Rainbow Rowell - Tumblr Posts - Page 2
RUNAWAYS #11
RAINBOW ROWELL (W) KRIS ANKA (A/C) Having purple hair used to be an act of rebellion, but now Gert is just one of many. Which doesn’t sit well with Ms. Yorkes. And she’s not the only one wrestling with who they are and what they want as Nico, Chase, Karolina and Victor all wrestle with their own identity crises… 40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99
Books I’m Reading Right Now:
Made You Up - Francesca Zappia
Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell
Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
Looking for Alaska - John Green
Did she miss him? She wanted to lose herself in him. To tie him around her like a tourniquet. If she showed him how much she needed him, he'd run away.
Eleanor & Park, Rainbow Rowell
Words
Baz
Simon Snow’s bare feet patter into his bedroom where I’m typing up my lab report on the bed.
Technically, I live with Fiona, but I spend all of my time at Simon and Bunce’s flat. Most nights I end up staying over because Simon says he doesn’t like sleeping alone. It makes sense. Apparently he’s never had his own room before. He had at least one roommate in all of the foster homes he grew up in and when he was at school, he shared our room with me. That coupled with his frequent night terrors, it would be pretty cruel just to leave him alone.
Bunce said that she didn't mind sleeping with him, but Simon said that was weird (and I agreed). And I don’t imagine that Micha fellow would be too happy about his girlfriend sleeping in the same bed as the boy she spends all her time with while he’s stuck over in another country. She suggested a sleeping bag but Simon shut down that idea too. Said he felt bad about it. Typical. That leaves me. And I’m not complaining. Seven years of staring at his sleeping face like the creep I am and now I actually get to be in the same bed as him. There’s no way I’m giving that up. It’s a win-win situation. In more ways than one. I’ve liked the dark ever since I was a kid. Simon would call it “the vampire within me” but I liked it even before I was turned. It was in the dark that my mother’s fire burned brightest. But ever since I was kidnapped by fucking numpties and they kept in a coffin for a month, the darkness just seems suffocating. But I also just like being in his room. It’s so… him. Our room at Watford was too small to really do anything to. And Simon never had anything to decorate his side with. But now he’s got a part time job. (At bloody Starbucks. He probably only applied for the scones). He’s got a room that he can do whatever he wants to with. He’s got time to figure out what his interests are without worrying about the Humdrum or goblins trying to off him.
And his newly discovered interests are: space. Simon is completely infatuated with space. He majors in astrophysics and his walls are covered in posters of nebulas and blackholes. He doodles constellations on his arm whenever a pen is near and he won’t shut up about getting a tattoo of one someday. (“What’s stopping you?” Bunce asks. Simon says he’s afraid of needles and infection. I tell him that being afraid of a puny needle is idiotic when he’s battled literal monsters. Bunce points out that she can magic an infection healed. Simon asks if she can just magic him a tattoo. She tells him there’s not a spell for tattoos. “Well maybe you should work on that, Penny.”) Every few nights when his nightmares get too intense, I take him stargazing to calm him down. Sometimes, if his screams have wandered through the walls and woken her up, Bunce tags along. He lays between us and names the constellations that Bunce and I have known since we were toddlers but Simon had never bothered to learn until now. His eyes are usually red and raw, his face still streaked with tears. His voice and body still trembling from the combination of leftover fear and chilliness. But he loves the stars. He really does. So I do as well.
fantasy novels. Bunce and I have our suspicions that he only likes them because he misses magic so much, but neither of us would ever say so to his face. Somehow Simon had gotten through his entire childhood without reading Harry Potter once. When he mentioned this, of course I went out to buy the full set, but he wouldn’t read it. (“I just can’t do it. I open the book and there’s just so many words. And there’s seven books, Baz.”) Bunce, who was just as mind-blown about this as I was, set him up with an audible account and now he lounges around the house with earbuds dangling from his head. Every night I would ask him where he left off, and he would fanboy over how smart Hermoine was and how mad he was that Cedric Diggory died. I would lay with my hands in his hair, quietly agreeing until we both fell asleep. When he finished it, he was so distraught he barely talked for four days. It took another two days for us to marathon the movies. (We would’ve done it in one but I had class in the morning and I made him swear not to watch them without me.) And then he was done with books again for a solid month. But he kept griping about how he missed having something to do and that he wished he could listen to them all again for the first time. Bunce got fed up with it and downloaded the Percy Jackson books. At first he resisted, saying it felt like he was cheating on J.K. Rowling, but eventually he gave in. (He thinks I’m jealous of his crush on Nico but he is wrong.) Now he listens exclusively to fantasy novels, whether they’re well known or not. He’s got a heavy wooden bookshelf (which was as a bitch to get into the tiny flat) lined with all of the hardcopies. (Which doesn’t make sense because he listens to them all on audible. “It’s for the aesthetic.”) (The box set I got him of the HP books are on their own shelf. That’s so fucking cute. What the fuck.)
So, as I sit on his bed, enjoying the Simon-ness of the room, my boyfriend himself walks in. He’s wearing one of my sweaters. He keeps stealing them even though they’re a bit too big for him. (“It’s what boyfriends do, Baz.”) His lips are in a pout; his eyebrows are furrowed. He’s wearing a face that I know all too well. We have a routine by now. I set my laptop to the side so he can crawl into my lap. His arms and legs wrap tight around me and his face is pressing into the crook of my neck. He feels like he’s trying to crawl out of his skin. He’s not crying but I know that if this keeps up, it won’t be long until the tears come. I wordlessly bring my hands up and start drawing circles on his back. I know he loves that. I hum a bit. Occasionally rock side to side. I don’t bother asking him what’s wrong. I know he won’t talk. Can’t talk, rather. Simon has tried to explain it to me, but I still don’t quite understand it. I get that he’s always had trouble with words, but not talking like this is something else entirely. He says it’s like he’s trapped in his own mind. Likes he’s in a never-ending spiral of negativity that his voice doesn’t reach. Sometimes I can get him to respond by asking extremely basic questions. He takes deep breaths and answers in fragments. But usually it’s best just to hold him and let him come out of it on his own. Pushing him is never good. Early in our relationship, before I knew about his periods of silence, I would find him sitting on the couch, staring blankly at his lap, his hands clenched so hard his knuckles were white, and his mouth drawn into a tight frown. I would come over. Ask him what was wrong. Try to get him to talk. Effectively hold a one-sided conversation until it grew into frustration. It always ended with me yelling and Simon curled as small as he could make himself, shoulders bouncing with silent crying, every so often making small squeaking sounds in an attempt to speak.
So now I scratch his back, and hum, and rock. Until I stop scratching his back, and stop humming, and stop rocking. Until I’m just hugging him close and leaning us against the bed frame. After a while Bunce knocks softly on the door and comes in. We nod to each other and she sits next to me on the bed without a word. A few moments pass and I feel Simon turn his head to look at her. His grip around me is loosening but hot tears start to fall onto my shoulder. Bunce gives him a little wave. He shifts so he’s sat snuggled between us, just like when we’re stargazing. He takes a few deep, deep breaths and I can tell he’s coming out of it. Bunce takes his hand. He leans his head into my shoulder again. He brings his free hand to cover his eyes.
“I killed him.”
We’ve been through this before. We’ll go through it again.
smile
in which, simon likes to play a game and make baz smile.
baz
“Smile,” he demands.
I raise an eyebrow at him as he cups my cheek with a hand.
“Come on, Baz. One smile. Please?”
I frown.
“Darling? Dear? Love? Pumpkin? Sweetie pie? Precious?”
I grimace.
“Pretty please? For me?”
I don’t respond. He pouts and reaches for my sides. He’s tried this before. He knows I’m not ticklish.
But he is. Ridiculously so.
I grab him before his hands even reach me and he’s shouting/laughing within seconds. He starts to lean backwards, instinctively trying to get away from me before he realizes there’s nothing there. I catch him before he falls. Like a responsible boyfriend.
And, Crowley, I have to bite my cheek to keep from smiling at this. His face is red and his eyes are watery from laughter and he’s still got a massive grin on his face. He wipes at his eyes and I pull him back onto the couch.
And I know what he’s going to try next. It used to work. He leans forward and plants a gentle kiss right on my unmoving lips. It makes me feel warm all over, but I don’t let myself respond to it.
He tilts his head back and searches my face. When I don’t budge, he sighs deeply and let his forehead fall onto my shoulder. He’s giving up.
I let one hand find his curls and the other find his waist. I let myself relax. And smile.
Simon tries to lift his head, and I know I can’t get rid of it before he sees. On impulse, I hold him down. He squirms in my grasp.
“You’re smiling!” he accuses.
“No, I’m not.”
He wings start flapping wildly.
“I can hear it in your voice!”
“That’s impossible,” I laugh.
“You’re impossible!”
I let him go and his head whips up. I’m still laughing as he pouts at me.
Eventually though, he smiles too. He pecks me on the cheek.
“I like it when you smile.”
Reading "Wayward Son" by Rainbow Rowell
So, I've been reading wayward son for about 4 days now(I know I'm late but it's hard to get a specific english book when you live in Germany(even through Amazon) ). And I enjoy it. I didn't expect it, but it just feels so good to have Simon, Baz and Penny back. I'm still not even half way through, because school, but CAN'T THESE BOYS JUST TELL EACH OTHER WHAT THEY ARE FEELING?! I mean, what the f. but I love to see Simon happy again. It warms my heart. And makes me feel things. I also read the festival scene which was actual GOLD. I. Loved. It. Anyways just wanted to tell someone about it. Have a nice day or night. :)
Yo who let The Mage and Baz cast in an episode of Scooby Doo
This is seriously uncanny💀
Spring Reading Reviews '16
This spring's list: NK Jemison, Rainbow Rowell, Stephen King, & Agatha Christie #amreading
Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve written anything here. I’ve been hard at work at my new novel, so apologies for my absences but really Sorry, Not Sorry. I have been reading though, and here are my thoughts on what I read this spring (March-May). Minor spoilers (nothing plot related) below for The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by NK Jemison, Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, The Future of Life by Edward…
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~May's Books Reviewed~
May saw some highs and lows in my enjoyment of books! I largely was still making my way through some old books I hadn't had the opportunity to read, but I also read a couple of newer ones. I was also on holiday for a week in May which meant that I had a couple of easier books thrown into the mix too. All in all, I've been enjoying my reading, especially as the weather has been nice and I'm able to read outside more!
Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li
(369 pages)
I actually started this book at the end of April, but I finished it at the start of May so in this post it goes! I really really enjoyed this book! I picked it up at the book shop because I have an unapologetic love for heist films, but had never actually read a proper heist book that I could think of. This fulfilled everything u wanted it to be as a heist book though. It was light and fun and a fairly easy read. It completely held my attention and remained believable (bizarrely!) while being compelling. It brought about the same feelings of investment and fun that I get while watching heist films and I would highly recommend it to people.
I gave this book 4.5 stars ⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️🌗
The MouseTrap (70th anniversary edition) by Agatha Christie (arranged and introduced by Sophie Hannah)
(245 pages)
This is a bit of an odd one to include, however I saw the play (finally!) and absolutely loved it so felt I had to locate the book now that I was part of the secret! Obviously seeing it was indescribably better, however it is still a fun story and I enjoyed all the behind the scenes bits and history that this book went in to. I cannot recommend going to see the play enough and would in fact not recommend reading this until after you already know the story so that you can enjoy the plot twists and mystery in real time with the rest of the audience.
I gave this book 3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️🌗 (but as a play it was 5!)
The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman
(546 pages - this was a hardback)
I had owned this book for several years, having got it when it first came out with every intention of reading it, only to never get around to it! I loved the His Dark Materials trilogy when I was younger which is why I was really wanting to read another book from the same universe. That being said, while I enjoyed this book, it did not quite live up to the original trilogy (at least not in my memory). This was probably mostly due to a lack of nostalgia and attachment to the characters considering it is set like a prequel to the original books. The world and the writing remains incredible so I would highly recommend all Philip Pullman books, including this one to anyone who is perhaps a younger reader and wanting to get into a good fantasy world.
I gave this book 3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️🌗
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John LeCarré
(367 pages)
So I read this primarily for its reputation as this incredible espionage book.... I have to admit, I do not get the hype. I honestly could not tell you anything that happened in this book, it kept my interest that little that I have already forgotten genuinely everything. I found that there were too many characters and the plot and language was long winded, meandering and unnecessarily complex. It's supposedly a classic, but unfortunately I'm still not sure what I even actually read. I therefore did not exactly enjoy it. It's definitely not the worst book I've ever read, but I doubt I'll find myself reaching for any more LeCarré.
I gave this book 2 stars ⭐️⭐️
The Help by Kathryn Stochett
(451 pages)
Very different from the other books that I rated this highly, but no less enjoyable. It took me a surprisingly long time to read for the number of pages it is, but this was in no correlation to the writing, which was simple and effective, but rather down to the content I think. The book deals with a lot of heavy themes around racism in particular, especially as it aims to by historically accurate and so it would have felt disrespectful almost to have read it much quicker. The writing and story were addictive and despite the heavy themes, I genuinely enjoyed reading this book and at no point felt weighed down by the responsibility of it. I would really recommend this book.
I gave this book 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌗
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
(434 pages)
This was the start of my holiday reading and it was indeed a total "airport book", ironically enough about an airport book author! I did strangely enjoy this book and was definitely desperate to finish it and find out what was going on the whole time. Although, that being said, the ending was a little anticlimactic and sudden in my opinion which did drag the rating down a little. I would also say that there does need to be a bit of a content warning here for eating disorders and very casual references and descriptions of them at that. It is set at a wellness retreat so a lot of the characters internal monologue does end up focusing a fair amount on body image and dieting.
I gave this book 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
(461 pages)
The second of my holiday books! I mean.... it's been read before, and it holds up as being exactly what it says on the tin - a classic teen coming of age book that while horribly cringy at points is still generally enjoyable. I loved this book when I first read it (almost 10 years ago!!) and I still loved it this time through, even if it was no longer quite as relatable! I have not much else to say about this one other than I would recommend it, but know that this is not the highbrow literature but simply fun and light and easy.
I gave this book 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Icebreaker by R.L. Graziadei
(314 pages)
The last of my holiday reads. My kindle recommended this one to me based off other books I have read I suppose and I have to admit that unfortunately I was a little disappointed, especially by the end.it felt like it was just beginning to pick up and get interesting, only for all the resolutions etc to happen and feel kinda rushed and kinda unrealistically unsatisfactory. That being said, it was still a mindless holiday read and I really did enjoy the representation, both of multiple sexualities and relationship types; and more so perhaps of various mental health struggles.
I gave this book 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
(382 pages)
I really really enjoyed this book, was definitely a high to finish the month on! I found it highly engaging as I was so desperate to find out what had happened through out. The protagonist/speaker was incredibly unique and well written, with her trauma and experiences clearly affecting her thought patterns. This made it really interesting and cool to be reading from such a clearly unreliable narrators perspective, but also to watch with front row view as she herself slowly unpacks what has happened to her and come to terms with what other people see and how she could be living her life. The ending was perhaps a tiny bit too abrupt for my liking, but I really would recommend this book to people.
I gave this book 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️