hi hi!
Mar. 29th, 2026 10:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
churin posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
findingfriendsIs there an interesting story behind your username?my username is actually just a JP nickname for my favorite character, Aventurine from honkai star rail! you'll see me mention him a lot hehe
Location and language(s):i live in the USA and speak only english! i am currently learning japanese, though.
Age range (e.g 20s, 30s, etc.):30's
Hot button/deal breaker issues that will likely lead to unfriending:all i ask is that you don't be a jerk or a bigot/etc, that's it really. i'm pretty chill otherwise.
Do you have an "About Me" post new friends can read to get a sense of who you are, the people you talk about regularly, etc.? i DO have a sticky/intro post on my journal that provides a bit more info about me!
Is your profile up-to-date or at all useful?i'd say pretty accurate, yeah!
List a few things you think it's important new friends know about you right away:i love aventurine --
You mostly write about:fandom stuff and personal/irl stuff
You never or very rarely write about:serious/heavy personal stuff. if i do ever write about that, then it will have a proper warning on it.
Is your journal mostly public, locked, or a mix of public and locked?my journal is open to the public!
Do you use filters for certain types of posts (e.g. fandom-related posts, or posts about sex, or mental health issues, etc.)?i do! i make sure to tag my entries appropriately.
Your posting frequency (e.g. daily, every few days, weekly, etc.):i'd say a few times a week
Does your journal frequently include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc?the occasional image, but that's not very common.
What do you enjoy most about journaling?opening up, talking about myself more and talking to people!
How often do you read your friends list (e.g. daily, every other day, once a week, etc.)?i try to read at LEAST once a day
You really enjoy reading about:you mean on dreamwidth? just about anything, i'm not picky
You have very little interest in reading about: N/A
Your thoughts on journals that regularly include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc?i don't mind them!
When it comes to comments on your posts, what matters more -- quality or quantity?i have no preference. i guess quality?
Do you unfriend people who don't comment much, even if you know they are reading you regularly?
nope! if you can't comment much, then it's all good. i imagine there's a good reason behind it.
What is your approach when it comes to commenting on other journals?i just comment whatever's comes to mind, if that makes any sense. of course it'll be related to the entry's subject matter
When you friend someone, but things don't really click, do you unfriend them without warning, or do you send them a note first? How do you prefer to be unfriended in similar circumstances?i never really had to do this before, so i really don't know how to answer. i'm not an unfriender i suppose, LOL
AND LASTLY
Friending memes often ask people to list their favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., but more often than not, those aren't things people actually write about in their journal. Do you have any favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., that you DO often write about -- not necessarily in a fandom sort of way, just in general?i looove talking about anything hoyoverse (genshin/honkai/zenless) and whatever other online/gacha game i'm playing at the time!
Any final thoughts you'd like to share with potential new friends? hello! i hope we can become friends and get to know each other more ^-^ i'm pretty chill i'd say!
Location and language(s):i live in the USA and speak only english! i am currently learning japanese, though.
Age range (e.g 20s, 30s, etc.):30's
Hot button/deal breaker issues that will likely lead to unfriending:all i ask is that you don't be a jerk or a bigot/etc, that's it really. i'm pretty chill otherwise.
Do you have an "About Me" post new friends can read to get a sense of who you are, the people you talk about regularly, etc.? i DO have a sticky/intro post on my journal that provides a bit more info about me!
Is your profile up-to-date or at all useful?i'd say pretty accurate, yeah!
List a few things you think it's important new friends know about you right away:i love aventurine --
You mostly write about:fandom stuff and personal/irl stuff
You never or very rarely write about:serious/heavy personal stuff. if i do ever write about that, then it will have a proper warning on it.
Is your journal mostly public, locked, or a mix of public and locked?my journal is open to the public!
Do you use filters for certain types of posts (e.g. fandom-related posts, or posts about sex, or mental health issues, etc.)?i do! i make sure to tag my entries appropriately.
Your posting frequency (e.g. daily, every few days, weekly, etc.):i'd say a few times a week
Does your journal frequently include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc?the occasional image, but that's not very common.
What do you enjoy most about journaling?opening up, talking about myself more and talking to people!
How often do you read your friends list (e.g. daily, every other day, once a week, etc.)?i try to read at LEAST once a day
You really enjoy reading about:you mean on dreamwidth? just about anything, i'm not picky
You have very little interest in reading about: N/A
Your thoughts on journals that regularly include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc?i don't mind them!
When it comes to comments on your posts, what matters more -- quality or quantity?i have no preference. i guess quality?
Do you unfriend people who don't comment much, even if you know they are reading you regularly?
nope! if you can't comment much, then it's all good. i imagine there's a good reason behind it.
What is your approach when it comes to commenting on other journals?i just comment whatever's comes to mind, if that makes any sense. of course it'll be related to the entry's subject matter
When you friend someone, but things don't really click, do you unfriend them without warning, or do you send them a note first? How do you prefer to be unfriended in similar circumstances?i never really had to do this before, so i really don't know how to answer. i'm not an unfriender i suppose, LOL
AND LASTLY
Friending memes often ask people to list their favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., but more often than not, those aren't things people actually write about in their journal. Do you have any favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., that you DO often write about -- not necessarily in a fandom sort of way, just in general?i looove talking about anything hoyoverse (genshin/honkai/zenless) and whatever other online/gacha game i'm playing at the time!
Any final thoughts you'd like to share with potential new friends? hello! i hope we can become friends and get to know each other more ^-^ i'm pretty chill i'd say!
Millennial Midlife
Mar. 28th, 2026 07:15 amskimmed_miilk posting in findingfriends Is there an interesting story behind your username? Not really, it's just a play on the phrase "no point crying over spilled milk" but skimmed as I was on a weight loss attempt at the time. I actually kind of hate it now, and I'm considering buying a rename token. My current name was also a rename from the original YoungAcidia that I wrote under when I started this journal way back in 2002.
Location and language(s): West of Scotland, near Loch Lomond. I only speak English, despite a short-lived attempt to learn Spanish.
Age range: Early 40's
Hot button/deal breaker issues that will likely lead to unfriending: My journal is my space to be me, and so I have no interest in sharing it with those who don't support reproductive rights, feminism, freedom of gender or sexual identity, anti-fascism, anti-colonialism, a free Palestine and Ukraine, green policies, a universal basic income, socialism...you get the jist.
Do you have an "About Me" post new friends can read to get a sense of who you are, the people you talk about regularly, etc.? Not currently, but I'll perhaps write one if I find new friends.
Is your profile up-to-date or at all useful? I did tweak it a little recently, I'm not sure how useful it is. I suppose it gives a little flavour?
List a few things you think it's important new friends know about you right away: I'm a mum of three, nonna of (soon-to-be) two, dog mum. I work for a humanitarian charity, in retail. I live with depression and low self-esteem, and have done my whole life. I experienced a messy divorce with infidelity and financial abuse - it's in the past but these things shape a person. I have an incredible circle of family and friends. I don't always like to act my age. I share my home with a ridiculous amount of books.
You mostly write about: Daily life; my everlasting struggle against my natural inclination towards hibernating on my sofa; books and films I've consumed; weight training and weight loss; finding myself in midlife.
You never or very rarely write about: I'm not a fandom-er. I have dabbled in writing fiction, but it's not based on any existing IPs. I would like to get back into it, and if I do I'll share it but that hasn't happened yet.
Is your journal mostly public, locked, or a mix of public and locked? It's access-only. It's just so I at least get introduced to whoever is reading, but I'm not necessarily private. I doubt anyone I know in real life would be interested or even know Dreamwidth exists, so I feel pretty free to say what I want. I just prefer the idea that I'm having a conversation rather than being overheard...if that makes sense. I've maybe made my oldest entries fully locked, just from a cringe point of view as I was just a dumb kid when I started this journal, but I can't remember and don't really care.
Do you use filters for certain types of posts (e.g. fandom-related posts, or posts about sex, or mental health issues, etc.)? Not filters, but I will use a cut if I'm going into detail about something that I think might be triggering for some. For me, that's mainly when I talk about weight loss, which I don't do very often anyway.
Your posting frequency (e.g. daily, every few days, weekly, etc.): Since coming back to this journal this year, it's been at least weekly. I'm hoping to be more frequent, but finding time isn't always easy.
Does your journal frequently include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc? Not often, I can't be arsed with the faff of uploading, linking, etc. But if I do include things like that, they go under a cut.
What do you enjoy most about journaling? Chronicling life, and just getting the chance to be with my thoughts and get them out. I'm quite a solitary person a lot of the time, but even then we all need a way to talk about things. My journal is often the place for that.
How often do you read your friends list (e.g. daily, every other day, once a week, etc.)? Probably weekly, after I've written a post. I'm not as good at commenting as I used to be, but I'm working on it as I want to get back to how this journal used to be, with dialogue and community. Harder these days since the death of LJ and journaling in general, especially with people my own age.
You really enjoy reading about: Those also figuring out this stage of life, those who get personal about the things they're living through, reviews of books, rants, takes on the culture, women's issues.
You have very little interest in reading about: Fandoms...sorry!
Your thoughts on journals that regularly include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc? Your journal is your space, so crack on. But they have to be a backdrop to your thoughts to get me interested, rather than the only things you post.
When it comes to comments on your posts, what matters more -- quality or quantity? I'd like to know at least someone is reading, but I'd rather someone commented because they have something to say rather than just the Dreamwidth equivalent of a like.
Do you unfriend people who don't comment much, even if you know they are reading you regularly? No. Although how would I know they're reading...? I generally only unfriend people if I really don't gel with their journal and feel we have absolutely no common ground.
What is your approach when it comes to commenting on other journals? As I said, I'm not as good at it as I want to be. Some of that is because, since moving from LJ, I don't feel I've built up a rapport with folks. And that's on me, as I'm a a bit shy, awkward and avoidant. But I'm working on it...I perhaps need coaxed out of my shell.
When you friend someone, but things don't really click, do you unfriend them without warning, or do you send them a note first? How do you prefer to be unfriended in similar circumstances? I wouldn't announce it. I think if you aren't clicking, then it's obvious as there is just no interaction at all, so I doubt if either of us would even notice. I have unfriended people in the past who then still wanted to read my posts, and I'm cool with adding them back if that's the case. But it's a case of no hard feelings - if someone doesn't want me reading them, then that's their prerogative - journals should be safe, comfortable spaces.
AND LASTLY
Friending memes often ask people to list their favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., but more often than not, those aren't things people actually write about in their journal. Do you have any favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., that you DO often write about -- not necessarily in a fandom sort of way, just in general? Not really. I just like writing about what I've read or watched as and when it comes up. A flavour of what that could be is that I'm more drawn to human experiences like motherhood, marriage breakdown, female friendship, migration, mental health. Maybe with a little sprinkling of magical realism or dystopia too. I'm an indie kid at heart, and that's probably reflected in my listening, reading and watching tastes. My interests in my profile include some favourites of all these things.
Any final thoughts you'd like to share with potential new friends? I feel journaling online is a dying art, so those of us still here need to find each other. If I've sparked your interest, give me an add and I'll follow you back. We can try each other out, see if we fit.
Location and language(s): West of Scotland, near Loch Lomond. I only speak English, despite a short-lived attempt to learn Spanish.
Age range: Early 40's
Hot button/deal breaker issues that will likely lead to unfriending: My journal is my space to be me, and so I have no interest in sharing it with those who don't support reproductive rights, feminism, freedom of gender or sexual identity, anti-fascism, anti-colonialism, a free Palestine and Ukraine, green policies, a universal basic income, socialism...you get the jist.
Do you have an "About Me" post new friends can read to get a sense of who you are, the people you talk about regularly, etc.? Not currently, but I'll perhaps write one if I find new friends.
Is your profile up-to-date or at all useful? I did tweak it a little recently, I'm not sure how useful it is. I suppose it gives a little flavour?
List a few things you think it's important new friends know about you right away: I'm a mum of three, nonna of (soon-to-be) two, dog mum. I work for a humanitarian charity, in retail. I live with depression and low self-esteem, and have done my whole life. I experienced a messy divorce with infidelity and financial abuse - it's in the past but these things shape a person. I have an incredible circle of family and friends. I don't always like to act my age. I share my home with a ridiculous amount of books.
You mostly write about: Daily life; my everlasting struggle against my natural inclination towards hibernating on my sofa; books and films I've consumed; weight training and weight loss; finding myself in midlife.
You never or very rarely write about: I'm not a fandom-er. I have dabbled in writing fiction, but it's not based on any existing IPs. I would like to get back into it, and if I do I'll share it but that hasn't happened yet.
Is your journal mostly public, locked, or a mix of public and locked? It's access-only. It's just so I at least get introduced to whoever is reading, but I'm not necessarily private. I doubt anyone I know in real life would be interested or even know Dreamwidth exists, so I feel pretty free to say what I want. I just prefer the idea that I'm having a conversation rather than being overheard...if that makes sense. I've maybe made my oldest entries fully locked, just from a cringe point of view as I was just a dumb kid when I started this journal, but I can't remember and don't really care.
Do you use filters for certain types of posts (e.g. fandom-related posts, or posts about sex, or mental health issues, etc.)? Not filters, but I will use a cut if I'm going into detail about something that I think might be triggering for some. For me, that's mainly when I talk about weight loss, which I don't do very often anyway.
Your posting frequency (e.g. daily, every few days, weekly, etc.): Since coming back to this journal this year, it's been at least weekly. I'm hoping to be more frequent, but finding time isn't always easy.
Does your journal frequently include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc? Not often, I can't be arsed with the faff of uploading, linking, etc. But if I do include things like that, they go under a cut.
What do you enjoy most about journaling? Chronicling life, and just getting the chance to be with my thoughts and get them out. I'm quite a solitary person a lot of the time, but even then we all need a way to talk about things. My journal is often the place for that.
How often do you read your friends list (e.g. daily, every other day, once a week, etc.)? Probably weekly, after I've written a post. I'm not as good at commenting as I used to be, but I'm working on it as I want to get back to how this journal used to be, with dialogue and community. Harder these days since the death of LJ and journaling in general, especially with people my own age.
You really enjoy reading about: Those also figuring out this stage of life, those who get personal about the things they're living through, reviews of books, rants, takes on the culture, women's issues.
You have very little interest in reading about: Fandoms...sorry!
Your thoughts on journals that regularly include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc? Your journal is your space, so crack on. But they have to be a backdrop to your thoughts to get me interested, rather than the only things you post.
When it comes to comments on your posts, what matters more -- quality or quantity? I'd like to know at least someone is reading, but I'd rather someone commented because they have something to say rather than just the Dreamwidth equivalent of a like.
Do you unfriend people who don't comment much, even if you know they are reading you regularly? No. Although how would I know they're reading...? I generally only unfriend people if I really don't gel with their journal and feel we have absolutely no common ground.
What is your approach when it comes to commenting on other journals? As I said, I'm not as good at it as I want to be. Some of that is because, since moving from LJ, I don't feel I've built up a rapport with folks. And that's on me, as I'm a a bit shy, awkward and avoidant. But I'm working on it...I perhaps need coaxed out of my shell.
When you friend someone, but things don't really click, do you unfriend them without warning, or do you send them a note first? How do you prefer to be unfriended in similar circumstances? I wouldn't announce it. I think if you aren't clicking, then it's obvious as there is just no interaction at all, so I doubt if either of us would even notice. I have unfriended people in the past who then still wanted to read my posts, and I'm cool with adding them back if that's the case. But it's a case of no hard feelings - if someone doesn't want me reading them, then that's their prerogative - journals should be safe, comfortable spaces.
AND LASTLY
Friending memes often ask people to list their favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., but more often than not, those aren't things people actually write about in their journal. Do you have any favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., that you DO often write about -- not necessarily in a fandom sort of way, just in general? Not really. I just like writing about what I've read or watched as and when it comes up. A flavour of what that could be is that I'm more drawn to human experiences like motherhood, marriage breakdown, female friendship, migration, mental health. Maybe with a little sprinkling of magical realism or dystopia too. I'm an indie kid at heart, and that's probably reflected in my listening, reading and watching tastes. My interests in my profile include some favourites of all these things.
Any final thoughts you'd like to share with potential new friends? I feel journaling online is a dying art, so those of us still here need to find each other. If I've sparked your interest, give me an add and I'll follow you back. We can try each other out, see if we fit.
O hai there!
Mar. 27th, 2026 06:55 pmyourivy posting in findingfriendsHi, I'm Tina :)
Is there an interesting story behind your username?
Not really, I just needed a name so I took a lyric from my favourite Taylor Swift song at the time, "ivy". The whole line is "my house of stone, your ivy grows, and now I'm covered in you".
Location and language(s):
Germany. German (native language), English (near-fluent), and I am currently learning French. I also know some Spanish and bits & pieces of Polish, Turkish and Dutch.
Age range (e.g 20s, 30s, etc.):
Old Late 30s (to be exact, I turn 38 in fourty-four days).
Hot button/deal breaker issues that will likely lead to unfriending:
Besides the usual closed-minded views - if you think a person's worth depends on how much work they can contribute to society or on how healthy they are, both physically and mentally.
Also, neither radical zionists nor Hamas supporters, please (I don't talk about this topic on my journal but I don't want to associate with extremists on either side).
Lastly, no-one under 18 years of age - nothing personal, I just am not comfortable with having non-adults reading my entries.
Do you have an "About Me" post new friends can read to get a sense of who you are, the people you talk about regularly, etc.?
I do, you can read it as a sticky post once we're friends :)
Is your profile up-to-date or at all useful?
It is up-to-date - as for usefulness, that's for the beholder to decide ;)
While I don't have a "biography" on there, you can always gain some info by looking at my interests.
List a few things you think it's important new friends know about you right away:
-> I'm mentally ill and have also been dealing with some physical health problems lately. This means that my entries aren't always a 100% positive, although I try my best not to be a complete downer. It also means I don't always have the spoons to reply to comments and entries but I catch up whenever I can!
-> I am neurodivergent which means I sometimes misunderstand things or take them too literally, and I am bad at phrasing things. If I ever say anything offensive, please try to give me the benefit of the doubt that it wasn't on purpose and tell me what I did wrong and I will apologize and try my best to learn from it.
-> I have been bullied on here before to the point that I had to change journals and been slandered on other communities, which has made me wary of people adding me without notifying me before. So please comment on here or on my Friends Only post before friending me, thank you very much ♥
You mostly write about:
My daily life, things that go through my head at any given time, books that I read (I do a weekly "Reading Wednesday" post), travels. I sometimes posts memes/surveys, but not so often that it gets annoying - hopefully! I also post lots of photos, often of my cat Lucy.
You never or very rarely write about:
Politics/social issues (I care about them A LOT but my DW is supposed to be a safe place away from the constant influx of terrible news).
Is your journal mostly public, locked, or a mix of public and locked?
99% locked, as I don't feel comfortable with having my private stuff out there for everyone to see.
Do you use filters for certain types of posts (e.g. fandom-related posts, or posts about sex, or mental health issues, etc.)?
No.
Your posting frequency (e.g. daily, every few days, weekly, etc.):
Not counting the weekly Reading Post, I try to update at least once a week, usually on Sundays.
Does your journal frequently include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc?
Photos, yes. I sometimes post a video if I hear a song I want to share.
What do you enjoy most about journaling?
Sharing my thoughts and daily events with others, getting feedback and new perspectives that help me and make me think, emptying my mind of stuff that weighs on me...
How often do you read your friends list (e.g. daily, every other day, once a week, etc.)?
I aim at once a week - like I said above, sometimes a lack of spoons will get in the way, but I try my best!
You really enjoy reading about:
People's lives! I love getting a glimpse into how others live, what things are like in other corners of the world (pictures are always a bonus) and also reading views and perspectives I wouldn't otherwise get. Reading others' journals has opened my mind a lot and I have learned so much over the years.
You have very little interest in reading about:
Right-wing/conservative politics, anti-vax or anti-psychiatry/psychiatric med stuff, heavy on religious content. (I don't mind if the latter is a part of your life, what I mean is if most of your entries are about what happened at your last church/synagogue/mosque etc. visit because I wouldn't be able to relate.)
Also, while I have nothing against it at all, if your journal consists of nothing but fandom, I probably won't have anything to say unless I happen to know the fandom in question.
Your thoughts on journals that regularly include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc?
I like them.
When it comes to comments on your posts, what matters more -- quality or quantity?
What matters most is knowing you care about what I write and not just comment to comment. I don't mind if it's "just" a heart or an emoji, or one single line, or if you comment once a month or every time I update.
Do you unfriend people who don't comment much, even if you know they are reading you regularly?
No. I will unfriend somebody if they friend me but never comment or update (like, if a year or so passes and I don't even know who they are anymore). That doesn't apply if I know something happened in your life, obviously - real life takes precedence over online journalling. You won't have to fear "pressure" to update or comment in any way.
What is your approach when it comes to commenting on other journals?
I am not sure I understand what this means *blushes*
When you friend someone, but things don't really click, do you unfriend them without warning, or do you send them a note first? How do you prefer to be unfriended in similar circumstances?
Hmm, this happens rarely, tbh. I think I'd unfriend them without warning since I don't think messaging them would achieve anything. Sometimes I make a post if I do a bigger friends cut, but that's not focused on individuals. I would prefer to be quietly unfriended, myself.
AND LASTLY
Friending memes often ask people to list their favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., but more often than not, those aren't things people actually write about in their journal. Do you have any favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., that you DO often write about -- not necessarily in a fandom sort of way, just in general?
No particular ones except for the weekly Reading Post - and I make a small entry talking about books and movies of the month at the end of every month (you don't say).
Any final thoughts you'd like to share with potential new friends?
I am looking forward to meeting you! ♥
Is there an interesting story behind your username?
Not really, I just needed a name so I took a lyric from my favourite Taylor Swift song at the time, "ivy". The whole line is "my house of stone, your ivy grows, and now I'm covered in you".
Location and language(s):
Germany. German (native language), English (near-fluent), and I am currently learning French. I also know some Spanish and bits & pieces of Polish, Turkish and Dutch.
Age range (e.g 20s, 30s, etc.):
Hot button/deal breaker issues that will likely lead to unfriending:
Besides the usual closed-minded views - if you think a person's worth depends on how much work they can contribute to society or on how healthy they are, both physically and mentally.
Also, neither radical zionists nor Hamas supporters, please (I don't talk about this topic on my journal but I don't want to associate with extremists on either side).
Lastly, no-one under 18 years of age - nothing personal, I just am not comfortable with having non-adults reading my entries.
Do you have an "About Me" post new friends can read to get a sense of who you are, the people you talk about regularly, etc.?
I do, you can read it as a sticky post once we're friends :)
Is your profile up-to-date or at all useful?
It is up-to-date - as for usefulness, that's for the beholder to decide ;)
While I don't have a "biography" on there, you can always gain some info by looking at my interests.
List a few things you think it's important new friends know about you right away:
-> I'm mentally ill and have also been dealing with some physical health problems lately. This means that my entries aren't always a 100% positive, although I try my best not to be a complete downer. It also means I don't always have the spoons to reply to comments and entries but I catch up whenever I can!
-> I am neurodivergent which means I sometimes misunderstand things or take them too literally, and I am bad at phrasing things. If I ever say anything offensive, please try to give me the benefit of the doubt that it wasn't on purpose and tell me what I did wrong and I will apologize and try my best to learn from it.
-> I have been bullied on here before to the point that I had to change journals and been slandered on other communities, which has made me wary of people adding me without notifying me before. So please comment on here or on my Friends Only post before friending me, thank you very much ♥
You mostly write about:
My daily life, things that go through my head at any given time, books that I read (I do a weekly "Reading Wednesday" post), travels. I sometimes posts memes/surveys, but not so often that it gets annoying - hopefully! I also post lots of photos, often of my cat Lucy.
You never or very rarely write about:
Politics/social issues (I care about them A LOT but my DW is supposed to be a safe place away from the constant influx of terrible news).
Is your journal mostly public, locked, or a mix of public and locked?
99% locked, as I don't feel comfortable with having my private stuff out there for everyone to see.
Do you use filters for certain types of posts (e.g. fandom-related posts, or posts about sex, or mental health issues, etc.)?
No.
Your posting frequency (e.g. daily, every few days, weekly, etc.):
Not counting the weekly Reading Post, I try to update at least once a week, usually on Sundays.
Does your journal frequently include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc?
Photos, yes. I sometimes post a video if I hear a song I want to share.
What do you enjoy most about journaling?
Sharing my thoughts and daily events with others, getting feedback and new perspectives that help me and make me think, emptying my mind of stuff that weighs on me...
How often do you read your friends list (e.g. daily, every other day, once a week, etc.)?
I aim at once a week - like I said above, sometimes a lack of spoons will get in the way, but I try my best!
You really enjoy reading about:
People's lives! I love getting a glimpse into how others live, what things are like in other corners of the world (pictures are always a bonus) and also reading views and perspectives I wouldn't otherwise get. Reading others' journals has opened my mind a lot and I have learned so much over the years.
You have very little interest in reading about:
Right-wing/conservative politics, anti-vax or anti-psychiatry/psychiatric med stuff, heavy on religious content. (I don't mind if the latter is a part of your life, what I mean is if most of your entries are about what happened at your last church/synagogue/mosque etc. visit because I wouldn't be able to relate.)
Also, while I have nothing against it at all, if your journal consists of nothing but fandom, I probably won't have anything to say unless I happen to know the fandom in question.
Your thoughts on journals that regularly include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc?
I like them.
When it comes to comments on your posts, what matters more -- quality or quantity?
What matters most is knowing you care about what I write and not just comment to comment. I don't mind if it's "just" a heart or an emoji, or one single line, or if you comment once a month or every time I update.
Do you unfriend people who don't comment much, even if you know they are reading you regularly?
No. I will unfriend somebody if they friend me but never comment or update (like, if a year or so passes and I don't even know who they are anymore). That doesn't apply if I know something happened in your life, obviously - real life takes precedence over online journalling. You won't have to fear "pressure" to update or comment in any way.
What is your approach when it comes to commenting on other journals?
I am not sure I understand what this means *blushes*
When you friend someone, but things don't really click, do you unfriend them without warning, or do you send them a note first? How do you prefer to be unfriended in similar circumstances?
Hmm, this happens rarely, tbh. I think I'd unfriend them without warning since I don't think messaging them would achieve anything. Sometimes I make a post if I do a bigger friends cut, but that's not focused on individuals. I would prefer to be quietly unfriended, myself.
AND LASTLY
Friending memes often ask people to list their favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., but more often than not, those aren't things people actually write about in their journal. Do you have any favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., that you DO often write about -- not necessarily in a fandom sort of way, just in general?
No particular ones except for the weekly Reading Post - and I make a small entry talking about books and movies of the month at the end of every month (you don't say).
Any final thoughts you'd like to share with potential new friends?
I am looking forward to meeting you! ♥
Wolfwalkers and My Father’s Dragon
Mar. 27th, 2026 09:41 amosprey_archerI showed up at asakiyume’s place just a couple of days before St. Patrick’s Day, so we decided it would be the perfect time to catch up on the latest movies released by the Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, still perhaps most famous for its first movie The Secret of Kells.
We perhaps should have saved Wolfwalkers for St. Patrick’s Day itself, as it’s actually set in Ireland. Young Robyn Goodfellowe has just arrived in Ireland with her father, a professional hunter who has been hired by Oliver Cromwell to eliminate the wolves in the nearby woods. Once the wolves have been driven out, the wild woods can be cut down and converted to farmland, thus by proxy also taming the wild Irish people.
Young Robyn is supposed to stay home and do chores, but in classic heroine mode, she would much rather dash about the woods hunting with her father. Unable to accompany him on his hunt, she instead goes into the woods on her own, and accidentally falls into one of her own father’s snares!
Robyn is released by mischievous young wolfwalker Mebh, and they spend a happy day frolicking through the forest together. But in the process of releasing Robyn from the trap, Mebh nipped her. And that night when she falls asleep, Robyn’s spirit rises from her body in the form of a wolf…
Absolutely gorgeous animation. I particularly loved all the sequences featuring the wolfwalkers in wolf form, particularly the eerily beautiful image of Robyn’s wolf-spirit frantically trying to return to her body when the whole town is attempting to hunt down this wolf that inexplicably got into the town walls.
I was also impressed ( spoilers )
The animation in My Father’s Dragon wasn’t quite as lovely, or rather didn’t have quite as many opportunities for numinous loveliness. But I also enjoyed it, which surprised me because I didn’t particularly like the book it’s based on and likely wouldn’t have tried it if it weren’t Cartoon Saloon.
The book (also called My Father’s Dragon) is a straightforward tale about a boy going to an island where he defeats and/or escapes various ferocious animals (crocodiles, tigers etc) in order to rescue a baby dragon. The end. A brisk recitation of a series of events without much character development or worldbuilding of the island or anything else.
The moviemakers clearly realized that in order to stretch the story to feature-length, character development and worldbuilding and so forth was just exactly what they’d need. The result is a much richer story, where the various ferocious animals are no longer basically an obstacle course but characters with their own motivations. Also, the human protagonist meets the baby dragon much earlier, which changes his journey from a solo quest into a sort of heartwrenching buddy comedy.
The filmmakers were trying very hard, and unfortunately sometimes you could see the gears grinding as they strained to get the emotional effect they wanted, which of course serves to undermine that effect. But still, an ambitious “shot for the moon and landed among the stars,” which is still a pretty decent place to land.
asakiyume’s place just a couple of days before St. Patrick’s Day, so we decided it would be the perfect time to catch up on the latest movies released by the Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, still perhaps most famous for its first movie The Secret of Kells. We perhaps should have saved Wolfwalkers for St. Patrick’s Day itself, as it’s actually set in Ireland. Young Robyn Goodfellowe has just arrived in Ireland with her father, a professional hunter who has been hired by Oliver Cromwell to eliminate the wolves in the nearby woods. Once the wolves have been driven out, the wild woods can be cut down and converted to farmland, thus by proxy also taming the wild Irish people.
Young Robyn is supposed to stay home and do chores, but in classic heroine mode, she would much rather dash about the woods hunting with her father. Unable to accompany him on his hunt, she instead goes into the woods on her own, and accidentally falls into one of her own father’s snares!
Robyn is released by mischievous young wolfwalker Mebh, and they spend a happy day frolicking through the forest together. But in the process of releasing Robyn from the trap, Mebh nipped her. And that night when she falls asleep, Robyn’s spirit rises from her body in the form of a wolf…
Absolutely gorgeous animation. I particularly loved all the sequences featuring the wolfwalkers in wolf form, particularly the eerily beautiful image of Robyn’s wolf-spirit frantically trying to return to her body when the whole town is attempting to hunt down this wolf that inexplicably got into the town walls.
I was also impressed ( spoilers )
The animation in My Father’s Dragon wasn’t quite as lovely, or rather didn’t have quite as many opportunities for numinous loveliness. But I also enjoyed it, which surprised me because I didn’t particularly like the book it’s based on and likely wouldn’t have tried it if it weren’t Cartoon Saloon.
The book (also called My Father’s Dragon) is a straightforward tale about a boy going to an island where he defeats and/or escapes various ferocious animals (crocodiles, tigers etc) in order to rescue a baby dragon. The end. A brisk recitation of a series of events without much character development or worldbuilding of the island or anything else.
The moviemakers clearly realized that in order to stretch the story to feature-length, character development and worldbuilding and so forth was just exactly what they’d need. The result is a much richer story, where the various ferocious animals are no longer basically an obstacle course but characters with their own motivations. Also, the human protagonist meets the baby dragon much earlier, which changes his journey from a solo quest into a sort of heartwrenching buddy comedy.
The filmmakers were trying very hard, and unfortunately sometimes you could see the gears grinding as they strained to get the emotional effect they wanted, which of course serves to undermine that effect. But still, an ambitious “shot for the moon and landed among the stars,” which is still a pretty decent place to land.
Book Review: New Grub Street
Mar. 26th, 2026 08:01 amosprey_archerWhen I posted about George Gissing’s The Odd Women, I commented that it was indeed an odd book, but I think I undersold or perhaps did not yet understand the sheer oddness of Gissing’s work, not only in a 19th century English context but just in terms of English literature in general.
This is even more obvious in New Grub Street, which takes as its cast a motley crew of struggling writers in 1880s London, and as its themes money and love. More specifically, its themes are:
1. Poverty is horrible and degrading and undermines every other facet of life; and
2. Money is a necessary but not sufficient condition for love. That is to say, you can have money but not love, but love without money cannot last.
Of course these themes are implied in other books (think of Jane Austen’s characters breathlessly discussing the marriage prospects of so-and-so who has thus-and-such pounds a year), but I don’t think I’ve ever seen them expounded with Gissing’s brutal clarity. It’s bracing, stimulating not always to total agreement but certainly to deeper thought, for instance about the fact that people marry not only because they fall in love with an individual but because they love the image of the lifestyle and status they think they’ll have with that person.
Gissing has the Zola-like gift of creating an ensemble cast of characters who illustrate different facets of his theme while also being interesting and individual people in their own right. Gissing is trying to give them all a fair shake, to portray them all so clearly that we can see why they act the way they do. Readers may or may not find it in our hearts to sympathize, but that will be our own decision, not a result of Gissing putting his finger on the scale.
--Sensitive Edwin Reardon, who married upper-middle-class Amy on the strength of one well-received novel and now suffering immense writer’s block. Amy fell in love with both Edwin and the idea of being a successful novelist’s wife, and is appalled to see this dream crumbling under what appears to her to be his refusal to work.
As I’ve struggled with writer’s block for the past couple of years, I feel a great sympathy for Edwin: he quite literally cannot write anything good right now! It’s not his fault! But I can also see why it doesn’t look that way to Amy and her family, especially because the social rules of 1880s London mean there is no graceful road of retreat. Not only is it impossible for Amy to get a job (this is literally unthinkable: not one character ever even imagines it), but now that Edwin has set up as a full-time writer, the whole family would lose caste if he took a job for wages.
--Jasper Milvain, debonair man about town who approaches writing as a business and forthrightly says his goal is to earn a thousand pounds a year. A character type who in many books would be a villain, and I won’t say that he’s not just a bit villainous at times, but he’s also a complex character who definitely has a point. In the tradition of an Austen baddie, he ends up perfectly happy with himself and his choices.
--Alfred Yule, a cranky aging writer of moderate abilities who was never very financially successful, and married a working class woman because he never made enough to support a wife of his own class. There’s a section where Gissing lists a whole bunch of similarly positioned writers who made a similar decision and makes it clear that he thinks this is pretty much always a mistake that will lead to marital disharmony.
--Marian Yule, Alfred Yule’s daughter and assistant, who is to an ever-greater extent perhaps simply writing his articles for him. (We also get a glimpse of two other women writers in Jasper’s sisters, who at Jasper’s suggestion take to writing Sunday school stories to support themselves.)
--Whelpdale, an unsuccessful writer who makes a success of it telling other writers how to write to market. A jolly young man despite all his setbacks.
--Harold Biffen, an extremely poor though talented writer of the realist school who sticks fast to his principles and loves discussing Greek and Latin literature with Edwin Reardon. Would be the tragically romantic starving artist in a garret in another book. Unfortunately wound up in a Gissing book instead.
Having set these and various other figures going, Gissing simply observes them, like a naturalist watching a particularly interesting species of cockatoos. The result is absorbing, asskygiants and genarti can attest, having been subjected to various rants and wails as I tore through the back half of the book. Highly recommended on account of quality, recommended cautiously on account of emotional intensity.
This is even more obvious in New Grub Street, which takes as its cast a motley crew of struggling writers in 1880s London, and as its themes money and love. More specifically, its themes are:
1. Poverty is horrible and degrading and undermines every other facet of life; and
2. Money is a necessary but not sufficient condition for love. That is to say, you can have money but not love, but love without money cannot last.
Of course these themes are implied in other books (think of Jane Austen’s characters breathlessly discussing the marriage prospects of so-and-so who has thus-and-such pounds a year), but I don’t think I’ve ever seen them expounded with Gissing’s brutal clarity. It’s bracing, stimulating not always to total agreement but certainly to deeper thought, for instance about the fact that people marry not only because they fall in love with an individual but because they love the image of the lifestyle and status they think they’ll have with that person.
Gissing has the Zola-like gift of creating an ensemble cast of characters who illustrate different facets of his theme while also being interesting and individual people in their own right. Gissing is trying to give them all a fair shake, to portray them all so clearly that we can see why they act the way they do. Readers may or may not find it in our hearts to sympathize, but that will be our own decision, not a result of Gissing putting his finger on the scale.
--Sensitive Edwin Reardon, who married upper-middle-class Amy on the strength of one well-received novel and now suffering immense writer’s block. Amy fell in love with both Edwin and the idea of being a successful novelist’s wife, and is appalled to see this dream crumbling under what appears to her to be his refusal to work.
As I’ve struggled with writer’s block for the past couple of years, I feel a great sympathy for Edwin: he quite literally cannot write anything good right now! It’s not his fault! But I can also see why it doesn’t look that way to Amy and her family, especially because the social rules of 1880s London mean there is no graceful road of retreat. Not only is it impossible for Amy to get a job (this is literally unthinkable: not one character ever even imagines it), but now that Edwin has set up as a full-time writer, the whole family would lose caste if he took a job for wages.
--Jasper Milvain, debonair man about town who approaches writing as a business and forthrightly says his goal is to earn a thousand pounds a year. A character type who in many books would be a villain, and I won’t say that he’s not just a bit villainous at times, but he’s also a complex character who definitely has a point. In the tradition of an Austen baddie, he ends up perfectly happy with himself and his choices.
--Alfred Yule, a cranky aging writer of moderate abilities who was never very financially successful, and married a working class woman because he never made enough to support a wife of his own class. There’s a section where Gissing lists a whole bunch of similarly positioned writers who made a similar decision and makes it clear that he thinks this is pretty much always a mistake that will lead to marital disharmony.
--Marian Yule, Alfred Yule’s daughter and assistant, who is to an ever-greater extent perhaps simply writing his articles for him. (We also get a glimpse of two other women writers in Jasper’s sisters, who at Jasper’s suggestion take to writing Sunday school stories to support themselves.)
--Whelpdale, an unsuccessful writer who makes a success of it telling other writers how to write to market. A jolly young man despite all his setbacks.
--Harold Biffen, an extremely poor though talented writer of the realist school who sticks fast to his principles and loves discussing Greek and Latin literature with Edwin Reardon. Would be the tragically romantic starving artist in a garret in another book. Unfortunately wound up in a Gissing book instead.
Having set these and various other figures going, Gissing simply observes them, like a naturalist watching a particularly interesting species of cockatoos. The result is absorbing, as
skygiants and genarti can attest, having been subjected to various rants and wails as I tore through the back half of the book. Highly recommended on account of quality, recommended cautiously on account of emotional intensity.Reading Wednesday
Mar. 25th, 2026 06:01 pmtroisoiseauxRead Bog Queen by Anna North, a well-pieced-together pocket watch of a novel about the discovery of an Iron Age bog body in the West Midlands, England, in 2018, split between the perspectives of a forensic anthropologist determined to figure out how this woman died while navigating the competing interests of local environmentalists who want to rewild the bog where she was found, the peat company that owns it, and the relative of a 1960s murder victim believed to also be buried there; of the Iron Age woman, a young druid growing into her role during a time of shifting alliances and growing Roman influence; and, interwoven between the two in brief vignettes, the bog (or rather, the moss?) itself.
Read Diary of a Cranky Bookworm by Aster Glenn Gray (DW's ownosprey_archer), which was a delight. On a general note, this is a fun and thoughtful coming-of-age YA novel in which the characters are great both at being characters and at feeling like people; on a personal one, this was very fun to read as a book about a bookworm by someone who I became friends with over books, because protagonist Sage's literary landscape felt immediately and intimately familiar. :)
Read Diary of a Cranky Bookworm by Aster Glenn Gray (DW's own
osprey_archer), which was a delight. On a general note, this is a fun and thoughtful coming-of-age YA novel in which the characters are great both at being characters and at feeling like people; on a personal one, this was very fun to read as a book about a bookworm by someone who I became friends with over books, because protagonist Sage's literary landscape felt immediately and intimately familiar. :)Drifting back to Dreamwidth; having more people in my circles will help
Mar. 25th, 2026 12:20 pmcapri0mni posting in findingfriendsIs there an interesting story behind your username?
( Yes. I ramble about it here )
Location and language(s): Eastern U.S.; English
Age range (e.g 20s, 30s, etc.): 60s
Hot button/deal breaker issues that will likely lead to unfriending:
Religious Proselytizing (particularly Christian), Normatively Abled People talking about Disabled family members or friends (discussions of curing disability), queer-phobic bigotry, racism, complaints about so-called "Political Correctness," or "being Woke," content created with generative A.I.
Do you have an "About Me" post new friends can read to get a sense of who you are, the people you talk about regularly, etc.?
Yes. It's the Sticky public post at the top of my journal. I update it maybe a few times a year.
Is your profile up-to-date or at all useful?
It's about ten years old. But everything there is still 90-ish% accurate. The communities I'm listed as a member of are mostly ghost towns.
List a few things you think it's important new friends know about you right away:
I'm physically disabled and fairly active in Disability Rights circles on Tumblr, and a big proponent of Self-Advocacy. I'm agnostic in theory, and atheist in practice (either way, my "religion" has a pantheon count of zero). I am prone to puns. I am a drabble purist. I am anti-generative A.I., though I acknowledge that analytical A.I. is different, and may have value in limited situations.
You mostly write about:
( From my sticky!post: )
You never or very rarely write about:
Contemporary TV and Movies (though I enjoy critiques / reviews of the same)
Is your journal mostly public, locked, or a mix of public and locked? A mix.
Do you use filters for certain types of posts (e.g. fandom-related posts, or posts about sex, or mental health issues, etc.)?
Yes. My access filters could do with a refresh. When I refresh them, I generally make a post explaining what they are, so people can opt in.
Your posting frequency (e.g. daily, every few days, weekly, etc.):
Back in the LiveJournal days, I posted several times a week, sometimes, more than once a day, if a thought occurred to me. Recently, it's been a few times a year. I want to get back into my old time habits.
Does your journal frequently include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc? No. I'll occasionally post a music video if it's a song that I really like.
What do you enjoy most about journaling?
Getting my thoughts down a) before they evaporate, and b) where they can cross-pollinate with other people's thoughts.
How often do you read your friends list (e.g. daily, every other day, once a week, etc.)?
I check my Reading Page at least once a day. More often if I've got a conversation going in comment/reply threads.
You really enjoy reading about:
People's various creative pursuits, their pets, things they enjoy, the weather out the window, what they're reading, watching, listening to.
You have very little interest in reading about: Diet culture, fashion trends, weight loss, gym exploits
Your thoughts on journals that regularly include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc?
I don't mind them too much, but having to scroll past many looping GIFs is uncomfortable. If you post photos and videos, please include descriptions.
When it comes to comments on your posts, what matters more -- quality or quantity?
I love a comment thread that goes down a tangent trail. I love when one comment leads to another. Sometimes, too, a string of emojis can be a witty reply, if done well.
Do you unfriend people who don't comment much, even if you know they are reading you regularly? No.
What is your approach when it comes to commenting on other journals?
See my reply to the kind of comments I like to receive.
When you friend someone, but things don't really click, do you unfriend them without warning, or do you send them a note first? How do you prefer to be unfriended in similar circumstances?
I generally don't unsubscribe to people, unless they start posting or behaving in the "Hot Button Issue" ways I mentioned at the start. I'd prefer not to know if someone unsubscribes to me.
AND LASTLY
Friending memes often ask people to list their favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., but more often than not, those aren't things people actually write about in their journal. Do you have any favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., that you DO often write about -- not necessarily in a fandom sort of way, just in general?
I suppose fairy tales and folk tales count as "fannish"?
Any final thoughts you'd like to share with potential new friends? Nope.
( Yes. I ramble about it here )
Location and language(s): Eastern U.S.; English
Age range (e.g 20s, 30s, etc.): 60s
Hot button/deal breaker issues that will likely lead to unfriending:
Religious Proselytizing (particularly Christian), Normatively Abled People talking about Disabled family members or friends (discussions of curing disability), queer-phobic bigotry, racism, complaints about so-called "Political Correctness," or "being Woke," content created with generative A.I.
Do you have an "About Me" post new friends can read to get a sense of who you are, the people you talk about regularly, etc.?
Yes. It's the Sticky public post at the top of my journal. I update it maybe a few times a year.
Is your profile up-to-date or at all useful?
It's about ten years old. But everything there is still 90-ish% accurate. The communities I'm listed as a member of are mostly ghost towns.
List a few things you think it's important new friends know about you right away:
I'm physically disabled and fairly active in Disability Rights circles on Tumblr, and a big proponent of Self-Advocacy. I'm agnostic in theory, and atheist in practice (either way, my "religion" has a pantheon count of zero). I am prone to puns. I am a drabble purist. I am anti-generative A.I., though I acknowledge that analytical A.I. is different, and may have value in limited situations.
You mostly write about:
( From my sticky!post: )
You never or very rarely write about:
Contemporary TV and Movies (though I enjoy critiques / reviews of the same)
Is your journal mostly public, locked, or a mix of public and locked? A mix.
Do you use filters for certain types of posts (e.g. fandom-related posts, or posts about sex, or mental health issues, etc.)?
Yes. My access filters could do with a refresh. When I refresh them, I generally make a post explaining what they are, so people can opt in.
Your posting frequency (e.g. daily, every few days, weekly, etc.):
Back in the LiveJournal days, I posted several times a week, sometimes, more than once a day, if a thought occurred to me. Recently, it's been a few times a year. I want to get back into my old time habits.
Does your journal frequently include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc? No. I'll occasionally post a music video if it's a song that I really like.
What do you enjoy most about journaling?
Getting my thoughts down a) before they evaporate, and b) where they can cross-pollinate with other people's thoughts.
How often do you read your friends list (e.g. daily, every other day, once a week, etc.)?
I check my Reading Page at least once a day. More often if I've got a conversation going in comment/reply threads.
You really enjoy reading about:
People's various creative pursuits, their pets, things they enjoy, the weather out the window, what they're reading, watching, listening to.
You have very little interest in reading about: Diet culture, fashion trends, weight loss, gym exploits
Your thoughts on journals that regularly include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc?
I don't mind them too much, but having to scroll past many looping GIFs is uncomfortable. If you post photos and videos, please include descriptions.
When it comes to comments on your posts, what matters more -- quality or quantity?
I love a comment thread that goes down a tangent trail. I love when one comment leads to another. Sometimes, too, a string of emojis can be a witty reply, if done well.
Do you unfriend people who don't comment much, even if you know they are reading you regularly? No.
What is your approach when it comes to commenting on other journals?
See my reply to the kind of comments I like to receive.
When you friend someone, but things don't really click, do you unfriend them without warning, or do you send them a note first? How do you prefer to be unfriended in similar circumstances?
I generally don't unsubscribe to people, unless they start posting or behaving in the "Hot Button Issue" ways I mentioned at the start. I'd prefer not to know if someone unsubscribes to me.
AND LASTLY
Friending memes often ask people to list their favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., but more often than not, those aren't things people actually write about in their journal. Do you have any favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., that you DO often write about -- not necessarily in a fandom sort of way, just in general?
I suppose fairy tales and folk tales count as "fannish"?
Any final thoughts you'd like to share with potential new friends? Nope.
Reading Wednesday: What a Fish Looks Like
Mar. 25th, 2026 09:07 amasakiyumeWhat a Fish Looks Like
by Syr Hayati Beker
Read this thanks toskygiants' excellent review (here).
I loved the style of storytelling--love the way the author's mind works--and enjoyed aspects of the story a lot, but overall, I wasn't the right audience for the book. The right audience would be someone who is as interested in all the ideas as I am, but who is also very invested in portraits of people experiencing all the emotions associated with a breakup. The various narrators are really feeling their feelings about one another, and to enjoy the book fully, you need to be there for that.
It's the climate apocalypse, and some people are fleeing earth and others are staying, and there's conversation about what those decisions mean and what goes into them, but with a very loud undertone about what commitment to a lover means and what abandonment is, and bravery, etc. I was interested in the conversations about commitment to Earth more than the associated subtext (sometimes supertext) about commitment to one another.
So I read about halfway through with deep absorption, then skimmed the rest.
But the language and ideas are great. This quote, about hosting extinct animals' DNA, shows how marvelously the author explores the idea (and also how they nudge you about human relationships).
There's also a great part where a character may or may not be talking to a collective mer-consciousness. The author plays with "A Lone" (a single, noncollective being, alone) and "Re-member" (come back into collectivity, remember). I loved the mer-collective's voice:
And there's also a part about putting on a play (Antigone) that keeps doing "X, but Y" in very funny ways, e.g.,
Those are just some; there were more. The last of those X, but Y examples grated on me a little. I know "they love and hate one another their whole lives" is a thing that really does happen, but it feels very overrepresented in theater and literary fiction, and "touching all the old familiar walls" feels like every single young rebel's blithe certainty that they're going to live life differently.
But maybe they will! And people get to declare what they want for audiences that are thirsting to hear it.
So: good book, great ideas, me: not the target audience, but very glad to have read it.
ETA: I've gone this whole review without acknowledging that this book is queer centered. This book is queer centered! The lovers are nonbinary or trans, most of them. This was neither a plus nor a minus for me, but if you're yearning to spend time in a fully realized queer space, this story provides that--so that would be an added mark in its favor.
by Syr Hayati Beker
Read this thanks to
skygiants' excellent review (here). I loved the style of storytelling--love the way the author's mind works--and enjoyed aspects of the story a lot, but overall, I wasn't the right audience for the book. The right audience would be someone who is as interested in all the ideas as I am, but who is also very invested in portraits of people experiencing all the emotions associated with a breakup. The various narrators are really feeling their feelings about one another, and to enjoy the book fully, you need to be there for that.
It's the climate apocalypse, and some people are fleeing earth and others are staying, and there's conversation about what those decisions mean and what goes into them, but with a very loud undertone about what commitment to a lover means and what abandonment is, and bravery, etc. I was interested in the conversations about commitment to Earth more than the associated subtext (sometimes supertext) about commitment to one another.
So I read about halfway through with deep absorption, then skimmed the rest.
But the language and ideas are great. This quote, about hosting extinct animals' DNA, shows how marvelously the author explores the idea (and also how they nudge you about human relationships).
It's not like sharing a bed, struggling at first and then finding a rhythm. It's not like grafting an apricot branch to a plum tree. It is: your DNA turned into a factory for the DNA of extinct species until the day the world is safe enough that we can let the ghosts out, resurrected. Until then, it's a shorter life, but maybe less lonely. Maybe that's all there ever was.
There's also a great part where a character may or may not be talking to a collective mer-consciousness. The author plays with "A Lone" (a single, noncollective being, alone) and "Re-member" (come back into collectivity, remember). I loved the mer-collective's voice:
We remember what we eat
One Song:
One time a sailor fell off his ship. "Can you swim?" we said
No
So we ate him. Drank his tears
Now he is not
A Lone
And there's also a part about putting on a play (Antigone) that keeps doing "X, but Y" in very funny ways, e.g.,
The Sphinx, but with affirmations instead of riddles. It says, "what you are is fabulous, and that's what you are." It says, "the thing that walks on any number of legs belongs."
...
Your life, but in Thebes. Thebes is nice. It has no laundry, only sand.
...
A break up, but so well lit, you overcome your differences and fall back in love.
...
Romeo and Juliet, but with cell phones. Their elopement succeeds. Nobody dies. They move to a small apartment in Milan. They love and hate one another their whole lives, sheltered from the cold, touching all the old familiar walls.
Those are just some; there were more. The last of those X, but Y examples grated on me a little. I know "they love and hate one another their whole lives" is a thing that really does happen, but it feels very overrepresented in theater and literary fiction, and "touching all the old familiar walls" feels like every single young rebel's blithe certainty that they're going to live life differently.
But maybe they will! And people get to declare what they want for audiences that are thirsting to hear it.
So: good book, great ideas, me: not the target audience, but very glad to have read it.
ETA: I've gone this whole review without acknowledging that this book is queer centered. This book is queer centered! The lovers are nonbinary or trans, most of them. This was neither a plus nor a minus for me, but if you're yearning to spend time in a fully realized queer space, this story provides that--so that would be an added mark in its favor.
Wednesday Reading Meme
Mar. 25th, 2026 08:02 amosprey_archerThis Wednesday Reading Meme covers the last two weeks, so it is perhaps a bit longer than usual, although not so long as it could be as I intend to write a whole post devoted to George Gissing’s New Grub Street. Will I manage this? Unclear. Not sure I ever truly did justice to The Odd Women either.
What I Read Over the Past Two Weeks
Patricia C. Wrede’s Caught in Crystal. I was excited about this book because I loved Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles, but I found Caught in Crystal a disappointment. The characters spend a lot of time moving from location to location without ever giving much sense what makes any particular location interesting and unique, and it takes about 75% of the book before we finally get started on the quest that we could all see coming from about chapter two.
Eleanor Hoffman’s A Cat of Paris, illustrated by Zhenya Gay. Another lavishly illustrated cat POV children’s book from the 1940s, which seems to have been a highwater mark for this sort of thing. Delightful as books in this genre almost invariably are, with the extra delight of taking place on the Left Bank of Paris! I was only sorry that our cat never got to pose for the patissiere who yearned to sculpt him in marzipan.
Scott Eyman’s Hank and Jim: The Fifty-Year Friendship of Henry Fonda and James Stewart. During a long wait at the airport I sorted through my Kindle and found some books I’d forgotten about, including this one! I love Golden Age Hollywood and Jimmy Stewart especially, so I found this a lot of fun, even though Henry Fonda is the kind of guy who says things like “I’ve never liked myself very much” and you go mmm yeah I don’t think I like you very much either. Apparently if someone got too emotional in front of Fonda, or asked for help, his characteristic move was to silently walk away.
However, I did find Fonda’s needlepoint hobby endearing.
Ngaio Marsh’s Enter a Murderer, the second Inspector Alleyn novel, which I approached with trepidation because I’ve found the early Alleyn books hit or miss. (IMO Marsh hits her stride in Artists in Crime, when Alleyn falls head over heels for murder suspect Agatha Troy.) However, this one was a surprise pleasure. The story is set in a theater, and Marsh’s theater mysteries are almost always good, and although Alleyn doesn’t seem to have quite settled into his characterization yet, it is extremely funny to watch him flippantly flirting with starstruck reporter Nigel Bathgate.
Must you, Nigel? I think you can tell damn well that Chief Inspector Alleyn simply oozes sex appeal.
What I’m Reading Now
I’ve begun Takuya Asakura’s The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop, which I bought because it was a mere $5 with a drink at the Barnes and Noble cafe (deal lasts till the end of March!) and I was weak to the beautiful cherry blossom explosion of a cover. I feel that a bookshop that only appears when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom ought to feel a bit more numinously magical than the one in this book, but nonetheless I’m enjoying it enough to keep reading.
What I Plan to Read Next
Continuing my Provincial Lady journey with The Provincial Lady in America.
What I Read Over the Past Two Weeks
Patricia C. Wrede’s Caught in Crystal. I was excited about this book because I loved Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles, but I found Caught in Crystal a disappointment. The characters spend a lot of time moving from location to location without ever giving much sense what makes any particular location interesting and unique, and it takes about 75% of the book before we finally get started on the quest that we could all see coming from about chapter two.
Eleanor Hoffman’s A Cat of Paris, illustrated by Zhenya Gay. Another lavishly illustrated cat POV children’s book from the 1940s, which seems to have been a highwater mark for this sort of thing. Delightful as books in this genre almost invariably are, with the extra delight of taking place on the Left Bank of Paris! I was only sorry that our cat never got to pose for the patissiere who yearned to sculpt him in marzipan.
Scott Eyman’s Hank and Jim: The Fifty-Year Friendship of Henry Fonda and James Stewart. During a long wait at the airport I sorted through my Kindle and found some books I’d forgotten about, including this one! I love Golden Age Hollywood and Jimmy Stewart especially, so I found this a lot of fun, even though Henry Fonda is the kind of guy who says things like “I’ve never liked myself very much” and you go mmm yeah I don’t think I like you very much either. Apparently if someone got too emotional in front of Fonda, or asked for help, his characteristic move was to silently walk away.
However, I did find Fonda’s needlepoint hobby endearing.
Ngaio Marsh’s Enter a Murderer, the second Inspector Alleyn novel, which I approached with trepidation because I’ve found the early Alleyn books hit or miss. (IMO Marsh hits her stride in Artists in Crime, when Alleyn falls head over heels for murder suspect Agatha Troy.) However, this one was a surprise pleasure. The story is set in a theater, and Marsh’s theater mysteries are almost always good, and although Alleyn doesn’t seem to have quite settled into his characterization yet, it is extremely funny to watch him flippantly flirting with starstruck reporter Nigel Bathgate.
”Here’s the warrant,” murmured Alleyn. He struggled into his overcoat and pulled on his felt hat at a jaunty angle.
“Am I tidy?” he asked. “It looks so bad not to be tidy for an arrest.”
Nigel thought dispassionately, that he looked remarkably handsome, and wondered if the chief inspector had “It.” “I must ask Angela,” thought Nigel.
Must you, Nigel? I think you can tell damn well that Chief Inspector Alleyn simply oozes sex appeal.
What I’m Reading Now
I’ve begun Takuya Asakura’s The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop, which I bought because it was a mere $5 with a drink at the Barnes and Noble cafe (deal lasts till the end of March!) and I was weak to the beautiful cherry blossom explosion of a cover. I feel that a bookshop that only appears when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom ought to feel a bit more numinously magical than the one in this book, but nonetheless I’m enjoying it enough to keep reading.
What I Plan to Read Next
Continuing my Provincial Lady journey with The Provincial Lady in America.
Where Wolves Don't Die, by Anton Treuer
Mar. 24th, 2026 03:01 pmrachelmanija
Ezra, an Ojibwe teenager, has to flee Minneapolis when the home of the racist teenager who bullied him burns down, and he becomes the prime suspect. He goes to Canada to run traplines with his grandfather.
Where Wolves Don't Die is mostly a coming of age story; the thriller/mystery element is present but minor. It was recommended to me "Like an Ojibwe Hatchet," which definitely captures a lot of the vibe though it's about learning in community and family rather than isolation. Ezra goes from boy to man while he learns the old ways with his grandfather, who he loves. It's engrossing and moving. I liked that Ezra actively wants to stay with and learn from his grandfather rather than resisting it and having to come around.
Content notes: Hunting and trapping is central to the story.
Book Review: Pax
Mar. 24th, 2026 08:07 amosprey_archer(I actually wrote this review before my trip, then ran out of time to post it.)
Sometimes you just know, just from looking at a book’s cover, that this book is in some way For You. Such is the case with Sara Pennypacker’s Pax, with its Jon Klassen cover of a fox standing on a wooded hill gazing across a plain at a sunset. I’ve looked at this book for years and always meant to read it and somehow never quite picked it up.
But at last I’ve read it, and I was correct that it IS for me, full of solid fox action (which you would expect from the cover) and also surprisingly serious musings about war (which you would not guess from the cover, but it works).
War is coming to the country. Which country? The country, which is similar to America but perhaps not America. With whom? The enemy. What for? The water. Why? Because the humans are war-sick. This vagueness might not work for me in a different book, but here it works well to highlight the destructiveness of war, not only for people but for the land and the animals.
Peter’s father has joined the army. Since Peter’s mother is dead, he’s going to live with his grandfather, which means he needs to get rid of his pet fox Pax. So Peter’s father drives him to an isolated road, and Peter throws Pax’s favorite toy into the woods, and Pax chases after it.
But as soon as Peter arrives at his grandfather’s house, he realizes he’s made a horrible mistake. There’s nothing for it: he’s got to run away and trek cross-country to find Pax.
Meanwhile, Pax intends to sit by the side of the road and wait for his boy. But hunger and thirst force him to begin exploring the forest, where he meets other foxes… and they discover that the human armies are drawing closer.
Really enjoyed this. Great fox POV. There’s a sequel, so I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that Pax lives. Don’t want to give too many spoilers, but I found Peter’s journey unexpected and satisfying, and Pax’s journey pretty much what you might expect from that summary but also satisfying. Sometimes stories hit certain beats for a reason, you know?
Sometimes you just know, just from looking at a book’s cover, that this book is in some way For You. Such is the case with Sara Pennypacker’s Pax, with its Jon Klassen cover of a fox standing on a wooded hill gazing across a plain at a sunset. I’ve looked at this book for years and always meant to read it and somehow never quite picked it up.
But at last I’ve read it, and I was correct that it IS for me, full of solid fox action (which you would expect from the cover) and also surprisingly serious musings about war (which you would not guess from the cover, but it works).
War is coming to the country. Which country? The country, which is similar to America but perhaps not America. With whom? The enemy. What for? The water. Why? Because the humans are war-sick. This vagueness might not work for me in a different book, but here it works well to highlight the destructiveness of war, not only for people but for the land and the animals.
Peter’s father has joined the army. Since Peter’s mother is dead, he’s going to live with his grandfather, which means he needs to get rid of his pet fox Pax. So Peter’s father drives him to an isolated road, and Peter throws Pax’s favorite toy into the woods, and Pax chases after it.
But as soon as Peter arrives at his grandfather’s house, he realizes he’s made a horrible mistake. There’s nothing for it: he’s got to run away and trek cross-country to find Pax.
Meanwhile, Pax intends to sit by the side of the road and wait for his boy. But hunger and thirst force him to begin exploring the forest, where he meets other foxes… and they discover that the human armies are drawing closer.
Really enjoyed this. Great fox POV. There’s a sequel, so I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that Pax lives. Don’t want to give too many spoilers, but I found Peter’s journey unexpected and satisfying, and Pax’s journey pretty much what you might expect from that summary but also satisfying. Sometimes stories hit certain beats for a reason, you know?
Address Unknown, by Kathrine Kressman Taylor
Mar. 23rd, 2026 01:18 pmrachelmanija
An epistolatory novel about the friendship between an American Jew, Max, and a German, Martin. As Hitler rises to power, their relationship sours, in some expected ways and some less expected, as their characters are revealed.
Very short, very powerful, very technically skilled, a quick easy read with an unexpected and unforgettable outcome. Seriously, don't click on spoilers if there's any chance you'll read the book. That being said, I read it because Naomi Kritzer told me the whole story and it was still great. Thanks for the rec!
The book was published in 1939 under a male-sounding pseudonym, but the style feels almost modern and the themes feel incredibly modern. There's an afterword about what inspired the book, which which is worth reading. Taylor had some German friends who seemed like kind, wonderful people, who became fervent Nazis and abandoned their Jewish friends. In a question so many of us are asking now, she wondered, What changed their hearts so? What steps brought them to such cruelty?
( Read more... )
Back from Massachusetts!
Mar. 23rd, 2026 03:55 pmosprey_archerI have returned from my travels! In fact I returned a few days ago, but have been busy with post-trip errands/releasing Diary of a Cranky Bookworm/convincing the cats that I still love them despite CRUELLY ABANDONING them; and therefore have not had time to post.
Lovely trip! Started in Boston, where I stayed withskygiants and genarti and watched the Alec Guinness Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (emotionally destroyed me, will post about it later) and also various movies from TWO perfectly timed film festivals, one featuring films by Katherine Hepburn and the other featuring Spunky Girl Reporters, about which films I will ALSO post later. Crushed that I didn't get to see Katherine Hepburn as a Girl Athlete in Mike and Pat but I simply could not spend ALL my time watching movies. Other Boston highlights:
1. At long last, I visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner! Loved the mix of artworks from different places and periods and media - an entire corner devoted to lacework! some excellent tapestries! beautiful musical instruments, and I so hope that sometimes the museum has concerts where these lovely instruments get played. Loved the lack of labels so you can just drift about absorbing without getting bogged down with facts. Delicious Italian Renaissance courtyard. A bit disappointed that you couldn't wander through the garden the way you can in the Cloisters. Happy to report that for once the museum store had postcards of almost all my favorite paintings!
2. Much good food! We picked up cakes and chocolates at Burdick's, croissants at Lakon Paris, and a Pi Day special of FOUR pies, three savory and one sweet. Also an amazing afternoon tea at the Courtyard Tea Room at the Boston Public Library, followed by a repeat visit to all the murals (I think the Galahad cycle is my favorite although Sargent is also spectacular) plus a side trip to a room with some delightful dioramas of Famous Artists at Work.
3. The USS Constitution! A very suitable excursion for Year of Sail, especially on point because the ship just got a little cameo near the end of Hornblower and the Hotspur. Loved being actually inside the ship and seeing the hammocks crowded in, the galley in the middle of the deck, the lieutenants' little cubicles and the captain's larger quarters with an actual bed, albeit quite a narrow one, note that down for fic purposes.
And then away we went to meet up withasakiyume at the Yiddish Book Center, where skygiants and genarti handed me over for the second part of my journey. We toured the Yiddish Book Center, made a cranberry-pecan tart, visited Bright Water Bog--
This link takes you toasakiyume's entry with pictures of the ice forming on the bog. It also mentions eating the cranberries cold from the bog water and the absolute delight of a swing hung between two pines by the waterside. Absolute thrill. Nothing in the world like a swing.
We also hit up the Smith College Spring Bulb Show, a welcome infusion of color and light after a long cold winter. And we made some of the decadently rich hot chocolate from Burdick's, hot chocolate so thick it's practically chocolate sauce (in fact I ate/drank most of it by dipping croissants in), and watched Cartoon Saloon's Wolfwalkers and My Father's Dragon, about which more anon...
Simply a delightful trip!
Lovely trip! Started in Boston, where I stayed with
skygiants and genarti and watched the Alec Guinness Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (emotionally destroyed me, will post about it later) and also various movies from TWO perfectly timed film festivals, one featuring films by Katherine Hepburn and the other featuring Spunky Girl Reporters, about which films I will ALSO post later. Crushed that I didn't get to see Katherine Hepburn as a Girl Athlete in Mike and Pat but I simply could not spend ALL my time watching movies. Other Boston highlights:1. At long last, I visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner! Loved the mix of artworks from different places and periods and media - an entire corner devoted to lacework! some excellent tapestries! beautiful musical instruments, and I so hope that sometimes the museum has concerts where these lovely instruments get played. Loved the lack of labels so you can just drift about absorbing without getting bogged down with facts. Delicious Italian Renaissance courtyard. A bit disappointed that you couldn't wander through the garden the way you can in the Cloisters. Happy to report that for once the museum store had postcards of almost all my favorite paintings!
2. Much good food! We picked up cakes and chocolates at Burdick's, croissants at Lakon Paris, and a Pi Day special of FOUR pies, three savory and one sweet. Also an amazing afternoon tea at the Courtyard Tea Room at the Boston Public Library, followed by a repeat visit to all the murals (I think the Galahad cycle is my favorite although Sargent is also spectacular) plus a side trip to a room with some delightful dioramas of Famous Artists at Work.
3. The USS Constitution! A very suitable excursion for Year of Sail, especially on point because the ship just got a little cameo near the end of Hornblower and the Hotspur. Loved being actually inside the ship and seeing the hammocks crowded in, the galley in the middle of the deck, the lieutenants' little cubicles and the captain's larger quarters with an actual bed, albeit quite a narrow one, note that down for fic purposes.
And then away we went to meet up with
asakiyume at the Yiddish Book Center, where skygiants and genarti handed me over for the second part of my journey. We toured the Yiddish Book Center, made a cranberry-pecan tart, visited Bright Water Bog--This link takes you to
asakiyume's entry with pictures of the ice forming on the bog. It also mentions eating the cranberries cold from the bog water and the absolute delight of a swing hung between two pines by the waterside. Absolute thrill. Nothing in the world like a swing.We also hit up the Smith College Spring Bulb Show, a welcome infusion of color and light after a long cold winter. And we made some of the decadently rich hot chocolate from Burdick's, hot chocolate so thick it's practically chocolate sauce (in fact I ate/drank most of it by dipping croissants in), and watched Cartoon Saloon's Wolfwalkers and My Father's Dragon, about which more anon...
Simply a delightful trip!
(no subject)
Mar. 21st, 2026 10:22 amskygiantsI've seen two Boston Ballets in relatively quick succession over the past month, both combo programs featuring two pieces; the first was "The Rite of Spring" (Elo's, not Nijinsky's) paired with Pite's "The Seasons' Canon," and the second was a premiere, Stromile's "The Leisurely Installation of a New Window," paired with Ashton's "The [Midsummer Night's] Dream."
Breaking with the actual curation of the productions, I'm going to talk about "The Rite of Spring" and "The Leisurely Installation of a New Window" together because they both came first in their productions, they had kind of similar vibes, and I experienced similar feelings of mild disappointment about both of them that were not technically the fault of the productions. I was really excited about "The Rite of Spring" because I wanted to see some ballet dancers do a dramatic ritual sacrifice, and I was really excited about "The Leisurely Installation of a New Window" because I wanted to see some ballet dancers slowly install a window. Instead, both of these pieces were kind of abstract explorations through dance of the Relationship between the Individual and Society, and I think both would have been enjoyable for fifteen minutes but ran a bit long at half an hour.
The description for "Window" in the playbill reads:
Eighteen dancers inhabit the work through distinct but interdependent roles. The Seeker stands close to tradition, moving with discipline and clarity. The People operate within shared systems, attentive to both order and its quiet tensions. The Reformers introduce disruption, not as spectacle, but as pressure applied from within.
This did help me understand better what was going on in the dance, as the Seeker stalked around holding a book and then portentously passed it off to some dueting Reformers, but also made it feel a bit like a LARP that I was not participating in. On the other hand Reeves Gabriel of The Cure was There and Participating in Ballet Music (and every bit of marketing wanted you to know that Reeves Gabriel Of The Cure was There and Participating in Ballet Music) and occasionally the music would get very thrillingly electric guitar and you'd be like "Hello, Reeves Gabriel of The Cure!" So it's not that I didn't have a fine time, I just would have been okay with somewhat less of that time.
However, after these very mildly disappointing openers, I loved both "The Seasons' Canon" and "The Dream" very much! The Seasons' Canon is, justifiably, a known Boston Ballet showstopper -- a huge piece with a huge cast, and as you guys know I often have trouble with a piece that is not trying to tell me a story but this piece is truly just Humans Make Big Shapes and it's riveting. Could not take my eyes off it. The trailer here gives a bit of a sense but of course is not that much like seeing it Actually On Stage, but it does let you see one of the things I found most striking about the piece which is how extremely non-gendered it is -- everyone on that stage is dressed identically in pants and nude tank that makes them look topless, the whole corps looks like one and moves like one and there is nothing to distract you from that. Really, really cool experience.
And "The Dream" -- look, I'm a simple soul, and what I have discovered is that I love Ashton's silly panto-esque ballets. They are fun and they are funny and I love it when people get to be funny in dance! Dance jokes are good actually! Titania ballet-hopping her way towards Bottom in a way that manages to be simultaneously fairy-like and hilariously sultry, the arguing lovers constantly picking each other up and pirouetting a partner firmly Away from them Thank You, the rude mechanicals!! we wanted more rude mechanicals but I was so glad we got what we got. A+ Midsummer Night's Dream, would see again.
Breaking with the actual curation of the productions, I'm going to talk about "The Rite of Spring" and "The Leisurely Installation of a New Window" together because they both came first in their productions, they had kind of similar vibes, and I experienced similar feelings of mild disappointment about both of them that were not technically the fault of the productions. I was really excited about "The Rite of Spring" because I wanted to see some ballet dancers do a dramatic ritual sacrifice, and I was really excited about "The Leisurely Installation of a New Window" because I wanted to see some ballet dancers slowly install a window. Instead, both of these pieces were kind of abstract explorations through dance of the Relationship between the Individual and Society, and I think both would have been enjoyable for fifteen minutes but ran a bit long at half an hour.
The description for "Window" in the playbill reads:
Eighteen dancers inhabit the work through distinct but interdependent roles. The Seeker stands close to tradition, moving with discipline and clarity. The People operate within shared systems, attentive to both order and its quiet tensions. The Reformers introduce disruption, not as spectacle, but as pressure applied from within.
This did help me understand better what was going on in the dance, as the Seeker stalked around holding a book and then portentously passed it off to some dueting Reformers, but also made it feel a bit like a LARP that I was not participating in. On the other hand Reeves Gabriel of The Cure was There and Participating in Ballet Music (and every bit of marketing wanted you to know that Reeves Gabriel Of The Cure was There and Participating in Ballet Music) and occasionally the music would get very thrillingly electric guitar and you'd be like "Hello, Reeves Gabriel of The Cure!" So it's not that I didn't have a fine time, I just would have been okay with somewhat less of that time.
However, after these very mildly disappointing openers, I loved both "The Seasons' Canon" and "The Dream" very much! The Seasons' Canon is, justifiably, a known Boston Ballet showstopper -- a huge piece with a huge cast, and as you guys know I often have trouble with a piece that is not trying to tell me a story but this piece is truly just Humans Make Big Shapes and it's riveting. Could not take my eyes off it. The trailer here gives a bit of a sense but of course is not that much like seeing it Actually On Stage, but it does let you see one of the things I found most striking about the piece which is how extremely non-gendered it is -- everyone on that stage is dressed identically in pants and nude tank that makes them look topless, the whole corps looks like one and moves like one and there is nothing to distract you from that. Really, really cool experience.
And "The Dream" -- look, I'm a simple soul, and what I have discovered is that I love Ashton's silly panto-esque ballets. They are fun and they are funny and I love it when people get to be funny in dance! Dance jokes are good actually! Titania ballet-hopping her way towards Bottom in a way that manages to be simultaneously fairy-like and hilariously sultry, the arguing lovers constantly picking each other up and pirouetting a partner firmly Away from them Thank You, the rude mechanicals!! we wanted more rude mechanicals but I was so glad we got what we got. A+ Midsummer Night's Dream, would see again.
Diary of a Cranky Bookworm release
Mar. 20th, 2026 07:37 pmosprey_archerMy new book is out! Diary of a Cranky Bookworm has been in the works since 2011, undergoing a long and meandering composition process, and it's a bit of a shock to realize that it's actually out there in the world. Go little book go!
May 12, 2012
Dear Diary,
DISASTER. I thought college application essays were bad enough, but now I have to write a summary of my diary??? Horrifying. I’m just a high school senior in a small town in Minnesota, getting up to shenanigans with my friends, retreating to my Treehouse to daydream about slipping into a portal fantasy, and discovering to my horror that my long-time nemesis is maybe, possibly, actually a delight.
And I might be a little bit in love with her.
Which is an unwelcome Realization, as it is sure to cut disgracefully into my reading time. And that’s already in short supply, in between college applications and AP calc and my friend Arielle who always thinks she’s in crisis maybe actually being in crisis for real.
Is that enough of a summary? I sure hope so, because it’s time to meet Georgie for our weekly trip to the library!
May 12, 2012
Dear Diary,
DISASTER. I thought college application essays were bad enough, but now I have to write a summary of my diary??? Horrifying. I’m just a high school senior in a small town in Minnesota, getting up to shenanigans with my friends, retreating to my Treehouse to daydream about slipping into a portal fantasy, and discovering to my horror that my long-time nemesis is maybe, possibly, actually a delight.
And I might be a little bit in love with her.
Which is an unwelcome Realization, as it is sure to cut disgracefully into my reading time. And that’s already in short supply, in between college applications and AP calc and my friend Arielle who always thinks she’s in crisis maybe actually being in crisis for real.
Is that enough of a summary? I sure hope so, because it’s time to meet Georgie for our weekly trip to the library!
My Darling Dreadful Thing, by Johanna van Veen
Mar. 20th, 2026 01:53 pmrachelmanija
This spooky ghost story has a central pairing that I feel like I may have requested as an original work: Widow/Female Fake Psychic/Ghost of a Female Bog Body.
My Darling Dreadful Thing is set in the Netherlands in the 1950s, which is a selling point all by itself as I love unusual settings. Roos is a young woman whose abusive fake psychic mother forces her to participate in her fake seances. But though Roos does not communicate with the spirits sought by the desperate, grieving customers, she actually does have a spirit companion, a bog body whom Roos has bound to her and named Ruth.
Roos is delighted when Agnes, a biracial (Indonesian/Dutch) widow, takes her as a companion and spirits her away to her neglected Gothic mansion in the middle of nowhere. The mansion is otherwise occupied only by Agnes's sister-in-law, Willamine, who is dying of tuberculosis, and has a marvellously bizarre Gothic history. Roos falls hard in love with Agnes, with whom she has a surprising amount in common.
But this whole story is being told in retrospect, as a series of interviews Roos is having with a psychiatrist who is trying to determine whether she's mentally fit to stand trial for murder. Something very bad happened at the mansion...
( Read more... )
Very enjoyable, very gothic, very atmospheric. I'm excited to read van Veen's other two books. I looked her up to see if she's actually from the Netherlands (yes) and learned that she's one of a set of non-identical triplet sisters! I don't think I've ever read a book by a triplet before.
Questions: Dyslexia
Mar. 20th, 2026 09:00 amasakiyumeIf you have dyslexia, what strategies helped you master writing? Was there anything that helped when you were of school age? If you weren't able to deal with it during school, how have you dealt with it since then?
If you have kids with dyslexia, how have you helped them with the task of writing?
If you have kids with dyslexia, how have you helped them with the task of writing?
wednesday books have families
Mar. 18th, 2026 08:47 pmlandofnowhereChroniques du Pays des Mères, Élisabeth Vonarburg. Nearing the end; only two more weeks to go. This week we get to see a bit more of the world, learn a bit more about the worldbuilding (I am holding myself back from making demographic spreadsheets), and hang out with the Sexy Twins. The end of this installment teases a new historical discovery, which I look forward to reading about next week!
Success, Una Silberrad, 1912. Michael Annarly is a brilliant engineer who has no interest in office politics. His cousin Nan Barminster is a nondescript young woman who works for her father, an antique furniture dealer, and is quietly brilliant in her own way. After an incident completely derails Michael's promising career, Nan takes him under her wing. Previously having read three Una Silberrads, I had a good sense of how she writes relationships between men and women, even though the arcs have been different in each book I've read, which helped me figure out where this was going. ( spoilers )
Other sociological notes: Michael works in weapons manufacture, and sells his designs to multiple countries, and only one character (whose progressive politics is portrayed as a charming character quirk) even bats an eyelid about the ethics of profiting off war. There are also some very brief mentions of the Barminsters doing business with Jews, but while the language is slightly jarring it gives a sense of them as serious businessmen.
Success, Una Silberrad, 1912. Michael Annarly is a brilliant engineer who has no interest in office politics. His cousin Nan Barminster is a nondescript young woman who works for her father, an antique furniture dealer, and is quietly brilliant in her own way. After an incident completely derails Michael's promising career, Nan takes him under her wing. Previously having read three Una Silberrads, I had a good sense of how she writes relationships between men and women, even though the arcs have been different in each book I've read, which helped me figure out where this was going. ( spoilers )
Other sociological notes: Michael works in weapons manufacture, and sells his designs to multiple countries, and only one character (whose progressive politics is portrayed as a charming character quirk) even bats an eyelid about the ethics of profiting off war. There are also some very brief mentions of the Barminsters doing business with Jews, but while the language is slightly jarring it gives a sense of them as serious businessmen.
(no subject)
Mar. 18th, 2026 10:50 pmskygiantsBecause Becky Mahoney and I know each other, I boosted a Bluesky giveaway for her upcoming vampire novel Thrall (coming out next month!) in the spirit of friendship and then was somewhat surprised to discover that I had in fact won the giveaway -- surprised but delighted, obviously, since I've loved all of her previous books even when they weren't LUCY CENTRIC DRACULA RIFFS!! focused around a COLLEGE PIRATE RADIO STATION!!!
The central character of Thrall is Lucy Easting, who has just transferred into beautiful, isolated, mountainside Rollins University from community college, in a bid to get away from her stressed and depressed mother and live a life she's excited about for a change.
Alas! her first college party results in a couple of neck puncture marks, a marked tendency to experience severe migraines in sunlight, and a tragic susceptibility to the ominous vampire voice in her head that occasionally takes over her consciousness and directs her towards uncharacteristic action.
Fortunately! the college is full of prospective allies who are willing to take a chance on Lucy despite her regrettable thrall situation, including but not limited to the host of the local college late-night radio show, who has been a target of the vampire since her sophomore year and has been using the airwaves to try and fight back; Lucy's RA, a determined young woman with very nice arms, who came to the school to investigate after a terrible fate befell her high school ex-boyfriend Jonathan; and the very nice, normal party host who has no previous vampire experience but feels just terrible about the whole situation and is not about to relinquish responsibility for sorting the situation out! it was her party!!
It's a really charming book on a number of levels, but my favorite thing about it as a Dracula riff specifically is how much it's thematically invested in Lucy as a side character -- the narrative is consistently very clear that the vampire is not particularly interested in Lucy; he's obsessed with Athena the radio show host and everything else he's doing is part of his elaborate cat-and-mouse game with her, including incidentally overturning Lucy's life as a by-the-by -- and how Lucy makes the book her own story anyway by sheer force of determination not to be cut out of it. Lucy's energy really drives the book: she wants to live, and she wants to live a life on her own terms, and she's not about to let one horrible encounter take that away from her.
Also, I think it's not a huge spoiler ( but I guess is technically a mild one: lesbians! )
The central character of Thrall is Lucy Easting, who has just transferred into beautiful, isolated, mountainside Rollins University from community college, in a bid to get away from her stressed and depressed mother and live a life she's excited about for a change.
Alas! her first college party results in a couple of neck puncture marks, a marked tendency to experience severe migraines in sunlight, and a tragic susceptibility to the ominous vampire voice in her head that occasionally takes over her consciousness and directs her towards uncharacteristic action.
Fortunately! the college is full of prospective allies who are willing to take a chance on Lucy despite her regrettable thrall situation, including but not limited to the host of the local college late-night radio show, who has been a target of the vampire since her sophomore year and has been using the airwaves to try and fight back; Lucy's RA, a determined young woman with very nice arms, who came to the school to investigate after a terrible fate befell her high school ex-boyfriend Jonathan; and the very nice, normal party host who has no previous vampire experience but feels just terrible about the whole situation and is not about to relinquish responsibility for sorting the situation out! it was her party!!
It's a really charming book on a number of levels, but my favorite thing about it as a Dracula riff specifically is how much it's thematically invested in Lucy as a side character -- the narrative is consistently very clear that the vampire is not particularly interested in Lucy; he's obsessed with Athena the radio show host and everything else he's doing is part of his elaborate cat-and-mouse game with her, including incidentally overturning Lucy's life as a by-the-by -- and how Lucy makes the book her own story anyway by sheer force of determination not to be cut out of it. Lucy's energy really drives the book: she wants to live, and she wants to live a life on her own terms, and she's not about to let one horrible encounter take that away from her.
Also, I think it's not a huge spoiler ( but I guess is technically a mild one: lesbians! )