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#THIS IS A FUCKING ILLUMINAE QUOTE
real-godzekiel · 1 year
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SPOILERS!!! wooooooo SPOILERS aaaaAAAAA bing chilling xiao xing xing AAA spoilers
finished illuminae files book 1 i have no fucking idea how a book can be simultaneously so good and so bad. the mixed media storytelling is brilliant and the AIDAN logs have miraculously written quotes but then there's a 2001/IHNMAIMS/Interstellar reference everywhere and dang. i don't know what to say it's almost as if everytime someone writes an AI character they have to be overtly inspired by famous sci-fi movies and books and i don't know why that bugs me out so much. ithink what i mean is that uh. AIDAN is neat, but i would like him more if he had more qualities that stand out. mainstream writers please start writing ai villains that are different, like, have different motivations, "jobs", and methods of presenting themselves than some emotionless controller of a government-initiated mission that suddenly became sentient and just decided in that moment that they want to kill everyone. but hehehe!!!! who am i to critique THAT i've never read a lot of sci-fi books HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA LOL!!!!
also i know almost nobody talks about this i saw like. one post that discussed this(the narrative is so focused on Kady Grant, Ezra Mason and AIDAN that there's little development for any other characters so i guess it's reasonable that nobody thinks about any side characters after finishing the book. ) and the poster wasn't easian so i'm gonna talk about it i'm gonna talk about it. there's this chinese mentor character named Byron Zhang techie that appears incredibly early on, like 5% into the book that helps the protag through so much until at 70% into the book after he gets infected with "crazy virus" he kills himself so the main protag can live. this is fine until the exact next page AIDAN says some shit like "such an unlikely face for a hero". huh. also why do they have to mention every time he appears that he is fat, when it has nothing to do with the circumstance. likely i'm just focusing too hard on these details because i ate a single egg for lunch. plus i'd probably never have talked about this if this book was made before 2010 or something but WHY COME ON.
oh wait the authors are bigots. allocishet white YA authors SCARY!!! aight back to playing games on newgrounds and doomscrolling through pointless twitter drama
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hey-adora · 1 year
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Top 5 novels(or series)? 👀
i miss being a bookseller and talking about books irl so this ask makes me super happy! also this is going to be long and i apologize in advance
beauty queens by libba bray
my favorite book of all time. i read it WAY too young, like in 2011 at age 12, and it massively influenced my awareness of the world, personal philosophy, sense of humor, and creative identity. beauty queens is an ahead-of-its-time ya satire novel about teenage girls getting stuck on a deserted island and going feral (positive connotation).
it features a well-balanced main cast of about a dozen diverse young women, including the first trans character i ever encountered (because i read the book pretty young, it's actually how i found people can be trans at all). while this character's execution does include a few now-questionable tropes, she's written in incredibly good faith and i am so grateful for her being in this book. beauty queens also introduced me to perspectives from women of color, disabled women, and women from religious communities that i hadn't really gotten the chance to encounter in my bubble of a hometown. while the author is admittedly a cis white straight woman, she pours so much empathy and love and nuance into each individual beauty queen, and especially for 2011 i think she did a really good job.
in addition to All That Deep Meaningful Stuff, the book is like a james bond parody with a villain clearly meant to be sarah palin set in a hyper-capitalist satirization of america, characterized by super weird and out-of-the-box "commercial breaks." i describe it in my review as "weird, campy, tropey, and over-the-top," and warn that, "if you take everything very seriously, you will have trouble with this book."
my general creative philosophy is that art is at its best and most meaningful when you have no doubt anyone else could have made it. libba bray knows exactly what she wants to write, and she fucking does that, even if some people won't understand or enjoy it. the world is a better place because this book exists, which is true of everything on this list--but this deeply weird novel, seemingly lost to time, is my all-time favorite for a reason.
sharp objects by gillian flynn
gillian flynn is my favorite AUTHOR of all time. she wrote gone girl, sharp objects, and another lesser-known novel called dark places. sharp objects is a hard one to gush about without spoilers and/or triggers, but oh my god it is a masterpiece. its final line is my favorite final line in any media, ever. i am a huge lover of the domestic thriller genre, and while gone girl is more domestic thriller than sharp objects, i think this one is the better BOOK. huge trigger warning for self-harm if the title and cover aren't enough of a hint, but hoooo boy this book is the best kind of brutal
the illuminae files trilogy by jay kristoff & amie kaufman
these sci-fi ya thrillers are told entirely through transcripts, message logs, and other "found evidence" in a dossier meant to expose an evil corporation. the characters are clever and interesting, the conflict is layered, and there's some awesome space-horror a la alien movie. there's a love story and philosophical musings and wise-cracking idiot teenagers who i adore. there's a deranged ai and beautiful page layouts and the quote, "you have me. until the last star in the galaxy dies, you have me." these are great books for people who can't stand large chunks of prose, appreciators of comics and mixed-media storytelling, and the AUDIOBOOKS are like full-on radioplays with voice actors and sfx. all three novel hold their own while still feeling cohesive when read sequentially. so unique and so freaking cool
no exit by taylor adams
idiot college art student gets snowed in at a rest stop, realizes that someone is in the middle of trafficking a child and has to a) figure out who it is and b) stop them. this thriller is gory and fast-paced and darkly comedic and does the whole cat-and-mouse hero and villain thing that always lives in my head rent-free. it's gleefully violent and reminds me of films like kill bill and american psycho. i can't and won't spoil more but this book is so fun to read, especially if you enjoy media that doesn't take itself too seriously. the movie adaptation sucks and i'll be mad about it forever, especially because taylor adams comes from a screenwriting background and i doubt they let him touch the script. there's a thematically-relevant garfield clock and nail gun used several times as a murder weapon. in my storygraph review of this book, i summed up my love for it pretty well: "Sometimes a book just speaks to you. Probably not great that this one does it for me, but at least I had so much fun."
the stepford wives by ira levin
people discuss the stepford wives as a Cultural Concept, but i wish more people actually read the novella. it's really freaking good as a work of horror and satire. it's short, too. i've been dreaming up a stage adaptation for years.
other honorable mentions: the hunger games trilogy you know who wrote it, solutions and other problems by allie brosh, anya's ghost by vera brosgol, all of mary oliver's poetry, never saw me coming by vera kurian, in a dark dark wood by ruth ware, dead to her by sarah pinborough, annie on my mind by nancy garden
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morrigan-sims · 2 years
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Criminally Underrated Books (aka, books that are Actually Good)
After ranting about BookTok for longer than I should have, I thought I’d share some recommedations of books I never/rarely see talked about that are Actually Good. The list is going to go under the cut in case I want to add to it, and also beacuse it’s long as fuck.  I suck at summaries, so you might have to look up a summary yourself.  My “summaries” are mostly me rambling about why I like it, ajsdkajs. EDIT: this is going to be mostly sci-fi/fantasy or maybe speculative fiction, and also YA-heavy, since that’s what I read a lot of.  (moving more away from the YA now, but still sci-fi/fantasy obssessed.)
1. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel This one got some traction after being made into a miniseries on HBO (which I have NOT seen, for the record), but I still have never heard anyone talk about it.  It’s a beautiful book, and feels like a work of art.  The writing is beautiful, the characters are painfully human, and the whole book is a beautiful essay on / loveletter to humanity.  Yeah, sometimes we suck, but sometimes we make beautiful things, and most importantly, SURVIVAL IS INSUFFICIENT. (P.S.: Can people stop thinking that that quote is from Station Eleven?  It’s not.  It’s from Star Trek.  It says it in the book, that it was chosen as their motto but they didn’t make it up.) (P.P.S.: The “no more” chapter is the best thing ever, and I love it.) Trigger Warnings: death, disease (world-ending plague, remember?), violence, wepaons, cult-y shit.
2. The House In The Cerulean Sea + Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune THITCS is gorgeous, and adorable, and just a beautiful comfort book.  It’s cute, happy, gay, no teenage drama, just some middle-aged gay guys falling in love, with a healthy dose of Found Family and Fuck Beaurocracy thrown in for good measure.  (also, magical realism) TW: uhh, idk off the top of my head. UTWD is the only book that has ever made me cry, because of a goddamn ghost dog.  It’s cute, and funny, and sad, and it’s about death.  And I love it.  And again, more middle-aged gays and magical realism.  Also, the majority of the main cast are POC. TW: death (obviously) (but in a postive way??), animal death, suicide mentions, brief mentions of homophobia.
3. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson Adorable graphic novel about found family, good and evil not being what you thought, and shapeshifting.  Also, dragons. (kind of) TW: violence (nothing graphic, but it does have visuals)
4. Villains series by V.E. Schwab Since BookTok won’t shut up about Addie LaRue, I thought I’d shine some light on Ms. Schwab’s better books.  An amazing take on superheroes (and villains) and how no one is totally one or the other.  Also, I’ve never seen someone put as much thought not only how heroes get their powers, but also why they get what power.  It’s amazing worldbuilding, and I love it. Also, Found Family, morally grey characters, and some badass showdowns. TW: death (So. Much. Death.), violence, blood, weapons, animal death, cursing, abuse (mostly book 2), and Religious Stuff (christianity, not in a good way).
5. The Illuminae Files by Jay Kristoff and Aimee Kofman Sci-fi adventure with very high stakes, a lot of plot twists (but not too many), and a lovable cast of characters.  Low-key some found family.  But the best part of this story is the way it’s told.  The entire story is told via documents.  Trancripts of audio recordings, chat logs, etc.  There is no “normal” prose in these books, and it works out brilliantly.  Fast reads even though the page count is high. TW: death, violence, gore (mostly book 2), war, weapons.
6. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein Gorgeous, showstopping, spectacular, brilliant.  I’ve read it 5 times.  Deals with a female spy and her friend a female pilot during WWII.  I know, I know, another WWII book.  But this one is different!!  As I said, I’ve read it 5 times.  Should probably have made me cry, but didn’t.  Also, Rose Under Fire and Black Dove, White Raven by the same author are wonderful as well. TW: War, torture mentions, weapons, violence, injury.
7. On The Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis A gorgeous book about the end of the world and leaving things behind.  A host of POC and disabled characters, and the main character is autistic and Black.  (the author is also autistic + POC, so dw.)  It’s gorgeous, and I love it, and I’ve read it 3 times now.  There is a scene that almost made me cry (again, has to do with animals), but I love it, and I relate very strongly to Denise, the main character.   TW: injury, end-of-the-world stuff, animal death, death mention, ableism.
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books-and-cookies · 1 year
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ok that was a very playing it safe answer but it DOTH NOT BUTTER THY BREAD. we need answers. cold, hard, answers. the best book of all time is ________
you need to fill in that blank. only you can do this. fuck everyone else on this shit app. please. deliver us what was promised by those that shan’t be named.
if you think you are weird, think again (but only after you have thought of the best book of all time)
😂😂😂
Okay fine, i'll tell you MY best book of all time, and that is Illuminae, by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. I mean, look at these quotes:
Perhaps bravery is simply the face humanity wraps around its collective madness.
The universe owes you nothing...It has already given you everything, after all. It was here long before you, and it will go on long after you. The only way it will remember you is if you do something worthy of remembrance.
He presses the triggers. And like roses in his hands, death blooms.
And shut up, I *am* weird 😋
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randompasserbyer · 3 years
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“Not even close, Illumina! I am on full health right now!”
-Technoblade, on half a heart
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ladymacbeths · 5 years
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how many people have loved only to have lost? how countless, the hopes that have died?
books read in 2018: illuminae by amie kaufman and jay kristoff
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theilluminaephiles · 6 years
Conversation
Leanne Frobisher: Okay, you know what? You're in time out! Get on top of the fridge! Get up there!
Ezra, climbing on top of the fridge: This house is a FUCKING NIGHTMARE!
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riacte · 3 years
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Incorrect quotes hehehe
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False: Ren isn’t answering my messages.
Martyn: Allow me.
False: I tried 6 times, what makes you thi-
Ren: *replying to message* Hello.
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*Ren drunkenly wanders around the house and Martyn is drunkenly giggling*
False, completely sober: *sighs* Well, looks like it's just me and you against the world, Illumina.
Illumina, going to his room: Nope, just you. *shuts door*
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*Martyn is casually searching around the room*
False: Hey Martyn, what’re you looking for?
Martyn: My will to live.
*Ren walks into the room*
Martyn: Oh, there it is.
-
Ren: I am darkness. I am an power. I am your worst nightmare. I could kill a man in more ways than you can imagine. I am the night. I am fury, I am a weapon, I am-
Martyn: A doll.
Illumina: A cinnamon roll.
False: A sweetheart.
Ren:
Ren: ...stop it.
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Martyn: Where are my fucking keys?
Ren: Martyn, False is around, can you say it a little nicer?
Martyn: May I ascertain the whereabouts of my FUCKING KEYS?!
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Ren & Martyn: *accidentally set the kitchen on fire*
Ren: We need an adult!
Martyn: Ren, you are an adult!
Ren: We need an adultier adult! Get False!
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Ren: Could you guys at least try to see this from my perspective?
False: *crouches down*
Illumina: *kneels down*
Martyn: *sits on the floor*
Ren:
Ren: I hate all of you.
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Ren: The best part of an oreo is the cookie part, not the frosting. Deal with it.
Martyn: Darkness without light is an abyss. Light without darkness is blinding. You cannot have a coin with one side.
False: YO SOCRATES! IT'S A FUCKING COOKIE!
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Ren: Do you ever feel bugs on you when really there’s nothing there?
Martyn: Those are the ghosts of the bugs you killed before.
Ren:
Ren: *sobs*
False: You scared him, you idiot.
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Ren: I give up. I am so tired.
False: Get the emergency supply!
Illumina: *carries Martyn and places them in front of Ren*
Martyn: *smiles*
Ren: AND I AM BACK BABY, LET’S GOOO
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Ren & Martyn:*Playing video games*
False: You guys woke up at 5:30 in the morning just to play games?
Ren: *silence*
Martyn: *silence*
False, finally figuring it out: ...You two never went to sleep, did you?
Ren & Martyn in shame: Yeah...
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Illumina: Where's Martyn?
False: Don't worry, I'll find him.
False, shouting: Ren sucks!
Martyn, distantly: Ren is the best person ever! Fuck you!
False: Found him.
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Ren: Hey I just got a pet snake. What should I name him?
False: A pet WHAT?!
Martyn: William Snakespeare.
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Illumina: You were stabbed. Do you remember anything?
Ren: Only the ambulance ride to the hospital.
Illumina: That wasn't an ambulance, I drove you.
Ren: But I heard a siren.
False: That was Martyn.
Martyn: Sorry, I got nervous.
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False: *running towards Ren with open arms*
Ren: *moves out of the way*
False: Hey, why'd you move?!
Ren: I thought you were going to attack me.
False: I was going to hug you!
Ren: Why would you hug me?
False: WHY WOULD I ATTACK YOU!?
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Martyn, singing to the tune of I Kissed a Girl: I killed a guy, and I liked it-
Illumina, whispering: Should we call the exorcist?
Ren, also singing: The taste of his cherry chapstick.
False, appalled: Call the exorcist.
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Illumina & Ren in the back of False's car: MCDONALDS! MCDONALDS! MCDONALDS!
Martyn: We have food at home.
False: *pulls into the McDonald's drivethrough*
Illumina & Ren: YAYYYYYY!
False: *orders one black coffee and leaves*
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literaphobe · 2 years
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watching mcc contestants starting to do vod reviews and their reactions to red’s battle box is incredible content. hbomb has already watched it from two povs over two days. illumina just lost it the entire time (a quote: “this is like a sitcom … this is like the big bang theory if it was toxic minecrafters”). antfrost was clearly enjoying the experience enough to provide commentary in both of their chats (and scott was fucking hilarious in hbomb’s second stream). i can’t wait for more, i love these kind of moments in mcc when something that felt entirely predictable goes absolutely pear shaped! (tho hopefully stans/antis/whatever can Relax and Behave and understand it’s all out of love and these streamers are friends)
i wish i had tuned in :( was busy i think but vod reviews r so funny
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Part two of dsmp art with Illuminae quotes! i like this one a lot better actually
it took so FUCKING long but I didn’t have to draw people
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bluescreening · 4 years
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Book Recommendations: Space
Hi guys! This is my first collection of book recommendations. I’m going to make a small collection for each genre I like. I wanted to start with sci-fi, but there are too many to fit in one post, so I’ve divided them into Space and Not Space. I hope you enjoy them! Blurbs by me unless otherwise mentioned.
The Illuminae Files (Illuminae, Gemini, Obsidio) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - Kady Grant lives on an illegal, frozen mining colony, and her biggest problem right now is breaking up with her boyfriend. Until the bombs start to fall. 
Illuminae is a space opera, there’s no doubt about it. The vast majority of the books take place on spaceships. However, it’s far from the 10-book-long dragged out sagas that populate old sci-fi nerds’ bookshelves. Presented as a collection of chat logs and transcripts, this series is quite possibly the fastest-paced thing I’ve ever read. I read each book in one sitting. It’s filled with twists, turns and a compelling female-led cast of characters including an AI that you’ll love if, like me, you get overly attached to typical robot characters. I do have a couple of criticisms that I can’t really voice without spoilers, and it’s slightly lacking in representation given the number of characters, but this is still an incredible series despite its shortcomings. In short, this is a legitimately funny, tense and surprisingly heartbreaking sledgehammer into the typical space opera genre which I suggest to anyone and everyone who loves sci-fi.
Rabbit & Robot by Andrew Smith - When the entire world is run by robots and your life is heavily regulated by the government, what else is there to do but be permanently off your head on drugs? That is, until your friend takes you to a space station to sober up and take a break... and then the world ends. Oh, and the robots are crazy now.
This is far from your typical space book. It starts off completely unintelligible, and you find yourself loathing the characters. Then you begin to piece together what’s happening and why, and it morphs into a comedic survival horror story. And right at the end, you realise you’re looking at this mess through the eyes of a terrified, clueless kid, and you realise you’ve against all odds formed a connection with the characters and you find yourself crying. This book somehow conveys exactly what it means to be human in a way that cannot be articulated, and also has a chapter called ‘It’s Time To Eat Now, And I Become Aware Of My Balls’. Basically, it’s a crazy trip, but a good one.
Satellite by Nick Lake - Leo, alongside twins Orion and Libra, is the first child to be born and raised in space. For the first time, he is going home - to Earth. But something has been going on behind the scenes, something his isolation has hidden from him so far.
Firstly, this is Good Gay Representation! If that isn’t reason enough to read it, this book paints the world as a beautiful, wonderful place that really restores some faith. It remains scientifically accurate while also showing the beauty in every aspect of nature. Frankly, the way this story is told feels like home, which is a major theme throughout - whether home is Earth, the space station, a person or something else entirely. Essentially it’s a coming-of-age story with a sci-fi ish setting, but I think it deserves recommendation because of the overall message that science and nature are beautiful, and the way the author conveys that. The only downside is that the whole book is written in text-speak, but that isn’t too hard to ignore.
The Martian by Andy Weir - I can’t come up with a better blurb than this quote which is abbreviated on the back of the book: “I’m stranded on Mars. If the Oxygenator breaks down, I’ll suffocate. If the Water Reclaimer breaks down, I’ll die of thirst. If the Habitat breaches, I’ll just kind of explode. If none of those things happen, I’ll eventually run out of food and starve to death. So yeah. I’m fucked.”
The Martian is quintessential modern sci-fi at its greatest. It is one of my top 5 books of all time. It has a charming, witty protagonist, it has scientifically accurate solutions to every problem, it has in-depth yet understandable and often funny explanations for that science, it has some really emotional moments that come out of left field. It has it all! It’s a crazy survival story that is 100% possible, and I love every second of it. I literally cannot recommend anything more. Please, if you haven’t already, read it. Even if you’ve already watched the move. Please!
Artemis by Andy Weir - Artemis is the first and only city on the moon. And like all cities, it comes complete with a shady criminal underworld, and its fair share of corruption. Jazz Bashara is a delivery girl and smuggler who just wants some extra cash and to avoid trouble, but I think we all know how that’s going to go.
Liked The Martian? Want more? Artemis is full of the same lightening-paced action and scientific problem solving, but this time with a larger, more vibrant cast of characters! There’s some extra funky representation here. I have to admit, this one plays a bit more fast and loose with the rules of science, but it still holds up in general and I think Weir is entitled to have a little fun given how accurate he’s been so far. I can’t get enough, and I recommend this to anyone who loves the Martian, or the moon.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (and the rest of the trilogy of five books) by Douglas Adams - When the Earth was bulldozed to make way for an interstellar highway, Arthur Dent was rescued by his friend Ford Prefect, and promptly taken on a whirlwind tour of the universe involving dolphins, depressed robots and the literal end of the world. Poor Arthur just wants a cup of tea.
To round off the list, we have what happens when sci-fi and British comedy get it on. The original. The classic. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that Douglas Adams is a genius, and if you haven’t read this you’re severely missing out. Charming, hilarious and surprisingly meaningful in places, this is pretty much mandatory reading in my opinion. Of course, it was a radio show to begin with, so that’s an equally excellent way to take in this story. If you like Good Omens, and you also like space, give this a shot.
And that wraps up my top space book recommendations! I will post my recs for sci-fi in general at some point soon, so keep an eye out. If you want to geek out about one of these books or recommend me anything, let me know!
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doomsdaydiaries · 5 years
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1,29,30!
1. If someone wanted to really understand you, what would they read, watch, and listen to?
read:
aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe - all time favorite book. full of love and beautiful language and one of the only books i like to read over and over again
miseducation of cameron post - read it for the first time in middle school and liked it okay, but i reread it for a project earlier this year and realized how much i loved it. cameron reminds me of myself but is also different enough that i am interested and surprised by her. anyway
hamlet - i mean. c'mon. hamlet is for sad gays
illuminae - a sci fi book told in found-document style that features a bunch of my favorite sci fi tropes in one read: epic spaceship chases, corporate cover-ups, a sentient AI that breaks its programming, and a space zombie virus >:)
on a sunbeam - a webcomic about a found family that goes around and restores old buildings in space and the story of one girl in particular who has just joined them. read this for the first time two years ago and fell madly in love. i now own a paper copy :')
watch:
fleabag - obviously iconic and amazingly written/directed/performed thx miss waller bridge
stranger things - is it a good show? not really. is it the best show? yes
eighth grade - ugh very painfully similar to my middle school experiences and hard for me to watch but i also love it
booksmart - fun gay clever relatable good time saw it 3x in theaters
dirk gently's holistic detective agency - favorite tv show of all time!!!!!! fuck m*x l*nd*s but i wish they were still making it :(
thoroughbreds - fave movie of all time super fun and awesome lesbian killers!!!
over the garden wall - beautiful cartoon network miniseries!!!!! one of my favorite things ever!!! i rewatch it every halloween and own it on dvd :)
gravity falls - i think i have like gravity falls energy. like i probably come off as someone who watches it and loves it but it's just sooooo good and i can't even feel guilty for watching it
listen:
twin fantasy - do you have something against dooooooooogs???? my favorite album of all time
teens of denial - i cannot relate to a lot of the experiences on this album but i still love it
walk the moon - i think a lot of their music captures my energy well
orbiting human circus - greatest podcast of all time and everyone should legally have to listen to it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
29. Three songs that you connect with right now.
i discovered/fell in love w these songs during this month!!
1. killer by phoebe bridgers ("plus i'm pretty sure i'd miss you and faking sleep to count your breath... i am sick of the chase but i'm stupid in love.....")
2. diplomat's son by vampire weekend (just a funky bop i have been blasting a lot lately)
3. eat your heart out by walk the moon (very fun and have been enjoying myself w this one)
30. Pick a favorite quote.
so there's this little easter egg in a video game i love called oxenfree, and it's an audio recording of a conversation inspired by the bobby dunbar case. a girl says, "how do you know you're bobby dunbar?" and he says, "i know who i am. and i know who you are. and nothing else makes a difference." i've been thinking a lot about that lately
thank you!!!!! :) also sorry this posted early fml
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books-and-cookies · 5 years
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5 SECOND REVIEW:
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AURORA RISING BY AMIE KAUFMAN AND JAY KRISTOFF
You can find the Goodreads summary here.
Goodreads rating: 4.30
* let me preface this by saying - me finding out about this book: *pterodactyl screeches*; me reading this book: *small dejected chirp*
THE GOOD:
* SPACE ADVENTURES * I love squads that are up to spreading some chaos and I got exactly that + squad/family vibes YESSSSS * Finn literally carries this entire book, bless his soul * LOADS OF SASS  * overall diversity was well done, we have bi rep + disability rep (I’m a bit worried about one character that I feel was written as autistic, but wasn’t acknowledged as such in the book, and there were some comments regarding that character that didn’t sit well with me, but WE’LL SEE) * the action scenes are super well written and they’re entertaining and fast paced
THE BAD:
* this will hurt my soul to say, but I truly only borderline enjoyed this :( * I had to convince myself to pick it back up every time I put it down * I genuinely can’t believe the same people wrote my favourite book *sobs forever* * like, don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad and I really think it was a case of “it’s not you, it’s me” * hoWEVER * I wasn’t expecting Illuminae, but I wasn’t expecting this either * there were A LOT of tropes and A LOT of cliches, up to the point where the plot didn’t surprise me at all and it kind of bored me by the end, I was just so ready for it to be over * it felt a bit like false advertising, with the tagline for the book being:  "They're not the heroes we deserve. They're just the ones we could find." - but all the members in the squad are super amazing, super pretty, super good at what they do, and I was expecting disasters on two legs and people who fuck shit up, in an oh-my-god-we-may-have-destroyed-the-universe-because-we-pushed-the-wrong-button way * didn’t get any of that :( * I mentioned loads of sass, but it felt cringey at times * there are POVs for all seven (? see, I can’t even remember if there are 7 members in the squad) characters and I genuinely had to go back and see whose POV I was reading, because they didn’t feel distinct enough * Aurora felt a bit Mary Sue-ish; also, you wake up after a very long cryo sleep and your first thought is how hot a dude is? like... for real? * there is one thing that made me roll my eyes so much, I felt them leave this plane of existence, but mentioning it is a spoiler; but trust me, you’ll know when you get there (I genuinely can’t believe they included this in the book) * my main feeling throughout the book was this one: “I feel like I’ve read this before” * so yes, very sad feelings overall, because I wanted to love this SO MUCH * I’m hoping and praying the second book is better * like, literally p l e a s e
YAY or NAY: uuuuuhhhhhhhh idk man, go for it?
Favourite quotes:
“Do moons choose the planets they orbit? Do planets choose their stars? Who am I to deny gravity, Aurora? When you shine brighter than an constellation in the sky?”
★★★ (this genuinely gets 3 stars because my heart can’t handle giving it less + for the memory of AIDAN)
To everyone who got this far, thank you for reading and have a wonderful day! Also, feel free to share your thoughts, comment or tell me anything :)
Buy it from the Book Depository :)
If you liked this stupid review, consider buying me a coffee because it keeps me warm :)
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ambopteryx-archive · 5 years
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ok so here’s my huge post about the illuminae files i promised i just love these books so much
(for a lot of this ill be using book 2 in pictures because i dont actually own book 1, but i do own book 2, but just trust me when i say book one looks just as cool)
ANYWAYS. i fuckin LOVE the illuminae files because not only do the characters seem like real actual people and the story and plot are also fuckin. AMAZING. but also because it’s a fuckin WILD and unique way to structure a book. it’s just. so cool.
ill start with the cover for the hardback. if you look up images for the cover, what you’ll prolly find this-
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however, what this picture does NOT show is that the sleeve is semi-transparent if not downright transparent in parts- for example, the top-left corner, the subtitle, and the circled “what do you believe” aren’t actually on the sleeve, but on the cover itself.
and here’s the picture of the hardcover without the sleeve-
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and i dont have a picture but the back cover is similar, but how it works is the quotes/summary/whatever are white text on a clear background, and are placed over the “redacted” parts of the wall of text (what’s also cool is you see the same file shown on the front/back cover in the book itself) and the other books have the same sort of structure with the sleeve and cover
the thing is, the inside of the book is fuckin WILDER. the way the books are structured is a construction of recovered files, such as chat logs, physical paper files, and video transcriptions (what’s cool about these is that the book actually looks like screenshots of a message board and photos of files, and the people transcribing the videos have PERSONALITY because it’s a person! who’s describing a video!)
so here are a few pictures illustrating how the book actually looks like in terms of structure-
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and yeah these are all really creative ways of narration but the best part? the 100 percent COOLEST thing they could have done with narrative structure ever? is AIDEN.
AIDEN is the AI for the ship in the first book that has an evil-AI moment for a while but gets over it, and a LOT of both books (and prolly book 3 but i havent read that one yet) has sections where it’s structured as files taken from AIDEN’s code, or even just. AIDEN doing video transcripts because it was too emotionally taxing for the human transcribers. but because AIDEN is an artificial intelligence they went fucking BATSHIT with structuring his segments. here are a few pictures with no further context.
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anyways if you get the chance PLEASE read the illuminae series not only does it look really cool but the story is fuckin AMAZING and the characters feel fuckin REAL and i dont want to talk too much about the story becuase id be pysically unable to without spoiling the entire thing but if you like cool scifi about how corporations are fucking awful you’ll enjoy this book about teenagers saving entire populations on board a ship in the middle of space, which each book getting even DEEPER in crazy scifi shit.
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30millionkruge · 5 years
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5, 28, 37, 44 for the reading asks~~~
thank you so much for the ask
5. Do you have a snack while reading or do you close the book first??
lmao I like to eat peanuts or goldfish while reading, just like something I can easily pick up but yeah I leave the book open!
28. First book that comes to mind, tell us about it. Rant
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh was the first to come to mind lmao okay uhhh well it was WAY better than I thought it’d be, I had heard about it on here from so many ppl so I was like this has to be at least decent if not amazing so I picked it up from the bookstore I think and the cover was SO GORGEOUS OMFG I was immediately like ooooooo yes and I finished the book in literally like an afternoon or something it was SO good and the names of the characters and the characters themselves were so cool omfg also shahrzad is a badass I LOVE her I usually don’t love books like this so it was actually so good that was my worst rant of all time but I’m tired af lmao BUT GOOD BOOK yall should read it
37. Is there a book that you think everyone should read??
I’ll list a few bc I’m indecisive and I love too many books
- soc (no shit)
- Illuminae (The Illuminae Files) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - BRUH amazing book(s)
- lotr - I’d die for legolas
- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Saenz -the writing is beautiful and I LOVE ari and dante
- They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera - cried through half the book at least but WORTH IT
- Beauty Queens by Libba Bray - we love diverse books
and more like way too many more but I can’t list them all lmao
44. Favourite book quote, go.
WHAJJKSKJ UGH THERE ARE SO MANY I’ll go with one from illuminae though UGH FUCK THERE ARE SO MANY FROM ILLUMINAE I LOVE this is probably my favorite though
“The universe owes you nothing, Kady. It has already given you everything, after all. It was here long before you, and it will go on long after you. The only way it will remember you is to do something worth remembrance.” 
thanks so much for the ask omg these questions were so fun lmao THANK YOU
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