I finally finished THE STORY OF THE STONE this morning! It was great (aside from the bit at the end maligning the women, who‘re the book‘s main focus despite Bao-Yu‘s central character status), and the last five pages took me half a frickin‘ hour to read because of this adorable red menace. Argh. #deweyoct #readathon

1. Middle of Canada.
2. I‘m excited to finish ALL THE HIDDEN PATHS by Foz Meadows.
3. Reese‘s Puffs bars!
4. It‘s my 33rd consecutive Readathon. I haven‘t missed one since September 2008. Feels different now, but I don‘t wanna lose my streak.
5. Finish a couple things. Read for long stretches.
6. My daily short story, from the tagged collection.
7. I recently got a standing desk and it brings me a ridiculous amount of joy.

#readathon #deweyoct

I meant to save SAGA VOL 11 for the Readathon tomorrow, but I started it while I doggiesat these three tonight and that was it. No pausing possible.

It‘s nice to see Vaughan and Staples are still aggressively committed to their attempt to kill me. The hits, they just keep on a-comin‘ with this series.

Also, I always seem to look after these guys on their birthdays. Cooper, the curly one in the middle, is now three!

This week‘s library haul. The tagged book contains mostly stuff I‘ve already read, albeit a loooooong time ago, but there‘s one story that wasn‘t anthologized until 2018. I‘m excited! New-to-me Agatha Christie!

From today‘s Outdoor Reading With Schnauzers session. I think novella-length is my sweet spot with Yukio Mishima. I got tired of SPRING SNOW, a novel, a fair ways before it ended and none of the shorter pieces in this collection wowed me, but I really enjoyed both the novellas included here.

I did the Sunday afternoon book & beer thing, with strange lighting effects and two schnauzers who I just barely managed to keep from sampling the beer. (It was a very nice witbier. I might‘ve drunk it too quickly.)

I‘m now in the home stretch with THE STORY OF THE STONE! Unless I get distracted, I should know all the sordid details of the Jia family‘s sad fate by the end of the week.

I always seem to read crime fiction while I‘m with the Warring Schnauzers. (They got the fight out of their systems right after this picture was taken. It moved too fast for my camera to catch.) This time I polished off another Nero Wolfe novella.

Did some breakfast reading with Ivy the Sleeping Beauty. She got grumpy right after this because I woke her up and made her take a walk, but we mended fences with a post-exercise treat.

I like DEFYING THE EARL just fine so far, but it hasn‘t sparked for me like some of Erica Ridley‘s others. I‘m hoping I find the love as she digs deeper into the ways her characters‘ past traumas help them connect emotionally.

Casey got a haircut. I miss his wild scruffiness, but now he looks like a puppy and that‘s also adorable.

I hope to finish rereading A STRANGE AND STUBBORN ENDURANCE today, possibly while I snuggle a dog. It definitely hit me harder the first time through, but it‘s still been good to revisit it before I dive into the sequel.

I can‘t seem to sit down and read with my eyeballs this week, but I made it through some audio material while I did stuff like transform this boring little Ikea table into an interesting nightstand!

A friend discovered WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU? by chance last week, loved it, and recced it to me. Now we‘re both running around telling people they‘ve gotta read it. It‘s illuminating for anyone who wants to better understand society. #audiocrafting

Ah, friends, I‘ve just endured a spotty reading week where I got stuck on a sports romance, then fought my way through to the end of SPRING SNOW. It was good enough that I wanted to finish it, but not so gripping that I wanted to read it straight through, so I read another chunk every time I finished something else. I‘d say it‘s worth reading on the whole, but the last 75 pages were a real slog and I dunno if I‘ll continue the quartet.

I passed by my local indie this morning and went in to use some more of my birthday gift card! Now I can give veteran writer Julie E. Czerneda a try while I gaze at my adorable horror sticker and my fabulous new keychain by Bella Bella artist Ben Houstie.

I woke up with something that isn‘t Covid but might be a small flu. Blah.

At least it‘s nice enough to read outside this afternoon. Gonna dig into Cat Sebastian‘s sports romance and wish I hadn‘t drunk this mango-flavoured Island Soda. It was tasty, but it didn‘t interact well with the maybe-flu.

Tonight‘s supper & book. It‘s been 19 years since I last read MEMNOCH THE DEVIL, and I‘m delighted out of my mind because THAT‘S LONG ENOUGH THAT I‘VE FORGOTTEN STUFF! I used to reread this whole series every April, and I thought I‘d have it memorized forever. Yay! Surprises!

I‘m loving it so far, but one thing I do remember is that I always love New York and the art and the ghost, but I zonk out once Memnoch starts talking. We‘ll see.

The sweetest little spirit I know has volunteered his services as reading buddy while I hunker down with MEAN SPIRIT. It‘s a fictionalized take on the events everyone now knows from KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, written by a Chickasaw woman, and it‘s excellent so far. I hope I can scrounge lots of time with it tonight.

Todays library haul includes a Korean fantasy that caught my eye on Kobo, a poetry collection from 1984 for my years challenge, Cat Sebastian‘s latest, and a short fiction collection by a Japanese writer whose work I discovered in a Little Free Library.

Turns out it‘s been three whole years since I last read any Diana Wynne Jones and a whopping FOURTEEN YEARS since I devoured FIRE AND HEMLOCK in a single, rainy night in Taupo. Revisiting it now was the right choice. I may not finish it tonight, but it‘s gonna suck up a good chunk of my evening with its twisty, story-mad excellence.

I‘ll just try to ignore the cover, which has gotta rank as one of the worst on record. Who authorized it?

Todays recipe from ZAO FAN is hua juan, or flower buns. As I cut them, I realized I forgot to add the green onions on top of the meat paste before I rolled them up to go in the steamer, and I think that would‘ve added a good visual and textural component. Still, these are chewy and meaty and moreish. I‘m glad I‘ve got eight more to stick in the freezer for future breakfasts.

It‘s been years and years and YEARS since I made out so well at the Children‘s Hospital Book Market! I shelled out $46.50 for every volume of SKIP BEAT! I was missing, every Nero Wolfe mystery priced at $1, the last two in Charles Stross‘s Merchant Princes series, two harmonica books, two volumes of sheet music, a volume of modern (to 1963) African poetry, a Mexican cookbook, and Nigella‘s Christmas cookbook.

I‘m happy.

I‘m doing the get-book-read-book thing with SPRING SNOW, which I found in a Little Free Library yesterday. It‘s off to a great start. Lots of immersive emotions and subtle details that bring this moment in time to life.

I bought the beer because I loved another rice lager earlier this year, but alas, it‘s WAY too mint-forward. Oh well. Someday, somehow, I‘ll find another rice lager to adore

The cover blurb promises DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY has “the grace of Jane Austen [and] the pace of a thriller,” but as of page 70 it‘s mostly just got the verbosity of Jane Austen with the pace of same. I don‘t dislike it, but I ain‘t gripped, either, and the long paragraphs make it tough to go back in when you‘ve gotta pause and, say, rescue the cat from under the deck.

I might drift away from it. I dunno.

I don‘t have any cherry pie to pair with this book, but it‘s far less of a theme than the title implies so I think Jackie Lau‘ll forgive me for eating marble loaf instead.

The book‘s excellent; punchy and highly readable, with a lot of publishing realism in the mix. I can‘t claim I‘m super invested in the romance, but I do love Emily and I want great things for her. If she decides a future with Mark is a great thing, I‘m cool with it.

I gave Casey a tummy-rub while I entered the homestretch with the 30-years-delayed sequel to THE MUMMY! I‘m loving it. Lots of interesting mythology expansions and some seemingly simple revelations that turn out to be anything but.

I also got desperate enough to uninstall & reinstall Litsy, which helped with some of the post-iOS-update problems. It‘s still not perfect, but it‘s far more usable now.

THE PASSION has a couple of solid insights, like the quote above, but I found Henri‘s bits beyond dull. I came THIS CLOSE to bailing about five times over the first fifty pages, but I figured it was short enough that I should at least give Villanelle‘s POV a go. She interested me enough that I did finish the book, but it‘ll stick with me for the dullness (and the comma splices; UGH) more than anything else.

Definitely not recommended.

Here I am, trying Litsy‘s web option to show you the third wooden puzzle I did while I listened to THE WAY OF KINGS. This one‘s destined for my dad, who collects small vehicles. He doesn‘t have a balloon yet.

The browser option IS clunkier than the app, especially for photo editing. Please release an iOS 18-compatible update soon, Litsy!

Todays huge disappointment: Litsy doesn‘t work properly with iOS 18. 😭 Most of the icons to rate a book, add photos, or comment on posts are invisible. In some cases, you can bring the thing up by tapping where it might possibly be, but it‘s a total crapshoot with ratings.

Please, Litsy, release an update soon! (I‘d tag Tim, Tag People being one of the few icons still visible, but he‘s got so many test accounts I can‘t find his real one.)

I found this wooden cello puzzle the day after I did the Big Ben one, and I worked it up while I continued my audio WAY OF KINGS reread. It was quick and fun, and now I‘ve gotta decide who to give it to. I don‘t think I know any hardcore cello enthusiasts.

I‘ve also gotta find other things to do while I listen to the last 30% of the book, because now I‘m all out of wooden puzzles. On to regular jigsaw puzzles, I guess? #audiocrafting

I got an express audio copy of THE WAY OF KINGS, which is a LOT to listen to in one week, which is why I‘ve done three wooden puzzles in the last three days and also scrubbed the whole kitchen.

This light-up Big Ben (& associated tower) went to my mum, who‘s mighty taken with it. #audiocrafting

I visited the Chinese supermarket yesterday, and today I tried my first recipe from my new favourite cookbook! (It‘s FULL OF DELICIOUSNESS. I‘m obsessed.) This dan dan mian doesn‘t look inspiring, but it was so damned good. Strong sesame flavour mingled with chili and meaty tastiness. I‘m glad I‘ve got enough sauce left for tomorrow‘s breakfast, too.

I‘m only 25 pages into THE SAINT OF BRIGHT DOORS, but it feels like it‘s gonna be special. Charlie agrees.

Earlier this week I fell fast and hard for a painting, and also for THE LOST STORY. While I find some bits a touch unsatisfying to look back on, this book gave me exactly what I needed in the moment. It‘s a somewhat quieter portal fantasy, full of friendship and wonder and families who find one another when their need is greatest. I couldn‘t tear myself away from its glorious warmth, and I love the note it ends on.

I meant to return two library books and borrow zero, but they had this awesome Chinese breakfast cookbook on a display, and I remembered I wanted to check the poetry section for stuff that fits my personal Years challenge (THERE is my 2006 selection; THE MASK is just because it looked good), and THEN I couldn‘t resist a culinary cozy mystery. So here we are.

Ooh, friends, this is THE book you want if you‘re in the mood for legitimately creepy short fiction. The contributors serve up a great mix of supernatural horror and hell-is-other-people horror. I‘m over 200 pages in and I‘ve only found one story that didn‘t work for me.

I‘ve gotta double my usual story-per-day pace now, because there‘s been a huge run on it in the last two weeks. All copies checked out & 13 holds, in no time. Huh.

Yuval Sharon‘s passion for his topic shines through on every page of this engaging, accessible book. While he does assume you‘ve got some basic opera knowledge, there‘s enough context here for even neophytes to follow along with each of his points—and to interrogate those points against their own experience of the performing arts. I had an excellent time doing just that, and now I‘m all fired up to explore EVEN MORE OPERA. Highly recommended.

My Saturday afternoon involves awesome dogs and an awesome book! THE ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SIRAFI has everything: swashbuckling adventure, nuanced friendships with a whole lot of history behind them, intriguing magic, and intense VIBES. (Love a VIBE.) I can‘t wait to dig into the back half.

ALSO, today is Rocco‘s fourth birthday! I gave him some celebratory ear-skritches when I got here.

This week‘s library haul is mostly stuff I‘ve had on suspended hold for a loooooong time, plus a 1987 Jeannette Winterson novel I requested when my original 1987 pick proved, shall we say, less than engaging.

I think I‘m most eager for the tagged book, since I hadn‘t even heard of it until it was nominated for the Hugo. I like going into things with no real expectations.

Yesterday I confirmed I like Chinua Achebe‘s nonfiction far more than his fiction, alas, but I‘m as interested in Colette‘s novels as I am in her stories. THE VAGABOND is hardcore immersive. I feel like I‘m right there with Renée in her music hall life. Casey‘s gonna help me get through another big chunk before bed.

I started THE DUKE AT HAZARD while I looked after Daisy, who declined to pose, and finished it while I enjoyed my new projector lamp. (The green stars are still and the blue bits swirl.) It wasn‘t one of KJ Charles‘s standouts, but it was still an enjoyable way to spend a few hours. Lots of solid character development and creative problem solving.

This is me, tearing along through TOMORROW IS FOR THE BRAVE on the mostly-dark deck while Penny naps in the shadows. Kinda-glowy sky a happy bonus.

The book is maybe a little more obvious than Kelly Bowen‘s last two, but it‘s also so damned engaging I don‘t want to put it down.

Tonight‘s book, paired with a lovely raspberry ginger wheat ale that has neither a name nor a head.

I plucked MRS POLLIFAX ON THE CHINA STATION from a Little Free Library because every year I try to read a book from each year I‘ve been alive and I‘m still missing 1983. It seems like it‘s a cozy spy thriller. I‘m also braced for lots of racism, since it‘s from 1983, but I hope it‘ll surprise me.

Ahhhh, friends, THE MAID AND THE CROCODILE is a glorious and delightful fairy tale that also asks big questions about whose voices get amplified, which contexts inform peoples‘ worldviews, and how massive policy shifts actually play out in society. I couldn‘t get enough of the story, which deftly blends fun bits with weightier material, or narrator Adetinpo Thomas‘s stellar performance. 4.5 stars.

Throwback to last night, when I drank a lovely grapefruit raddler and dug into THE SHORELESS RIVER. It took me a bit to pick up this world‘s rhythm again, but I think I‘m back into it now. Gonna make the second half a priority today, since it‘s the last book from my July/August reading list and I‘ve got a bunch of other things I‘m eager to tackle!

I finished THE LANTERN AND THE NIGHT MOTHS this morning with two little helpers. It offers an excellent look not just at the five poets (Xiao Xi was maybe my favourite) but also at how translation WORKS, and how poetics operate on an emotional level. Highly recommended.

Throwback to outdoor lunch with my daily short story. This 1986 anthology is a bit of a mixed bag. Today‘s story, “Markham” by R. Bretnor, was overlong, with little sense of menace until the very end.

I requested the final volume of THE STORY OF THE STONE as soon as I finished Vol 4, and it didn‘t come in. When I checked the catalogue again, they‘d marked it as Trace.

I figured there was nothing I could do if someone stole it, but if it was lost in the library maybe *I* could find it. I went to the branch today, and it was right there on the shelf, exactly where it was supposed to be. 🤷‍♀️

I got a bunch of other stuff too, since I was there.

Doing some Sunday morning reading with Geo, who‘s sad because his mom went on vacation and now it‘s RAINING. Life is hard.

I‘m happy because I get to hang out with Geo and read R.K. Ashwick. I also get to tell y‘all that all her published books are on for 99¢ right now and you should jump on them. A RIVAL MOST VIAL is my fave, but the Lutesong series is also great.

I reread BRIGHTY OF THE GRAND CANYON yesterday, and I‘m rather amazed at how dark it is. It starts with Brighty‘s human BFF‘s murder and follows the wee burro through several more years in which he experiences frequent abuse from humans.

There are bright spots too, though. It felt very Buddhist to me, actually, in how it mixes Brighty‘s joyful moments with the violent suffering he endures when people try to tame him. Huh.

I made super-delicious zucchini fritters with spiced sour cream sauce! If you want to do the same, the recipe‘s from the Dairy Farmers of Canada‘s 2023 milk calendar, archived on their website. They take forever, but they‘re worth it. Just listen to an audiobook while you squeeze out the zucchini. I highly recommend the tagged book, which I LOOOOOVE. It‘s got me searching for more excuses to listen. #audiocooking

I know some of y‘all wanted to see the finished version of the tiny house I built while I listened to the tagged book, among many other things. I‘ve just shared a whole bunch of zoom-inable pictures on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C_DhAd8Av3l/?igsh=MWk5bjJ6djltNXcyZg==

AIRS ABOVE THE GROUND is awesome so far! Lots of interesting relationships and great tension as Vanessa digs into the mystery of her displaced husband. I‘m gonna binge-read it tonight while I puppysit these two wrestling enthusiasts and their slightly calmer brother.