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imie kent-muller

@mythicreader

5.1K

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2025

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📖 chronically ill | chronically bookish
📚 resident fangirl shouting about my latest 5 ⭐️ hits
☕️ give me coffee & a book to obsess over
📍Berkshire UK

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Hey Guys ✨

I felt like it is probably time to explain where I have been in the last 7 months with my inconsistent posting and vague hints of things going on 😂😬

In February, I suddenly started struggling to walk and was in intense pain. After a bunch of tests and hospital visits to lots of specialists, there are a few diagnosis additions to my list but the main one that seems to have caused my life to go on hold is Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). Basically, for unknown reasons, the software that is my nervous system has gone glitchy causing a lot of fun symptoms. This is why I’m currently on crutches and spend 3/4s of my life in bed.

The good news is that I can hopefully retrain my brain and body to gain some of my life back, but there aren’t any guarantees and it’s a long process. I’m back on NHS waitlists for treatments and I am doing some work already which has allowed me to spend time out of bed and in the garden, and overly push myself to attend my sister’s wedding ceremony earlier this month - which a couple of months ago seemed impossible. I’m recovering from that right now so have dipped a bit backwards but it was definitely worth it. I’m currently working towards a more achievable aim of going to a cafe without causing too much pain or a flare up of my condition. Sounds small but it would be amazing.

I’ve had lovely messages during this time from some of the bookish gang and I’ve so appreciated them. I’m hoping to continue posting (probably a bit irregularly for now), particularly as my fave season of reading is coming up (can you guess what it is from this photo). I share a big portion of my life on here so it felt fitting to let y’all in on what’s been going on and why I’m still not around as much. Also seeing other people online talk about it has really helped me.

Like with everything, I have good days and bad days. On the good days, you can bet I have my camera out taking photos and reading a good book.

If you want to know more about FND, I’d recommend checking out charities like FND Hope and FND Action.

Anyway, that’s all I wanted to say. See you soon for more bookish content.🫶

#FND #BookwormL Two photos of Imie sat on a bench reading the secret history. One in black and white, the other in colour. In both photos a pair of crutches leans against the bench/ taken in United Kingdom by @mythicreader

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a month ago

Is this a cult? If so, SIGN ME UP.

ad: pr gift @canongatebooks @secondstoriesofficial 🖤

I think is one of the coolest book mail surprises ever.

When I saw @canongatebooks were bringing out a new series of classics called #CultCanons which are ‘novels for the outsiders, the outcasts, the misfits and the dreamers’, I knew this series was for me and that I needed to get my hands on them. It seems Canongate were listening and sent me this AMAZING set and merch which will be my new uniform (created by the amazing @secondstoriesofficial).

The series is out on the 2nd July and includes:
• The Minotaur Takes A Cigarette Break by Steven Sherrill
• Ham On Rye by Charles Bukowski
• Bones In The Throat by Anthony Bordain
• Sex & Rage by Eve Babitz
• Suicide Blonde by Darcwt Steinke

I’m really excited to read them all but my top two are The Minotaur Takes A Cigarette Break (as a myth lover and fan of retellings/reimaginings), and Sex & Rage (which as a Didion lover is often recommended to me). I’m sure all of them will be amazing though, what a collection!

Which one are you excited to read?

#BookHaul #BookMail #BookMerch #CultClassics taken in United Kingdom by @mythicreader

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3 months ago

What’s your drink of choice when reading? ☕️

Mine is definitely coffee, particularly coffee with a dash of caramel syrup. Yummmmm. I had to go a few months not drinking coffee but now I’m back to it and it’s such a treat. Particularly as we’re heading into cooler months, but I’m sure as we get closer to winter it will be split between coffee and hot chocolate. Coffee is my comfort drink and the perfect accompaniment to a good book.

Okay I need to go make another coffee now.

Let me know your reading drink choice in the comments ✍️

#CoffeeAndBooks #BooksAndCoffee #AmReading #AnnotatedBooks #ReadingTime Looking down at a wooden table with an open book with sticky tabs and annotations behind a mug of coffee. taken in United Kingdom by @mythicreader

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a year ago

A little moment for Anne Carson getting the Nobel Prize for Literature 👏✨

I was first introduced to their work in my studies. I read parts of Eros the Bittersweet for a number of essays at university and for my dissertation on love in The Iliad. From there I found out they had written adaptations and translations such as two versions of Antigone - one that I saw on stage at the Barbican with Juliette Binoche (not my favourite play, but the translation itself was good) and Antigonick - this gorgeous version with drawings on thin paper (like tracing paper) that overlaid the text below. I continued to collect and read variations of her translations over the years.

Then I did a two week work experience at @vintagebooks (this was waaaay back in 2017 whilst I was finishing up my MRes). In those days the way you were rewarded for your time there was getting to take a few books home. I picked one of the Anne Carson books in a stack of five and one of the managerial members of the department told me to go crazy and brought me a whole stack of Anne Carson (so all the poetry and essay collections at the time essentially along with verse novels Autobiography of Red and Red Docs which reimagines the plot of the fragmentary poem Geryoneis). I’ve then continued buying copies of her work since. I know I’m missing a few (Nox is one I always keep my eye out for, and I need to get Wrong Norma). This photo is also missing one or two books I do own but have done an imie organised moment and put somewhere for safe keeping during my merging of different book collections 🫪 I will find and reunite them though.

Anne Carson is probably on my list of people I’d love to have tea with, but I would also be terrified to do so as my classics knowledge wouldn’t live up to their brain of wonder. She was a key part of my classical studies but I’ve continued to enjoy all her work beyond it. She is so creative and I would love to know how her brain works with these experimental formats and styles. What a wonderful author to win the Nobel Prize for Literature!

Have you read any Anne Carson? Which is your favourite?

#AnneCarson #Translations #BookStack #BookCollection #AncientGreece A collection of Anne Carson’s books spread out on a bed, with the photo taken from a bit of a distance to show the scale. taken in United Kingdom by @mythicreader

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a day ago

Welcome to the UK @aardvarkbookclubuk 💜

ad: pr gift box

If you’re into book subscriptions, book recommendations, fun and clever hints, and a witty social media account - then look no further as I have the recommendation for you!

@aardvarkbookclubuk are a book subscription service that started off in the US but have now made their way overseas with October being their first month. In the lead up to the start of the month they drop hints for the book choices they will be offering (in the form of quizzes/clues/other fun challenges) and then at the start of each month you can pick up to three books on the app - one covered in your membership (£13.99) and then each additional book discounted at £8.99. Then they ship their fun box out to you to enjoy.

If you’re someone who loves hardbacks, this is definitely wayyyyyy more affordable than buying each separately. Also the editions come with some lovely design work to help make the collection grow.

Aardvark Books kindly sent me two of the books for October and they totally understood me as a reader. Emily St John Mandel is one of my favourite authors and I love dystopian novels so Exit Party is a great choice for me, and I’ve been a huge greys anatomy fan for yonks so mixing that with dark academia fantasy definitely has me excited for Bodies of Magic by Freya Marske.

They have options for lots of styles in their six books so I’m sure you’ll find at least one book you want to read 📖

The other choices for this month are:
• Love You to Death by Jenna Levine
• Mazywood by Tananarive Due
• Kiss Slay Replay by Rachel Harrison
• The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon

This is such a fun new subscription so thank you @aardvarkbookclubuk for sending a box my way!

Which book would you choose for your pick?

#BookSubscriptionBox #AardvarkBooks #HardbackBooks #BookBox #BookCollection On a bed, with a black and white picture of London behind on the wall, is a box open to show two books inside and details about aardvark books new subscriptions in the UK. taken in United Kingdom by @mythicreader

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2 days ago

All I need is a coffee and a good book 📖

My brain fog has been pretty present these past few days which makes writing captions pretty tricky 😂 so here is a quick post to remind people that coffee and books is the ultimate pairing and you cannot tell me otherwise.

…ok you can try to persuade me of other combos in the comments.

My go to drink: coffee with caramel syrup
Currently reading: The Mabinogion

Tell me what your current read and drink pairing is 📖☕️

#CoffeeAndBook #BooksAndCoffee #AmReading #CurrentlyReading #BookishLife An open book next to someone sitting on a bed holding a mug of coffee. taken in United Kingdom by @mythicreader

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5 days ago

Do you switch between formats for the same book? 📖 🎧

I’m currently working my way through The Mabinogion, mostly listening to it on the @bookshop_org_uk audio app (thanks to my prize of a year’s worth of audiobooks *swoon*) but occasionally flipping through my gorgeous @foliosociety edition.

I will sometimes do this to keep me reading, as I often slump these days, but what’s interesting in this case is they are slightly different translations. The Penguin classics audio book is translated by Jeffrey Gantz and is said to be a more modern approach to the myths. The folio society edition uses the Victorian translation by Lady Charlotte Guest who was seen as pioneering but did bring her Victorian sensibilities to the text - omitting a few bits. Leslie Norris, the editor and introduction writer, does add footnotes throughout of some of the translations issues.

Whilst I have found myself listening to the audiobook more for the story, I have enjoyed going through the beautiful hardback too for an insight into translation choices and to see the beautiful wood-engravings throughout by Joan Freeman.

Having recently also listened to Arthur by Amy Jeffs, I’m finding the tales connected to Arthur and his court interesting as they feel less like the Camelot and knights we know, and more like Celtic tribal clans. It’s also interesting that Arthur is often referred to as Emperor which is very Roman.

The stories like How Culhwch Won Olwen and The Dream of Rhonabwy remind me a lot of The Iliad with its lists of characters and quite formulaic plot structure, but the earlier tales like Pwyll Lord of Dyved and Manawydan Son of Lyr (two branches of what is called the Mabinogi) are a lot more mythological in style and have elements of The Odyssey such as through themes of honouring guests, punishments for breaking oaths and epic adventures. They also feel more like a fairytale in style than the later books.

I’m really enjoying my exploration of this time period and can see how it inspired the likes of Tolkien and the world of fantasy books. I’m excited to read more of these stories!

#TheMabinogion #Audiobook #CurrentlyReading #WelshMythology #CelticMythology On a bed next to a wall is a book laid open (the folio society edition of the Mabinogion) with a phone lying on top showing the same book as an audiobook on the new bookshop.org app. Next to that is a coffee. taken in United Kingdom by @mythicreader

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9 days ago

HELLO OCTOBER 🎃

ad: includes gifted copies - publishers tagged *

I love reading gothic, atmospheric, slightly surreal reads in this month, so I thought I’d share some recommendations in the next few weeks that are good for every reading genre in the autumnal month of October. Spooky isn’t just for horror 👻

First up is one of my favourite styles which sort of encompasses all types of literature - short stories. I think the short story style really lends to creepy stories with building of the uncanny. I’ve found myself getting lost in these collections with lots of different styles of uncanny. There are more domestic surreal, hauntings, body horror, thrillers, fairytales gone wrong, and lots of unexpected twists and turns. So here are the different collections I’d recommend giving a go - they’re great for having on your bedside table to read one before bed (if you dare) or as a book to take on the go where you can read one or two on your commute.

• The Missing and The Daemon Lover by Shirley Jackson
• Transformation by Mary Shelley
• Good Bones by Margaret Atwood
• The Turn of the Screw and Other Stories by Henry James
• The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter
•The Witching Hour: Ghostly Tales for the Darkest Nights by multiple authors *
• Her Body & Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
• Salt Slow by Julia Armfield *
• The Dangers of Smoking in Bed and Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enriquez
• The Houseguest by Amparo Dávila
• A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enriquez *
• Parallel Hells by Leon Craig
• Through the Woods by E. M. Carroll
• When Things Get Dark edited by Ellen Datlow *
• After Midnight by Daphne du Maurier *

What short stories would you recommend for October?

#OctoberReads #SpookyReads #ShortStoryCollection #BookStack #BookRecommendations Book stack of short story collections on a blue winged back chair next to a pillow that has a quote from the night circus on it and a black candle in a brass candle holder. See white sliding doors in the background. taken in United Kingdom by @mythicreader

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10 days ago

Spooky season loading
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ad: includes gifted copy * and a prize copy

How are we at the end of September already? I think the weirdly still warm weather isn’t helping me get the cosy autumn vibes going, but having a month of spooky things will do the trick. This year will be more focused on cosy spooky as I have to be careful of my nervous system, but I will definitely lean into the gothic don’t worry.

For me, I can’t share my love of spooky season without sharing these three reads that are perfect this time of year:

• We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson - my favourite Shirley Jackson so far for its unreliable narrator, heady atmosphere that builds in the town, twists and turns, and because I have this beautiful @foliosociety edition I bought with a gift card I won. It brings the story to life beautifully through gorgeous illustrations.

• The Secret History by Donna Tartt - my go to reread for the season since it was a ritual I started as a classics student at uni. I’ll never shut up about this stunning book that brings atmosphere, twists, culty murders, and is just the perfect dark academia book.

• Dracula by Bram Stoker *: My latest addition to the stack but it’s a mighty one. When you think of spooky you think of the creatures who crawl around in the dark, the witches, the werewolves… the vampires. And this is a master of the vampire genre. This edition from @fourcornersbooks brings an extra element to the story by producing a beautiful edition where each diary or letter by a certain character has their own typography. That with some gorgeous art work makes this story feel even more like a historical artefact rather than fiction. The perfect read for the spooky season.

What books come to mind when you think about the spooky season?

#SpookyReads #AutumnReads #DarkAcademia #GothicLiterature #BeautifulBooks On a bench in a dark corner of the garden surrounded by leaves is a bench with three hardback books stacked on it: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (folio society edition), The Secret History by Donna Tartt (anniversary edition), Dracula by Bram Stoker (four corners edition) taken in United Kingdom by @mythicreader

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11 days ago

Annotations no 3: Classics Reading Challenge 2025 - present 📖

The final photos (currently) in my annotation series, which is all about how I read classics now and annotate them.

In 2025 I started a classics reading challenge and I approached it quite academically with research which I wrote up at the front of the book focusing on characters and themes which I then kept an eye out for throughout the book along with capturing passages of writing I enjoyed. I also wrote some thoughts down in the margins.

The main difference between my initial annotating and the annotating now is neatness. Back in my studying days I messily scrawled over everything and liked things to jump out so I could easily find them later for essays. As I’m annotating more for enjoyment during the ‘in-the-moment experience’ I like to try to stay neat so the book remains readable if I want to pick it up again.

In 2025 I read at least one classic book a month, for the first few months they were purely my choice of read but then I joined a classic book club which meant I had at least one classic a month I needed to be able to discuss - so my annotating changed slightly into focusing on things I picked up when reading and what I felt would be part of the discussion (along with my tracking of character and themes). Although I’m not managing to read one a month now, or attend my lovely book club, when I do pick up a classic I approach it in the same way.

My favourite classic to read my annotations from is It Can’t Happen Here because it was the first classic in a long time which just filled me with excitement to read and analyse. The uncanny similarities to today’s political landscape (particularly in America) made me want to underline and note so many sections. I think it really helped me drive to read more as it was the second book in my challenge. Honorary mention goes to Stoner as well as I just loved reading it and I wanted to capture the beautiful quotes.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this weird reflection series, I’ve had fun analysing my analysis. 🧐

What’s your annotation style?

#AnnotatingBooks #Annotations #ClassicalLiterature #Classics #Annotating Looking down at a collection of open books with annotations, underlining and highlighting. Next to them is a bouquet of dried flowers. taken in United Kingdom by @mythicreader

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13 days ago

My reading corner 📖
(Aka where you will basically find me)

I thought it was probably time to show where I spend most of my day… my bed 👍

I try to change positions and levels of uprightness throughout the day but I am predominantly half laid out either reading, doodling, listening to music, watching shows etc in this spot.

I am trying to get out of bed a little more so I now also have a comfy chair in my room to do short stints in. But anyway I’ve made it a nice space and it’s all cosy which is nice. I’m currently rereading the first book in the Villains series so I can read the third book (a kindly gifted proof) remembering everything that happens. I’m also taking the opportunity of rereading to annotate which is another fun activity I enjoy 😊

Whilst I’d love to be able to read in more places I love, like cafes and on trains, my bed is a pretty good substitute whilst I work towards those goals. The garden has been added into my list of places I can sit for a little while which is also nice!

Where do you like to read? 📖

#ReadingCorner #ReadingSpace #AmReading #VESchwab #ChronicIllnessLife Imie is reading a copy of vicious by v e Schwab sat propped up by pillows at the corner of her bed. Near her is a stack of the other two books in the series. On the walls is one large photo of a scene in London, then two small illustrative pictures by Nima Nima studio. taken in United Kingdom by @mythicreader

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15 days ago

What are you currently reading? 📖

In prep for reading Victorious, which I’ve been lucky enough to have been sent a proof of, I decided it’s been a while since I read the first two in the series… so bring on Vicious. I’m enjoying returning to the world of Victor and Eli and all the morally grey characters that inhabit it. I fell into a little reading slump recently so this has been a nice refresher.

I also forced myself outside this morning with (of of) my morning cups of coffee to enjoy reading a little in the sun before we have colder days. I struggle to sit in chairs for too long but I managed a while soaking in the sun, sipping on coffee and enjoying my read.

Let me know in the comments your current read, your thoughts on it, and whether you’re excited for Victorious!

#VESchwab #Villains #CurrentlyReading #CoffeeAndCurrentlyReading #Rereading Open book on a garden table with the sun hitting it. Next to the book is a mug of coffee. taken in United Kingdom by @mythicreader

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18 days ago