Xiaq on A03. EL Massey for published work.
My reps all gave me applause points (our internal reward system) for a job well done in 2025. I immediately converted them to Barnes and Noble gift cards and went on a book buying spree the likes of which I have never previously experienced. Such dopamine.
And then I pre-ordered a bunch of books as well so they’ll be nice little surprises through the year as they show up.
If you’re wondering what the best vibe is for reading Don’t Let the Forest In, I’ve discovered it: a steamy evening bath lit by a red-light prism lamp and backgrounded by a positively howling windstorm outside.
You know when a book or a fic is so good that you keep delaying reading it? Because it will be over too soon and you want to linger. Like, no, no, slow down, let’s set it aside after this chapter. I need to walk the dog. Clean the tub. Take out the trash. Lets savor this journey a bit longer. I love that feeling.
Same, Murderbot.
My little library is unpacked, safe and sound. ❤️
Do you enjoy reading books about biblical ladies that actually consider the female experience (and the female reader's experience) rather than merely noting women as objects within male narratives? Do you want to be angry but also laugh and maybe tear up a little while considering the implications of biblical stories you previously found dull (or uh, horrifying) in Sunday School? Do you want a book that makes you not feel like, embarrassed, to identify as Christian? If so, @ursamajorstudio ‘s new book is the book for you. It’s A+++. Tumblr will only let me post 10 screenshots at a time so stay tuned for the second half of my favorite bits. You can find it HERE and wherever books are sold.
Do you enjoy reading books about biblical ladies that actually consider the female experience (and the female reader’s experience) rather than merely noting women as objects within male narratives? Do you want to be angry but also laugh and maybe tear up a little while considering the implications of biblical stories you previously found dull (or uh, horrifying) in Sunday School? Do you want a book that makes you not feel like, embarrassed, to identify as Christian? If so, @ursamajorstudio ‘s new book is the book for you. It’s A+++. Tumblr will only let me post 10 screenshots at a time so stay tuned for the second half of my favorite bits. You can find it HERE and wherever books are sold.
Anonymous asked:
Hello! Potentially weird question, but can you post a closer pic of the books on your dresser and the ones beside your plants on the floor? The covers are intriguing and your bookshelves are always so interesting! Maybe also weird but I’ve used your previous bookshelf pics as a rec list because ofc I’m gonna trust the English professor lol
These are my favorite special editions! (Plus bonus Grogu and signed Flower puck) Thus they get the place of honor on the dresser. I’m still trying to figure out what to do with all my other books but I’ll post a picture of them whenever I do, haha.
You know how sometimes you’ll be reading something and you get to a part that you know is going to be Really Good so you stop reading. Because you’re not in the Optimal Environment to appreciate what will no doubt be a glorious part of the story.
So you set it aside until you can facilitate Ultimate Enjoyment. And you look forward to that moment, knowing it’s coming. And then it’s time! And you’re like. Ahhh yes. Perfect.
Simple pleasures, I guess.
Y'all ever read a book or a fic and you get to the end and you’re suddenly mad at yourself? Like. You idiot. You absolute fool. You should have slowed down. You should have savored it. It was so good and you didn’t appreciate it enough. You will never get to experience this for the first time again. Shameful.
Anonymous asked:
hi!! i got redirected here from ur ao3 and firstly can i just say your writing is amazing! but i wanted to ask … i saw in one of ur old captain’s logs that during ur dissertation prep u were reading two books a day with notes. how??? are there any techniques you use or are you just a naturally fast reader? i feel like if i went through 2 books a day i wouldnt absorb any info
Thank you!!
So I can’t really help you, there. Reading fast is one of my few natural talents. I was that precocious kid who was reading at a 5th grade level in kindergarten and I think I currently read at around 800wpm on a screen and 900wpm in print. I can push that faster, but my comprehension dips pretty severely past 1k, especially if there are numbers involved. Weirdly enough, I am dyslexic; I don’t have issues reading words (though I often struggle with formulating sentences–why did you go to grad school in English?? You ask. All you do is write papers?? I ask myself the same question often) but numbers and symbols always have and probably always will be Giant Fucking Problems for me. If you asked me to read something with a bunch of dates in it I might never finish and I likely wouldn’t retain much of it no matter how slowly I went. This is the primary reason I decided not to become a historian.
Anyway. I suspect I would have failed my first year of grad school had it not been for the fact that, unlike Everyone Else in my cohort who prioritized, skimmed, etc., I actually read nearly every word of every piece of literature I was assigned. I was a dumpster fire student who had no idea how to write a paper at the graduate level (0/10 do not recommend skipping your masters and going straight for a PhD) but Boy Howdy could I engage in class discussions.
All that to say, I don’t think it’s entirely normal, even for grad students, to read two books a day for months at a time without going crazy. But other former/current grad students feel free to chime in, here!
Afternoon reading in post-rain sunlight. Windows open. City noises. Bliss.
My family threw a little shade with their Christmas gifts for me this year.
