belated and awkward: a list
Sunday, 18 January 2026 10:49 amWhen frozen in writing, there's nothing like a bulleted list to trick yourself into making words. ( Read more... )
Rec-Cember Day #6
Friday, 12 December 2025 04:30 pmI took a small break from recs in order to reread the entire Murderbot Diaries series, so I could go into my ARC of Platform Decay PRIMED and EDUCATED. But yesterday was Thursday, and there's a new issue of Intergalactic Mixtape, and I'm claiming those recs for this project.
Today's Recs:
From IGMX:
Bonus rec:
The WYRMHOLE: if you like short original fiction recs, storytelling, puns, and unhinged anecdotes, this newsletter is a fun time.
Today's Recs:
From IGMX:
- Anatomy of a Sex Scene: Heated Rivalry Edition by Jenny Hamilton
- everyone HATES a negative review by marines
- Hollywood is Dead. Long Live Hollywood. by Vance K.
Bonus rec:
The WYRMHOLE: if you like short original fiction recs, storytelling, puns, and unhinged anecdotes, this newsletter is a fun time.
Rec-Cember Day #5
Saturday, 6 December 2025 12:47 amMy partner wanted to catch up on Stranger Things so we can watch the finale. I suspect the Duffer Brothers and I are destined for a breakup after this show is over, although I do appreciate some of the book references.
Today's Rec:
Sailing With Phoenix
Over the summer, a dude started sailing solo from Oregon to Hawai'i on a sailboat with his cat. He came across my TikTok FYP randomly, about a week into his trip. He has a whole Youtube channel documenting his decision to go, leaving his job, buying the boat, prepping the boat, and then the actual journey. He's since decided to get a new boat and sail non-stop around the world, and is documenting that journey. My autistic self was immediately charmed by him. And I learned a lot about boats and sailing (I love when people get intensely into a special interest and share it with people.) He has short form content on his TikTok but I really like the longer form videos and how he builds the narrative over time on Youtube.
Today's Rec:
Sailing With Phoenix
Over the summer, a dude started sailing solo from Oregon to Hawai'i on a sailboat with his cat. He came across my TikTok FYP randomly, about a week into his trip. He has a whole Youtube channel documenting his decision to go, leaving his job, buying the boat, prepping the boat, and then the actual journey. He's since decided to get a new boat and sail non-stop around the world, and is documenting that journey. My autistic self was immediately charmed by him. And I learned a lot about boats and sailing (I love when people get intensely into a special interest and share it with people.) He has short form content on his TikTok but I really like the longer form videos and how he builds the narrative over time on Youtube.
Rec-Cember Day #4
Friday, 5 December 2025 01:41 amToday I spent a few hours organizing my Friends of the Library book storage room. The way we're organizing it will never last, but it'll be a nice place to start from. I have to figure out how to offload so much 80s/90s mass market romance after a woman left us her entire collection in her estate. Lower prices? Special bag sale? I'm stumped.
Today's rec:
In today's Intergalactic Mixtape, I recced two essays I enjoyed. I will copy myself in order to a) go to bed already and b) promote the latest issue, if you're into SFF news. Here are the links; full recs are at the link above!
#1: Ann Leckie and Arkady Martine: in conversation (space opera, empire, two very clever authors being thoughtful)
#2: The Year Of The Crone (anew old bombshell has (re)entered the villa)
Today's rec:
In today's Intergalactic Mixtape, I recced two essays I enjoyed. I will copy myself in order to a) go to bed already and b) promote the latest issue, if you're into SFF news. Here are the links; full recs are at the link above!
#1: Ann Leckie and Arkady Martine: in conversation (space opera, empire, two very clever authors being thoughtful)
#2: The Year Of The Crone (a
Rec-Cember Day #3
Wednesday, 3 December 2025 07:28 pmIn an effort to consider things I like outside of reading, I have expanded!
Today's Rec:
The Sam Sanders Show — Gaga’s Back, Fish Is Tinned… Is the Economy Okay?
I love Sam Sanders dearly as a journalist, critic, interviewer, and cultural commentator, so I will follow him everywhere. In this episode, there's a segment about recession indicators, and at the end one of the panelists cited Sinners. When I listened to this episode, I was like, "JAIL FOR 10,000 YEARS!", but in the end they got me and I was convinced. It's a great episode, but this segment had me rolling. The show in general is excellent and well worth a follow.
Today's Rec:
The Sam Sanders Show — Gaga’s Back, Fish Is Tinned… Is the Economy Okay?
I love Sam Sanders dearly as a journalist, critic, interviewer, and cultural commentator, so I will follow him everywhere. In this episode, there's a segment about recession indicators, and at the end one of the panelists cited Sinners. When I listened to this episode, I was like, "JAIL FOR 10,000 YEARS!", but in the end they got me and I was convinced. It's a great episode, but this segment had me rolling. The show in general is excellent and well worth a follow.
Rec-Cember Day #2
Tuesday, 2 December 2025 04:43 pmVaccines always hit me hard. I'm very jealous of people who can get them and then continue on their way with no issues. :P To make myself feel better, I bought some MTG cat tokens (this version) and some dice to use for 1/1 counters. I was also very tempted by a EDH precon for the Edge of Eternities release (ROBOTS), but I resisted (barely).
Today's Rec:
( cover )
Finder by Suzanne Palmer
First published in 2020, Finder is the first book in the Finder Chronicles, a space opera series about saving the world, but also learning to trust and care for people. The first book is a fetch quest set amidst a civil war in a rural system. Fergus Ferguson must reclaim a stolen ship with nothing but his charm, cleverness, and creativity while surviving acts of war and some weird ass aliens that regularly menance everyone for no discernable reason. This is one of my favorite space opera series and has everything I love. Emotionally stunted man on the first step of his healing journey? Check. Snarky teen sidekick? Check. Political intrigue and machinations? Check check. [redacted for spoilers] ship? Triple check. I love Fergus so much and I just want to grasp everyone's hands and plead with them to read this book (and all the other books). I want everyone to meet Fergus and see what I see about him: the collapsing singularity of his capacity to love, sealed behind trauma and self-recriminations and fear of being known, and how on this mission the people who come to value him introduce the first cracks in that shell. (The aliens help...in a weird way.)
Today's Rec:
( cover )
Finder by Suzanne Palmer
First published in 2020, Finder is the first book in the Finder Chronicles, a space opera series about saving the world, but also learning to trust and care for people. The first book is a fetch quest set amidst a civil war in a rural system. Fergus Ferguson must reclaim a stolen ship with nothing but his charm, cleverness, and creativity while surviving acts of war and some weird ass aliens that regularly menance everyone for no discernable reason. This is one of my favorite space opera series and has everything I love. Emotionally stunted man on the first step of his healing journey? Check. Snarky teen sidekick? Check. Political intrigue and machinations? Check check. [redacted for spoilers] ship? Triple check. I love Fergus so much and I just want to grasp everyone's hands and plead with them to read this book (and all the other books). I want everyone to meet Fergus and see what I see about him: the collapsing singularity of his capacity to love, sealed behind trauma and self-recriminations and fear of being known, and how on this mission the people who come to value him introduce the first cracks in that shell. (The aliens help...in a weird way.)
Rec-Cember Day #1
Tuesday, 2 December 2025 12:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
forestofglory reminded me about December recs, so I shamelessly borrowed the name goodbyebird used for their recs. I'm a day late, but I haven't slept yet so technically it's still December 1. :DToday's Rec:
Following Protocol by Astral_Insanity (The Murderbot Diaries, 20,000 words)
This is a charming, funny story about ART telling its family about SecUnit and then the incredibly pitch-perfect meet-the-family moment. Please luxuriate in the family vibes, except here the family is two human parents, an augmented human daughter, and a large spaceship with a debris deflection system/anger issues who is baby and also in love.
New column out!
Thursday, 11 July 2019 12:54 amMy latest Let's Get Literate! column is up over on ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
ladybusiness, where I talk about my reading goals, muse about the place of books in our political moment, and list my favorites so far this year.
ladybusiness, where I talk about my reading goals, muse about the place of books in our political moment, and list my favorites so far this year.