и заодно на тему
Nov. 21st, 2025 10:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
juan_gandhi"Машу Дрокову", наверно, многие помнят.
Что меня глубоко поражало, лет десять назад, что у неё на линктине среди контактов было порядочное количество моих порядочных знакомых. Думаю, и здесь кто-нибудь ещё есть среди её, э, "друзей". Я нахер недоумевал до крайности. Поразительно же. А им ничего так, ничего. Типа важная персона эта сучка, или что там вообще.
Ну вот; и теперь опять.
Я ничего не предлагаю, просто отмечаю ещё раз, что вкусы бывают разные. Кому-то нравится арбуз, а кому и кобыла невеста. Ps.1:1 - он же не обязателен к исполнению.
Bunhill Fields 2
Nov. 21st, 2025 07:47 ampoliphilo Bunhill Fields is the Westminster Abbey of English nonconformity. There are some very famous people buried here.
The Victorians honoured John Bunyan with a catafalque and recumbent effigy.
Daniel Defoe gets an obelisk-. Again it's Victorian.
Just to the right of the obelisk is one of Blake's two gravestones. It says that he and his wife Catherine are buried nearby.
Two gravestones?
Yes. A while after that first stone had been erected someone did some research and believed they had found the exact spot. Hence this- which is 20th century...
"I give you the end of a golden string
Only wind it into a ball
It will lead you in at Heaven's gate
Built in Jerusalem's wall."
The Victorians honoured John Bunyan with a catafalque and recumbent effigy.
Daniel Defoe gets an obelisk-. Again it's Victorian.
Just to the right of the obelisk is one of Blake's two gravestones. It says that he and his wife Catherine are buried nearby.
Two gravestones?
Yes. A while after that first stone had been erected someone did some research and believed they had found the exact spot. Hence this- which is 20th century...
"I give you the end of a golden string
Only wind it into a ball
It will lead you in at Heaven's gate
Built in Jerusalem's wall."
Dept. of Memes
Nov. 20th, 2025 10:10 pmkaffy_rMusic Meme, Day 12
A song that you feel nostalgic about:
The meme actually states "a song that you feel nostalgic to" but that makes little sense. On the other hand, I have been thinking about what song I might actually feel nostalgic about for the last day or so.
Yesterday it came to me; the instrumental pieces that I listened to on my mother's "Mantovani Manhattan" album (For years I've thought the album was called Mantovani Does Manhattan, but that doesn't seem to be the case.)
When I was about nine or 10, I listened to both sides of the album again and again. And again. And yet again. One of the reasons I know my family loved me was the fact that no one came into Mum's room, grabbed the record and broke it over my head. It didn't matter to me that Mantovani was apparently considered middle-brow at best - frankly, because I didn't know, but I wouldn't have cared even if I did.
I confess that I was fonder of the A side, because it had my favorite pieces: Harlem Nocturne and Slaughter on Tenth Avenue. I can't tell you today what precisely drew me to those pieces. I think I liked the music of Harlem Nocturne better than Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, but I kind of liked the title of Slaughter - and it was quite the overblown piece, which probably also appealed to me. I didn't know until I started putting this post together that Slaughter on Tenth Avenue was originally the name of a 1936 Balanchine ballet with music by Richard Rodgers. It was also the nane of a 1957 movie about New York waterfront union wars, or so states Madame Wiki. I think I'd like the ballet better.
Anyhow, here are my two favorite pieces.
(And here are the previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11)
A song that you feel nostalgic about:
The meme actually states "a song that you feel nostalgic to" but that makes little sense. On the other hand, I have been thinking about what song I might actually feel nostalgic about for the last day or so.
Yesterday it came to me; the instrumental pieces that I listened to on my mother's "Mantovani Manhattan" album (For years I've thought the album was called Mantovani Does Manhattan, but that doesn't seem to be the case.)
When I was about nine or 10, I listened to both sides of the album again and again. And again. And yet again. One of the reasons I know my family loved me was the fact that no one came into Mum's room, grabbed the record and broke it over my head. It didn't matter to me that Mantovani was apparently considered middle-brow at best - frankly, because I didn't know, but I wouldn't have cared even if I did.
I confess that I was fonder of the A side, because it had my favorite pieces: Harlem Nocturne and Slaughter on Tenth Avenue. I can't tell you today what precisely drew me to those pieces. I think I liked the music of Harlem Nocturne better than Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, but I kind of liked the title of Slaughter - and it was quite the overblown piece, which probably also appealed to me. I didn't know until I started putting this post together that Slaughter on Tenth Avenue was originally the name of a 1936 Balanchine ballet with music by Richard Rodgers. It was also the nane of a 1957 movie about New York waterfront union wars, or so states Madame Wiki. I think I'd like the ballet better.
Anyhow, here are my two favorite pieces.
(And here are the previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11)
I just can't get my crap together
Nov. 20th, 2025 10:21 pmcornerofmadnessThis house is never going to get cleaned. Not even doing one little bit at a time is helping me to get going. Sigh. Maybe someone should cut my internet and board me up in here...(take my tv too)
I barely had the gumption to go get my meds and to the coffee shop because I needed out of my head. I got a lot of writing done but that was just really a reason to come home and continue when I should have been working.
I went to put up the missing slides from my powerpoint which I put in red in front of my students so we all knew which ones that were missing. Guess what didn't save.
I was looking atfandomtress and wondering what in the world is going to make this happen on time. Ha. There are SO. MANY. different fandoms and very few overlap so far. I found 4 I could work on. And hey here is my tree if you'd like to gimme a gift.
Speaking of fandom, I have to share this. I shared this video withevil_little_dog of even more of Husk's new powers because they are so cool and I'm excited by them. check my boy out (and I think I've already shared this Husk glow up) and ELD responds with this reminds me of Gambit (probably remembering he IS my favorite X-Man) and omg she's right Gambit's power
I SO have a type. Apparently if you can set shit on fire (Roy, Zuko, Todoroki) or charge shit up and whip it at people (Gambit, Husk) you are my boy. Also I did NOT know this had been done to Gambit so there you go, another way to deal with an overpowered character. You Nerf them.
And hey check this out Alan Tudyk Launching New Podcast with Nathan Fillion called ‘Once, We Were Spacemen’ This could be so cool.
I barely had the gumption to go get my meds and to the coffee shop because I needed out of my head. I got a lot of writing done but that was just really a reason to come home and continue when I should have been working.
I went to put up the missing slides from my powerpoint which I put in red in front of my students so we all knew which ones that were missing. Guess what didn't save.
I was looking at
fandomtress and wondering what in the world is going to make this happen on time. Ha. There are SO. MANY. different fandoms and very few overlap so far. I found 4 I could work on. And hey here is my tree if you'd like to gimme a gift.Speaking of fandom, I have to share this. I shared this video with
evil_little_dog of even more of Husk's new powers because they are so cool and I'm excited by them. check my boy out (and I think I've already shared this Husk glow up) and ELD responds with this reminds me of Gambit (probably remembering he IS my favorite X-Man) and omg she's right Gambit's powerI SO have a type. Apparently if you can set shit on fire (Roy, Zuko, Todoroki) or charge shit up and whip it at people (Gambit, Husk) you are my boy. Also I did NOT know this had been done to Gambit so there you go, another way to deal with an overpowered character. You Nerf them.
And hey check this out Alan Tudyk Launching New Podcast with Nathan Fillion called ‘Once, We Were Spacemen’ This could be so cool.
Short fiction
Nov. 21st, 2025 11:19 amfred_mouseThis covers August through beginning of November
At least one of the links was from coth; most I have no idea - some of them have been in my 'read later' for a very long time. There were also stories from All of Tor.com’s Original Short Fiction Published in 2022, which I'm guessing I've started working through before, but didn't remember what I'd read previously (18 short stories, 13 novelettes, 1 translation) (and didn't finish this time either)
Loved it!
- Smoke and Sweetness by Zhui Ning Chang, from Jan 2025 - gentle, sweet, slice of life with touches of whimsy and sadness, set in a floristry
- Fruiting Bodies - Kemi Ashing-Giwa, from Jan 2022 - very much body horror, in a far future on a different planet. Not quite zombies.
- The Chronologist by Ian R MacLeod, from Feb 2022 - atmosphere and character and kind of an apocalypse
- The Last Truth by Anamaria Curtis, from Feb 2022 - bittersweet, about how how losing oneself a memory at a time leaves nothing behind.
Not bad
- Bone by Karl Gallagher, from May 2025 - heavy on the science, clunky on the rest.
- If a Digitized Tree Falls by Ken Liu and Caroline M. Yoachim, from Sept 2025 (novelette) - snatches through time, as the ways in which the world is modelled by digital tech changes, and AI assistants evolved. I found myself distracted and unmotivated to finish, although it is beautifully written
- Model Collapse by Matthew Kressel, from Oct 2025 - very clever body horror about the AI takeover.
Not for me
- Saving the Gleeful Horse - K J Bishop, from March 2010. - creepy. But I managed to get distracted part way through, and then had to come back to finish it.
- Synthetic Perennial by Vivianni Glass, from Feb 2022 - normally I like myself some surreal / magic realism details, but I just found this one disorienting. Not for those with medical trauma.
- Hush by Mary Anne Mohanraj, from March 2022 - I get what this one is saying, but it is just a tad too real w.r.t fascism and racist supremacy. Unreliable narrator who thinks they are one of the good guys didn't help.
- The Long View by Susan Palwick, from April 2022 - this went too close to farce for me. Seemed to be both attempting to be Meaningful and Funny.
DNF
- Victory Citrus Is Sweet by Thoriay Dyer, from Sept 2022 - couldn't deal with the narrative voice
- Quandary Aminu vs The Butterfly Man by Rich Larson - sometimes I'm in the mood for gritty noir cyberpunk, and today is not it.
- The Sisters of Saint Nicola of The Almost Perpetual Motion vs the Lurch by Garth Nix, from July 2022 - DNF - While I like Nix's novels, I often bounce from their short fiction, and this was no exception
Thursday Recs
Nov. 20th, 2025 08:00 pmsoc_puppet posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
queerly_belovedIf you've got Thursday, we've got recs! That's right, it's time for Thursday Recs!
Do you have a rec for this week? Just reply to this post with something queer or queer-adjacent (such as, soap made by a queer person that isn't necessarily queer themed) that you'd, well, recommend. Self-recs are welcome, as are recs for fandom-related content!
Or have you tried something that's been recced here? Do you have your own report to share about it? I'd love to hear about it!
Do you have a rec for this week? Just reply to this post with something queer or queer-adjacent (such as, soap made by a queer person that isn't necessarily queer themed) that you'd, well, recommend. Self-recs are welcome, as are recs for fandom-related content!
Or have you tried something that's been recced here? Do you have your own report to share about it? I'd love to hear about it!
(no subject)
Nov. 20th, 2025 08:07 pmshadowkatI keep flirting with books - and I do not need to acquire any more books.
I have 100s of books on a TBR list as it is.
Latest? The Botanist's Assistant by Peggy Townsend
Blurb: "A murder in the science lab shatters a woman’s quiet and ordered life when she decides she must solve the crime herself in this entertaining and uplifting mystery.
( Read more... )
And this review via Smart Bitches got my attention.
"This is a book about a quiet, steady woman in her 50s who is dogged in her pursuit of justice. Margaret is a research assistant and she’s perfectly suited to the job: she’s methodical, reliable and devoted to science. When her boss dies unexpectedly, it is Margaret alone who suspects murder. In the way of these things, she is dismissed and not believed.
As to that disbelief: the book is frank about how older women who don’t conform to beauty standards are invisible to the greater world. When they are seen, they’re a topic of pity or ridicule, depending on the viewer’s degree of kindness. Margaret is a figure of fun to many of her colleagues. She’s a big boned tall woman and she’s called ‘Big Bird’ as a cruel nickname."
Hmm, I've not really run into that? Or no one has said that to my face? Of course I work for an organization that you could get fired for doing that.
And people aren't "pretty" or "striking" in Civil Service - that's only in the Glamour Industries, High Finance, and Advertising. I didn't think it was true in science or academia, though?
Although this review and the blurb may be enough to talk me into purchasing it. I don't want the audiobook though, I think I want the Kindle? Or I'll hunt it at Lofty Pigeons.
***
Today's Question from Question a Day Meme:
20. How often do you declutter? Is there somewhere you need to declutter, but haven’t got around to it?
Sigh. Constantly. I'm waging a losing battle against paper clutter. Partly due to the insane amount of junk mail that I receive.
Ugh, how do I get it to stop?
Right now, I need to declutter a pantry, and television stand, and a end table.
I have 100s of books on a TBR list as it is.
Latest? The Botanist's Assistant by Peggy Townsend
Blurb: "A murder in the science lab shatters a woman’s quiet and ordered life when she decides she must solve the crime herself in this entertaining and uplifting mystery.
( Read more... )
And this review via Smart Bitches got my attention.
"This is a book about a quiet, steady woman in her 50s who is dogged in her pursuit of justice. Margaret is a research assistant and she’s perfectly suited to the job: she’s methodical, reliable and devoted to science. When her boss dies unexpectedly, it is Margaret alone who suspects murder. In the way of these things, she is dismissed and not believed.
As to that disbelief: the book is frank about how older women who don’t conform to beauty standards are invisible to the greater world. When they are seen, they’re a topic of pity or ridicule, depending on the viewer’s degree of kindness. Margaret is a figure of fun to many of her colleagues. She’s a big boned tall woman and she’s called ‘Big Bird’ as a cruel nickname."
Hmm, I've not really run into that? Or no one has said that to my face? Of course I work for an organization that you could get fired for doing that.
And people aren't "pretty" or "striking" in Civil Service - that's only in the Glamour Industries, High Finance, and Advertising. I didn't think it was true in science or academia, though?
Although this review and the blurb may be enough to talk me into purchasing it. I don't want the audiobook though, I think I want the Kindle? Or I'll hunt it at Lofty Pigeons.
***
Today's Question from Question a Day Meme:
20. How often do you declutter? Is there somewhere you need to declutter, but haven’t got around to it?
Sigh. Constantly. I'm waging a losing battle against paper clutter. Partly due to the insane amount of junk mail that I receive.
Ugh, how do I get it to stop?
Right now, I need to declutter a pantry, and television stand, and a end table.
Daily Check-In
Nov. 20th, 2025 08:15 pmmecurtin posting in fandom_checkinThis is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Thursday, November 20, to midnight on Friday, November 21 (8pm Eastern Time).
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
Poll #33853 Daily check-in poll
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 19
How are you doing?
I am OK
11 (57.9%)
I am not OK, but don't need help right now
8 (42.1%)
I could use some help
0 (0.0%)
How many other humans live with you?
I am living single
8 (42.1%)
One other person
7 (36.8%)
More than one other person
4 (21.1%)
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
2026 Activity Plan published
Nov. 20th, 2025 11:40 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
apnic_blog_feedAPNIC’s 2026 Activity Plan is now available.
Just a photo, really
Nov. 21st, 2025 12:33 amloganberrybunnyPublic
293/365: Flood barrier removal, Bewdley
Click for a larger, sharper image
A couple of online services I use aren't working properly for me at the moment, which is annoying but at least Dreamwidth seems to be available! The flood barriers were being brought down today, as you can see from this truly useless photo I took from the bridge. :P
293/365: Flood barrier removal, Bewdley
Click for a larger, sharper image
A couple of online services I use aren't working properly for me at the moment, which is annoying but at least Dreamwidth seems to be available! The flood barriers were being brought down today, as you can see from this truly useless photo I took from the bridge. :P
Recent music-adjacent news that I've found interesting
Nov. 20th, 2025 05:19 pmbrithistorianMusic adjacent to economics
On BBC Newshour yesterday, I heard a story (which I can't find online at the moment) about Kraftwerk's instruments and equipment going up for auction. Besides the historical value because of their association with Kraftwerk, many of these items were inherently valuable because they're rare examples of early electronic musical instruments. The vocoder used on "The Robots" sold for about $200,000. The expert they talked to said that there were only about 20-30 surviving examples of this model of vocoder. I hope that these instrument went to musicians who will put them to use and not to tech bros who'll put them on a shelf.
Music adjacent to politics
Due to rising tensions between China and Japan (which I am forced to admit that I was unaware of), one of the cultural disputes going on between the countries is a petition in Japan asking Aespa member Ningning (who is Chinese) not to come to Japan. At the same time, Japanese performers who have built a portion of their career in China have been going out of their way to express pro-China feelings. I'm going to have read more about this situation. If any of you have a link to an article that explains what's going on, I'd appreciate it.
Music adjacent to fandom and statistics
In an article related to Blackpink members' performance at the Grammys, Rolling Stone referred to Blackpink as "(without a doubt) the biggest K-pop group in history, and has been for years." So of course ARMY (BTS's fandom) turning out in force, coming for Rolling Stone and bringing sales records, number of awards won, and chart performamce. the biggest K-pop group in history, and has been for years.) Within six hours, Rolling Stone had revised their article to refer to Blackpink as “the biggest K-pop girl group.” (A characterization that ONCE really ought to have something to say about.)
Music adjacent to bad machine translation
Weki Meki's Kim Doyeon won a Blue Dragon award (which seems to be the Korean equivalent of the Oscars), and her appearance on the red carpet caused quite a stir. The headline on one website uniquely expressed it by saying "Kim Do-yeon, Audrey Hepburn Reincarnation... a person who causes a single disease". I knew this was some sort of translation error, and asking the question on Threads led someone to clear it up for me. Apparently what they were trying (and failing) to say is that she is triggering an obsession for short bob haircuts.
That Relaxing Retirement
Nov. 20th, 2025 02:20 pmhrjThe up side is that I have lots of flexibility in my schedule to fit things in. The down side is that doesn't prevent all of time from happening at once. In the next two weeks I have the following items on my schedule--all highly desired and deliberately chosen events:
- Interview for podcast
- Website working session
- Cheese crawl
- Temporally relocated family Thanksgiving dinner
- Friendsgiving dinner (due to previous)
- Classroom visit as a Real Live Author (they were assigned one of my books)
- Replacement of my kitchen recessed ceiling lights (which have been giving me issues for the last decade, but kept falling short of "this is critical)
I also still need to write some music for this month's podcast fiction episode and record it. (Although Audacity has all the functionality needed for multi-track sound recording, I don't do it very often, so it's always a matter of re-learning things.)
- Interview for podcast
- Website working session
- Cheese crawl
- Temporally relocated family Thanksgiving dinner
- Friendsgiving dinner (due to previous)
- Classroom visit as a Real Live Author (they were assigned one of my books)
- Replacement of my kitchen recessed ceiling lights (which have been giving me issues for the last decade, but kept falling short of "this is critical)
I also still need to write some music for this month's podcast fiction episode and record it. (Although Audacity has all the functionality needed for multi-track sound recording, I don't do it very often, so it's always a matter of re-learning things.)
[ SECRET POST #6894 ]
Nov. 20th, 2025 05:02 pmcase posting in fandomsecrets⌈ Secret Post #6894 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
01.
( More! )
Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 06 secrets from Secret Submission Post #984.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
Video: From the Ottawa Intl. Animation Festival Signal Film Archives
Nov. 20th, 2025 04:51 pmdewlineOh this is mischievous as all get out. And it took me two years to find out that it exists?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqqWcZF2Syc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqqWcZF2Syc
october booklog
Nov. 20th, 2025 09:21 pmwychwoodPro-tip: reading two books called "The Seven [nouns] of Evelyn [surname]" at the same time is a bad idea and will lead to confusion.
( The Commonweal books 2-5 - Graydon Saunders ) A very satisfying series; I look forward to the next book when it comes out!
( 114. A Desolation Called Peace - Arkady Martine ) I loved the first book, but found this one a slog for slightly inexplicable reasons.
( 115. The Trials of Life - David Attenborough ) Entertaining as ever.
( 117. Nettle and Bone - T Kingfisher ) I don't know if it's me or Kingfisher who has changed, but I don't enjoy these as much as I did. This is fine! But I used to find her books better than fine.
( 120. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid ) This was so much better than I had anticipated; I'm definitely looking out for her Fleetwood Mac book now.
( 121. DallerGut Dream Department Store - Miye Lee ) I enjoyed it enough that I kept reading, but I was glad it wasn't longer.
( 122. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches - Sangu Mandanna ) This was very fluffy and pleasant, but had just enough depth that I enjoyed it instead of getting annoyed.
( 123. Rivers of London: Deadly Ever After - Ben Aaronovitch, Celeste Bronfman, Andrew Cartmel, Jose Maria Beroy, and Jordi Escuin Llorach ) Not especially memorable, but fun enough.
( 124. The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society - CM Waggoner ) I really enjoyed this, and the way it's messing around with genre; I think I'd like to re-read it, and see how it feels when I know where it's going.
( 125. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton ) I suppose this is cleverly done, but it was all so loathsome I really had to drag myself through it, and by the time we found out all the answers I didn't even really care.
( 126. Translation State - Ann Leckie ) I liked this more on re-read, and I liked it quite a bit the first time! Just so many nice people doing their best, and complicated politics, and it's so good.
( 127. England - John Lewis-Stempel ) A generally solid nature writer; I don't know if I'll read more by him, but I did enjoy the English focus.
( 128. Leviathan Wakes - James SA Corey ) Much less space-opera-y than I had osmosed, but this was pretty gripping, and I'll definitely be reading the next book.
( 129. The Feud in the Chalet School - Elinor M Brent-Dyer ) this is solid as ever.
( 130. Phonogram vol 1: Rue Britannia - Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie ) This is clearly well done, despite my somewhat mixed feelings; I feel like it's probably a must-read for actual Britpop fans, but even outside that there's still something good in there.
( 131. Testimony of Mute Things - Lois McMaster Bujold ) If you like this series, you'll enjoy this; I did. And it was nice to see baby Penric again!
( 132. Deeds of Youth - Elizabeth Moon ) I enjoy this world, and the stories she tells in it, but ultimately I think I mostly want more about the specific characters I already know and love! But I enjoyed these anyway.
( 133. Batgirls: One Way or Another - Becky Cloonan, Michael W Conrad, Jorge Corona, and Sarah Stern ) I have less patience for the actual High Stakes Superheroing than I used to, but I loved watching the three Batgirls working together. Delightful.
( 134. Stress in the Workplace - Howard Edwards ) The failure mode of satire is dull, as this book demonstrates capably.
( The Commonweal books 2-5 - Graydon Saunders ) A very satisfying series; I look forward to the next book when it comes out!
( 114. A Desolation Called Peace - Arkady Martine ) I loved the first book, but found this one a slog for slightly inexplicable reasons.
( 115. The Trials of Life - David Attenborough ) Entertaining as ever.
( 117. Nettle and Bone - T Kingfisher ) I don't know if it's me or Kingfisher who has changed, but I don't enjoy these as much as I did. This is fine! But I used to find her books better than fine.
( 120. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid ) This was so much better than I had anticipated; I'm definitely looking out for her Fleetwood Mac book now.
( 121. DallerGut Dream Department Store - Miye Lee ) I enjoyed it enough that I kept reading, but I was glad it wasn't longer.
( 122. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches - Sangu Mandanna ) This was very fluffy and pleasant, but had just enough depth that I enjoyed it instead of getting annoyed.
( 123. Rivers of London: Deadly Ever After - Ben Aaronovitch, Celeste Bronfman, Andrew Cartmel, Jose Maria Beroy, and Jordi Escuin Llorach ) Not especially memorable, but fun enough.
( 124. The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society - CM Waggoner ) I really enjoyed this, and the way it's messing around with genre; I think I'd like to re-read it, and see how it feels when I know where it's going.
( 125. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton ) I suppose this is cleverly done, but it was all so loathsome I really had to drag myself through it, and by the time we found out all the answers I didn't even really care.
( 126. Translation State - Ann Leckie ) I liked this more on re-read, and I liked it quite a bit the first time! Just so many nice people doing their best, and complicated politics, and it's so good.
( 127. England - John Lewis-Stempel ) A generally solid nature writer; I don't know if I'll read more by him, but I did enjoy the English focus.
( 128. Leviathan Wakes - James SA Corey ) Much less space-opera-y than I had osmosed, but this was pretty gripping, and I'll definitely be reading the next book.
( 129. The Feud in the Chalet School - Elinor M Brent-Dyer ) this is solid as ever.
( 130. Phonogram vol 1: Rue Britannia - Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie ) This is clearly well done, despite my somewhat mixed feelings; I feel like it's probably a must-read for actual Britpop fans, but even outside that there's still something good in there.
( 131. Testimony of Mute Things - Lois McMaster Bujold ) If you like this series, you'll enjoy this; I did. And it was nice to see baby Penric again!
( 132. Deeds of Youth - Elizabeth Moon ) I enjoy this world, and the stories she tells in it, but ultimately I think I mostly want more about the specific characters I already know and love! But I enjoyed these anyway.
( 133. Batgirls: One Way or Another - Becky Cloonan, Michael W Conrad, Jorge Corona, and Sarah Stern ) I have less patience for the actual High Stakes Superheroing than I used to, but I loved watching the three Batgirls working together. Delightful.
( 134. Stress in the Workplace - Howard Edwards ) The failure mode of satire is dull, as this book demonstrates capably.