Any Direction > Recent Status Updates

favorite character: definitely the bread thieving seagull. Also, advisor dude reminds me of my mother.

Yes, bookclub I am breaking the rules. But ya’ll there was just shade thrown at Trump!

Quick hits:
-Being able to be calm because someone else is panicking is so real.
-Tortellini! I understand it’s probably not good tortellini, but dang what a delight that would be
-Beau is my new favorite fictional animal

Random filler characters with minor complaints are my favorite: this guy is upset because he has to read heavy books sitting up. Real, and also I’ve read textbooks lying down. Level up your lazy, sir.

We should have job titles that are two jobs like lawyer priest because lots of people are doing two jobs and deserve recognition, interdisciplinary work makes us better at the jobs, and sometimes you need someone who has a niche combination skillset. I’m also reading a nonfiction about a feather researcher who regularly gets recruited to investigate crime. Weird amount of feather related crime- Point proven!

“I will always make sure you have warm socks” is in fact a swoon-worthy line. This mutual pining is killing me!

Excuse me. Who is this guy who yelling at the living people in the world of the dead? How did he get here and who put him in charge? I feel like there’s a backstory here that is not going to get revealed!

Phillip Pullman: the only non-scientist who understands that scientists specialize. Mary Malone expert in physics, not an expert in biology.

This book needs to stop being so charming. I have work to do! If there was a battle between one man with a candelabra and another with the broken neck of an ice swan, my money is on the swan. Not only do I prefer a sharp stabby weapon over a bludgeon, but I also believe that the spite of swans is so powerful that it has the potential to permeate into an artistic rendering and then the weapon made from it.

New fear unlocked: bulls possessed by demons.

Waggoner is in fact an author who understands the religion she is writing about. Presenting evidence: Sherry has a drawer full of ugly plastic rosaries. This is the cradle Catholic rep I’m looking for!

Erm, still 38 minutes left in this section. I guess there’s some statement being made about the degradation of language or the culture of the narrator. Got to wonder if anyone who was not a white man stuck 70 pages described as nearly unreadable by fans in the middle of a book, would it have been published let alone given status as Literature? If your answer is no, then it’s cultural appropriation at best, baby!

OMG a Thomas More reference! It’s nice when books have little treats… for me specifically. I hope you find a book treat today… for you!

Thank God for audiobooks. I do not know how Mitchell wrote this or how anyone reads cause this dialectical writing is rough. (Racist?) Also, now there’s cannibalism because why not, I guess?

Ever read a book (classics in particular) and then you get to the end and are like… I don’t get it. Like you understand the events, but you can’t understand the point. This book has been like that, and I’m not sure if we are going to make a point overall. I do however understand the point of dystopian lit, and ya’ll this last section is eerie as all get out. Go vote against corpocracy, I beg!

Yes, I do have other things to read, but I’m in now. This book is not about birds, but is intensely bird themed. The parts mimic the magpie poem (which has lived rent free in my head since learning about it), and everyone has bird name. I am charmed and also invested because it’s all getting very mysterious. Money is on Larkin Gadwall, that man has two birds in his name… very suspicious.

Bella being stronger than Edward- Hot.

Got to the famous loch-ness monster line, and even though Jacob is still annoying, “Nessy” is a cute nickname for a ridiculously named child. (Though thank goodness it was a girl because Edward Jacob is even worse somehow.)

Jacob and Leah could have been a thing! Just everything about this is so messed up. The alphas forcing commands, Leah’s bizarre commentary on being a genetic dead end, Jacob and Rosalie being terrible to each other, Jacob’s immaturity, the fact that we are spiraling to imprinting on an infant. Please, put me back in Bella’s brain!

One thing I appreciate about Twilight is that there is vampire lore and some thought is put into how things work, but was not expecting that the altered chromosome count of vampires seen in Discovery of Witches potentially originated here! Also, how much personal science equipment does Carlisle own? Or is he mooching hospital equipment?

Becoming my “favorite” question for literature. Does this book hate women? It seems like we could be getting a Rosalie/Bella relationship building moment and instead we get Jacob yelling at Leah. Poor Leah! Also, my Wolfsong is gay Twilight werewolf fanfic theory is only being more confirmed. I’m dnfing the next book that contains the word “alpha” because I can’t stand this forced to follow dynamic.

K, that honeymoon was so much more tame than I thought it’d be. Actual sex- fade to black. The amount of furniture breaking- not unsustainable. Not sure to be relieved or disappointed. Now, we’re in Jacob’s section and it’s bad, but much like most of this entire series, not as bad as bad I feared it would be.

Vampire fantasy unlocked. Swimming without needing to breathe. I would like a book about deep sea marine biologist vampires (or ghosts) please!

Wedding thoughts: Jacob is the WORST, so glad everyone else recognizes that even if Bella doesn’t. Book Charlie is inferior to movie Charlie, and it is continually disappointing. I was worried for a second that Bella wasn’t going to have an “I look pretty moment”, but she did! The sexual tension between her and Edward is ridiculous. This cursed sex scene better happen soon, so we can move on!

I read books 1-3, Amber Spyglass was reserved on Libby so detour. Edward look, Bella doesn’t get to escape the marriage rituals, so neither do you.

Bird fact check: Ospreys are not the same thing as eagles. I get that we needed to make the mistake the first time for clarification purposes, but now that we’ve clarified it should be an osprey. As osprey and eagles generally don’t get along, I imagine Sayan Kötör may be offended at Pullman’s misleading language.

Why are all my favorite kid’s book series depressing? Have one book end in tragedy, Fine. I’m recalling that 2&3 also end in tragedy and knowing that is souring the read a bit. Not remembered but also souring is Asriel maybe being not a bad guy? In premise, God is evil, sure, but the other side is hubristic, war-mongering, child-sacrificer? Where are we going here? Lyra, Pan, Will, and Lee still great though.

I will also comment that these books are third person omniscient, and I am not confused despite the lack names at the top of each section 👀. Audiobook commentary: Hester’s voice sounds like Dolly Parton, which, as she’s the rabbit soul of a good natured Texan, tracks. Each chapter starts with like midi pipe organ music? It fits, but it does catch me off guard.

Gotta say Will’s neutral good-had to become my parent’s parent trauma is a pretty good balance for Lyra’s chaotic good-my parents abandoned me and are evil trauma. Real reason I’m commenting: Subtle Knife original cover: one of my favorite covers ever. The best Christian child could not resist. (Then again, I’m also entranced by Warriors covers so maybe I’ll just read anything with a cat painting.)

Scenario for fellow academics to ponder: you are in a fantasy world doing research and get captured by armored bears (like you do). What are you thinking about it and is it worrying about getting scooped by your academic rival (like the guy in this book)? I’d like to say no, I’m thinking about how not to get killed by armored bears. Though, I think I’d be lying, and it’s making me reflect on my priorities.

A non-all inclusive list of things that exist in this parallel universe in order of most fantastic to least: little soul animals, talking polar bears, witches, the northern lights, blimps, Oxford University, and Wells Fargo.