Amy!

We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.

One of my favorite poems since childhood, and a poem I share every #autumnequinox.
By the 12thc warrior poet Xin Qiji 辛棄疾, sidelined during peacetime, demoted, drifting through a decade of minor posts in remote lands.
Poetry, then, is that which is left unsaid.
“My, what a cool and lovely autumn.”

@chthonix.bsky.social

[SNORT]

hey here's something I would love us all to do like RIGHT NOW: find out if your local library is doing any kind of pride programming or display, and if they are, email them to say thank you and why it matters to you. whether or not you're queer. especially if you're in an area where it's fraught

My fellow olds, instead of trying to be cool, aspire to the Kids Today thinking you are either

Safe, and a good place to come to when their own parents suck shit, because you'll feed them and never snitch ever

or

A terrifying practitioner of the dark arts who they call to help with an exorcism

I have two things to say about the judge being arrested by the FBI.

1. Obstructing immigration is illegal but also morally correct.

2. I don’t believe a word the FBI or ICE says. They are lying. The judge is innocent.

I mean, there are a bunch of monster romances with Mothman as the MMC. C.M Nascosta has one, Paige LaVoie, Kathryn Moon, probably others!

The book cover for Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol. It's an illustrated cover. The whole thing is the surface of the ocean, with the characters sticking their heads out of the water. There is a seal with angry eyes in the upper left corner, a mermaid with greenish skin and blonde hair on the right side, and in the center is a young woman with pale skin, chin length brown hair wearing a red shawl and a determined expression.

PLAIN JANE AND THE MERMAID is so FLIPPING CUTE, and I am obsessed with it. The story is great, so engaging, full of wonderful characters. The art and colors are so good - I truly want to buy art prints of it. I recommend this quick graphic novel for anyone 8/9 and up.

There is A LOT of philosophizing about communism/socialism/laborism movements, and that really made the book drag for me. I listened to this on 1.85x speed, and it still felt like a 21 hour book. I am ABSOLUTELY still on board for a third installment, though.

The book cover for Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao. It is an illustrated cover in shades of gold and black. There is an Asian-appearing woman standing in the center wearing gold armor and an ornate headdress with deer antlers. Her arms are up, gesturing almost like conducting an orchestra. There is a bright gold string around her wrist, leading off page. The background is the coiling, winding body of a golden dragon.

Like many of us, I was thrilled to see HEAVENLY TYRANT show up on my Kindle in December. I ended up listening to the audio, and mostly, this is a great follow-up to Iron Widow. The action and characters and plot are fantastic and engaging.

Eastern Monarch Butterfly Population Nearly Doubles The population wintering in central Mexico's forests occupied 4.42 acres, up from 2.22 acres during the previous winter.

Who wants some good news?

The overwintering monarch population, which had plummeted last winter, has doubled this winter! www.worldwildlife.org/stories/east...

I need all my pals to understand that I am DEEPLY interested in reading their thoughts on the books they have read. PLEASE, FOR ME, write a lil sentence or two on Storygraph about why you did or didn't enjoy a book

One reason I still wear a mask when I travel is cause you literally cannot trust people not to get on a plane with measles

Oh boy, I definitely had a paramour's mom give me this book when it looked like we might be getting serious. Alas, I held onto it until after he knocked up another girl.

I have not updated my Storygraph since the end of January, so now I have about a zillion book reviews to write before the end of the month.

CW: dead first wife and child (happened before the events of this book), miscarriage (on page)

The book cover for A Wicked Kind of Husband by Mia Vincy. It's very pink. There is a rose covered arch across the top and sides of the book, framing a young white woman with brown hair, gazing into the middle distance sadly. She's wearing a big foofy pink dress.

Don't let the cover for A WICKED KIND OF HUSBAND fool you. This is likely to be my favorite new book read this year. It's a marriage of convenience, with a very competent heroine and a secretly charming hero. It's full of yearning and heartbreak, and I want to read it for the first time again.

There are many ways to improve your life.
Growing antlers, festooning them with wildflowers, and strutting down the street protected in style & grace is one such way.

The only time I've ever felt something approaching a runner's high was when I was listening to "Second Hand News" by Fleetwood Mac. I was in college, and I remember that run being just fucking MISERABLE until that song came on.

Congratulations!! What wonderful news! May your pregnancy and delivery be very boring and as easy as possible.

Also, I was book talking this at a middle school, and when I mentioned the spider love interest, one of the 8th graders exclaimed "WITH A SPIDER?!" And I was like kid...you have no idea.

The book cover for The Stars of Mount Quixx by S.M. Beiko. It's an illustrated cover. It's most burgandy with gold leafy decorations around the edges and in the bottom corners. There are white spider webs in the top corners. The gold silhouettes of two girls are standing on top of some leaves near the top. One is small-fat wearing a knee lenght dress. The other is slender wearing pants. There is the silhouette of a large spider in the background of the center of the cover.

THE STARS OF MOUNT QUIXX is a fun YA fantasy. It's pretty queer, the characters are all Real Characters, and the love interest is a giant genderqueer spider. It was lovely and charming, and I really enjoyed listening to the audio.

The Party Downstairs A Love Letters Feature by Helena Fitzgerald - January 2025

My friends, I am so beyond thrilled to share the second installment in Love Letters: Reasons To Be Alive, written by none other than the absolutely legendary @hellafitzgerald.bsky.social

So here’s my thought: I’m not asking anyone to trust these people. I’m not asking you to take them into your hearts.

But. My personal plan is when someone tells me this, to tell them that they were lied to, and I’m sorry that happened, and they deserve a better leader.

One of the things I am committing to is calling my reps, especially the cop we just elected. Having a script will be so helpful.

*there were, SIGH

The book cover for Split or Swallow by Lindsay Straube. It is an illustrated (painted?) cover showing a tan-beige wall with an arched alcove. In the alcove is a golden chalice with a slender snake dangling from the lip.

It took me many months to finish SPLIT OR SWALLOW. It was fine. The sexy parts were the best parts, which is good because they were SO MANY OF THEM. Otherwise, it was too long, and I really hated the resolution of the love triangle.

Check the alt text!

Ooo, I love it.

The book cover for There Arose Such a Clatter ... Tales from the Naughty List by C.M. Nascosta. It's an illustrated cover in the style of Alphonse Mucha. In the center of the cover there is an all black Krampus with horns on his head, a long red tongue, a tail, and goat feet dancing with a young white woman with long blonde hair wearing a flowing white gown. In the top corners are poinsettia blooms and in the bottom corners are holly berries.

THERE AROSE SUCH A CLATTER is probably my last holiday read for the season. It's a quick little book that has five interconnected sexy Krampus short stories. I like C.M. Nascosta, and this was a quick read that I could pick up and put down at my leisure.