my rolodex

Books:

I read 9 books in February. Here's a list:

1. Death Note volume 11 | 4/5
2. Attack on Titan volume 3 | 4/5
3. Dead River by McCaid Paul | 4/5
4. Death Note volume 10 | 4/5
5. Attack on Titan volume 2 | 4/5
6. Attack on Titan volume 1 | 4/5
7. Ghosts of the Shadow Market by Cassandra Clare | 4/5
8. Death Note volume 9 | 4/5
9. Death Note volume 8 | 4/5
   
   

Overall, this has been a really good reading month, in intake and ratings!!! Let’s recap:

Death Note:

In the Death Note manga series, we follow a brilliant high school student, named Light Yagami, who discovers a mysterious notebook with the power to kill anyone whose name is written within its pages. As he uses this power to reshape the world according to his ideals, he attracts the attention of a genius detective called L, setting off a cat-and-mouse game that tests the limits of justice and morality. The story unfolds as a battle of wits between two minds, each determined to outmaneuver the other in a quest for truth and control.

I really enjoyed this manga series as a sum. There were points in the middle where the narrative got a little convoluted and goofy and I could have done without, but other than that, this is definitely one of my favorite TV series and now it is one of my favorite manga series.

Attack on Titan:

In Attack on Titan, we are transported to a world where humanity teeters on the brink of extinction. A young boy named Eren Yeager witnesses the destruction of his home by monstrous creatures known as Titans. Driven by a fierce determination to reclaim their world, he joins forces with his friends to fight against these giants and uncover the secrets behind their existence. As they delve deeper into the mysteries of their world, they must confront the darkness that threatens to consume everything they hold dear.

This is my boyfriend's favorite anime and I find that if I'm watching an anime series based on a manga series, if I read the manga alongside watching the TV show, I absorb way more information and understanding of what's happening versus if I were to only watch the TV.

In the TV show, I am somewhere in the second season, so I am trying to catch up to where I am in the TV show, and then I will tandem watch/read them.

Dead River by McCaid Paul:

In the Floridian panhandle, we follow our protagonist, seventeen-year-old Clayton Thomas, as he sells fish from his fishing adventures along the Choctawhatchee River. It's on one of these outings that Clayton finds a dead body and a vulnerable teenage girl alone on a houseboat. Shenanigans ensue.

I already did a loooooooooong review here about this book and I see no purpose in reiterating everything I already said, so I'll leave the link here: https://vampiricprose.dreamwidth.org/7197.html

Ghosts of the Shadow Market by Cassandra Clare:

This book is a interconnected short story collection within the Shadowhunter Universe following Brother Zachariah on his trips through various Shadow Markets.

I really liked this book, but I definitely found certain stories and time periods easier to follow than others. This short story collection is apart of a greater collection with #Lore so don't pick this up if you figure that you just like short story collections lol.

In Progress Books:

• Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino: In this novel, a young woman, named Adina, born in Philadelphia, believes she is an alien emissary tasked with observing and reporting on human life. As she navigates her life among humans, she grapples with feelings of isolation and belonging, chronicling the beauty and fragility of existence on Earth.
• Attack on Titan series: see above
• Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare: Set in the Shadowhunter version of Edwardian London, a young Shadowhunter named Cordelia Carstairs returns with her brother to clear their family's name after a devastating accusation. As they navigate the intricate society of Shadowhunters, they become entangled in a web of mystery and adventure alongside their friends. Together, they must confront the dark forces threatening their world and uncover the secrets that lie within the shadows of their own lives.
• The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: A memoir set in soviet Russia that exposes the brutal reality of the Soviet prison camp system called the Gulag by weaving together personal accounts, historical analysis, and philosophical reflections. Through a tapestry of stories from survivors, the author reveals the inhumanity of a regime that sought to crush the human spirit, while also highlighting the resilience and dignity of those who endured unimaginable hardships.

Total pages: 2877

Average rating: 4/5 (lol)

Music:

Albums:

1. Electroshock Blues by Eels | indie rock, alternative
2. Take A Vacation! by The Young Veins | indie rock, pop rock, garage rock, psychedelic rock
3. Coven Music Session by Doechii | hip hop, r&b, jazz rap
4. Year of the Snake by Softcult | shoegaze, indie pop, dream pop
5. See You in the Dark by Softcult | shoegaze, indie pop, dream pop
6. Alligator Bites Never Heal by Doechii | alternative, hip hop, r&b, soul
7. Frank by Amy Winehouse | jazz, r&b, soul, hip hop
8. Garbage by Garbage | alternative, dance rock, trip hop, shoegaze
9. Paramore by Paramore | alternative, new wave, power pop, pop rock
10.  Frances Farmer (Nirvana cover) by Softcult | shoegaze, grunge

Songs:

1. Gloomy Girl by Softcult | shoegaze, grunge 
2. Denial is a River by Doechii | southern hip hop, boom bap
3. Diet Pepsi by Addison Rae | synth pop, alternative pop
4. Good Luck, Babe! By Chappell Roan | synth pop, baroque pop, new wave
5. Writer in the Dark by Lorde | piano ballad, indie pop, art pop
6. Fuck Me Pumps by Amy Winehouse | r&b
7. Frances Farmer (Nirvana cover) by Softcult | shoegaze
8. Marian by The Sisters of Mercy | goth rock, post punk, dark wave, baroque rock
9. Groan by Dazey and the Scouts | riot grrrl, indie rock, post punk, garage rock
10.  Nosebleeds by Doechii | hip hop, r&b

Artists:

1. Softcult | 67 streams
2. Doechii | 60 streams
3. The Young Veins | 56 streams
4. Eels | 46 streams
5. Megan Thee Stallion | 33 streams
6. One Direction | 29 streams
7. Paramore | 28 streams
8. Kendrick Lamar | 21 streams
9. Patsy Cline | 19 streams
10.  Matt Maeson | 14 streams

Movies & TV:

I didn’t watch very much besides YouTube this month. I only watched Gone Girl (2014), a movie where a woman fakes her death to get away from her cheating husband. I rated it 3 ½ stars because it was filmed well, but I hated the actual content and character of the wife. I guess because I didn’t know that she was faking her death to get away from somebody, I really didn’t enjoy it. I was looking for a film where someone disappears and starts over just because. I also just didn’t like all that the wife lied about. Feels bad.

Games:
I played a only a couple of games this month, preferring to keep my nose in the books until I found a rhythm to doing my work and doing my hobbies. The games I did play were called Spellcaster University and Balatro:

Spellcatser University is a charming management simulation game where you build and manage a magical university, recruiting students and teachers, and specializing in various magical disciplines. The game involves deck-building and strategic decision-making to prepare your students for an impending invasion by a dark lord, with each playthrough offering unique challenges and opportunities. With its colorful world and engaging gameplay, it offers a fun experience for fans of management sims and fantasy settings.

Balatro is a roguelike deck-building game (genre characterized by procedurally generated content, turn-based gameplay, and permanent death, meaning that each playthrough is unique and failure often results in starting over from the beginning) that combines elements of poker with a unique, vintage-inspired style. Players create poker hands to surpass increasingly challenging score thresholds, known as "blinds," while refining and enhancing their deck between rounds. The game offers a blend of strategy and luck, with various power-ups and special cards available to aid in gameplay, making it both accessible and engaging for new players.

• Me (the Bitch) and Bustanji by Selma Dabbagh (☆☆☆☆☆ / 5)
  
  • short summary above <3
• Dates and Bitter Coffee by Donia ElAmal Ismaeel (☆☆☆☆☆ / 5)
  • short summary above <3
• Pieta by Jean Said Makdisi (☆☆☆☆☆ / 5)
  • Follows an unnamed woman who is relatively well off in Beirut in the 80s following the Palestinian Liberation Organization's decision to pull out of Lebanon and the story centers the protagonist meeting a former acquaintance, Nadia, on the streets after she has lost everything. I found that the juxtaposition between the protagonist and Nadia's experiences thus far, coupled with the protagonist's feelings of guilt and an almost envy made this story really good.
• Barefoot Bridge by Randa Jarrar (☆☆☆☆/ 5)
  • Follows a young girl traveling from Egypt to Jordan to attend her grandfather's funeral, and highlights the absurdities of the Palestine-Israeli checkpoints, and particularly, the narrative choice of using a child's perspective made this story very interesting and refreshing.
• Other Cities by Liana Badr (☆☆☆☆/ 5)
  • Umm Hasan, a Palestinian woman living in Hebron, promises her children that she will take them to visit Ramallah, despite her husband's warnings against it. When the children start to doubt her, Umm Hasan starts scheming to figure out a way to take her children on this risky trip.
• Local Hospitality by Naomi Shihab Nye (☆☆☆☆/ 5)
  • Follows a young Palestinian couple, Zakki and Suheila, visiting to their home village temporarily after going to university in America. Explores the relationships between Palestinian families and customs in a very interesting and entertaining way.
• May God Keep Love in a Cool and Dry Place by Adania Shibili (☆☆☆☆☆/ 5)
  • Follows a young couple, both unnamed, through the deterioration of their relationship, specifically focusing on how the female character changed for the male character and it still not being enough, as well as the female's tolerance for the male's mistreatment. This story was very artfully done and I recommend everyone check this one out.
• Her Story by Samira Azzam (☆☆☆☆/ 5)
  • This story is a letter from a sister to her younger brother. This story is best and strikes the strongest if you go in as blind as possible. It was very artful in it's execution.
• My Shoe Size and Other People's Views on the Matter! by Nibal Thawabteh (☆☆☆☆/ 5)
  • Follows a female protagonist as she buys shoes that are too small. Another one that is best read without any prior information
• If anybody wants to read any of these short stories, feel free to shoot me a message here and I'll send you a file :) just make sure to tell me what story you want!
  

☆ Hopefully, if you've gotten 7 volumes into a manga, you know if you like it or not, so I don't feel a need to review this one. Love Death Note and can't wait to read the next volume!


https://x.com/vampiricprose/status/1885524920324505972/photo/1
^link in case the photo is broken.