Bookish things and reviews

I like to read. I read a variety of things - sci-fi, romances, fiction, YA, fantasy, memoirs, essays, poems, fanfiction, contemporary - You name it, I'll read it! I consider myself a book dragon hoarding her piles of #mounttbr list and books in the hopes of reading it all one day. ONE DAY... This is a Side Blog; All follows will be from @pleasepleasepleaseme Besides reviewing whatever book I might be reading, you'll find other bookish things here.Nerd out with me on here!

[mariakureads]

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[dark-romantics]

there’s something so fucking magical about bookstores and libraries

[longsightmyth]

"The problem is people don't read classics anymore"

No I think the problem is people don't read WIDELY. The ONLY ya and/or fantasy romance crowd is just as insufferable as the ONLY classics crowd or the ONLY litfic crowd or the ONLY nonfiction crowd and vice versa.

You gotta get some variety in there my guys

[longsightmyth]

Upon this post I have seen people assert that nobody needs to read 'books by dead white guys' to be widely read with the context that they believe only dead white guys wrote classics,

People saying that because classics are in fact written not only by dead white guys you can get by on only reading classics,

And the classic (hah), people are just always going to be insufferable.

All of these have missed the point and are examples of why people should in fact read widely.

[moniquill]

Read widely. Read beyond what you've been told are 'the classics'. Read works by authors from other times and places. Read works by authors who are different from yourself.

[ephemeral-gremlin]

dare i add: read a bad book once in a while too. flex your critique muscles a bit

[longsightmyth]

Actually yes this last point is an extremely valid addition

Not only does it help you learn and hash out your critique skills, you might be surprised

[thebookishone]

Read whatever the fuck you want, just don’t act like your taste is superior to anyone else’s.

[memeuplift]

[cour5t]

[bookymcbookface]

From NHK’s ‘72 Hours’ series.

“At a Tokyo Bookstore That Never Sleep”

[candiedreads]

Oh, to be at Borders bookstore in 2009 or 2010, browsing and buying from the YA section there one more time. 🥺

[mariakureads]

[lauralot89]

The Dracula Ballets

And Where to Watch Them

Dracula by Michael Pink: Originally staged in 1997, this ballet's plot is the closest to the novel. Seward does not appear in this version, his role being merged with Van Helsing's. Notable for eeriely beautiful and sometimes brutal choreography, the Harker and Dracula pas de deux, Renfield dancing in a straitjacket, and Quincey dancing briefly with a rifle.

Watch it here.

Dracula by Krzysztof Pastor: This version of Dracula portrays Mina as the reincarnation of the count's late wife, similar to Bram Stoker's Dracula. That film's score is also used in this ballet. Quincey does not appear in this version. Notable for Renfield's haunting dances, one of which he somehow manages while tied to other patients, Dracula's creepy servants, the Dracula Jonathan Tango, and an onstage blood transfusion.

Download it here (if you have a link to the ballet on a video hosting site, please comment and I'll add it to the post).

Dracula: The Romantic Ballet by Ben Stevenson. This ballet is set entirely in Transylvania with a new cast of characters. Besides Dracula, the mortal leads are villagers Flora and Svetlana, and Svetlana's suitor Frederick. Notable because this ballet wants you to know that Dracula fucks: he not only has his ever present brides, but an entire harem to go along with them. He even has locals employed in bringing maidens to his castle. Also this Dracula has seemingly human servants who are fine with it all, I guess.

Watch it here.

Dracula by David Nixon. This ballet intends to portray Dracula as a more ambiguous, nuanced creature. As Nixon puts it, ‘All creatures need to be loved and the love that Dracula shares with Mina transcends the boundaries of good and evil.’ Quincey does not appear in this version. Notable for the creepiest Old Dracula ever seen in anything (with the fun nervous habit of biting himself when he's trying not to bite others), a Seward and Renfield dance, and vampire brides with Christina Aguilera in "Lady Marmalade" hairstyles.

Watch it here (ignore the title and video description, they are incorrect).

Kont Dracula by the Turkish State Opera and Ballet. This is a 2013 adaptation for which I can find no information or video. If you know of a recording of this performance, please comment.

[carabas]

You can watch the Krzysztof Pastor one here!

[mariakureads]

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A post shared by Léa Crumpton (@loverofpages)

[solradguy]

Going to the library tomorrow to find out if I'm allowed to print hypothetical boobs for the GG copybook I wanna do

[solradguy]

Libraries don't fuck around when it comes to copyright law

[immediatebreakfast]

It's so good how Lucy truly reflects about her feelings after she chose Arthur, even thought she laments that she can't marry her three suitors out of a sense of shame for hurting their feelings. Because yes movie directors, Lucy is actually considering how guilty it makes her feel to reject two men even thought she has already chosen the one she loves, and not being an evil greedy whore to the parallel madonna that most people think she is because of a single out context line. Who knew that a girl could be a complex character right.

Anyway, it's clear with Lucy's entire letter that even though she is happy with choosing Arthur, she was still processing the entire deal. Why? Well, since Lucy is a character at first built to reflect the ideal victorian girl in the eyes of society, then it means that her implied education was probably focused on being pleasant, and obedient to people around her. It's the mask she mentioned earlier in her letter, the façade that her character clings to give the impression that is expected of her. So, it would be very overwhelming for Lucy to experience three proposals with three different men, it's the conflicting actions of putting the correct demeanor towards them over her feelings, so they don't notice how truly sad she is at the notion of rejecting them. It doesn't last because she made a point of mentioning how Quincey stopped his confession because he "saw something in my face", but it's still worth mentioning.

It really speaks of Lucy's upbringing that she feels she can't enjoy her own engagement with the man she loves because other men are hurt by "her actions". Lucy still feels the need to clarify to Mina how much she cried, even thought said men offered her friendship, and that Lucy should not feel responsible for their feelings over her happiness with Arthur.

[beeftea78-deactivated20200113]

“I would eat his heart in the marketplace” is legit the most savage line I have ever heard, I’d like to personally thank Shakespeare for putting into words that feeling of rage and protectiveness women get when some fuckboy hurts another woman

[aeleolus]

Okay first off, I will always reblog this post, but secondly, I went to Shakespeare in the Park tonight to see this and all the women cheered *so loudly* when Beatrice said this line, and the guy in front of me looked around all shocked and a little scared and said “… oh wow” and it was ICONIQUE

[susiephone]

i know we all poke fun at quincey's dialogue for being the most stereotypical yeehaw cowboy slang imaginable, but it is genuinely so cute to me that he actually plays that up because he knows lucy thinks it's funny

[afieldofheather]

The first daughter is for the Throne. The second daughter is for the Wolf.

Wilderwood series by Hannah Whitten

[brokensocialscone]

[lilaccatholic]

It's missing Borders Bookstore hours