thedivinegoat | Reading

I wanted to make a post about shiny math rocks, and will do so at a later time, but my experience has been marred a bit by customer service issues.

( Same problem, different solutions )

Current Mood: disappointed

james_davis_nicoll

Tales of dissidents, dissenters, and iconoclasts taking on the status quo...

Five SFF Books About Oddballs Resisting Conformity

ikeahacker_feed

Posted by Jules Yap

https://ikeahackers.net/2025/06/bathtub-drying-rack.html

https://ikeahackers.net/?p=97130

Let’s talk about a problem that only divers truly understand: Where on earth do you hang a soaking wetsuit to dry when you live in a matchbox-sized apartment? The bathroom door? Too drippy. The balcony railing? Too public. The shower curtain rod? Too saggy. That’s the exact problem Matteo Mortari faced. “I was looking for a practical way in my very small apartment to dry my wetsuit,” he says, “When I saw the ÄLGANÄS on the IKEA website, I knew immediately what I could […]

The post The Surprisingly Stylish Way to Dry Your Wetsuit in a Tiny Apartment appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

https://ikeahackers.net/2025/06/bathtub-drying-rack.html

https://ikeahackers.net/?p=97130

aurumcalendula

I've seen a bunch of wildlife around lately (fawns, a downy woodpecker, red shouldered hawks, cottontail rabbits, hummingbirds), which has brighten my day over the last week or so.

james_davis_nicoll

Can Tokyo be liberated from the gods?

After God, volume 1 by Sumi Eno

dinosaur_comics_feed

http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=4342


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the raven paradox was discovered by Carl Gustav Hempel in the 1940s, which was before the invention of Sonic the Hedgehog, which is why Sonic is not USUALLY included in the description of this paradox. But good news: Carl died in 1997, and the first Sonic game came out in 1991, so it's NOT IMPOSSIBLE that this towering figure in logical empiricism both knew and enjoyed playing the Sega Genesis adventures of Sonic D. Hedgehog

← previous

June 11th, 2025

June 11th, 2025: You can read more about this paradox here, and can learn more about the trials and tribulations of Sonic The Hedgehog at your local Sega Genesis home video game console!

– Ryan

http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=4342

spiralsheep

Aurora Australis readalong 8 / 10, An Ancient Manuscript by Shellback (Frank Wild), post for comment, reaction, discussion, fanworks, links, and whatever obliquely related matters your heart desires. You can join the readalong at any time or skip sections or go back to earlier posts. It's all good. :-)

Text of An Ancient Manuscript by Shellback (Frank Wild):
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Aurora_Australis/An_Ancient_Manuscript

Readalong intro and reaction post links:
https://spiralsheep.dreamwidth.org/662515.html

( Links for next week, this week's vocabulary, quotes, and brief commentary )

usuallyhats

The Sapling Cage - Margaret Killjoy
The Butterfly Assassin - Finn Longman
Lake of Souls - Ann Leckie
A Sorceress Comes to Call - T Kingfisher
James - Percival Everett
Those Beyond the Wall - Micaiah Johnson
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins - P Djèlí Clark
The City in Glass - Nghi Vo
Return of the Thief - Megan Whalen Turner
The Brides of High Hill - Nghi Vo
The Practice, the Horizon and the Chain - Sofia Samatar
Navigational Entanglements - Aliette de Bodard

The West Passage - Jared Pechaček
Metropolitain: An Ode to the Paris Metro - Andrew Martin
We Called Them Giants
The Hunger and the Dusk, vol 1
Saint Death's Herald - CSE Cooney
The Butcher of the Forest - Premee Mohamed
The Raven Scholar - Antonia Hodgson
In Universes - Emet North
So Let Them Burn - Kamilah Cole
The Time of the Ghost - Diana Wynne Jones
The Gentleman and His Vowsmith - Rebecca Ide
The Magicians of Caprona - Diana Wynne Jones

The Sapling Cage (three stars), A Sorceress Comes to Call (two stars), The City in Glass (five stars), The West Passage (five stars), Saint Death's Herald (three stars), The Raven Scholar (three stars), The Gentleman and His Vowsmith (two stars)

The Sapling Cage
This took me a bit to get into, partly because I was struggling to get a handle on the world, but it picks up once Lorel joins the witches, and has some really interesting stuff on duty, responsibility, power and how to live in a world that has other people in it. I felt like it faltered a bit in the second half when the action picked up, though, partly because it stopped addressing those questions and partly because writing action scenes is not Killjoy's best skill - they're not bad, exactly, but they are a bit awkward. And while I see what the author was trying to do with the denouement and the villain's motivation, it just didn't really come off.

What did work really well, however, was Lorel's debate on whether she wanted use magic to transform her body because she wanted a different body, or because having that body would make it easier for her to exist in a transphobic world. I particularly liked that it doesn't really factor into her internal debate that the magic to make it happen is difficult and painful and needs the participation of another person: she can tackle how to get it if she decides it's something she wants.

So definitely a mixed bag: the aspects of it I loved, I REALLY loved, but I'm still on the fence about whether I'll read the next in the trilogy.

A Sorceress Comes to Call
Two stars is probably a little ungenerous, but I was so frustrated by this book by the time I finished it, because it's two books, and they're both good books, but they are fighting each other. Part of this book is an incredibly well done horror novel about domestic abuse and control, and part of it is a delightful Regencyesque comedy of manners, and maybe those two things could mesh, but they don't here: the comedy of manners defangs the horror novel, and the horror makes the comedy of manners feel frivolous, even though both taken individually are great.

I could also have done without the comedy of manners heroine banging on about how OLD and DECREPIT she is, she's just SO ANCIENT, an OLD LADY, when she is in fact... fifty one. (Definitely a known problem with Kingfisher's writing, and this is at least older than her previous "I'm just SO OLD" heroine was, so... progress?)

The City in Glass
Absolutely loved this. Gorgeous prose, incredible images, wildly compelling - Nghi Vo does not miss.

The West Passage
This book was a wild ride and I had a great time (even if it contains slightly more cannibalism than I would ideally prefer). It's a medieval inspired fantasy, but not in a knights and peasants way, in a mysticism and weird little guys from the margins of illuminated manuscripts way: there's definitely some Gormenghast in its DNA, as well as some of the odder corners of Arthuriana, but it is absolutely its own thing. And the ending absolutely elevated the whole thing.

Saint Death's Herald
I absolutely adored Saint Death's Daughter, but this sequel didn't work as well for me. I still love Lanie, but the new supporting cast and their relationships with her weren't as strong as the previous books, so I was a lot less invested overall (especially in the incredibly drawn out fight sequence around the 60% mark), and the more peripatetic plot meant there was less of a sense of place to this one. I also felt like the prose leaned into the elements that I liked less from the previous book. I didn't dislike it, though, and I'm hoping this is just a touch of middle-book-itis (it did feel like there was a lot of mopping up from book one and manoeuvring into position for book three) - I will definitely be finishing the trilogy.

The Raven Scholar
Definitely a three stars (affectionate) here. I loved the middle of this book, as our (not stated but very obviously) autistic heroine navigates the situation she's been flung into and grapples with her own past choices, but the beginning was a bit rocky and I felt like the end collapsed down a lot of interesting complexities in the interests of having a more standard Villain Plot to defeat. It's a very long book, though, so I spent more time in the fun middle than the shaky beginning and end, and am excited for more in this world!

The Gentleman and His Vowsmith
I feel like this book couldn't quite decide what it wanted to be. It tried to be a romance, a fantasy novel, a murder mystery and a gothic novel all at once, and ended up not really doing justice to any of them. And while it's definitely possible for this kind of genre mishmash to work, it has to be better integrated into the whole; here it felt like we were just skipping from one to the other, and as a result none of them were managed in a completely satisfying way - I forgot who the murderer was almost immediately after it was revealed, for example, because the solution was such a damp squib. The dialogue in particular also couldn't decide if it wanted to be period or modern, and overall it felt it was never sure if it wanted to be Regency-with-magic or full AU.

I do think that all of those things would have been easier to overlook if it had been shorter and faster paced though, it did have some fun stuff going on, but its flaws got more evident and more frustrating the more I read.

frith posting in

ponyville_trot

King Grimlock is trotting out the tired writting prompt idioms. At least it's not walk/run idiom. This time the task is to: "Draw a pony taking a leap of faith // Draw a pony jumping to conclusions". So, who's this suicide pony named "Faith"? Why dron't they just bridge the gap to the town of Conclusions?

As always, draw (or sculpt or do a photo-montage), host the image of what you made in an online gallery and drop the URL into the submission form here, it's live. King Grimlock does not specifying the prompt in the submitter, but otherwise it's the usual: you can enter five different images per prompt. The maximum resolution is 2000x2000 pixels, so chose a link from your gallery that points to a version of your image that does not exceed 2,000 pixels on either side. Also, don't exceed 4 Mb per picture or the poniloader will plotz and choke on your picture. MLPforums and Discord work as image hosts in a pinch, although I think that there's an expiry date on those options. Xitter works somehow, it looks like Mastodon does, probably Bluesky as well, if you're savvy and Imgur apparently works too. I use Flickr. The pictures will be visible on EqD along with the next task at 9 PM (MST) on June 12th. My guess was right last time! So, I think that it will be this: https://www.equestriadaily.com/2025/06/newbie-artist-training-grounds-xv_12.html .

So be sure to get your drawings in well before 9 PM Mountain Standard Time (or midnight Eastern Daylight Savings Time and 5 AM UTC). The time before last King Grimlock was at least an hour early taking what had been submitted so far and compiling it into the gallery posted with the next prompt announcement. I missed that deadline. But the grace period is at least two extra days and KG goes back to edit in the late submissions, usually around the same time he posts the next prompt. This time the submitter isn't set to close for prompt 6 until June 14th and the grace period will probably end then, when KG posts prompt 8. That's the pattern at the moment. KG can and does change the close date on the submitter and keeps just two active at any given moment. I don't think there will be any late submission catch-up days in this NATG.

Off topic submissions, more than was usual in past years, are showing up in the gallery. That's because King Grimlock is also posting what Calpain is prompting on Bluesky in his fringe NATG and people have been hybridizing this NATG with it. It could really be a mixed bag this time since at Calpain's end it's a makeup day. KG didn't list all Calpain's prompts.

scifirenegade posting in

smallfandomfics

( You're about to view content that a community administrator has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

smartbitches_feed

Posted by Carrie S

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/06/tarot-after-dark-get-gothic-with-the-haunted-house-tarot/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=145835

This piece of literary mayhem is exclusive to Smart Bitches After Dark, but fret not. If you'd like to join, we'd love to have you!

Have a look at our membership options, and come join the fun!

If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section with exclusive content and events.

Everything you’re used to seeing at the Hot Pink Palace that is Smart Bitches Trashy Books will remain free as always, because we remain committed to fostering community among brilliant readers who love romance.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/06/tarot-after-dark-get-gothic-with-the-haunted-house-tarot/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=145835

oursin

Happy birthday,

angevin and

spaceoperadiva!

sholio

whumpex revealed tonight! (And H/C-ex is supposed to in a few days, if it's not delayed. All the hurtcomfort all the time.)

I got:

Staying Power (Babylon 5, Londo & Vir, 4200 wds)

I asked for (among other things) Londo reacting to something bad happening to Vir, or Vir taking a hit for him, and my Mysterious Gifter took me up on it most delightfully!

As usual, there is a fic or two of mine running around loose in the collection as well.

torachan

1. A lot of times when Carla goes back to visit her folks, she doesn't get time to hang out with her cousins aside from specific family gatherings where they're just hanging out at the house, but this time she went into Chicago today with one cousin and they went to a museum and got lunch, and yesterday she went with both cousins to a record store.

2. Work was kind of stressful today (just when I think the drama and issues at this one store are finally dealt with, I have three more issues pop up today) but I had a nice evening at Disneyland to make up for it.

3. Chloe and Gemma and Ikea Shark are having a party and you're not invited.

smartbitches_feed

Posted by SB Sarah

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/06/hot-summer-reading-grab-bag-giveaway/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=146015

a rendering of a shipping box with a stack of books on top in orange, grey, cream, and coral We’ve got romances and we’d like to share them!

What do you get if you win? A box full of books! And we have two boxes to give away!

We can promise they are new, unread, and printed on paper. We can also promise there will be at least five books, possibly more, in the box. And there will be stickers, too, for fun and sticking.

There may be a mix of formats and sub-genres, but most if not all will be romance or with Strong Romantic Elements (the kind of Romantic Elements that are So Strong, they can rotate your tires, defrost and move your freezer, landscape the yard, and build a pergola for your reading).

Our goal is to give you a mighty-mighty TBR to start your summer reading with, and we hope you receive a book that becomes your new favorite, or the new favorite of one of your friends. Share the love, share the romance, is our goal here.

All you need to do is drop your information in the form below, and you’re entered to win.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Name *

First

Last

Email *

Address

Address Line 1

Address Line 2

City

State / Province / Region

Postal Code

Country

won? Name you

What would you do if you won?

Standard disclaimers apply: We are not being compensated for this giveaway, aside from sharing books with people who we hope will love them. Void where prohibited. Must be over 18 and ready to read read read. Open to international residents where permitted by applicable law. Address information collected will be used for prize shipping only. We will not sell nor share your information, except to tell one another how very, very cool and admirable you are. Entries will end around noon on Friday 13 June 2025, and winners will be announced and notified shortly afterward.

Happy Almost Summer, and Happy Summer Reading Season!

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/06/hot-summer-reading-grab-bag-giveaway/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=146015

torachan

Took an after work trip to Disneyland for dinner. Traffic was not bad at all getting down there (and even better getting home) and as of this week both the lower level pass holders are blocked out, so the crowds are lighter. Nice weather, too!

( Read more... )

conuly posting in

agonyaunt

Dear Pay Dirt,

My brother and his wife recently bought a broken-down house. They asked my husband, who runs his own construction company, for a quote to fix it up. My sister-in-law brightly chimed in, “and we expect the friends and family rate.” Well, my husband immediately drew a hard line.

He responded that he would prefer not to engage in a business agreement with family, as it can lead to misunderstandings, and he recommended another company. Well, my sister-in-law completely lost her mind.

She screamed at him and said that they would never have bought the property if they knew he wasn’t going to help them. It seems that they, without any encouragement, expected him to offer his services at a significant discount and are now in a bind because they cannot afford the reconstruction and will make a huge loss if they sell.

Now my entire family is being drawn into a massively acrimonious discussion. My brother and sister-in-law are claiming we “betrayed them” and left them bankrupt. I get daily calls from my weeping mother begging my husband to reconsider, while my father has threatened to beat him up. It’s insane. I don’t want to lose my family, and I can’t ask my husband to change his mind, so what do I do?

—Built on Sand

( Read more... )

girlgenius_main_feed

http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20250611

The Girl Genius comic for Wednesday, June 11, 2025 has been posted.

http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20250611

apod_feed

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250610.html

Do oceans under the ice of Saturn's moon

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250610.html

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thedivinegoat

June 2022

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Page Summary

green_knight - Of Dice and Bots
james_davis_nicoll - Five SFF Books About Oddballs Resisting Conformity
ikeahacker_feed - The Surprisingly Stylish Way to Dry Your Wetsuit in a Tiny Apartment
aurumcalendula - (no subject)
james_davis_nicoll - After God, volume 1 by Sumi Eno
dinosaur_comics_feed - the sega genesis is my favourite video game console named after a book of the bible. also i think t
spiralsheep - Aurora Australis readalong 8 / 10, An Ancient Manuscript
usuallyhats - Books and comics read in April and May 2025
andrewducker - Interesting Links for 11-06-2025
frith in ponyville_trot - Artist Training Grounds XV, 6th Prompt Pair
scifirenegade in smallfandomfics - Fic: in the stardust of a song (Anders als die Andern) [G]
smartbitches_feed - Tarot After Dark: Get Gothic with the Haunted House Tarot
oursin - (no subject)
sholio - Whumpex reveals!
torachan - Daily Happiness
smartbitches_feed - Hot Summer Reading Grab Bag Giveaway
torachan - 2025 Disneyland Trip #39 (6/10/25)
conuly in agonyaunt - (no subject)
girlgenius_main_feed - Girl Genius for Wednesday, June 11, 2025
apod_feed - (no subject)

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Page generated 11 Jun 2025 08:44 pm

Yr Afr Sanctaidd

Trip trapping across your bridge

Reading

Of Dice and Bots

Five SFF Books About Oddballs Resisting Conformity

The Surprisingly Stylish Way to Dry Your Wetsuit in a Tiny Apartment

(no subject)

After God, volume 1 by Sumi Eno

the sega genesis is my favourite video game console named after a book of the bible. also i think t

Aurora Australis readalong 8 / 10, An Ancient Manuscript

Books and comics read in April and May 2025

Interesting Links for 11-06-2025

Artist Training Grounds XV, 6th Prompt Pair

Fic: in the stardust of a song (Anders als die Andern) [G]

Tarot After Dark: Get Gothic with the Haunted House Tarot

(no subject)

Whumpex reveals!

Daily Happiness

Hot Summer Reading Grab Bag Giveaway

2025 Disneyland Trip #39 (6/10/25)

(no subject)

Girl Genius for Wednesday, June 11, 2025

(no subject)

Profile

June 2022

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