#rereads

[lifelinebooks]

OKAY I'M FINALLY REREADING MOBY DICK

And catching up to Whale Weekly

I've decided to summarize each chapter because this book is hilarious and I think I'm funny

SO! Part 1/? Chapters 1-10

Ch 1: I'm Ishmael and I long for the sweet kiss of the sea

Ch 2: I'm Ishmael and I'm also poor

Ch 3: I'm not gay but I've agreed to share a bed with a man I don't know. Also, again, not gay, but this big strapping seaman in the common room is making me Question Things

Ch 4: I'm not gay but I can't help but watch my roommate get dressed after we spooned this morning

Ch 5: oh wow there are a lot of hot sailors at breakfast this morning

Ch 6: hmm not sure what I think of all these Natives but their fashion sense is On Point. New Bedford really is a queer place

Ch 7: I better go to church--oh look its my hot roommate whom I spooned with only this morning!

Ch 8: I'm deeply affected by the architecture of this pulpit

Ch 9: are all Father Mapple's sermons nautical themed?

Ch 10: So update on the gay thing: I'm in love with my roommate even though I've only known him one day--oh by the way we're married now

Part 2 |

#moby dick #rereads #reading moby dick #herman melville #this book is so queer im dying #whale weekly

[hlficlibrary]

One fic you would re read over and over again because ist just so damn good

Hi, anon! So I'm actually not a huge re-reader of fics. But I have a few that I've read over and over again because there's something about them that has stuck with me and that I feel a need to return to.

Moon Dances Over by LadyLondonderry / @londonfoginacup

Louis knows that his tail is, frankly, stunning. His iridescent blue scales shimmer in even the slightest sunlight, and his fins have grown since he presented, delicate and almost transparent in their webbing.

He also knows that that means he’ll be one of the first to pick tonight, as the most beautiful omegas are blessed to pick their mates first. It’s considered a huge honour, since the guppies they’ll eventually birth will certainly be beautiful as well, bringing favour on the whole clan.

Louis has a stubborn streak, though. He’s always been rather a fan of mating for love, and there’s someone he’s had his eye on for a long time now.

a body wishes to be held & held by @turnyourankle

Harry wants to return the favour after Louis helps him out with his heat.

the sanctity of patience by @scrunchyharry

When young Lord Harry was chosen by King Louis of Bavaria to become his husband and prince consort, Harry thought all of his dreams had come through. His illusions came crashing down when he understood it meant living in isolation in the alpine castle of Neuschwanstein with a husband who turned out to be far from what he had hoped for.

His illusions vanished, Harry will have learn to appreciate what has and even, perhaps, fall in love with his imperfect husband and his castle.

where the lights are beautiful by twoshipsdrifting / @polkadotlou

Harry wasn’t wrong about that, not in a general sense. Lots of omegas did seek out rich alphas and betas, hoping or planning to go into heat at the right time. Plenty of omegas saw this as their duty, especially if their families weren’t well off. Worse, Louis couldn’t honestly say he’d never thought about it. If that had been his life, his goal, Louis would feel pretty good about himself now. As it is…Louis feels like shit.

Or the accidental bonding a/b/o fic.

#ask #anon #ficrec #rereads #twoshipsdrifting #ladylondonderry #turnyourankle #scrunchyharry

[fourthousandbooks]

Looks like I’m kickstarting this blog with a post about my favorite genre type - fairy tale retellings.

So recently I had to travel by plane for reasons, and when you’re on a plane flight with nothing to do aside from write fanfic or read, sometimes you continue to procrastinate on all your writing projects and pick up an old favorite for a fresh reread.

The Black Swan by Mercedes Lackey is a book I’ve probably read about a dozen times now, enough that I’m not really picking up anything new from it, but still enjoy the journey back through familiar swamps. It’s a retelling of Swan Lake as told through the eyes of the Odile von Rothbart, along with the prince who is now known as Siegfried and his mother, the Queen Regent Clothilde.

So the main theme of the story is ~*~Misogyny~*~ and how much it sucks. The setting itself is a world in which women have no power outside of the men they are related to and are blamed for mens’ actions as well as their own. Odette, along with the rest of her flock, was turned into a swan by Rothbart due to their perceived betrayal of men and it is seen as their penance for their actions. It’s so prominent a theme in the story that it can be a little hard to read at times, especially before the viewpoint characters put in their character development and start doing things about it. For me, I’ve read the book enough that it has ceased to be shocking and instead is a nice read for a certain mood, though I can certainly see it being off putting to someone who comes to this book for the first time.

To me, it’s an interesting book in that it starts all three of its viewpoint characters in unlikeable places. Siegfried is a prince raised entirely to be hedonistic and selfish, taking what he pleases and acting without respect or care to those around him to the extent that he commits rape, Clothilde has schemed and machinated her way into keeping her son the way he is so that she can continue to rule indefinitely, even planning for such a thing as her son meeting with an accident so that she never loses her position as ruler, whatever the cost to others, and Odile has completely bought into her father’s misogyny and hatred of women and sees his capturing women and turning them into swans as a good thing for them. While each of them get touches of sympathy so that we know they could be better: Siegfried is very much a product of his mother’s manipulations, Clothilde has grown up in a world that has denied her the ability to do or be anything that she did not manipulate her way into because she was female, and Odile has grown up with her father’s poison in her ears and no experience of others to show her how toxic the things she’s internalized is, they still start at a point where it’s hard to really feel for any of them, especially Siegfried.

Siegfried in particular, who I personally think how you feel about his redemption and turn determines whether or not you can enjoy the book at all, is definitely the hardest sell of the three, given that as part of the theme of the book, he does commit a rape of a young woman and society gives him no punishment for it whatsoever, even when he starts having nightmares and believing that he has done something wrong. Whether it’s merely a product of his mind or an actual visitation, the only comeuppance the world gives him is visions of the girl he raped showing him the monster he is becoming in a mirror she holds before an Angel comes to spirit her away and shows Siegfried a more extended vision of a monster destroying and ravaging everything in its path, to which he wakes up, takes stock of himself and considers it a warning that while he is not yet that far gone, he was on that path and he himself has to be the one to stop it now because no one else will hold him accountable in this world.

It’s an interesting take to be sure, but I can definitely see that being a dealbreaker too. I’m not certain myself that the whole plot consistently works for me, but for me, the most important part is Odette and Odile’s story and so I can set aside my feelings about Siegfried’s plot and whether or not it does enough in it’s time to make it feel like it works.

What I do really love though, is the swans. Odile begins the story on the cusp of the realization she will fight for the whole story, as it is a truly painful realization to have - that her father, who she has adored her whole life and has done everything she can think of to please - does not care about her beyond as a tool to use in his schemes, and that the people who will love her are the people who she has currently rejected. Over the course of the story, through her interactions with Odette and the rest of the flock, Odile goes from distant and hostile to the other women, to finding kinship and sincerely rooting for their success in Rothbart’s plot, and devastated when Rothbart forces them to fail. Odette and the other swans are much kinder than Odile believed, and as the story progresses, she finds out why they were cursed and why they did what they did and comes to realize that she was wrong about them, and they welcome her in as one of theirs now. The swan girls are not deep characters, many of them are never named, but their quiet bravery and willingness to be kind to Odile is what really draws me into the story.

The climax of the story does contain Odette and Siegfried throwing themselves to the lake rather than be parted by Rothbart’s machinations again, but the victor and hero of the story is Odile, who finally finds the courage to pull herself free of her father, end his life and save Odette and Siegfried from the heart wrenching end of their fairytale. The moment that she chooses to act again, and again, and again, yanking a happy ending out of the jaws of misery, is my absolute favorite part of the story. I read the whole book from cover to cover just to reexperience the glee and joy I felt the first time around seeing Odile take control and say no to father and fate.

I do wish honestly that there was a book like this that was more about the swans than Rothbart or the prince. Only five of the swans besides Odette are named and many of them never get a chance to do much besides be swans and swan girls and part of Odette’s court. In addition, while the decision to not have Odette be one of the viewpoint characters makes it stand out as we see her strength and heart through the eyes of those she touches, it does sort of also make it not her story in the same way anymore. She is at the center of it, but it lacks a certain something that I think I would have really liked to have. Also, it would be fun to have a subversion of the swan lake plot where by Odette and Odile bonding and falling in love unexpectedly, even though Rothbart intends to trick Odette with the prince’s failure into staying his swan captive forever, it’s the bond he never saw coming that shatters his hold and frees the swans. Misogynists do tend to be bad at spotting lesbians after all.

(Now I wonder if this telling exists yet, there’s got to be more lesbians fairytale options than there were eleven years ago when I first found this book)

Anyway, as far as fairy tale retellings go, it’s well enough. It’s not a mind blowing or particularly original take on the story, and the themes and premise of the book can be a difficult entry. But I enjoy it enough to have given it a permanent spot on my bookshelf and regular rereads whenever I need a snarky heroine who discovers that she’s a much better person than anyone, including herself, ever gave herself credit for.

#rereads #mercedes lackey #the black swan

[rainreads]

"To forget a friend is sad. Not everyone has had a friend."

Book: The Little Prince by Exupéry.

#rereading favourite books season #rereads #winter reads #comfy reads #favourite books #english literature #books and literature #dark academia literature #dark academia quotes #tumblr aesthetic #dark academia #literature #art aesthetic #books & libraries #booksbooksbooks #light academia moodboard #light academia aesthetic #aesthetic #tumblr text post #chaotic academia #poetry #light academia books #the song of achilles #literature quotes #the secret history #the little prince

[whilereadingandwalking]

I wanted to reread Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy earlier this year, but then I discovered that she was Australian, and so I saved it until my trip, buying a new copy with a gorgeous ocean-rooted paperback cover from Better Read Than Dead, a bookstore in the Sydney suburbs. I didn't get to it while still down under, but I decided to start my reread earlier today, still infected with a drive for conservation that the reefs, rainforest, and zoos instilled in me.

On reread, the book made me cry several times over. When I was first assigned the list "Books that Break Your Heart and Put It Back Together Again" for Book Riot, this novel was the first I thought of. The swings of despair and hope in a world where nearly all animals have gone extinct, in a world where our unreliable anti-heroine is herself swinging between purpose and delusional loss, makes for an unforgettable novel. I am still so, so in love with this book on reread, enough so that I couldn't help but stay up well into the night to finish it, and loving it the 2nd time around means it officially passes into my favorites list.

Content warnings for suicidal ideation/suicide, violence, mental illness, sexual assault attempt, violence.

#migrations #charlotte mcconaghy #australian lit #rereads #bookish love #bookworm #my book reviews #reading while wandering #reading while wandering australia

[samireads]

My December wrap up ☺️🫶🏼

Two of these were rereads 😇

#December 2023 #2023 reads #the rereads were iwbft and love in the big city #the bullet that missed #the thursday murder club #richard osman #the seven moons of maali almeida #shehan karunatilaka #i was born for this #alice oseman #love in the big city #sang young park #anton hur #books #reading #bookblr #bookstagram #korean literature #Korean lit #rereads #wrap up

[kenzie1alizabeth]

Reading The Outsiders over and over will never get old and it will never not hurt.

#the outsiders #reading #rereads #jally #stevepop #darbit #purly #stay gold #greasers

[godzilla-reads]

📖 Coraline by Neil Gaiman

“Be wise. Be brave. Be tricky.”

Coraline, if you haven’t seen or read it, is the story of a young girl who is thrown into a world eerily similar to her own, with an other father and an other mother. The other mother loves Coraline and will do everything in her power to never let go.

Coraline must use her courage and her wits to outsmart the other mother and save not only herself, but three ghosts and her parents.

The first time I read this book was when I was 12 and I got it from an independent bookstore. At the time I would have bought anything with illustrations by Dave McKean. I had no idea who Neil Gaiman was yet.

Coraline was one of the first books to genuinely scare me. And I loved every suspenseful moment of it. To read a book as macabre as this, AND have it written for young readers was amazing. It was like Neil Gaiman spoke to me, a pre-teen, with respect and understanding. His words MEANT SOMETHING. And I was proud to listen.

Being able to reread Coraline is fantastic and I’d like to do it again, maybe sooner than 11 years this time around. It brought me back to who I was as a child and reminded me of who I want to become.

“Because,” she said, “when you’re scared but you still do it anyway, that’s brave.”

#godzilla reads #coraline #Neil gaiman #book review #books #rereads #rereading #reading #reads #dave mckean #young readers #bookworm #booklr #bookish #booklover #book blog #book blurb #quotes #bibliophile #booklife #booknerd #book aesthetic #literature #bookblr

[innerteenager]

Gideon the Ninth was so confusing and boring to me on the first read but the fandom was right, it’s extremely satisfying to read again post Nona. I’d kill for Ianthe.

#gideon the ninth #the locked tomb #tlt #ianthe tridentarius #rereads

[lifelinebooks]

Rereading moby Dick and summarizing each chapter part 2/?

Chapters 11-25

Ch 11: I won't be graphic but I definitely fucked Queequeg tonight. This man has me whipped

Ch 12: I learn Queequeg's origin story and my ingrained racist prejudices make themselves a Problem

Ch 13: Queequeg saves someone's life and I get an immediate hard-on

Ch 14: I romanticize Nantucket--you should vacation here

Ch 15: you've heard of Everything is Cake, now get ready for Everything is Fish

Ch 16: Queequeg needs privacy for religious reasons so I leave him our shared room and go for a walk, eventually finding a whaling ship for us to sign on with. The old married couple who own it bicker constantly though

Ch 17: I tried to respect my husband's religion but my racist prejudices mean I have to be annoyingly Christian about it

Ch 18: Queequeg is really good with a harpoon 😏 I would marry him twice if I could

Ch 19: this guy claims to be a prophet and what I want to know is how do I get in contact with his shroom dealer

Ch 20: Captains Bildad and Peleg continue to air out their marital disputes in public as we get the ship ready to sail

Ch 21: the shroom guy is after us again and-- QUEEQUEG GET OFF OF THAT MAN'S ASS

Ch 22: Bildad and Peleg should just get a room at this point but they see us off on our voyage instead

Ch 23: I know I'm married but my GOD Bulkington is hot

Ch 24: whaling is the noblest profession in the world and if you disagree I'll fucking kill you

Ch 25: but that's just my opinion

Part 1 |

#moby dick #herman melville #rereading moby dick #rereads #summarizing moby dick because i think I'm funny

[crazycatsiren]

I will never be normal about Jane Eyre.

#bookblr #favorite book #classics #bibliophile #bookworm #rereads

[fourthousandbooks]

Trying to read Scum Villain unfortunately derailed my reading train. I guess I’m not ready to try getting back into my danmei yet. Let’s go for angsty goth lesbians instead.

#gideon the ninth #rereads #freshly purchased from the local bookstore all of 20 minutes ago

[landboundstar]

Some October Comfort Rereads

Gathering some of my geeky, spooky books and comics together for rereads and thought I would share.

Kcirt Ro Taert - in case the title was not a dead giveaway, this is a Zatanna story. I think, without checking first, it is a Paul Dini story? Just did not feel like going back to double check. Scary story about Zatanna, told by the Scarecrow.

Hold Me - I like Hellblazer and John Constantine, especially Neil Gaiman's take. But this Neil Gaiman story is one of my favorites.

Jill Kismet - I love this series by Lilith Saintcrow. Just read the short story Kiss. Not everyone's cup of tea, but is a great comfort read for me. Flesh Circus especially, and has a sweet spooky feel.

Ghost Teller - A webtoon where ghosts tell scary human stories.

Dresden Files - series by Jim Butcher - very complicated saga of a wizard/PI who advertises in phone book.

Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs - coyote mechanic literally raised by wolves. Personal favorites are Redemption (I am covetous of Ben's whiteboard and rug) and Iron Kissed, but Hopcross Jilly is a fun story. Also overlaps with her Alpha and Omega series (The "Hello, hello" at the end of Burn Bright - good, spooky shivers.)

The Dark Is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper - if I have an excuse, I will read this. On the day of the dead, when the year too dies, shall the youngest open the oldest hills. Perennial comfort read

All I can think of right now.

Add your October rereads. I am curious.

#Spooky comfort reads #books and reading #Books and comics #I am a word nerd and bookworm #rereads

[margareturtle]

Help, I just finished the tmi + tftsa audiobooks now do I naturally continue on to TDA (I last listened to tda this past october) or do I go back to TID (it’s been years lmaoo)

(Also side note the amount of actors who narrate the audiobooks 😭 I knew that Sansa narrates half of cohf but I didn’t know that Roderick Heffley narrates one of the tftsa stories 😭)

#tda #tid #tmi #tlh #tsc #lol #rereads #audiobooks

[someonelookingpraediti]

Currently (re-)Reading...

The Secret History - Donna Tartt

I've been wanting to re-read this book for months, so I decided to make this my first book of 2024, as a buddy read with Ellie.

It was just as good the second time round, and I added a little to my annotations as I went through. I loved reading my thoughts from the first time I read it, and seeing what seemed important to me at the time, and where I was wrong with my assumptions!

Having now read The Goldfinch, and having just started The Little Friend, I can say this is definitely the best of Donna Tartt's books - but weirdly it's because it's technically the least well written? It's simpler, and seems younger, but that makes it more appealing, because it's more relatable, and more readable.

I was hoping such a fun, beautifully written book would give me a good jumpstart to my year, but I just haven't been able to sit down to reading, so it took me almost two weeks to finish! I doubt I'll get more than three books read this month, but at least they'll be really good books!

I'm glad I started my year with this one, I just need to start sitting down to a book and sticking with it. This year, I'm going to: a) try to limit the amount of books I'm reading at once. At the moment I'm reading five books, and it is too many. b) DNF any books I'm not enjoying rather than slogging through them

#currently reading #rereads #the secret history #buddy read #donna tartt

[permanentlyexhaustedpigeon247]

If Rollins had done something to Inej, Kaz would paint East Stave with his entrails.

- Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

#six of crows #crooked kingdom #soc #ck #leigh bardugo #kaz brekker #this had me rolling #in the feeeellllssss #book quotes #rereads