zeynep > Recent Status Updates

This is literally the least charismatic romance male lead to exist all he does is be nice to the female lead and be hot. Where characterization

Partially because I'm reading this on Libby, partially because it's not written in a particular complex style, and partially because I'm in my lazy era, I'm skimming this so much. And I don't particularly feel like I'm missing anything. /Looking at the book cover again and seeing the 🐧 like wtf I tjot that was supposed to be a quality publisher

Hablando con mi bestie Claude (:/) about Colombian political history and realizing I have had this book sitting on my shelves for months and it's highly relevant to what I'm asking the AI. Writing style surprisingly easy to read (or maybe my Spanish once again improving due to Colombia-related obsession)

Need 2b jailed for starting too many books without finishing them. this one...it hits personally because the protag is depressed and has no passion in life, but at the same time her stagnation feels more "acceptable" because she's carrying the grief of a dead bf. (In my case I'm just lazy piece of shit) Then out of nowhere handsome man is willing to lift her out of it all...what a fanfiction. Feels unearned as of yet

I think I've been reading too much nonfiction because I'm like. Why do they all talk like this: "Thy mouth is redder than the feet of those who tread the wine in the wine-press. Thy mouth is redder than the feet of the doves who haunt the temples and are fed by the priests. It is redder than the feet of him who cometh from a forest where he hath slain a lion, and seen gilded tigers." Salome simile slalom

I'm reading this on project Gutenberg actually o my Gott what is that disastrous quasi Arabic font on the cover of this Goodreads version though. They said don't forget! Orientalism!

Anne in 4.1 says, my husband hates me and will soon get rid of me. Then in 4.2 Richard says, tell the world my wife Anne is sick and is likely to die. Then in 4.3, he briefly mentions: "Anne my wife hath bid this world good night." AAAAAAHHH. Of all the many off screen murders to have taken place in this play, this is just. Shakespeare come back I need to know so much more...I read all the AO3 fanfic already :(

Not to be like "ANNE NEVILLLEEEEEE" but actually oh my God Anne Neville. Richard spends the majority of the play utterly unrepentant in his villainy, and yet Anne in act 4 scene 1 drops the craziest line of all by saying not "one hour in his bed did [she] enjoy the golden dew of sleep" because Richard's nightmares kept waking her up. And then she says I know he's going to kill me.

IM SICKKK... FREE MY GIRL ANNE!!!!!

Richard to Buckingham: "My other self [...]
My oracle, my prophet, my dear cousin,
I, as a child, will go by thy direction."

Now I see why this was a common ao3 pairing. (Saying this while including the cousin epithet in my illustrative quote?) But Richard lies to everybody!! At this particular moment, how genuine is he? (How genuine was he when he lovebombed Anne Neville into accepting his proposal? ANNEEee )

Rereading was definitely the right move because now I understand much better what the political alliances are and the identities of the bajillion people all named Edward or Henry. I found out this is Shakespeare's 2nd longest play... you can tell. It drags. Can we give the old king Edward a heart attack already and mooooove oooooooon.

Just read El evangelio según Marcos and I'm like...damn that guy Jorge Luis Borges was crayz

Authghhg this book is crazy, as I suspected it would be. Probably gonna join the tier of insane compelling memoirs by women, also consisting of Marie Simon's underground in Berlin, Carolyn forche's what you have heard is true, Carolina Maria de jesus' quarto de despejo, etc. kind of the best genre of all time I fear

"Poland was dubbed 'God's playground' by a sympathetic British hisorian, but during [ww2] it must have felt more like a stomping ground of the devil."

Reading about ww2 and previously listening to the Revolutions podcast is making me be like, why is Poland actually THEE most relevant country of all time for every imaginable historical event; I did not have any f**king idea...

They name-dropped Herbert von Karajan twice (and by they I mean Ludolf von Alvensleben) and I'm like dam...I guess we not gonna listen to his Beethoven Deutsche Grammophon recordings anymore 😡 (but the Furtwangler Beethoven performances from literal Nazi Germany can stay for historical curiosity)

I'm not gonna lie I feel like this book is serving discount tier magical realism although I can't say I'm an expert on the Real Deal. Im irritated by a lot of it

"In Israel, Eichmann even announced his plan for world peace: women should be in power. [...] He didn't mention that he thought world peace was 'un-Aryan.'" nauuur this footnote is so funny

'His sharp, scratchy voice momentarily becomes deep and soft, and his "Thank you for your trouble....my dear lady" sounds unmistakably submissive.'

Hello why did we momentarily enter fanfiction land here 💀

This book is so oddly written. Or, maybe it's poorly translated? Or maybe I'm just idiot

Tiberius: "Wolfgang! Siegfried! Adelstan! An assassin! Schnell!"
"Coming, all-highest, noblest-born, gift bestowing Chief," the Germans instantly replied.

(I giggle at Tiberius speaking in German even tho it's no giggling matter because this is right before the German guards poke the eyes out of a fisherman with a lobster in his catch. Oh, Tiberius)

"Beer is a a fermented drink made from steeped grain and [the Germans] drink it to extraordinary excess at their feasts." I die at (Robert Graves writing) Claudius helpfully including this note for his ostensibly non German audience

"torrential storms ...beat down and spoilt what little corn had come to ear" 🌽?????? In my ancient Rome?? Not Robert graves forgetting about the Columbian exchange....

I continue to love everything about Tiberius's horrible but salacious private life. Divulge, Clau-Clau-Claudius, divulge!!!!

This book had thirteen year old me absolutely quaking at lunch time as I desperately read about the salacious Tiberius and his unfulfilled love for Julia (or whatever her name was) and it was just one random paragraph amidst everything. Curious if the magic holds, 15 (!!) years later

ok love that they have a chapter in this book with Julio Cortazar's short stories of cronopios with Goya's fucked up paintings en seguida. textbook for pretentious people (yo)

I have some ancient copy of this and it appears from the table of contents that the selection of short stories may have changed over editions... but anyway

I saw "Waterloo veteran" and was like. Hell Yes this is relevant to my interests . Ms Cecilia's first book was too good so I hope she can work her magic in this one as well

YAHHHH Belinda by Maria Edgeworth just got name-dropped I'm gagged... Cecilia Grant you continue to be the best HR author I've encountered on my miserable journey through the romance genre

Waiiit. I don't want to get my hopes up because modern romance is the devil's slop but the way this book has demonstrated some intelligence already AND has the fmc with a sensible regency name like Martha

This is a little too dense for someone like with me with very light understanding of Nazi bureaucracy, AND is reading it on her phone before bed...but also im shook @ mention of Sarona, an 1871 settlement of antisemitic Germans in Palestine claiming a slice of the Christian holy land. Wonder what happened to them lmao?

"She told us that she was trying to influence the political situation by damaging Hitler's astral body" oh my gott it's the nazi equivalent of etsy witches hexing donald trump