#The Library at Mount Char

[simonstamenovic]

#cant stress enough how literal thus us #the library at mount char #heartbeats #.png #or... #.psd

[abblakah]

the best part about recommending the library at mount char is watching your friends experience the five stages of grief as they try to figure out what the hell is going on

#the library at mount char

[disasteraceae]

apparently if you're God and you get tired of your job you can't just write a letter of resignation, you have to commit suicide by child abuse

#the library at mount Char

[jessaerys]

really enjoying this so far ! has anyone read it?

#allegedly reading #the library at mount char

[thearchivistfromnightvale]

In honour of starting the journey that is Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, here are my books of magic:

- The Priory of the Orange tree, Samantha Shannon

- The Secret history, Donna Tartt

- Under the Whispering door, TJ Klune

- The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune

- Piranesi, Susanna Clarke

- Good Omens, Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

- A far wilder magic, Allison Saft

- Peaces, Helen Oyeyemi

- on earth we're briefly gorgeous, Ocean Vuong

- The Library at Mount Char, Scott Hawkins

#the priory of the orange tree #the secret history #under the whispering door #the house in the cerulean sea #piranesi #good omens #a far wilder magic #Peaces #on earth we're briefly gorgeous #the library at mount char

[thebloodydamnraven]

Some books fuck you up. They introduce an idea into your head, and it stays there, it grows, it haunts you at night. So, here are a few examples of that type of books, in case anybody is interested:

The Three Body Problem series. Man, just, cosmic horror and science fiction horror that isn't about body horror elements. Great for science nerds. The scale of these books is unbelievable, even if they start slow.

The Library At Mount Char. Fantasy elements, not dragons and magic type but more like secrets of the universe type, and reality is more than you think. The end is awesome, and it's best to read this book with a clear mind.

House of Leaves. Actual horror, if I were to specify I'd say psychological, but even that doesn't feel right. This book is an experience, it plays with your head. It just gets in there and never leaves. There are pages here about how sound moves in a space, and properties of it as well as light. Poetry too. Letters. A whole world.

Lovecraft, too. The Call Of Cthulhu is a good starter. Existential horror, eldritch fantasy.

Vita Nostra. Somebody described it as Harry Potter but written by Kafka, and it's very suitable. Dark academia elements, emotional metamorphosis. No actual body horror, at least by my standard. Reality is not what you think.

This is a personal opinion, of course. If you do read any of those, I recommend going into them without looking for information on them. Spoilers would destroy the experience. For myself, the experience of reading those books is indescribable. Some of them I've read years ago, but they still haunt me. An edit to add another book:

There Is No Antimemetics Division, followed by Five Five Five Five Five. A mix of psychological and cosmic horror, and it's great. Related to the SCP Foundation, but I wasn't familiar with it and I read it just fine. Based around the concept of antimemes, ideas and beings that erase themselves from your mind, that cannot be spread or remembered. Reality is fucked up.

#Lovecraft #The three body problem #The library at mount Char #The call of Cthulhu #The house of leaves #Vita Nostra #Most of these books are dark #Some in a depressive way #Some in a reality is an illusion way #Some in a deliciously vicious way #Science fiction #Horror #Cosmic horror #Book recs #Book recommendations #Books

[desdasiwrites]

– Scott Hawkins, The Library at Mount Char

#book quote of the day #scott hawkins #The Library at Mount Char #sci fi books #urban fantasy #books about books #libraries #humor #booklr

[salamanderinspace]

reading The Library at Mount Char. It's giving Umbrella Academy meets American Gods with a pinch of Dr. Moreau

#the library at mount char #bookblr

[beartrice-inn-unnir]

👋 for the book reader asks: 3, 7, and 12?

3. What’s something you read recently and wanted to argue with (either with the book or the author or the fans)?

Maybe the Library at Mount Char - I liked it a lot, but I have a whole collection of books I call “Books about Libraries that are really Private Archives”. LaMC is only the most recent addition that I’ve read.

And it’s true, for a long long time up to the very recent past, libraries were usually private collections of resources which were only available to small affiliated groups. The Public Library is recent idea and the huge swathe of public social services the average (American) Public Library provides shouldn’t fall entirely on this one underfunded organization that can have insufficient training in social work etc. See this excellent Vocational Awe article for more info.

But I still want to read a book with a magical library that’s open to the public, that provides services and educational events, that supports its community, but isn’t hard to find. I really love a lot of these magical private library books, but the ubiquity of access is really important to the modern library (in some places anyway), and I’d love to read something that shows that someday.

5. What book do you love but usually not recommend because it’s weird or intense, etc?

I utterly adore Katherine Addison’s The Witness for the Dead, but it’s so hard to describe (and, as a result, to recommend) - the setting is so lush and the characters are such a product of their setting and life-experiences. It’s a non-violent crime novel. It’s very religious and spiritual. There might be werewolves. There are murderous ghouls. There’s opera and air-ships. It’s a detective novel. It’s a political thriller. It’s slow-moving and deeply kind. The protagonist is having a very long week. It’s only 232 pages long.

12. What book have you re-read most often?

I pick up Connie Willis’s To Say Nothing of the Dog whenever I need a break from other things in life, so probably every few months on the outside 😹 I love that if I ever don’t understand what’s happening, the protagonist understands even less than I do. He’s overtired and overworked, and it’s made him into a soppy romantic who keeps mishearing people but is too polite to ask for clarification. I relate.

Robin McKinley’s The Blue Sword and Tamora Piece’s In The Hand of the Goddess are two other comfort rereads that I have as audiobooks, so they probably are the stories I’ve read/heard the most often by sheer numbers.

#reader asks #the library at mount char #Scott Hawkins #books about libraries #the witness for the dead #katherine addison #to say nothing of the dog #connie willis #the blue sword #robin mckinley #in the hands of the goddess #tamora pierce

[darkangel0410]

Saw @colubrina 's tags about the Library at Mount Char (highly recommend, great book) and it reminded me how badly I want to see fanart of David in a tutu

#it is a really really great book imo #there's some tws attached to it so just hit me up if want them #i don't even know how to explain it in a way that's not juat me rambling for 20 mins #but yeah #also trust me david in a tutu is something we all need to see #not hockey #the library at mount char

[yaoist]

book that i disagree with on an intellectual level but my deludedcore ptsdbrain thinks is totally correct

#the library at mount char

[abblakah]

if i just reblogged your post from years ago i’m not sorry and am kissing you on the head!! you and i love the same stories

#the library at mount char

[jessaerys]

when the enemy is defeated but you're only at the end of the second act. uh oh sisters

#the library at mount char #allegedly reading #i should have been asleep hours ago but this book is bananas

[halogencat]

“The words felt like ashes in her mouth. She knew every word that had ever been spoken, but she could think of nothing to say that might ease his grief. All she could do was wipe away his tears with the tips of her fingers.”

― Scott Hawkins, The Library at Mount Char

#endless list of favorite books #books #Scott Hawkins #the library at mount char

[mosqitofood]

You're really extra-fucking-special under arrest.

#the library at mount char #book #reading #quote #scott hawkins #read #library

[desdasiwrites]

– Scott Hawkins, The Library at Mount Char

#book quote of the day #scott hawkins #the library at mount char #fantasy #horror literature #science fiction books #urban fantasy #mystery #libraries #book quotes