#lending books

[quo-usque-tandem]

#books #reading #lending books

[mearcatsreturns]

I have a bookstagram, and I recently followed someone because they posted about the overconsumption issue that most bookish social media seems to have. Today, though, they posted another controversial "opinion": that listening to audiobooks isn't reading, and people who claim to have read a bunch of books that they listened to as audiobooks are lying and/or deluded. Listening to audiobooks, she said, is just consuming books.

I disagreed in a fairly politely worded reply, and I intend to unfollow/block, because I find it unlikely this person will change their mind, especially since I'm far from the only person to point out that this is exclusionary and ableist. But this is tumblr/my house, and now I'm going to be as blunt as I want to be.

I'm a librarian and archivist. So much of the work I and others in my field do focuses on making books and reading more accessible and less exclusionary. It is, in fact, incredibly ableist to negate how important audiobooks are for people who have certain disabilities or challenges, and I would in no universe say they aren’t reading. For that matter, a busy person who only has time for audiobooks and for people who just prefer them--it still counts, as far as I'm concerned.

See, there's a difference between an audiobook and a podcast or long song or radio program. An audiobook is still a book--it was written with a particular narrative structure, and the author plays a defined but limited role (once the book is written, it's written; the author isn't tuning in next episode with comments and corrections based on what listeners said). An audiobook is a book, ergo, listening to one is reading. Using braille is reading, and listening to audiobooks is reading.

The part that has me in full Captain Raymond Holt "apparently that is a trigger for me" mode is that this bookstagrammer called listening to audiobooks consumption. In the context of her other posts about overconsumption as an issue in the bookish community (again, agree, but also...mind your own business), this seems particularly insidious to me. Conflating influencer-driven (and capitalist hellscape) consumption with listening to an audiobook (again, a massive boon for the visually impaired and those with disabilities like ADHD, dyslexia, etc.) is rude at best and dangerously exclusionary at worst. Stop letting comparison be the thief of joy; mind your own business and stop looking at the pages that bother you. Focus on the kindness of leaning towards inclusion, meeting people where they are, and leaving judgment behind.*

*This person also said "feel free to comment if you disagree but please don't be mean or judgmental," as if they hadn't just posted the most ableist and judgmental sludge I've seen today.

tl;dr: don’t be a gatekeeping shithead, mind your own business, and

(gif by matalyn on tenor, couldn't find on tumblr)

#books #bookstagram #reading #bookish culture #audiobooks #inclusivity #i am honestly so brave for not arguing with more people #I didn't become a lawyer because I didn't want to monetize my number one hobby (arguing) #this person says they're getting a PhD and writing a dissertation on publishing #so I worry that people will lend their posts a certain weight they don't deserve #so here I am: I've literally taken graduate courses in the history of books and the text as a concept. #i specialized in that. it's what I intend to get a PhD in if I decide I'm insane enough to go back to grad school #anyway trust me bro (gender neutral) #(i won't die on ANY hill but i sure will on a whole lot)

[mostlyghostie]

Exceptions: this doesn’t include library books or borrowed books, of course.

#I don’t write in mine but I do everything else #paperback books are designed to be read standing up on public transport or on a beach #tip to never have anxiety about lending books- never ask for them back #my art #artists on tumblr #booklr #illustration

[sadclowncentral]

just finished the picture of dorian gray. any beautiful men out there who want to get painted while i zing one-liners at them dooming them to corruption or

#i will even lend you some corrupting books idgaf #picture of dorian gray

[thestarlightforge]

I’d never seen this photo before today.

They changed a lot about the material from Twelve, some of which I didn’t take issue with. But this is one thing I wish they would have kept.

With all the delicate interweaving about trust—how important it is to Lucy Gray, how Sejanus trusts Coryo too, how he slowly betrays the both of them—this was an important moment. In the book, it leads into a longer scene of them with the Covey, which they cut, so it’s a different transition—they used it here to simultaneously illustrate A) the threat of the other Peacekeepers to their relationship, and B) the rhetorical power of the woods/lake/nature to alleviate those pressures. But with the book version, after they’ve kissed and sat together for several hours and are heading back, Coryo offers to carry Lucy Gray’s guitar for her. He has a moment of internal monologue where he wonders if she trusts him enough to touch it.

And she does, without skipping a beat.

#I don’t mind that they played up the lack of trust #lucy gray baird #has. it lends her more intelligence and emphasizes her trauma from the games #but it does change the dynamic of their relationship a bit #she could have hesitated and then let him. would’ve conveyed the same meaning. and even given #tom blyth #a moment to play paranoia at “why didn’t she agree immediately” #since they took far less time with their relationship in #district twelve #than the book does. which I understand. but still is why I almost wish they had gone the route of #mockingjay #I get it but still #coriolanus x lucy gray #coriolanus snow #tbosas meta #tbosas #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #ballad of songbirds and snakes #tbosas spoilers

[peach-pot]

if you have an explanation for why please please share it!

#I’m torn between book or tv show #tv show would be good for like a heartwarming sitcom vibe #I get into silly scenarios sometimes. large cast of characters. lower stakes plotlines in the grand scheme of tv. #book would be like a YA novel #the first person pov would lend itself to more internal conflicts and typical YA conflicts focused on emotions and self discovery and junk #maybe that’s because I myself am still a YA. young adult. anyways! #hannah talks sometimes

[messrsbyler]

byler headcanon where…

mike, who loves writing as we all know, also loves to read (duh) and one of his favorite books is the hobbit and, well, he kind of loses it when will confesses to him he hasn’t read it yet. so next day at school mike shoves his copy into will’s hands and tells him to read it so they can talk about it soon. and will reads it… but he’s not as fast as mike and he kind of dozes off the pages a lot when a scene gets really stuck in his head. next thing he knows he’s doodling in the margins of the book whatever just happened in the previous chapter with a pen nonetheless.

ofc will panics bc he knows mike loves to have his books in pristine condition and will didn’t mean to basically deface mike favorite book? so as soon as he’s back home he rushes to his room to check his savings and see if he has enough money to get mike a new copy. he doesn’t. maybe jonathan could help him out, or his mom, but it feels wrong to make them responsible for will’s mistake. besides, that would be lying to mike, and that’s something will won’t do.

next day mike is waiting for him at the school’s entrance with a bounce in his step and vibrant eyes. he wastes no time to ask “so? did you read it? did you like it? what was your favorite part?”.

will bites his lip and mike’s eyes drop to the book he’s holding in his hands. “uhm, mike. i-"

“yeah?”

“i sort of got distracted… while i was reading and i… uh-"

“hey” mike smiles at him and bumps their shoulders together. “it’s not big deal if you didn’t finish it yet. it’s a long book, after all. sorry, i didn’t want to pressure you.”

“you didn’t!” will rushes to say and mike’s brows spring up in surprise with a curious glance. “i mean, i haven’t finished it. but that’s not what i wanted… to say.”

“oh.” mike frowns. “so… you haven’t liked it so far? you don’t have to keep reading if-"

“i am liking it! a lot. but i also… i just… uhm, here. it’s better if you look by yourself.” will hands mike the copy did the book and glues his eyes to his shoes. his neck and cheeks prickle with heat at the same time something cold pools in his stomach. “sorry.”

“why are you-"

“just open it, mike.”

mike keeps quiet for a second and will can feel his eyes roaming through will’s body. and will knows mike is probably biting his tongue not to ask if he’s okay, if something happened, if it has to do with the upside down. he doesn’t ask, though, and will breathes a little better like that.

“okay, then?” and mike opens the book. and there, on the very first page at the title there’s nothing. mike keeps thumbing through the pages, probably confused. and then, “oh.”

yup, there it is. between the ending of a chapter and the beginning of another, will’s first doodle in the margins of the page. an illustration of what is happening in the pages with some of the blue ink smeared where will’s hand hovered too close to the paper and the smell of his ballpoint impressed on the page.

will looks up with his bottom lip still stuck between his teeth. mike’s eyes are pinned to the page, mouth barely parted and a frown barely hiding under his bangs.

“i’m so sorry, mike. i know you like to have your books as they come from the bookstore.” that is true. mike is the type of guy that rejects things like dog ears for marking a page or a broken spine. let alone a drawing in fucking blue ink in the middle of the book. “i- i kinda dozed off while reading? and i started doodling without noticing and then i saw what i did and it’s ink so i can’t erase it and- i thought on getting you a new copy. maybe next month? i probably can save enough by then-“

mike’s steady hand on his shoulder shuts will right up. he freezes under mike’s touch until his body recognises mike’s shape, the curve of his palm and the length of his fingers right where will’s neck connects with his shoulder. mike’s hand has been a constant weight there throughout their friendship. an anchor and a comfort, and so after the initial shock he gets whenever someone touches him (a little thing the upside down left him), will melted under the touch. his muscles go slack and he breathes out.

“will, i’m not mad.”

will blinks. he didn’t think mike would get mad. it’s hard to make mike mad, after all. well, no. that’s not true. it’s extremely easy to get mike worked up, but not for will. it’s as if mike has a few extra doses of patience reserved only for him. so, yeah. will didn’t expect mike to be mad, but he also didn’t expect to see mike smiling at him in that soft way of his, with a faint blush creeping up his neck and cheeks.

“you… are not?”

“of course not! are you kidding? will, this is so cool!” mike looks down at the drawing and his hand leaves will’s shoulder and a cold spot behind. mike’s fingers trace will’s defined lines in blue ink and it looks so… intimate. hell, is the sun suddenly hitting will with all its might? because he’s feeling a bit too squirmy and tickly on the back. and also a bit hot on the face. maybe he’s coming down with a fever. or maybe mike wheeler is being a menace to his health as always. “this drawing… it’s exactly what i see when i read the book.”

“really?” oh, great. just fantastic. more blushing.

“yeah. did you draw more?” mike thumbs through the pages and finds other two doodles, and he looks equally fascinated with both. “i… i love them, will.”

will could basically be classified as a new type of tomato right about now with how hot his cheeks burn. “you do?”

mike snorts and nods, looking up at will. “of course! why wouldn’t i? you know i love all of your art.”

deep breaths, byers. it’s not a good idea to hyperventilate right in front of your best friend you are in love with just because he loves your art. will clenches his hands and hides them in his pockets.

“uh, well. i just- i know you like to keep your books like brand new so- and that’s your favorite book too.”

“it for sure is my favorite one now.”

“huh?”

mike tilts his head and his eyes narrow to block the sunlight coming from will’s back. “well, because now you are in it, of course.”

“oh.”

“yeah.”

“that’s- cool.”

“yeah. cool.” mike smiles and will smiles back, feeling like he’s standing on air, as light as the clouds and about to float away at any second. but, well, even if he did, will knows would be there to keep him grounded and next to him. the thought is a bit dizzying and will pushes it away. “so… i’m guessing this is why you didn’t finish it? spent all the time doodling the scenes?” mike lifts the book and wiggles it in front of will.

will sighs. “yeah. maybe it was that.”

mike considers this for a moment and… okay, will isn’t sure what mike is even considering. next thing mike is snapping his fingers and giving the book back to will.

“tell you what. why don’t we head to mine after school?”

will tilts his head. “to read?”

“just trust me.”

the day comes and goes and before will knows it the last bell is ringing and he’s pushing his bike out of school and down the street to mike’s house with mike right beside him. will notices not lucas nor dustin follow them beyond their own houses. will also notices mike stops at lucas house for a few minutes before coming back next to will so they bike to his home. oh, okay. so this is a mike and will thing, and not a party thing. cool. that’s cool.

will isn’t sure what mike has in mind as they climb down to his basement. they slump down in the couch and mike opens his backpack right away.

“get the book,” he tells will and will does.

when he sits back up and look at mike, will is surprised to find another copy of the hobbit on mike’s lap. that one looks more worn down, with a broken spine and yellow-ish pages. definitely not mike’s.

will tenses and then melts when he feels mike’s thumb running up between his brows.

“stop with the growing,” mike laughs. “you are going to start to look to much like me.”

will rolls his eyes but can’t help the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “and what a tragedy would that be.” mike snorts and mike points at the book on mike’s lap. “where did that one come from?”

“i borrowed it from lucas.”

“oh. uhm, why?”

“so we can read! well,” mike gestures with his hands on the air like he does a lot when trying to get his point across. it’s a cute gesture will always notices. “so i can read while you draw.”

“huh?”

mike looks down at the book and there, again, there’s a faint shade of pink crawling up his neck and cheeks. mike shrugs and takes a breath in, looking back at will.

“i just thought i could, you know, read the book to you. out loud. i love the hobbit after all and a reread was long overdue. besides, like that you can keep drawing on my copy while i read to you.”

will’s eyes go a bit wide and he blinks in surprise. will knows mike as well as the palm of his hand, but there are moments when his best friend still manages to throw him out of balance in surprise.

“you want me to… keep drawing on your book?”

mike shrugs. it’s shy and contained, as if he was trying to make the gesture as small as possible. “if that’s okay with you.”

“is that okay with you?”

mike nods. “hell, yeah. like that, next time i read my copy i can see your drawings. i just… i don’t know… i think that would be pretty… cool.”

“cool?”

“yeah.”

will stares into mike’s eyes and goddamnit his heart better not throw him under the bus by jumping out of his mouth directly into mike’s lap. “okay. yeah, let’s do it.”

they find a comfortable position on the couch that ends up both of them laying on it in opposite directions, each of them resting their head on a couch arm and getting a pretty good view of the other. it’s a bit of a tight fit, especially since they aren’t little kids anymore and the couch didn’t care to grow along with them during all these years. but will is comfortable right where he is, with his hip pressed against mike’s hip, his legs being mike’s arm support, and just having mike this close at all.

it’s also not the most comfortable position to draw and will’s hand is about to cramp like hell, but he’ll choose to be haunted by another demogorgon before suggesting to move even an inch from where they are.

so, with his blue ballpoint in hand and both books opened at page 64, mike starts reading and will sinks into the melody of his voice, butterflies flapping against the edges of his stomach when mike makes voices for each character and when he sings under his breath the songs in a made up melody. mike’s voice wraps around will and guides his strokes on each page. will absorbed every word, every sentence, each one being carved in his brain with mike’s voice. his heart is pounding behind his ribs, fast but gentle at the same time, and soon he is dragged into a world of fantasy where the only ones from hawkins who remain to exist are him and mike.

they keep going like that for about a hundred and something pages and before they notice it a couple of hours have gone by.

“stay for dinner? we can keep reading after,” mike says as he stretches his arms up. his feet push against will’s shoulder.

“doesn’t your throat hurt reading for that long?” will asks, noticing mike’s voice as turned a bit raspier in the last hour. not something he hates, by any means. but, yeah. will notices.

“nah, i’m good. so, do you wanna?”

will smiles and nods. “yeah, sure.”

they don’t finish the book that night, but will doodles on many pages and by the time he gets home, he can still hear mike’s voice bouncing inside his ears, comforting and soft and just so… mike’s.

will slumps on bed face first and smiles into his pillow like the idiot in love he is. his fingers ache for keep drawing, but he doesn’t want to keep reading what’s left of the book without mike. this is their thing now, something they share and will wouldn’t have it any other way.

#long story short mike lends his fav book to will and will doodle in the margins #fluff then happens #this headcanon became longer than it was supposed to be rip me #i guess this is now a ficlet? #byler #this came out of nowhere into my head and i kept making it up as i typed so if some part doesn’t make sense is bc i’m literally falling #asleep as i type this #byler tumblr #this is probably a mine field (?) of typos so if you find one cover your eyes thank you #mike wheeler #will byers #stranger things #byler endgame #byler ao3 #mike x will #will x mike #byler headcanon #byler scenario #byler ficlet #byler fanfic #byler fluff

[merijae]

some doodles from ann liang's "if you could see the sun"

#if you could see the sun #ann liang #henry li #alice sun #if ur like me and didn't know u needed an academic-rivals-turned-business-partners-turned-LOVERS book #this is It #shoutout to my friend for lending me the book and gushing about henry li during our three hour class to entice me to read #doodles

[ride-a-dromedary]

If Astarion's name were really meant to mean "little star" in DnD elvish, then it would be something more like: "Nirua"

#BG3 Musing #it's interesting to me that star boy has a decidedly human name #because it does lend credence to my astarion has been isolated or separated from his elven heritage throughout his life #theory #honestly though nirua is a super cute elf child name #sources include: 3.5e source book Races of the Wild - Dragon Magazine - and other forgotten realms book sources

[layaart]

Sheiné łénde cover redesign, for fun!

#Sheiné łénde #sheine lende #darcie little badger #book design #illustration #booklr #diverse books #again not something I planned to do but then realised it would work.. #2024 fanart

[united-federation-of-trek]

not to be a bitch but there are leftists out there who will beg for the end of capitalism but refuse to unlearn any part of the capitalist mindset

It’s all “we, the proletariat, need to stand in solidarity with each other” until they’re inconvenienced.

Until a parent who is overworked and overtired asks for them to cover their shift or to baby-sit for a few hours, then it’s “your time isn’t more valuable than my time” and “having kids was your decision so they’re your responsibility, not mine”

Until a coworker’s car breaks down and they ask for a ride, then it’s “have you seen the price of gas?”

Until somebody who is well-meaning, who genuinely cares and wants to listen asks them to explain something then it’s “it’s not my job to educate you” and “do your own research”

Until a friend is struggling with mental health or something shitty happening in their life and they’re looking to vent or for comfort, then its “you want me to do emotional labour?”

“I want to a protest for xyz, I donated to xyz,” okay but do you get to know your neighbours? Do you try to take part in mutual aid?

These people will talk so much about solidarity, but refuse to think about that outside an individualist context. Dismantle your internal individualism. If you want a post-capitalist society to have a chance, you have to learn to inconvenience yourself on behalf of others. You’re going to have to do things you don’t like doing so that other people can benefit. Your activism means nothing if all you do is show up to protests (that you don’t even help organize) and talk about how bad capitalism is, you actually need to do shit. Solidarity is more than just being another body at a protest (BUT THAT IS IMPORTANT) it’s being willing to sacrifice your own time and energy to support other people on a personal level.

#in terms of educating people obviously you don’t have to teach a fucking lecture on marx #but idk #recommend them some sources #summarize a concept real quick #lend them a book #do y’all know how discouraging it is to be curious about something and you just get told to look it up #and minorities especially should not feel any obligation to explain oppression to people #but like if you want to be an activist if you want to be anti capitalist #it’s gonna be work #you’ll have to do shit #and leftist allies absolutely SHOULD be trying to educate others #not trek #leftism #marxism #anarchocommunism

[fallowhearth]

re:

#how does everyone have such perfect records of what books they read and when?#I think I'm on about 10#probably not less than that

oh I log stuff on Goodreads, haha - I can't remember off the top of my head either

I assumed so - goodreads really doesn't appeal to me, though, so I haven't used it. Only having a vague sense of having read something 'recently' (within the last ~5 years) will do fine!

#I haven't posted a book review on here in ages #just been reading stuff that doesn't really lend itself to that and neglecting my tbr

[vroomian]

do Reed's people do audiobooks and stuff also

Oh I got another ask about this and yeah! They do! It’s actually how Reed and Val meet up again after the big blowout. By that point vox and Val are a team up (velvet isn’t around yet) so when Reed sets up a meeting as a representative of the Stacks to do some business on Voxs internet it takes place at one of Val’s classier night clubs in the vip suite.

While Reed isn’t an overlord at this point he does have hella connections and the rumors of how safe the stacks are is spreading. So Val and Vox are both inclined to make a deal with the mysterious owner of the stacks.

But then the representative shows up and it’s fucking Reed???? Like to put this into Val’s l perspective: fifteen years ago your sorta boy toy was a hooker who enojoyed nothing so much as hedonism and now he’s somehow the vice president of a very powerful corporation??? Even though you were pretty sure he was dead-dead cause your hacker boyfriend couldn’t find him anywhere!

So for once it’s Val’s turn to blue screen lol.

#yrz has a lending library of digital and audio books cause they can’t be stolen stolen. #it’s not free but it’s basically chump change for hell #so pretty much everyone in pentagram city has it #and it’s starting to spread to the other rings :) #it makes Yrz a metric fuck to. of money per year btw #and more as hellborn authors start negotiating for more access #all the authors are paid fairly of course #you've got questions we've got answers #hazbin au

[anik]

my sisters basically getting a degree in medieval science like all of her exams are just rants about the four humours i’m not jealous i’m NOT jealous i’m normal and Not jealous

#she’s lending me a book on medieval female autopsies and dissections <3

[columboscreens]

#columbo #season 7 #murder under glass #observe him in his natural habitat #ive noted this before but peter's knifework was pretty solid and definitely lends credibility to columbo being an able cook #murder by the book where he's chopping onions for the widow's Milk Omelette? perfect grip

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads / storygraph

Sheiné łénde

prequel to Elatsoe, following her grandmother as a teen in the 1970s

after a devastating flood and loss of family members & their traditional home, she works with her mother & their ghost dogs, tracking down missing people

when a local boy goes missing - and her mother, when trying to find him - strange fairy rings (not the usual, reliable ones used for transport) might be to blame, and she and her friends, brother, and lone (unreliable) grandfather have to try find them

friendship, family, ecology, no romance, ghost bugs :)

(title pronounciation: Sheh-ee-neh lehneh)

arc from netgalley, out 16 April 2024!

#Sheine Lende #Sheiné łénde #darcie little badger #aroaessidhe 2023 reads #once again perfect and beautiful with such a quiet strength #such good friendships & family/culture #and the paranormal + ecology + fairytale logic almost #also of course the beautiful illustrations by Rovina Cai #not only the cover (which makes more sense after reading!) but also the chapter illustrations telling their own story again #I did sometimes feel like. it felt more modern than the setting? I was trying to figure out when it was set based on like. assumption of ag #(since it doesn't actually say in the book; just the acknowledgements) #the end made me cry so much and it’s not even sad #I feel like I need to reread elatsoe now... #no romance #also it has some side sapphics