Reading Update
Going Postal, Making Money, and Raising Steam (Discworld 33, 36, 40) by Terry Pratchett. Six months ago, if you’d tried to tell me I’d really enjoy reading two books about a guy whose first name is “Moist”, I would’ve backed slowly away from you. Raising Steam was a dnf. It… was not readable as a Terry Pratchett book. 🙁
The Light Fantastic (Discworld #2) by Terry Pratchett. The continuing adventures of Rincewind, Twoflower, and the Luggage.
Sourcery, Interesting Times, and The Last Continent (Discworld 5, 17, 22) by Terry Pratchett. More Rincewind and the wizards of Unseen University.

*ignoring* -Chaos

(Ha! His ears are giving away his ignoring FAIL.) (Also, you can see the fur regrowth progress on the back of his head there.)

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

A little skimpy on the linkity, a little heavy on the reviewettes

June 21, 2019 Chris 3 Comments

Bookity

Think, Do, Make, Learn

Cookity

31 zucchini recipes.
10 cold noodle bowls.
10-minute chopped Thai satay salad.
5-ingredient Thai peanut beef. (via The Kitchn)
Chicken enchilada pasta. (via The Kitchn)
Earthquake cake.

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Linkity from knittyBlog. And more.

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

“Revisit the sounds of your favorite old analog gear“.

Wha…?

Wine water.
“Salad frosting“.

LOL

Millennials. (Hover cursor/long-press for caption.) (Due to folding Gen-Z into Millenials, things get a little weird.)

Teh Cute

Baby mountain lions! Baby penguins!

Reading Update
Equal Rites (Discworld #3)Â by Terry Pratchett. Whoa, Granny Weatherwax changes a LOT between this one and the next Witches book. Glad Nanny Ogg was added for the next Witches book, too. And what the heck happens to Esk, anyway?! I think she maybe gets mentioned in a Tiffany Aching book, but…
Witches Abroad (Discworld #12)Â by Terry Pratchett. Ah, yes, this was a proper Witches book! 🙂
Thief of Time (Discworld #26) by Terry Pratchett. The Monks of Time, plus Susan and Death and Death of Rats!
Eric (Discworld #9), Lords and Ladies (Discworld #14), Moving Pictures (Discworld #10) and Unseen Academicals (Discworld #37) by Terry Pratchett. None of these were very memorable, but they were enjoyable. Well. Other than Eric. That was not very good at all.
Theatre of Cruelty (Discworld #14.5) by Terry Pratchett. Online freebie. VERY SHORT.
Monstrous Regiment (Discworld #31) by Terry Pratchett. Loved this one, and not just because Commander Sam Vimes and the City Watch were lurking about backstage throughout.
Guards! Guards! (Discworld #8) and Men at Arms (Discworld #15) by Terry Pratchett. I read all of the other City Watch books before Guards! Guards!, the first City Watch book. :shrugs: It was great to see how things got to be how they were in later books! And then I had to reread Men at Arms immediately.
Mort (Discworld #4) by Terry Pratchett. Since I read the later Death books before this one, I knew the gist of this story, but I felt more sympathetic to Mort than I expected I would.
A Blink of the Screen: Collected Shorter Fiction by Terry Pratchett. I just read the Discworld stories…
Alice Payne Arrives by Kate Heartfield. Very good book about a war being fought via time travel as two rival factions seek to wipe each other out by changing history. I would’ve liked a tidier ending, but at least there’s another book…
Under Attack, Under Suspicion, Under the Gun, and Under a Spell (Underworld Detective Agency 2-5) by Hannah Jayne. Really not sure why I kept reading these…

“Oh, YOU again.” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

In which linkity providing links is the least surprising thing ever

June 7, 2019 Chris 2 Comments

Probably no linkity next week, as I won’t have any time to put it together.

Bookity

New releases: Smart Bitches (romance) and Tor.com (genre benders)
Linkity from ReaderWriterVille.
Linkity from Smart Bitches.
Linkity from Inkophile.
So who wrote what bits in Good Omens?
“The Good Omens miniseries is a love story and I will never recover from it“.
Neil Gaiman 1, troll 0.
“When childhood books should not be revisited“.
An intriguing twist on the soulmate AU.
Whoops! Child promised to two different witches.
Book-related nail art.

Think, Make, Learn, Do

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

The Great Garden Gnome Massacre.

Wha…?

LOL

Reading Update
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman. I’ve been seeing so much about Good Omens on tumblr that I decided it was time for a reread. Delightful.
Anywhere, Anytime Art: Crayon: A Colorful Guide to Drawing with Crayon for Artists on the Go by Monika Forsberg. Cute, but without much actual content.
The Journal Junkies Workshop: Visual Ammunition for the Art Addict by Eric M Scott & David R Modler. Good introduction to visual journaling and how to get started. Wish I’d found this one when I was getting started – it has some techniques that would’ve been nice to have learned earlier.
Down Among the Sticks and Bones and Beneath the Sugar Sky (Wayward Children 2-3) by Seanan McGuire. Good continuation of this series about children who’ve found doors into other worlds but are sent back to this one.
Snuff (Discworld #39) by Terry Pratchett. In which Sam Vimes goes on a vacation to his wife’s family’s summer home and shenanigans ensue.
Under Wraps (Underworld Detection Agency #1) by Hannah Jayne. Not the greatest – the characters didn’t seem consistent to me and it had a not-quite-a-cliffhanger-but-you-can-see-the-cliff-in-the-vicinity ending… but I’m still reading the next one, so!

“Sheesh! Back off, Mom!” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity can report that Chaos is back to being as much of a pest as ever…

May 31, 2019 Chris 3 Comments

Bookity

New releases: Tor.com (YA SFF, scifi, fantasy)
Linkity from Smart Bitches.
Cover snark from Smart Bitches.
Linkity from ReaderWriterVille.
Linkity from the Pen Addict.
Nonasuch has an interesting theory about Night Watch by Terry Pratchett. On May 25th. SPOILER WARNINGS FOR BOTH LINKS.
Some daily journaling prompts for June.
A few ways to make more time for reading.
“In praise of used books“.
15 Shel Silverstein quotes.
Literature-themed adult color books.

Think, Do, Make, Learn

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Linkity from kmkat.

Wha…?

LOL

“Wisely, they got out of there…“
XKeyboardCD. Swimming. Mulder and Scully. Hover cursor/long-press for captions.

Teh Cute

Zebra and baby! Baby beaver! Bison and baby!

Reading Update
Hogfather (Discworld #20) by Terry Pratchett. Death fills in for the Hogfather…
Labyrinth, Downpour, Seawitch, Possession, and Revenant (Greywalker, #9) Revenant (Greywalker 5-9) by Kat Richardson. Good continuation of this urban fantasy series about a Seattle PI who can walk in the paranormal layer of reality known as the Grey.
Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1) by Seanan McGuire. Strange and beautiful tale of a school for children who’ve gone through portals to other worlds, returned, and been stuck here.

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos & Mayhem

(This is from before Chaos’ stay at the vet – now he has a big shaved spot on the back of his neck!)

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity for a long (US) weekend

May 24, 2019 Chris 4 Comments

Bookity

New releases: AAR (romance)
Linkity from Smart Bitches. More.
Linkity from ReaderWriterVille. More.
Linkity from Inkophile.
Linkity from the Pen Addict.
Browser extension that checks to see if your library has a book you’re looking considering buying online. Here’s where you can find both the Firefox and Chrome versions.
8 reading recommendations with canon asexual representation.
“How fan fiction influenced my reading“.
The fashion history of Clint Barton/Hawkeye. (I… had only seen the Fraction/Aja iteration. I am, as they say, shook.)
Good Omens in 35,000 dominoes. (And Neil Gaiman’s reaction.)
Harry Potter characters as Troubled Birds.

Make, Think, Learn, Do

Cookity

Gluten Free

Cream cheese buttermilk biscuits.

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Removable wallpaper based on books and comics.

Wha…?

This is in this section not because of what it is (genius), but because it’s necessary.

LOL

Teh Cute

Baby penguins! Baby red wolves! Okapi and baby! And more baby red wolves! Baby clouded leopards!

Reading Update
Greywalker, Poltergeist, Underground, and Vanished (Greywalker 1-4) by Kat Richardson. Good urban fantasy series about a private investigator who, after being clinically dead for two minutes, finds herself drawn into the Grey – a world alongside ours, but filled with magic and the paranormal. The writing is very “noir” (choppy, declarative sentences in first person POV), which took me a while to settle into.
Things Are What You Make of Them: Life Advice for Creatives by Adam J Kurtz. What it says on the tin. Very short.
International (Monster Hunter #1) by Larry Correia. B-movie monster hunting gun p0rn.
Feet of Clay (Discworld #19), Jingo (Discworld #21), The Fifth Elephant (Discworld #24), Night Watch (Discworld #29), and Thud! (Discworld #34) by Terry Pratchett. I love Sam Vines and the Night Watch.
Reaper Man (Discworld #11) and Soul Music (Death #16) by Terry Pratchett. In the first, Death gets fired and has an existential crisis. In the second, Death doesn’t get fired and has an existential crisis.

“If it stops raining, will there be MORE birds??” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity’s not blaming the trees for being cautious about growing leaves this spring

May 10, 2019 Chris 4 Comments

Bookity

Think, Make, Do, Learn

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

That’s an important clarification.

Teh Cute

Baby Klipspringer! Baby sand cats! Zebra and baby! Dusky pademelon and baby!

Reading Update
Dreams of Shreds and Tatters by Amanda Downum. I am not really sure why I finished this – I certainly didn’t care for any of the characters and never engaged with the plot.

And I reread books 7-10 of Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series…

“…zzzzzzzzz…” -Mayhem

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Linkity’s still waiting for leaves…

May 3, 2019 Chris 4 Comments

Bookity

Do, Learn, Make, Think

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Calvin’s dad loved to mess with Calvin SO MUCH.

Teh Cute

Baby river otters! Porcupettes!

Reading Update
“Through This House” (October Daye 4.5) in Home Improvement: Undead Edition, about Toby and crew going through Goldengreen for the first time.
In Sea-Salt Tears (October Daye 5.1) by Seanan McGuire. Free. Good short about the Luidaeg in 1972.
No Sooner Met (October Daye 6.2) by Seanan McGuire. Toby and Tybalt’s first date.
Rat-Catcher (October Daye 7.1) by Seanan McGuire. Free. How Tybalt became a King of Cats.
Forbid the Sea (October Daye 7.2) by Seanan McGuire. Free. Tybalt, 10 years into his reign.
Heaps of Pearl (October Daye 8.1) by Seanan McGuire. Free. How Patrick met the Duchess-in-Waiting of Saltmist.
The Fixed Stars (October Daye 8.5) by Seanan McGuire. Free. Before the Luidwaeg was the Luidwaeg.
And I reread the first six October Daye novels again during the week…
Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad by Austin Kleon. What the title says. 🙂

“What part of ‘back off!’ do you not understand, Mom?” -Chaos

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Brief linkity of brevity

April 26, 2019 Chris 4 Comments

It was a migrainey day, so you get dramatically reduced linkity – perfect for people in a hurry! 😉

Reading Update
Fathomless (#2) by Anne M Pillsworth. Very good continuation of this young adult trilogy as the kids head to Arkham to get some training for their magic and, of course, things get creepy and dangerous.
Chimes at Midnight, The Winter Long, A Red-Rose Chain, Full of Briars, Once Broken Faith, The Brightest Fell, and Night and Silence (October Daye 7-12) by Seanan McGuire. Obviously I’m really enjoying this series, since I burned through it in just a couple of weeks and now I want to reread the whole thing again immediately. But I was really, really anxious whilst reading the 11th and 12th book.
Poems for the End of the World: Endings and beginnings 2015-2017 by Sage Liskey. What is there really to say about poetry? You like it or you don’t – I liked this small collection.

*thlurrrrp* -Mayhem

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Linkity’s hoping things will start to green up this weekend

April 19, 2019 Chris 4 Comments

Bookity

Do, Learn, Make, Think

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

April gothic moods.
SO TRUE. And then hitting 70F again on the 8th day…
Boom!
Linkity from kmkat.

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Infinite black kitties! Takin and baby!

Reading Update
Wyrd Sisters (Discworld #6) by Terry Pratchett. Pretty good introduction to Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg – I suspect if I were more familiar with Shakespeare’s plays, I would’ve gotten a lot more out of this one.
Hazard and Spark (West Hell Magic #2) Spark (West Hell Magic 1-2) by Devon Monk. Good series about a world where those with supernatural abilities aren’t allowed to play in the NHL, so they play in paranormal-only league. The first two books are about two brothers, a wizard and a werewolf, who are getting their start in the league.
Chaos Choreography, Magic for Nothing, and Tricks for Free (InCryptid 5-7) by Seanan McGuire. Chaos Choreography: Once again, Verity’s part of a ballroom dancing reality tv show and things are, of course, complicated by her family’s work protecting supernatural beings. Magic for Nothing and Tricks for Free: Verity’s younger sister Antimony is sent to England to infiltrate the Covenant and things get complicated.
The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp. I just lost interest in it halfway through and have no interest in continuing.
Art Matters: Because Your Imagination Can Change the World by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Riddell. Excellent small collection of inspirational essays and illustrations – I’ve already purchased a copy for a birthday gift…
1000 Artist Journal Pages: Personal Pages and Inspirations by Dawn DeVries Sokol. Exactly what the title says! 🙂

“My trust, you haz betrayed it, Mom.” -Mayhem

*sigh* -Chaos

Reading, Reviewettes

Ignoring the snowy forecast didn’t help, discovered linkity

April 12, 2019 Chris 4 Comments

Just book reviewettes and a cat picture today – tired! Lots of reading too late this week! 🙂

Reading Update
An Artificial Night, Late Eclipses, One Salt Sea, and Ashes of Honor (October Daye 3-6) by Seanan McGuire. Really enjoying this urban fantasy series about changeling Sir Toby Daye, who happens to be a private investigator with a penchant for getting seriously injured.
Midnight Blue-Light Special, Half-Off Ragnarok, and Pocket Apocalypse (InCryptid 2-4) by Seanan McGuire. Good continuation of this series about a family who works to keep the magical beings and creatures of the world safe – including safe from an organization that wants to wipe all of them out.
Men at Arms (Discworld #15) by Terry Pratchett. This was my in-depth introduction to the Night Watch. Love!