Distracted Magpie

Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones Award-winning author Stephen Graham Jones returns with Night of the Mannequins, a contemporary ho...

8.

Night of the Mannequins
by Stephen Graham Jones

A teenage slasher novella where a prank involving a mannequin gets very out of hand.

app.thestorygraph.com/books/975867...

#Reading2026 #BookSky

Turns out it was the gig.

As a 38 year old, is my hearing a bit janky in one ear today because I started using almond oil to deal with dry ears, or is it because the gain was too loud at the Deftones gig last Thursday?

If anyone knows, do tell.

REVIEW: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is an intense film that disturbs and, simultaneously, provokes thought on some grand themes.

Another cinematic wonder that brings depth and thought to the genre.

Sentient by Michael Nayak Extinction Horizon meets Contagion in this sequel to 2025’s sci-fi thriller Symbiote, where the b...

7.

Sentient
by Michael Nayak

Book 2 of the Ice Plague Wars series. Special operators have come to McMurdo, but so have the microbes trying to find a way off Antarctica. A bit more Aliens than The Thing this time around. Good fun!

app.thestorygraph.com/books/b7accc...

#Reading2026 #booksky

Selling 2x weekend + camping tickets to Bloodstock 2026. £232.67 each.

tixel.com/u/raif

#Bloodstock #festival #music

Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward In the middle of the night, Riley pulls her younger brother Oliver out of bed, and the two run aw...

6.

Nowhere Burning
by Catriona Ward (@catrionaward.bsky.social)

A supernatural-flavoured, horror-tinged thriller, of lost childhoods, lost lives and lost identity.

(With thanks to the publisher for an ARC, full review will be on GdM.)

app.thestorygraph.com/books/84f04b...

#Reading2026

People, for my Visit to the Backlist project, I feel I have a bit of a gap. May I ask you for some recommendations of SF, Fantasy or Horror novels published in English between 2007 - 2023 that you think are worthy of mention?

💙📚

Being primarily inclined towards SFF in my writing and then having an idea that could best be described as a thriller... and now not knowing what to do with it. 🤔

#WriterSky #AuthorSky

REVIEW: The Running Man (2025) The Running Man is both entertaining and engaging, giving you something to think about as this dystopia seems far too close for comfort, and perhaps wonder if Stephen King is secretly a time-traveller...

The Running Man is both entertaining and engaging, giving you something to think about as this dystopia seems far too close for comfort, and perhaps wonder if Stephen King is secretly a time-traveller.

REVIEW: The Tower of the Tyrant by J. T. Greathouse The world-building within The Tower of the Tyrant is another triumph of Greathouse’s, creating a rich and believable setting with depth and history that is interwoven with intrigue.

A deep and philosophical fantasy novel that shows off some delightful lore and world-building, a multitude of magics, and a cast that will charm and anger you in exactly the right ways.

Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky An utterly gripping story of alien encounter and survival from Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of the ...

5.

Shroud
by Adrian Tchaikovsky (@aptshadow.bsky.social)

Recently released paperback edition, first contact out in far space, on a moon with no light.

app.thestorygraph.com/books/7d08e8...

There are much worse things to leave Costco with tbf... We're still less than halfway through a massive box of instant noodles we bought over a year ago!

“Screenshot of a promoted Reddit post by u/AYAGDOS. The post reads: ‘Navigating gender dysphoria? Join our confidential, cross-country study of 18–25 year olds to tell your story, challenge preconceptions, and have YOUR experience reflected in the science.’ Below is a banner graphic with the Northwestern University logo and the text ‘TRANS OR GENDERQUEER? SHARE YOUR STORY.’ The image shows a close-up of a hand with light pink nail polish, partially painted blue, held up against a blurred background. A link to ayagdos.org and a ‘Learn More’ button appear at the bottom, along with Reddit vote and share icons.”

If you see this, don't participate. It's a rigged study by Lisa Littman and unethical researcher J. Michael Bailey meant to undermine access to care. Spread the word.

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell The author of the widely praised Wordslut analyzes the social science of cult influence: how cult...

4.

Cultish
by Amanda Montell

An audiobook I started last March and only just finished. Looks at cults and cultish language and how America is pretty much fucked. Worth it.

app.thestorygraph.com/books/847360...

#Booksky #Reading2026

Slow Gods by Claire North Slow Gods is the galaxy-spanning tale of one man's impossible life charted against the fate of hu...

3.

Slow Gods
by Claire North

A brilliant, thoughtful sci-fi with a narrator who felt relatable despite being an eternal being from the black.

app.thestorygraph.com/books/16d572...

#Reading2026 #booksky

This is what I asked when I rewatched it over the holidays. But also... how do those manning the beacons get up there? Where do they sleep? Eat? Poop? Those beacons are super remote, and cold AF.

@jeremyteg.bsky.social Out of curiosity (and as I was going to mention it in a review), is Parwys a bit more of a Brythonic (or Welsh) vibe? That's the impression I got and enjoyed it, but don't want to assume the wrong thing! Thank you 😊

Paths to Empires' Ends (The Gods' Paths) Since they were sundered, the fraternal Empires of Blue…

2.

Paths to Empires' Ends
by @joelgloverauthor.bsky.social

A grimdark novella that expands the story of the Paths world, being many POVs together to form a whole.

www.goodreads.com/book/show/21...

#booksky #Reading2026

January.

Book 1 for 2026 was...

The Tower of the Tyrant
by @jeremyteg.bsky.social

Although I started it last year, I was battling a bit of a slump. The majority of the book got read this year and there'll be a review soon(ish).

#Reading2026 #BookSky

@newwordspress.bsky.social This may be a silly question but are non-Americans welcome to submit for Citizen Trans* project?

BBC describing it as intent to use military "to acquire Greenland" like it's a fucking object you pick up down the shops?!

WTAF

The Death of Robin Hood trailer...
While I'm not convinced by Hugh's accent, there was a lot of stabbing and squelchy noises involved, which seems fun.

#TheDeathOfRobinHood
#MovieTrailers

Thought I had 120 pages left of a book only to realise it was 220 and now my estimated time to finish has been blown out of the water.

Did you enjoy it? I've wanted to read this for ages but it's been so hard to get a copy in the UK!

The official banner for SPFBO XI which shows an illustration of a man standing in front of a phoenix. Art by Grandfailure.

Entries for SPFBO XI are now open! Are you a self-published fantasy author with a novel? Enter it into this year's Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off!

Visit the official website to check eligibility and sign up! Entries only open for today: mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-...

A brightly coloured "2026"

And here we go...

A new thread for a new year of reading! Goal is 32. Same rules apply: enjoy myself & don't sweat a dnf

I am a true mood reader. If I pre-pick anything my mind rebels against the "homework" and I hit slumps.

Let's see where this adventure takes us!

Didn't finish anything else in December either.

In total I read 43 this year, 12.7k+ in pages, and had 34 articles/reviews on @grimdarkmagazine.bsky.social

As with every year, there's loads I want to read and I'll be continuing to remind myself to read what I enjoy.

2025, FIN.

Some people have birthdays and other important dates between Christmas and New Year.

All the lolz about not knowing what day you're on is just a reminder to some of us that we're not worth remembering in your eyes.

Please stop it.

With thanks,
A 29th December birthday-er.

NOVEMBER

Why is this so late? It's already mid-December?

Because zero books were finished in November. Zero.

And the slump continues...!