manushka > Recent Status Updates

a perfect litmus test of just how much weirdness and underlying currents of incoherence you can stomach (and in my case, enjoy) in your specfic. i love being able to surf the descriptions of scenes and thematic throughlines with just a little bit feeling out of reach sometimes; it adds to the mystery in the worldbuilding beautifully. and boy, is the worldbuilding beautiful.

the horror trope of person who barely even feels alive being haunted in more ways than one my beloved

another one for the "once i work myself up to actually going to therapy i'm just going to pull out random quotes from here to explain certain things i feel" pile... also it feels strangely poetic that the protagonist is named coraline, given how that was one of my favourite books as a kid. i just love my weird, fucked up little horror coralines, i guess... (and this might be on its way into the favourites too)

peter capaldi could be reading out his grocery lists and i would be thoroughly entranced from start to finish etc etc

rjb vs not writing the most chaotic but delightful, unlikely band of little freaks and their shared misery as the universe laughs at them <3

gotta love some ominous owl symbolism and ghost talk, especially when it's both at once. the atmosphere of this one seems like it will be more up my alley, and i am definitely intrigued – now we just pray for the ability to control spacing out while listening to audiobooks 🫡

claiming to be a mood reader is actually code for "there is absolutely nothing i wouldn't do for sarah snook"

finally getting back into reading this, at the worst possible time, we love that for me

*holds the kaul family in my hands gently* you lovely, lovely bunch of sick and twisted human beings, i am praying for you even though i know it makes no difference

reading this alongside a feminist theory course is uh... An Experience. i love how insistent it is about being, honouring, uncovering, & deliberating on female texts, and to do that with a million little things alongside working with one main text feels like the most honest way to go about it too – working back and forth between a life you are living and a life you are immersing yourself into, isn't that how we love?

[insubstantial progress update just to log some kind of definitive proof that time is in fact passing]

it's insane how well this flows as a character study while staying quick to read and as emotionally impactful as it could possibly be. there's a storm coming and I'm Quite Afraid.

was interrupted by a rather annoying reading slump, but book 3 is finally complete! i continue to love everything about it. the action scenes, the lore exploration, all of it is excessive in just the right amount. the characters really get to shine in this one and i love seeing that. overeager dad aragorn, genius cousin legolas and vodka uncle gimli are such a joy to follow. anyway, can't wait for frodosam in book 4✨

it's the way my stress levels multiply with every chapter

all i can say is i have a physical tension in my bones because i know this book is going to destroy me and i am not ready for it

i don't want to get too ahead of myself but i think this is going to become a new favourite series. the pace is so damn good, you're just swept along while knowing just how much you're really taking in, and the information is fed to you bit by bit not just around but within the plot so effectively it makes me angry at how well it is done. and these characters, oof, i don't even know where to begin.

what up i'm jared i'm 19 and i temporarily forgot how to read but i'm back now because today this book obliterated my reading slump

this one isn't really helping my reading slump because the whimsical and satirical nature of the whole thing is agitating my minuscule attention span even more BUT hopefully adding another book into the rotation will help

well this really hits different in the current climate of things

some of these have had really eerie atmospheres, which i appreciated very much. others have been just alright. either way, this is going on hold for a while.

bet you didn't think you'd see me again! yes, i still remember how to read and will be exercising the skill liberally this winter break (or so i hope). anyway reading this summer read as christmas approaches is cathartic in some weird way. the randomly drawn metaphors and the kind of small details it chooses to point out are constantly gutting me, so my heart is already sold on it. i can't wait to see how it ends.

there's really not too much i can say to describe this book other than what's already been said, or perhaps the title itself. in a really weird way, it fits the subjects being covered and the feelings that are evoked throughout, and i love its unique take on a female-centric story as well as the style of prose. thoughts at the end! (no, i haven't abandoned pet sematary, i just need another book to shuffle between)

we're making some solid progress here my dudes it'll only take me about five more months give or take a few but so far... so good! i'm more shocked by how shocked i am to be loving this than how shocked i am to be loving this

uni has been sucking the life out of me so thoroughly that i can't get my attention span together for long enough to read this for an extended period of time even though i'm really really enjoying it and that's why higher education is a scam folks *finger guns*

i was surprised that this book is so special in some people's eyes until i reached byatt's chapters and really began to sink into the entire setting and appreciate everything mentioned. i'm extremely terrified to see what happens next and i REALLY hope it's mind-blowing because i need it to be.

this book deserves way better than my neverending reading slump because it has some of the most beautiful and effortless descriptive writing (for both places and characters) i've ever read

other than the spider mentions i am loving the australian setting.

ah, summer break reading slump, how i've missed you. (not). this seems very promising though and so far i would die for memphis campbell.

without saying too much, reading eloquently written fantasy-driven action chase sequences is now my new favourite thing. also, i'd like an ichneumon to travel the world with.