfriend, Toby, who also tragically passes away. It's a tale of isolated individuals pushing each other away, only to realise the depth of their loneliness and reunite. While many coming-of-age novels depict protagonists as young, lost, and confused, few delve as boldly and honestly into these themes as this one does. Readers will keenly feel June's confusion, loss, and resilience.
Growing up inhaling fairy tales, mythology, and Victorian Gothic literature naturally set the stage for a teenage obsession with LGBTQ+ retellings of my beloved classics. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller was the first to perfectly capture this, with its wholesome but heart-wrenching portrayal of the forbidden love between Patroclus and Achilles, against the backdrop of the Trojan War.
For those drawn to the genre of Historical Queer Fiction because it offers affirming representation by challenging dominant narratives, I also recommend later favourites like Fingersmith by Sarah Waters and the TV series Penny Dreadful by John Logan. These works also stand out for their richly detailed historical settings, immersing us in tragic narratives woven through with doomed love stories and characters' struggles with their inner demons, two recurring themes of love and identity that continue to frustratingly resonate with me well into adulthood.
As a teenager, I distinctly recall moments of unabashed sobbing over fictional worlds, from the abrupt ending of Inu Yasha to my first encounter with The Song of Achilles, both testaments to the enduring power of storytelling to elicit raw and visceral reactions. What got you ugly crying when you were younger?
NO. WAY. I looked up Level3 out of curiosity, and . . .
. . . Unbelievable. I can't believe I've been reading about a real effing band the whole time!
(Luke Dixon, Ryan Hale, and Travis Wyland, all 21) are three childhood friends who grew up together in Austin, Texas. Level3 first started playing music together when the boys were only in the eighth grade under the name, Hat Trick. Just over a year later, they had changed their name to Level3, signed to a small indie label, and released their (self-title) first album, which immediately began making a splash on the college charts.The next year, Level3 put out their second album (Rough & Tumble) to rave reviews and received their first airplay on MTV. The following year, the band had signed a three-record deal with Sony Music, and produced their first CD under a major label, turning the boys into instant, though reluctant, teen heartthrobs.By the time the boys were 18, they had taken home two MTV awards, had three singles rise to number one on the Billboard charts, and won a Grammy. But sudden fame had its price. Midway through recording their fourth album, to the dismay of their fans, Level3 called it quits, putting an end to their short career at the peak of their success.Level3 recently made headlines by getting back together for a one-night-only reunion show in their hometown of Austin, TX.