I puppysat goofy Cooper and his brothers last night. In between epic backyard play sessions and couch snuggles, they saw me into the homestretch with A SONG FOR ARBONNE. While I still like it, this reread has really hammered home Kay‘s failure to achieve his trademark balance between the personal and the political with this one. The plot feels a lot more important than the characters. Not a BAD thing, but also not really MY thing.

Well, I lied when I said I was gonna be into the X-Men‘s Krakoan era in just a couple weeks. I forgot I hadn‘t read all of Wolverine or X-Men Unlimited yet, and Marvel Unlimited‘s added tons more issues since my last subscription ended. Onward we go, with fake shakshuka for early supper.

As always, Wolvie‘s more fun than I expect him to be. X-Men Unlimited has its ups and downs

It‘s been a very schnauzery week. Duffy just moved into an apartment after 11 years of house life and I babysat him on his first evening there sans mom.

He helped me with a huge chunk of A SONG FOR ARBONNE, a book I last read 16 years ago. I liked it a fair bit then but found it lacking next to Kay‘s other books, and it‘s much the same now. It reminds me of his Renaissance trio in structure, but he imbues those books with far more character.

This week‘s library haul. I wanted to reread André Alexis‘s full quincunx in publication order in September, but somebody else nabbed the only copy of PASTORAL as soon as I went to request it and they kept it out for the full three weeks. Now it‘s finally MINE!

I also realized I had no idea what was even nominated for the Hugo this year, so I looked that up and I‘m gonna tackle the list over the next month or two.

WHAT IS THIS BEAUTY WITH ITS GLORIOUS DEEP FRIENDSHIPS AND ITS SHARP PROSE AND ITS CONSIDERATIONS OF JOURNALISTIC RESPONSIBILITY AND ITS FAMILY DYNAMICS AND ITS SLOW PROGRESSION FROM TERROR TO HOPE AND ALSO ITS VERY AFFECTING ROMANCE HOLY CRAP I LOVE IT SO MUCH OMGOMGOMG.

5 stars.

My new ereader also has built in OverDrive connectivity. I‘ve been meaning to reread Sandra Gulland for a looooooong time, and with my own copies of her Josephine B. trilogy at home, it was the digital library catalogue to the rescue!

While I still like this first book a lot, I don‘t feel the same passion for it as I did back in 2007. It‘ll probably be yet another old fave I‘m happy to pass along after I‘m done.

Last week I got my very first e-ink ereader! I miss the colour covers my old tablet-style ereaders provided, but e-ink is really nice for text and I appreciate how my current read‘s cover pops up on the lock screen so I don‘t have to open the book just to make Angus pose with it.

Little dude‘s sad this morning because we‘ve had a rain delay on walkies, but I think he enjoyed his reading buddy snuggles enough to make up for it.

I might‘ve liked this story on screen as a real wacky hijinks flick. In print, we‘re way too privy to Angelika‘s I-must-get-married-I‘m-man-crazy-OMG-MARRIAGE-OMG mindset for my tastes. Plus, she remakes this guy‘s body for no good reason and traumatizes the hell out of him, and we‘re supposed to root for her? Gah.

I bailed at page 60 & stuck the book in an LFL on this nice little street instead of waiting around for possible character growth.

I always grab old Nancy Drews when I see ‘em in Little Free Libraries. These two turned up last week, and I started the tagged one tonight. So far, it‘s one of the funner ones.

Been a while since I did the book & beer thing. Trans Canada‘s Lamp Lighter is very nice, as per usual, and I‘m all kinds of in love with WE COULD BE SO GOOD.

By which I mean: WHAT IS THIS BEAUTY. HOLY CRAP.

Throwback to breakfast reading with Angus. This novella makes up a flip book with Monique Gray Smith‘s LUCY & LOLA, and both are excellent middle grade titles focused on reconciliation. I hope they feature in a ton of classroom libraries across Canada.

Friends, KJ Charles delivers the gothic goods with A NOBLEMAN‘S GUIDE TO SEDUCING A SCOUNDREL. We‘ve got a crumbling ancestral home, a slew of unpleasant relations, a contested inheritance, a Dark Secret, a hidden treasure, and plenty of sneaking around in gloomy halls.

As per form, Charles tempers these gloriously OTT trappings with a strong human element. Her characters forge alliances and reach understandings by behaving like actual people ⬇️

My mum won VINYL RESTING PLACE in a contest and passed it along to me, and I‘ve been hauling it around for about a year. This is the week I finally read it and stick it in a local LFL! It‘s got good cozy mystery energy as of 50%, with lots of family dynamics, music, and tasty-sounding coffee drinks. Basically, it‘s a good fit for some pain day backyard reading with the warring schnauzers.

I did way better on my second pass through the Book Market: another wishlist title, some recent issues of ANALOG and F&SF, and a great-looking cookbook, all for $7.50.

More poorly-lit reading adventures with Allie! SEASON‘S CHANGE took a few chapters to hook me, but it builds so well that I soon couldn‘t put it down. Be forewarned that it‘s a really stressful romance, though; lots of internalized homophobia prompted by intense external homophobia, plus some difficult family stuff for both leads. I was super worried about them at all times, even as I enjoyed watching them bond.

I‘m always and forever delighted with the Book Market‘s alphabetization signage. Other sections include Fantasy AF, Mystery AF, Music AF, and Children‘s AF.

Alas, I couldn‘t find Human Sexuality Fiction this time. Human Sexuality Nonfiction was still accounted for, so I think it‘s more likely no one donated any erotica than that they got complaints about that extremely obfuscatory category.

The Children‘s Hospital Book Market returned today! I went first thing in the morning, as per usual, but only found one thing from my wishlist. 😔 I bought a couple records, too, because I wanted to give the sick kids some money even though I couldn‘t fill as many bookish gaps as I hoped to.

I finally made it back to the Empty Cup Collective for a spicy honey pizza! It was delicious, but not nearly as spicy as I expected. I‘d even call it non-spicy with an occasional mild hit.

I read another story from FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS while I ate. It‘s a strong collection so far, with a good mix of story lengths so I can jump around depending on how much reading time I‘ve got.

From our backyard hangout yesterday afternoon. They had a big play fight; I read a goodly chunk of this fascinating, fictionalized exploration of writer Xue Yiwei‘s ongoing connection to Dr Norman Bethune, a Canadian who aided the Chinese war of resistance.

It feels appropriate to have some small dog assistance while I read a cozy mystery where the protagonist has two small dogs. Angus mostly slept through the first 135 pages of DEATH IN IRISH ACCENTS, but I‘m having a marvellous time watching Megan try really, really hard not to investigate a local emerging writer‘s murder. The real author cameos are fun, too. Stephanie Burgis, Juliet McKenna, and Adrian Tchaikovsky all play roles.

Flashback to breakfast, when I ate zucchini fritters and finished a childhood reread. FIVE DAYS OF THE GHOST went over much better than I expected it to. It‘s genuinely creepy, and William Bell modernized this 2010 rerelease just enough to help it feel contemporary. I think that MIGHT include changes to how the settler kids interact with the Indigenous ghost they befriend, though the overall picture does still occupy Magical Native territory.

I‘m pleased to report I like Vol 6 of HEAVEN OFFICIAL‘S BLESSING heaps more than Vol 5. The focus shifts back to the main characters, with another long flashback to explore Xie Lian‘s long road from treasured Crown Prince to reviled Scrap God. My only regret is that I was too busy yesterday to gulp down the ending. Gonna make it happen tonight.

I‘m decidedly 😭😭😭 over HONEY GIRL, in that way where I want to talk about how EVERY LITTLE PART OF IT hit me but also in that way where I never want to talk about it because WHERE DO I EVEN START.

It‘s about figuring stuff out. Family, when your parents give you what they need instead of what you need. Work, when systemic racism dogs your every step. Friendship, when your friends are just, like, EVERYTHING. Love, on all levels.

5 stars 😭😭😭

This‘s one of those frustrating days where everything goes a bit to pot. I‘ve sworn a lot, and shouted at a certain small dog who ate part of my trouser pattern (not an irreplaceable part, thank goodness), and come away from it all with a tiny portion of fresh tomato soup and the pieces for two new sewing projects.

Now I get to start a new book. The last volume bored me out of my skull, so I sure hope this one‘s better. If not, we‘re splitsville.

I switched to some 80s SF, with Casey‘s able assistance. One chapter in and I already like FIVE-TWELFTHS OF HEAVEN a lot more than both the reread I just bailed on and the last Melissa Scott novel I read. It‘s got a strong human element alongside its SFnal worldbuilding.

Rocco demanded belly rubs in exchange for his reading buddy services. I was happy to pay.

CAPTAIN CORELLI‘S MANDOLIN is another of those books I read in the early 2000s and haven‘t revisited since. I used to cite it as one of my favourites, but while I can still see how the layered narrative entranced 2003 Me, it hasn‘t gripped 2023 Me nearly as hard. Oh well. It‘s a long book and I‘m only 50 pages in, so I might still fall back in love.

This week‘s library haul features a variety of queer books (a cozy mystery, an historical romance, and a fantasy), plus a couple of unplanned shelf picks in the form of a poetry collection and a novel by a writer whose short fiction I‘ve enjoyed.

Breakfast reading with Cooper. He‘s my little shadow, this guy. The other dogs sometimes wander off to do their own things, but Coopy‘s never very far away. I think he especially likes reading time because it‘s prime snuggle time.

Sweet Wesley helped me start Charles Stross‘s fourth Merchant Princes novel today! I hope it‘ll hook me quick. I liked #3 right out of the gate, but I lost momentum with it and took ages to finish.

Three dogs and a book. Cooper and Wesley are head to head down the end of the couch, while the foot and tail belong to Rocco. HIS head is on my lap.

I liked Florent Chavouet‘s TOKYO ON FOOT so much that I immediately requested his second Japanese travelogue. It‘s great so far; another deep dive into experiences most tourists never manage to have, with plenty of fascinating details on every page.

Rocco, my incredibly sweet new buddy, helped me start THE WISHING GAME by Meg Shaffer this afternoon. Shaffer is one of my favourite authors (she‘s also written a ton of stuff as Tiffany Reisz), and the first seventy pages reminded me what a great prose stylist she is. I‘m excited to keep going later this evening.

Little dog butts: the sequel. These two love sticking their heads into the garden. They never eat the plants; they just want to drink in the smells and maybe catch some insects.

They helped me start the tagged book this morning, in between plant-sniffs. It‘s not BAD, but it feels like something I could easily drift away from. I want more oomph than it‘s given me so far and WAY less repetition. Here‘s hoping it picks up in a chapter or two.

Wee Allie helped me finish Kai Cheng Thom‘s FALLING BACK IN LOVE WITH BEING HUMAN this morning. There‘s a lot to reflect on here, both in terms of self-love and of social interaction with people who try to steal it away. Her letter to J.K. Rowling hit me especially hard.

I had a couple little dog butts in my sights while I read my daily short story. This 1922 collection is fascinating so far; dodgy in places (see: 1922), but very well-observed. I‘m excited to read more.

Breakfast reads with Casey! I‘m about 80 pages into FAKE DATES AND MOONCAKES, and while I‘m pretty sure it‘s not gonna activate all my emotions and stick with me forever, it IS cute. I like the food, I like Dylan‘s dog, and I LOVE that Sher Lee is a present tense writer who doesn‘t overuse the past perfect. (An easy way to win my approval.)

Exactly the book I needed. Allie Therin takes two characters who shine on their own merits and amplifies all their charms by bouncing them off each other in the most gloriously entertaining and emotional ways, all while they feel their way into a new phase of their relationship AND solve a high-stakes mystery!

I ate it right up, grinning and giggling and gasping and tearing up the whole way through. This series is awesome. More, please.

Wee Duff helped me dive into my next book, and it‘s off to a great start! I‘ve got a couple more things to do this afternoon, but once I knock ‘em off the list I plan to have myself a good binge-read.

Another bright spot to today: my library finally restarted their discards sale! It hurts my heart to think of how many books they must‘ve just binned during their big lockdown collection purge. Going by the ones that still appear as Not Currently Available in the catalogue, I would‘ve loved the chance to buy a fair number of them. 😔

I didn‘t see anything I wanted to own today, but you can bet I‘ll check back every time I‘m there.

I made my library haul ahead of schedule so I had an excuse to squeeze in a bike ride before the heat moves in this afternoon. Alas, I missed the heat but not the wind. The way there was MISERABLE.

At least I‘ve got a bunch of books to console me. I‘m especially excited for Kai Cheng Thom‘s latest. It‘s so small and beautiful!

I started ONCE A ROGUE over breakfast, then couldn‘t find the time to get back to it until late this evening. Now I‘m bummed I‘m edging close to being too tired to carry on, because it‘s wonderful to be back with these characters, and I‘m 100% here for how they bounce off each other, and all I wanna do is binge read.

I really needed this after a couple of disappointments. I sure hope it keeps up.

This is one of those frustrating weeks where nothing wants to work the way I need it to, and I‘m sad to report EIGHT STRINGS is no exception. It‘s good enough that I‘ll finish it, but it lacks the spark that‘d take it from decent to great. I expected more from a book that seems so perfectly suited to my tastes. 😔

One good thing: Duffy‘s here! I boosted him onto my lap right after I took this picture.

Did the X-Force + mozza sticks thing. I‘ve made pretty solid progress through the x-books Marvel Unlimited added since my last subscription ended. If I keep to my current pace, I‘ll be into the Krakoan-era stuff in just a couple weeks!

Onward, with Casey‘s help! I was gonna read A CHOICE OF DESTINIES in chunks, but I‘ve decided I‘ll probably power through it after all. While I‘m interested enough to keep going, I don‘t feel I‘m Scott‘s target audience. She‘s aimed the book at people keen on movement-focused military stories and/or who‘ve read so much fiction about Alexander the Great they can do without a ton of characterization. It‘s a bit disappointing, really.

Breakfast involved scrambled eggs with sriracha mayo, very bad coffee (I always just guess at how to use standard household coffee makers, and this time I guessed super wrong), and Melissa Scott‘s 1986 alternate history of Alexander the Great. So far it strikes me as very ideas-over-characters, which isn‘t my thing, but I often find that her books begin slow yet build to something truly interesting. Hopefully that‘s also the case here.

Throwback to the Dark Times, when I borrowed some more library books but didn‘t feel there was much point in posting about them while the app refused to show images. I‘m excited for all of these, but I have especially high hopes for THE GARDEN OF LOST SECRETS. Kelly Bowen‘s first general novel was amazing. She‘s local to me, too, which is always fun.

TOKYO ON FOOT is yet another book I grabbed off the library shelf without realizing I‘d stacked it on Litsy. It‘s a French artist‘s visual memoir of the six months he spent wandering around Tokyo while his partner completed an internship, and I‘m having a great time with it. He came across so many interesting little things the average tourist experience cuts out of the equation.

I‘m about 60 pages into THE MUSIC SHOP and I‘m sad to say it feels like a book I could drift away from. Hopefully it‘ll click for me soon.

If it doesn‘t, at least it reminded me I should have more Aretha Franklin in my life. Via Hoopla, not on vinyl, but the world ain‘t perfect.

Sleepy!Casey looked on as I read another great story from Tor.com‘s Best of 2016 anthology. 2016 was a crap year for a lot of things but a stellar year for short fiction. I‘m loving this book as of 45%.

It‘s one of their few older Best Ofs that‘s still free, too. Y‘all should grab it before they change that.

Casey and I are back together for the grand finale! I‘m excited to dig into the bonus stories, most of which are totally new to me.

I was gonna take it easy today, but my favourite used bookstore is so much closer to Daisy‘s house than it is to mine. I had to cycle on over there.

I came away with two Melissa Scott novels and a bit of ElfQuest I haven‘t read. I also found a great jacket pattern at the nearby Value Village and two more X-Men Funko pins at Dollarama. All in all, it was a successful outing.