#rec lists

[erisenyo]

of the beaten path Zukka author/fic recs please? Zukka fic is the thing standing between me and a meltdown these days

Let's see, off the beaten path definitely depends on the personal rabit holes you've fallen down, but some maybe less known fics I haven't seen mentioned as much:

The Best Laid Intentions Series by amidsizedfrog - a really fun, snappy, hilarious writing style, and a great Katara-Zuko bestie-ism dynamic throughout

How To Not Deal With a Fuck Or Die Situation by anarchycox - hilarious premise, hilarious execution. Anarchycox has a real talent for fully exploring absurdity in a way that feels approachable and real, I'd recommend all their stuff

Bae's Anatomy by aiyah - a fun established relationship dynamic in a Modern AU, and fun smut

The Road Between Action and Inaction by Donvex - a slower burn roadtrip AU, the way they got to know each other and got comfortable with each other was such a delight to read

i hate accidents except from when we went from friends to this by triplefire - a 5+1 full of accidental proposals and low-angst miscommunication, my favorite things lol

Mark Time by foil - this might be more on the beaten path, but if you want your heart ripped out of your chest, this will do it. Mind the tags though, it deals with some heavy topics (tastefully and well)

At The Top of the World by Lady_of_the_Flowers - might also be more on the beaten path, but I can never do a rec list without mentioning Lady of the Flowers amazing work. This is a Modern AU with such a great interpretation of the characters and canon dynamics into our world

Young Love by Kalira - I love me an external POV, and seeing the Zukka relationship through Hakoda's eyes in the Western Air Temple was so much fun

Also this list by @zukka-simp of Zukka authors who deserve a raise has been keeping me in fics for weeks now, checking out authors I hadn't heard of before

Anyone else have any to throw in the ring, too? I'm also looking for good fics off the beaten path too!

#rec lists #Zukka #Zukka fic rec

[thatsdemko]

FORMULA 1 FIC RECS

↳ I am back with another rec list! to access my other rec list please click the link provided: here. all of these works and authors are my favorites so make sure to check them out and give them some love! 🥰cheers!

carlos sainz

not in the mood by @monzamash

upgrades by @leclsrc

a certain romance by @leclsrc

young and beautiful by @cartierre

cockblock by @lxclerc

daniel ricciardo

the best man by @monzamash

charles leclerc

serenade by @kiwisa

lover by @scooterari

breakfast in bed by @formulabear

itch by @monzamash

pierre gasly

slow days in Monaco by @formulabear

love by @uchi5s

nyck de vries

fifteen minutes by @silverstonesainz

lewis hamilton

family hair day by @shaytheeprettiest

series

the better series by @holllandtrash

#f1 imagines #f1 #formula 1 #rec lists #rec list #book recommendations #fanfic rec #fanfiction reccomendations #thatademko rec list #thatsdemko recs #formula 1 imagine #f1 imagine

[hp-femslash]

Hello! Perhaps do you know of any Fleurmione fics with the veela mates trope that explores the veela and culture? Set during the school year if possible, before the war. I just really like fics that explore Fleur's inhuman side and everything that may come with it.

Hi!

Unfortunately neither of us are fleurmione experts but, we were able to enlist the help of the lovely members of the fleurmione server to put together this list for you!

Dusk of Summer, M rating, 86k

Dusk of Summer takes place during Hermione's fourth year at Hogwarts, the same year that Fleur Delacour visits the school in hope to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, and the same year they begin their love affair. This is an alternate universe, so possibilities are limitless. I must apologize for the terrible summary, but there's quite a bit more information inside.

Fleur De Mon Coeur, M rating, 141k

Goblet of Fire but in a different year. Fleur Delacour comes to Hogwarts to take part in the Triwizard Tournament not realising that her life is going to change drastically, by the simple presence of Hogwarts' All-Time Smartest Witch, Hermione Granger, who she finds to be her lifelong mate.

Entwined, T rating, 84k+

This is a promising story on fanfiction.net from 2010!

What We Are, T rating, 94k, WIP

The Triwizard Tournament brings new faces, new feelings, and new horrors to the grounds of Hogwarts. Hermione and Fleur are thrown into a muddled mess of agitation and attraction.

The Mortal Coil, M rating, 98k

Hermione couldn’t believe she had been so stupid. What a foolish and perfectly prideful thing to do. The brightest witch of her generation, gifted and sensible Hermione Granger, gave into peer pressure. She wasn’t going to. Not originally. Not until that bloody smirk. Now magically entangled in the Triwizard Tournament, Hermione must ensure her survival in the Wizarding World’s most dangerous game. But as her dreams become haunted by an omnipotent, mysterious force, the young witch must come to terms with her own mortality and learn to appreciate both life and love.

On Teenagers & Love, M rating, 160k, WIP

On the surface, things are not always what they seem. It takes a few study dates for Hermione to warm up to the girl she thought was the ice queen from Beauxbatons.

Veela Rituals - The Choice, T rating, 9k, Series

Hermione’s fourth year at Hogwarts was not going well so far, and it was only November. First, without the time turner, she had to choose between ancient runes and arithmancy. Then the Goblet of Fire had designated Harry as a fourth champion in the Triwizard Tournament. And now she had the distinct feeling that the French champion Fleur Delacour and her two cousins, Fabien and Aurélia, were following her everywhere. Was she becoming paranoid or was there more to their strange behaviour?

#ask #fleur #hermione #fleurmione #fleur x hermione #lightning era #rec lists

[kirk-spock-fics]

Zine Classics

Want to pay homage to our fandom founders by reading some original K/S fics written for zines? Here are some favourites:

The Third Wheel by crfaddis (1976)

gen tos, kirk/spock, spock/bones, spock/kirk/bones angst with a happy ending, unrequited love words: 2,740 'McCoy's glad that Kirk and Spock have each other, but he's so distracted by his own grief and loneliness that he doesn't notice he's in danger.'

Shelter by LeslieFish (1976)

mature tos, kirk/spock tentacles, alien sex, first time, sex in a cave words: 6,904 'After their shuttle craft explodes, Kirk, Spock and McCoy seek shelter in a cave. While they await rescue, a badly injured, delirious Spock expresses his deep longing for an emotional relationship with Kirk.'

This Deadly Innocence by LeslieFish

mature tos, kirk/spock mission fic, mind melds, love confessions, bathing, hurt/comfort, getting together, slow burn words: 35,271 'McCoy spells it out for Kirk, tricks Spock into understanding the problem and then sets Our Heroes down in a safe place where they can work out their issues.'

#zines #rec lists #ongoing

[ninja-muse]

And the obligatory ListChallenge! This doesn't include my picture book reads, but it does have my rereads.

#listchallenges #reading wrap-ups #read in 2023 #rec lists

[gatoraid]

Anime recs for The Radiant Emperor enjoyers

I was watching the new Ooku anime on Netflix some weeks ago and I thought it hit that ”court drama dealing with gender roles and making me cry” spot that He Who Drowned the World has been occupying in my heart lately (even if it engages with some of these themes very differently).

Somehow that got me thinking about other anime that might align with the vibes and themes in The Radiant Emperor book series and eventually came up with this list.

Some of those themes include gender roles, queerness, disability, politics, oppression, rebellion, revenge, impossible and messy relationships and tragedy. Darker themes like war, violence, sexual assault etc are also often present. Please lmk if you agree or disagree with these choices and feel free to add more!

Dororo (2019)

Historical fantasy based on Osamu Tezuka’s manga classic from the 1960s.

An orphan who hides her gender in order to survive meets a young man who fights demons to claim back his body parts that his father traded away in a demonic pact. There’s tons of pain and tough moral questions and complicated family relationships, and the way Hyakkimaru deals with having lost and then slowly regaining parts of himself is super interesting.

24 episodes. Stream on Prime Video, Hidive

The Heike Story (2022)

Retelling of the historical epic Heike monogatari through the eyes of an orphan girl who gains the ability to see supernatural things after her father’s passing. Inevitability of fate, the impermanence of all existence, praying for your loved ones’ happiness in the next life, all of these things are beautifully woven in this visually stunning story. The story also hits different when you know that Heike monogatari was traditionally performed by blind musicians and singers.

11 episodes. Stream on Cruncyroll, Apple TV

Inu-oh (2022)

Historical fantasy. Two outcasts find each other and change the history with their music in this story that also pays respect to the Heike monogatari’s origin as a singing tradition. Focus on things like identity, disability, nonconformity, ghosts. Yes, the ghosts part is important. Also, the gender expressions and the bond between the two main characters is something I’ve seen a lot of queer/trans ppl relate to and Inu-oh is voiced by none other than the trans icon Avu-chan.

Movie. Stream on Hulu

Ōoku: The Inner Chambers (2023)

Alternate history where most men in Japan have been wiped out by a mysterious disease. Very much a court drama centered in the Tokugawa shogun’s residence where men serve the woman shogun as concubines (and sometimes have relationships with each other). Also, one of the main characters is a monk who ends up giving up his vows! Based on Fumi Yoshinaga’s acclaimed manga that has also been adapted to various live action movies and drama series.

10 episodes. Stream on Netflix

Toward the Terra (2007)

Scifi classic with two main characters who are at the opposing sides but feel inexplicably connected. There’s just so many insane relationships and emotions here, I still have not recovered from the ”I want to kill you but I will also protect you with my own life” thing…… Based on the 1970s manga by Keiko Takemiya. Not to be confused with the movie from 1980.

24 episodes. Available on DVD

Devilman Crybaby (2018)

Apocalyptic fantasy with demons and stuff. Based on the classic 1970s manga by Go Nagai.

I don’t even know how to describe the story, it’s just the tragedy, the queer yearning, the ”I killed the one I loved and then it was too late”, the ”things will get bad and then they will get worse” vibe that I think is very fitting. This one has the most extreme violent and sexual content out of the series on this list.

10 episodes. Stream on Netflix

Banana Fish (2018)

Gang wars, mystery drugs and complicated emotions set in New York. Based on the iconic 1980s manga by Akemi Yoshida. Deals heavily with trauma and CSA.

You guessed right, this one is also a tragedy. If you love Ouyang and/or Baoxiang, you’re probably going to love Lee Yut-Lung. That’s all I’m going to say.

24 episodes. Stream on Amazon Prime

#the radiant emperor #idk these made some sort of sense in my head at least #rec lists #he who drowned the world #she who became the sun #long post #anime recs

[jezebelgoldstone]

There's no such thing as a queer murder mystery without bury-your-gays Winter's Orbit, The Mermaid Murders, Fatal Shadows, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Witchmark

Traditional publishing never publishes queer books by authors of color Cinderella is Dead, Elatsoe, The Black Tides of Heaven, Black Water Sister, She Who Became the Sun, In the Vanisher's Palace, Black Sun, Night Sky with Exit Wounds, Empress of Salt and Fortune, The Ivory Key, A Master of Djinn, The Bruising of Qilwa, She of the Mountains, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Iron Widow, The Four Profound Weaves

Okay but how about SCREW THE TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING INDUSTRY Prince of the Sorrows, the Last Girl Scout, In the Court of the Nameless Queen, Hunger Pangs, The Mermaid Murders, Fatal Shadows, Boyfriend Material, Queen of Cups, Check Please!, A Lady for a Duke

#queer #queer books #queer book recs #tlgs #mdzs #pots #reading lists #rec lists #book recs #jez recs #op

[fansplaining]

Do you have any advice, guides, or opinions on how write a good rec list?

WELL! This is Elizabeth, and as the longtime co-curator of "The Rec Center" newsletter (with @hellotailor) I do have *a lot* of thoughts about rec lists. 😊 I'm delighted you asked, because as I'm sure both Flourish & I have mentioned on the podcast, rec-list-making is way less prominent now than it has been in previous fandom eras, and I think that's a shame. Reccing can be a great critical tool, and rec lists make a fanwork space richer—not least because they can move readers beyond the mostly quantitative metrics of the AO3.

I'll put the rest of this under the cut:

So obviously there are different kinds of rec lists, including by category/trope, favorites about a character or a ship or fandom, etc. To me, a true ~authored~ rec list is one in which the writer(s) deliberately put together a batch of fics to make some kind of argument about the works/the ship/the fandom/the source material.

Most of the lists we run in the newsletter are not like this, because we're pulling 5-7 works from our guest submissions bank—and since we don't (realistically, can't!) read the stories that are sent in, I have no idea if those 5-7 compliment each other in any real way. (When I put together one of these lists, I aim for balance: not all M/M, not all white characters, not all Western source material, etc.) (Yes, unsurprisingly, those are overrepresented in our submissions bank.)

But an authored rec list treats the rec list itself like a fanwork: you can tap into connective tissue that runs throughout the fics you choose, and you can put stories side-by-side that illuminate something when read together. You can approach this from two different directions: working from a broader pool of fics you like and pulling out a coherent batch, or starting with a theme, an argument, that connective tissue, and seeing what fits.

When I first got into my current fandom, I kept a google doc with fic titles, links, brief descriptors, and general thematic vibes etc., for future reccing use. (Obviously you can do this with AO3 bookmarks, but I use those differently, so this was a separate endeavor.) These were set up to transfer to "The Rec Center" easily, e.g.:

“Celestial Navigation” by kaydeefalls. 9K words, rated Teen. Canon-era: C & E go to NYC to try to recruit several mutants. Delicate balance sort of story with a soft revelation. No tropes.

When I actually go to rec something, I reread it—mostly because I want to get the content warnings right, but also because reading it to rec is more like reading for work: you wind up looking at the text with a different eye, always lowkey thinking about how you'll make your argument about it in writing. I haven't actually recced the fic above in the newsletter, but here's another X-Men fic I did rec at one point:

“Come Together” verse by blarfkey. 60K words across 4 stories, rated Teen.  Backstory: When Peter gets arrested for breaking Erik out of the Pentagon, Erik returns the favor and breaks Peter out in turn—and takes him to live with Charles. Beautifully awkward father-son bonding coupled with bitter, stubborn exes pining: *chef’s kiss*. The verse spans five years, with really believable character growth, which is really saying something, based on the emotionally-stunted starting point for all parties involved. Rec: Peter is the POV character here, so a+++, and the close third-person narration plays with the spaces between what he feels and what he says while capturing his voice beautifully. This means 50% dragging people and 50% feeling like an idiot, which is a total joy. A lot of X-Men stuff, canonically or...fanonically...sorry...is about found family, and I mean, this one is about finding your literal blood relations, but it’s also about building a true family, and I think the author gives that enough space to really sell it.  Content warnings: Canon-typical violence, torture, ableism, the unenlightened thoughts about women’s bodies that preoccupy heterosexual teenage boys 

That rec is from a whole list I did with @morgan-leigh a few (five???wtf lol) years ago, which I think is a good example of an authored rec list: Morgan and I had overlapping tastes and similar interpretations of the characters, so all the fics here feel like they're talking to each other in some way, and making an argument about who these characters are (in Morgan's beautiful words, many of these stories "capture the exquisite and venal dickishness of both our heroes" lol).

Obviously rec lists don't have to be super formal—we created this reccing format a long time ago to keep things standardized—and I certainly don't think recs need to sound like literary criticism (not that the examples above sound like literary criticism lol...you know what I mean). Some of my favorite rec lists are pure vibes and (performatively? in a good way) emotional, and that's great. If you're a fic author, you know what a delight those comments are to receive. And like someone's AO3 bookmarks, the all-vibes rec list is an opportunity to see if you, too, feel like the selected fics smack you in the face or whatever violent expression of appreciation people are using. They often don't give you a ton of information, but if you and the reccer have similar taste, you know you can trust their picks.

But! I would make the case for reccing as a chance to talk about fic in a way that you really wouldn't in a comment to the author or in a performatively emotional tag: critically, not in the "this is bad" definition of "criticism," but, like, in the lit-crit way. Why does this work—and how does it work? As with all literary criticism, "work" is totally contextual; a good rec list sets up that context, and gives you just enough information to want to click through and see for yourself.

All that being said, you don't need to overthink it—and I say this partly because I'd really love to see more rec lists floating around! The AO3 often primes people to sort in a top-down way, and though there are tons of great fics with lots of kudos, as the meme goes,

Rec lists let you include things that aren't super popular, that hit niche characterization or plot notes, that really worked for you specifically for whatever reason. They're pure human curation—not just recs, but an arrangement of those recs that creates a whole new work in the process. And that's something I really love about fandom! We don't want algorithmic 'if this, then that' for-you pages; we're interested in doing the actual work of reading, thinking about, and sharing what we like with others, and that's wonderful.

#asks #fanfiction #reccing #rec lists #the rec center

[sallysavestheday]

Friday Favorites (23 Feb 2024)

I'm going to try to get into the habit of doing a short rec list every Friday of things in the Tolkien fandoms that I've read recently and loved. Let's see how long I can keep it up (I'm dating them for accountability lol)!

To kick it off:

Mockingbird, by @littlewhitemouseagain (M: 10,000 words). One of the best Maglors I've read -- weird and wonderful and truly driven by music -- and a very oddly satisfying Thing He Has Going On with Maedhros and Fingon. Hilarious and somehow deeply moving.

One Thousand Days, by @melestasflight (T: 800 words). Uldor's take on the Nirnaeth. Thought-provoking and sad.

Mind the Gap, by @tilion-writes (G: 3,000 words). What we have here is a failure to communicate. Maedhros and Maglor dance around comforting each other.

And Love Grew, by @polutrope (T: 17,000 words, WIP). A marvelous exploration of early Maglor and the Twins. Really rich worldbuilding, complex and engaging OCs, and oh, wee Elrond and Elros, sad scared babies...

White Daffodil, by @zealouswerewolfcollector (T: 4,000 words). Post-apocalyptic Caranthir/Finrod. Just read it.

The Gap to Himring (T: 2,000 words) and With Nothing to Show (G: 2,000 words) by @starspray. Gorgeous bookend fics about Himring (and Maedhros and Maglor).

Many, many other goodies out there but I'm trying to keep these short and limit each author to no more than one rec per week. Check the bookmarks on my AO3 account for more good things to read -- all my public bookmarks are recommendations (mind the tags, dear reader, as always).

Enjoy!

#rec lists #fic recs #tolkien fanfiction

[sierranovembr]

Sierra's Marvel Favs 2023

I won't be doing a full Rec-mas list this year, but I wanted to share my favorite Avengers fics I read (or re-read) this year. Happy reading!

Cuddle Close and Lean In by iam93percentstardust (@iam93percentstardust) Stuckony // T // 1,759 words Snowed in at a cabin, Bucky tries to ignore Steve and Tony until he can't anymore.

Time Is on My Side (Yes It Is) by Faustess Winteriron // T // 37,598 words Tony Stark had plans for the rest of his day that hadn't involved being sent somewhere in time by redacted Reed Richards. Sergeant Bucky Barnes had enough to do keeping Steve "let's punch it 'til the problem's gone" Rogers alive. He just needed to reconnect with the Howlies and they'd move onto their next mission. Neither man's life is quite going to plan when they meet one night during an enemy bombing raid. Will they be able to keep their fledgling romance alive despite all the wartime secrets and separations? Does changing the past also change the future? With these two, nothing ever comes easily.

Fangbait by FestiveFerret (@festiveferret) Stony // E // 5,396 words There's only one reason Tony would go to a bar like this, dressed the way he is: fangbait.

Turns Out, I Have a Rose Garden by betheflame (@betheflame) Stony // T // 52,750 words President Steven Grant Rogers was gearing up to run for president again and he had yet to deliver on his major campaign promise from the first term: reverse the effects of climate change by at least 40%. Luckily for him, billionaire genius inventor Tony Stark had just the technology to do it. Less luckily for Steve, he was totally into Tony, who had no idea Steve was gay because essentially no one knew Steve was gay. If Steve has to choose between a second crack at the office or a first crack at true love, which one wins?

#rec lists #fic recs #stuckony #winteriron #stony

[sugareey-makes-stuff]

I am a tad bit late to the reccing party for @hprecfest, but I figured something is better than nothing. I'll be honest and say it's been a while since I've binge-read HP fics, but I def have a lot of favs I love to come back to again and again. I'll be combining a few recs per post in the coming days (especially while I play catch up). Hopefully, y'all will find something new to read or add to your TBR list. Cheers, and enjoy!

Day 1- A Fav Fic under 5k

She Was Pretty by @skeptiquex | skeptique (Parvender, E, 4.1k)

In the aftermath of the war, Lavender Brown rediscovers herself in a tiny flat above her Diagon Alley tea shop. Parvati helps.

This is such a gorgeous on for Parvati and Lavender. Tee's way of writing is flows so effortlessly here, telling us a story about friends who have gone through some terrible things and find their way back to each other again. It's realistic, angsty, and curious. Also, there's a tea shop!

Day 2- A Comfort Fic

I Await a Protector by megyal (Drarry, M, 5.7k)

A snarky Patronus and its even more snarky master insist on disturbing Harry's peace of mind.

I love this one so much, and it's been a long-time fav. I love the way Patronuses are used in this fic since it really makes the pull between Harry and Draco super solid. The way this story was written really cool...almost like taking pieces of a puzzle and putting everything together. If you love snarky Draco and Harry jumping into his usual Gryffindor mode to save the day, check this one out.!

Day 9- A Rare Pair Fic under 2k

Pick me up by SquaresAreNotCircles (Perciver, T, 680)

Oliver tries out some really, really bad pick up lines on Percy.

This is short as hell, but the pick-up lines are gold, I swear! I could totally see Percy cringing but also loving that Oliver is trying to use them on him, and maybe he's just fond? Oliver is totes trying, and it's awesome! XD

#hprecfest2023 #drarry #parvender #perciver #hp fanfic #multiship #fic recs #rec lists #sugareey #sugareey recs things

[somnambulic-thing]

I LOVE UR EDITS!! I now wanna collect all edits!! Do you know anyone else who does edits too?

Hey stranger! Thank you so much, I'm so glad you enjoy them. <3

I have to admit that I am so bad with names so I can only give you two people who make really fucking great edits right now.

@eddiemunsons-missingnipple

@themunsonator5000

Maybe people can reblog this post with the other great edit artists that put out the good shit on here and we can create a list together and spread the love. :3

#asks #edit makers unionize #I'm basically on a tumblr hiatus atm #you haven't seen me #resources #rec lists

[kaminocasey]

TAGLIST FORM │AO3 │Ko-Fi💗

pfp by jbonesriott on twt <3

Requests: CLOSED

Star Wars Masterlists:

The Bad Batch Masterlist

The Clone Wars Masterlist

Star Wars Rebels Masterlist

Mandalorian/Boba Fett Masterlist

Republic Commando Masterlist

300 Follower Celebration Masterlist

25 Days of Life Day Masterlist (2022)

700 follower Celebration Masterlist

25 Days of Life Day Masterlist (2023) (will be posted once done)

#the clone wars #tcw #the bad batch #tbb #star wars rebels #sw rebels #tbb Hunter #tbb Tech #tbb Crosshair #tbb Echo #tbb Wrecker #Masterlist #Captain Rex #Tcw fives #tcw dogma #tcw sinker #Rec Lists #Star Wars Masterlist #Star Wars Rec List #boba fett #boba fett x reader #captain rex

[wolfstarshipping]

banner by the lovely talented @squintclover

My Rec Lists

My Masterlist (Every Fic I've posted a fic rec for)

new: current wolfstar wips (2023)

fics to get you out of a reading slump

non-ao3 Fic Rec List

June 2023 Rec List

March 2023 Rec List

AU Rec List (from 2015 so some of the links might not work anymore)

#wolfstar #wolfstarshipping #pinned post #rec lists #wolfstar fic recs

[kirk-spock-fics]

MASTERPOST

REC LISTS (ongoing…)

ALL TIME FAVOURITES - the fandom classics

ZINE CLASSICS - fics written by our fandom elders!

PON FARR FICS - biology……

NON-AO3 - ao3 down? check these non-ao3 fics out

more to come... 👀

QUICK FIC FINDER

Already know what kind of fic you want to read? Use these quick links to see past recommendations.

Shows/Movies

the original series the original series (movies) alternate original series (kelvin timeline) strange new worlds

K/S Tropes

pon farr sex pollen mind melds / touch telepathy mirrorverse mission fic stranded tarsus iv get married to stay on the enterprise spock dies kirk dies t'hy'la

Favourite Tropes

fake/pretend relationship fake marriage enemies to lovers / enemies to friends to lovers friends to lovers time loop kid fic found family secret relationship genderswap sharing a bed misunderstandings / miscommunication established relationship

Romantic Tropes

love confessions accidental love confessions unrequited love not actually unrequited love love at first sight pining / mutual pining getting together

Vibes

fluff angst (with a happy ending) romance hurt/comfort hurt/no comfort slow burn realllly slow burn humour / crack

AUs

soulmate au starfleet academy au vulcan science academy au royalty au fairytale au arranged marriage au coffee shop au pre-reform vulcan au high school au / college au modern setting au tarsus iv au alternate universe

Asexual/Aromantic/QPR

asexual aromantic queer platonic asexual spock asexual kirk aromantic spock aromantic kirk

Relationships

mcspirk spock prime/kirk spock prime/kirk prime (in AOS universe) mirrorverse k/s mirror!spock/kirk mirror!kirk/spock spock/bones kirk/bones spock/t'pring spock/uhura kirk/others spock/others amanda/sarek chekov/sulu chapel/uhura scotty/uhura bones/scotty

Characters

trans jim kirk trans spock mirror!spock mirror!kirk leonard ‘bones’ mccoy nyota uhura sarek montgomery ‘scotty’ scott hikaru sulu pavel chekov amanda grayson chris pike saavik t'pring

other

flower giving

#masterpost #rec lists #ongoing

[ninja-muse]

2023 Reading Wrap-up

I feel like this year was pretty average in terms of my reading. Some great books, some awful books, a lot of books in the middle. And while I feel as if I kept hitting slumps, I don’t think my stats really reflect that. I kept reading and even though I didn’t hit my goal of 140 books, that’s more because I read more thick and dense books, spent more time writing, and am one year further from the direness of 2020 and 2021.

This also seems to have been the year of T. Kingfisher for me (and also Ursula Vernon). I read several of her horror novels, as well as Digger and a bunch of the ebooks she makes free for patrons, which are really easy go-tos when you want something light and right now. I was kind of surprised when I realized she was my top author because usually that’s Seanan McGuire.

And I read more ebooks in general, because why should I wait for two months for the library to get a physical book in circulation when I can wait two weeks for it to come in on Libby? I’m still trying to reserve Libby use for lighter, faster, less involved books, because I tend to end up skimming a little more and there’s something about physical paper that helps me retain info better when the text is dense.

Now, stats! Yearly total: 128, excluding rereads and picture books Queer books: 44 (34%) Authors of colour: 15 (11.7%) Books by women: 74.5 (58%) Authors outside the binary: 7.5 (5.8%) Canadian authors: 14 (10.9%) Off the TBR shelves: 39 (30.4%) Books hauled: 41 ARCs acquired: 57 ARCs unhauled: 60 DNFs: 9 Rereads: 3 Picture Books: 6

If you look at last year’s stats and the year before’s, I’m pretty much holding steady in terms of my diverse reading—a little more than a third queer, about 60% female and 10% Canadian, around 6% gender-diverse authors. I’m way down on authors of colour though, and I didn’t hit my stretch goal of 20 Canadians, so those are things I’ll have to pay attention to in the year to come. It would be nice if I could manage more queer books too, but that’s not something I’m going to try for quite as much.

Two of my reading goals for the year were to read more books from my TBR than I acquired, and to keep my ARC levels about even. Seems like I pretty much hit them! I expect that 2024 will see fewer book acquisitions because a lot of my 2023 haul was bookstore visits with my dad and we’ve now hit pretty much every store in the city. I was honestly kind of surprised that my ARC problem stands where it does. I was so sure that I was going to have at least 10 more incoming books than outgoing. Go me! My spring ARC purge really, really helped.

I did all right on the rest of my reading goals. All but one book read (The Great Cat Massacre), which was the real point of the list! I only managed to finish one StoryGraph challenge, if you don’t count my pages goal, and as always I failed to read as many classics as I wanted. I’m starting to suspect I’m not a classics person, despite my interest in history and historical fiction. If anyone has classics recs for me, let me know?

To be completely honest, though, I'm not sure I'm going to continue posting to Tumblr. I pretty much stopped updating my feed in the summer and I've felt more relaxed, both in terms of Things To Do Each Day but also in terms of my reading. When I was more active on here, I felt pressured to read diversely at all times and though I try to have a healthy spread of perspectives, I know that I generally don't and am therefore a bad person by Tumblr standards. I am curious what my mutuals have been getting up to this year so please, sound off! And let me know if you do want to see reviews and wrap-ups continue here.

(Friendly reminder that I'm ninjamuse on Storygraph and LibraryThing, if you'd like to follow me there.)

And if anyone’s interested, here are the rest of my year’s highlights:

Top Five Fiction (not ranked)

The Hollow Places - T. Kingfisher

Menewood - Nicola Griffith

Bookshops and Bonedust - Travis Baldree

A Half-Built Garden - Ruthanna Emrys

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi - Shannon Chakraborty

Top Five Non-Fiction (not ranked)

Magisteria - Nicholas Spencer

Diary of a Misfit - Casey Parks

Evidence of Things Seen - Sarah Weinman, editor

Lay Them to Rest - Laurah Norton

Like Every Form of Love - Padma Viswanathan

Most Impressed By:

Shubeik Lubeik - Deena Mohamed

Diary of a Misfit - Casey Parks

The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard

A Half-Built Garden - Ruthanna Emrys

Most Disappointing:

Tortilla Flat - John Steinbeck

British Columbiana - Josie Teed

A Killing in Costumes - Zac Bissonette

Tauhou - Kōtuku Titihuia Nuttall

Longest Book: The Hands of the Emperor - Victoria Goddard

Best queer book: Diary of a Misfit - Casey Parks

Did I beat 2022? No. Did I beat my Best Year Ever? No. That would be 2021. Did I read more classics? Not even close. Did I read more Canadians? No. I held about steady. Did I whittle my TBR shelves down any? No. Was it a good reading year? Probably about average?

Breakdowns by month:

January February March April May June July August September October November December

#reading wrap-ups #read in 2023 #reading stats #rec lists