Butterflies at night

Eating books for breakfast | A Sylvia Plath and Agha Shahid Ali lover | Politics and Masala Chai | Smudged Kajal and Dark Feminity

[sirenlipgloss]

Booklist for all the Dark Academics:

[Dark Academia book recs of all the different kinds I could think of. It's a long journey. Buckle up.]

The Classic Dark Academic :

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Anything by the Brontë sisters

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (this book birthed Dark Academia)

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Short stories by Edgar Allan Poe

Bram Stokers Dracula

Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu

Maurice by EM Forster

Madam Bovary by Gustav Flaubert

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

A Good Man is Hard to Find

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Macbeth by Shakespeare

Othello by Shakespeare

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

The Poetry-lover Academic:

Poetry of Baudelaire

Odes of Keats (ALL OF THEM ARE A MUST READ)

Poetry of Edgar Allan Poe (especially The Raven)

Shelley's Alastor, Prometheus Unbound, Masque of Anarchy

Kubla Khan by Coleridge

T.S Elliott's Wasteland

all Emily Dickinson poetry but especially 'I felt a funeral in my brain', 'Because I could not stop for death' (read them a thousand times already)

Pablo Neruda's Nothing but Death

Langston Hughes Poems

Tennyson's Lotos eater (underrated gem)

Sylvia Plath poems but special mentions to Lady Lazarus and the Bell jar

Paradise Lost by Milton (if you want to include something about the Devil in your list)

Poems by Sappho

Poems of Charles Bukowski (especially Love Is a Dog from Hell)

The Contemporary Dark Academic:

A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

The Secret History by Donna Tartt (the origin of Dark Academia)

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Ace of Spades by Amanda Foody (could recommend it a hundred times)

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

If We Were Villains by ML Rio

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

The Temple House Vanishing by Rachel Donohue

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

The Girls are all so nice here by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

The Likeness by Tana French

Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro

One of us is lying by Karen Mcmanus

Bunny by Mona Awad

The Plot by Jean Hanff

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

The Lessons by Naomi Alderman

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Conversion by Katherine Howe

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

Love is a Dog from Hell by Charles Bukowski

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

A Quaint and Curious Volume

We, the Drowned by Carsten Jensen

The Little Friend by Donna Tartt

The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis

Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

The Lying Games by Ruth Ware

Black Chalk by Christopher J Yates

The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman

The Furies by Fernanda Eberstadt

The Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

Bad Habits by Charleigh Rose

Good Girls Lie by JT Ellison

Shadow of the wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

If We were Villains by M.L. Rio

Queer Dark Academic:

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (yes, yes, yes it's the gay shit)

Notes on a Scandal (What was she thinking?) by Zoë Heller

Hex by Rebecca Dinerstein Knight

Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu (lesbian vampire, hell yeah!)

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Maurice by EM Forster

Christabel by Coleridge

Poems by Sappho

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M Danforth

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo

Ace of Spades by Amanda Foody

The Dark Romantic Academic:

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M Danforth

The Lessons by Naomi Alderman

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Likeness by Tana French

The Temple House by Rachel Donohue

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Mythological Dark Academic:

(pardon me for my cluelessness)

I have not really read much about mythology but if Norse mythology is the area of your interest, Neil Gaiman is the God of it. (aka not only Good Omens and American Gods, but also the book 'Norse Mythology')

The Furies by Fernanda Eberstadt

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Circe by Madeline Miller

Ovid's Metamorphoses for Greek mythology enthusiasts

[Remember: Some of these books have dark academia as their major aspect but most of them have dark academia as their minor aspect, and many of them have been put into the list because I got a dark academia kind of vibe from them. Moreover these books have a lot more to offer than just Dark Academia, even if we ignore that aspect, these books are just great pieces of literature. This list is entirely created out of my own reading researches, friendly recommendations, and book recs from reddit, pinterest and the internet in general. If I have gone wrong somewhere or if you want me to add something new, feel free to drop an ask.]

[academic-vampire]

𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔤𝔦𝔠 𝔠𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔢

[sirenlipgloss]

the feminine urge to get a new personality like this moodboard showcases.

[carchaseonacarchase]

just tell me what you want to do, tell me what you want to burn away 'cause i could be your stoker —open up your heart like the gates of hell

[sirenlipgloss]

Girl do you think coquette and academia could go together? Moodboard pleaseeee.

𝔐𝔬𝔬𝔫𝔰𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔢

♡

Well, hi there anon! First of all, absolutely, mess up your aesthetics and combine them to create what suits you the best.

This was a lovely request. I usually focus on dark feminine energy and academia but this change was wonderful.

[sirenlipgloss]

hi. your blogs so pretty. is it weird if i want to ask life advice on how to focus on academia? i am having such a hard time being single. some days i hate myself and lose hope of studying. i think i have forgotten my passion. just, your blog is kind of a safe space for me. hope you don't mind.

Hey there love! Thank you so much for those kind words. It's absolutely not weird. I try to be mysterious but in reality, I am a yapper. Let's talk about messy love, singlehood and academia.

• This is not a dark academia book, but you could try reading The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

• If you feel like listening to podcasts would be easier - I can give you a great recommendation. Tam Kaur is a great youtuber who can help you out besides Wizardliz (I am sure you have heard of the diva).

• Try curating a playlist for your own vibes. For example, I have a playlist for my commute, a playlist for when I work, a playlist for studying in my uni library and even a different playlist for journaling.

• Journaling helped me recognise myself so much. I suggest you start maintaining one. I'll upload a post on how to journal effectively soon. That might help you to put your thoughts down.

• It is important to start enjoying your own company. Breathe and feel the moment. Singlehood has a lot of joy for you. I know, you have so much love to give. Give some of that love to your own self.

• Movie recommendations on singlehood and academia (every person needs this) - How To Be Single, Legally Blonde, Eat, Love and Pray and Mona Lisa Smile. Also add Erin Brockovich to that list. These films just immensely motivate me to focus on my own self and find me again.

• A game changing tip you can try is creating a vision board. You can go to Tam Kaur's video on that - it might help you.

• Above all things, if you can try guided meditations, that might help.

I hope this was of some help! Take love and remember, my inbox is always open for you all 💗

[academic-vampire]

𝔩𝔦𝔣𝔢 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔠𝔦𝔱𝔶

[sirenlipgloss]

𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭'𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐬

𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐢 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐦𝐞.

[aidashakur]

[sirenlipgloss]

my dating life in a smol nutshell. 💄

[sinnyvia]

𝔰𝔥𝔢’𝔰 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔣𝔯𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔥 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱𝔯𝔶𝔰𝔦𝔡𝔢

[sirenlipgloss]

🚬 ♡

[sirenlipgloss]

can you make a moodboard for me 👉👈 a dark academia love moodboard pretty please?

"𝐖𝐡𝐨, 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐫?"

_____________________________________________

Hey anon! This was so fun to make. Thank you for your lovely request 💌.

[icaseybaybee]

[professor-winter]

ᴛᴏ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ꜱᴏʟɪᴛᴜᴅᴇ, ʏᴇᴛ ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴛʟʏ, ᴄʀᴀᴠᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇ

[ariaiscursed]

- there’s a beauty in the melancholy if you know where to find it

[sirenlipgloss]

𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭

𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬

𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐥𝐮𝐤𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞

𝐢 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐩 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬

𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐥 - 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐤.

[sirenlipgloss]

Hey! Do you make moodboards? I saw your moodboard on Persephone and I was wondering if you could make one on the novel Rebecca. I have been reading it recently so. It's okay if you don't make moodboards though. I love your blog. It's so pretty!!!

Hey love! Hope you are having fun while reading Rebecca. It used to be a favorite of mine! I do make moodboards, you are welcome to ask. My inbox is always open.

Rebecca has always been more than just dark academia to me. It has questions of a morally grey compass, love and hate teetering on a string of ambivalence, the fine line between jealousy and admiration and above all, the sense of gothic sublime. I don't want to spoil the plot for you and I really hope this moodboard inspires you to read further!

However, I have not watched the movie. Personally, I am a little picky about watching movies adapted from books (except Pride and Prejudice 2005). So, this moodboard was really based on the sense of aesthetic that I derive from the text by Maurier. Enjoy and take love! ♡

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Also, to all other anons and followers, I have a little message. My inbox is open for moodboard requests, study inspiration, book gossip and general yapping. 💌

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[sirenlipgloss]

𝔓𝔢𝔯𝔰𝔢𝔭𝔥𝔬𝔫𝔢'𝔰 𝔇𝔦𝔞𝔯𝔶

𝑶𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒐𝒎,

𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆, 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒎𝒆 𝑸𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏.

- 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘪

[liones-s]

one of the biggest things I can advocate for (in academia, but also just in life) is to build credibility with yourself. It’s easy to fall into the habit of thinking of yourself as someone who does things last minute or who struggles to start tasks. people will tell you that you just need to build different habits, but I know for me at least the idea of ‘habit’ is sort of abstract and dehumanizing. Credibility is more like ‘I’ve done this before, so I know I can do it, and more importantly I trust myself to do it’. you set an assignment goal for the day and you meet it, and then you feel stronger setting one the next day. You establish a relationship with yourself that’s built on confidence and trust. That in turn starts to erode the barrier of insecurity and perfectionism and makes it easier to start and finish tasks. reframing the narrative as a process of building credibility makes it easier to celebrate each step and recognize how strong your relationship with yourself can become

[sirenlipgloss]

After giving a lecture today, when my co-worker asked me if the lecture had been challenging, I said, "Yes, it was a bit new for me, but I did good."

I realised that this is the first time in my life that I had appreciated myself out loud in front of others. I went back home and wrote in my journal - "I did good."

I felt a soft power in my heart. You are doing good too; don't forget to give yourself the love you give others.

[thezenangel]

youtube channels to motivate you this semester

♡ abao in tokyo - study with me’s & playlists

♡ advika singh - study & productivity vlogs

♡ allie c. - medical school vlogs

♡ carrot td - study with me’s

♡ celine - study with me’s

♡ deaana - medical school, study with me’s, stationary, etc.

♡ dear mimi - study vlogs

♡ dia - medical student vlogs

♡ dr. rachel southard, do - medical school & residency vlogs & talks

♡ emily feng - medical school vlogs

♡ emilystudying - dental school & study vlogs

♡ emma grace - nursing school vlogs

♡ emmalilyn - study with me’s

♡ ginny - study vlogs

♡ hyobin - medical student vlogs

♡ leighton sanders - nursing vlogs

♡ lucky penny - study with me’s

♡ lunardazes. - uni study vlogs

♡ madi’s nursing journey - nursing school & nursing vlogs

♡ mango oatmilk - study with me’s

♡ maria silva - study & hospital interning vlogs

♡ merve - study with me’s

♡ mishujo - study & productive vlogs

♡ nada - study & productivity vlogs

♡ ray hon - study with me’s

♡ sab yang - medical school & study vlogs

♡ sean study - study with me’s

♡ sierra lyn - nursing vlogs

♡ studymd - study with me’s

♡ study to success - stationary, study with me’s, study hacks, etc.

♡ tani study - study with me’s

♡ yours truly, chloe - study vlogs

♡ yulma - study with me’s

[sirenlipgloss]

for all my followers who need some youtube study motivation. ♡

[academic-vampire]

𝔠𝔦𝔫𝔫𝔞𝔪𝔬𝔫 𝔯𝔬𝔩𝔩𝔰 & 𝔠𝔬𝔣𝔣𝔢𝔢

[sirenlipgloss]

I wish for hardcover books on my lap that smell like nostalgia. I wish to see softness swirling in a cup of tea. I wish for the chill in the air and the crunch of leaves. I wish for autumn today.