Paladin Jane

I absolutely loved One Message Remains! This is another of my favorite books of this year. Every story is a gem.

Against an orange leafy background, white text reads "Solaris' (Conveniently priced) 0.99 indigenous fantasy books to read this Thanksgiving...plus 1 to preorder! Book covers for THE DOOR ON THE SEA by Caskey Russell (Tlingit inspired) BLACK SUN by Rebecca Roanhorse (inspired by the pre-Columbian Americas) THE MOUNTAIN CROWN by Karin Lowachee (indigenous dragonriders vs. the gold rush) THE KILLING SPELL by Shay Kauwe (Hawaiian urban fantasy) White text "*Website exclusive. Titles available will vary by country. Ends 23:59 GMT on 4th December 2026."

This #thanksgiving, snap up 3 of Solaris' Indigenous Fantasy Books from @rebeccaroanhorse.bsky.social Caskey Russell & @karinlow.bsky.social for just 0.99 each, (website exclusive) geni.us/Solarissale

And they're all series starters, so there's a lot more indigenous fantasy in your future!
1/2

Mad Sisters of Esi was one of the best books I read this year! (And I've read over 300 books this year, so I really mean it when I say this was one of my favorites.) Gorgeous writing that takes you on a magical, surreal journey through time, space, and sisterly relationships.

Morning, Womble! I was reading R. F. Kuang's Katabasis and enjoying it very much until I discovered that my copy has a misprint with missing text. In the meantime until I can acquire a complete copy, I'm reading The Jennifer Morgue by Charles Stross, which is also great so far.

Oh wait! Figured out how to get rid of the garbage Gemini button in Chrome:

- Right-click
- Unpin

Gone!

Morning, Womble! I'm currently reading Silk & Sinew, an anthology of folk horror from Asian diasporic authors which was edited by Kristy Park Kulski. I'm enjoying it very much.

Afternoon, Womble! I'm currently reading Caitlin Starling's The Graceview Patient to close out the spooky season.

Morning, Womble! I'm currently reading Mad Sisters of Esi by Tashan Mehta and enjoying this beautiful journey of a book.

Hello Womble! I just finished The Summer War by Naomi Novik and I'm about to start her collection Buried Deep and Other Stories, because after finishing The Summer War I just had to keep reading more of her work.

Graph showing that GMO use in corn in the US correlates to global pirate attacks, courtesy of Spurious Correlations, tylervigen.com

For anyone concerned there may be something to the Tylenol-autism BS, I present:

I've just started Hemlock and Silver by T. Kingfisher. The first chapter is one of the most memorably great openings to a book I've ever seen, and I'm sure the rest will be fantastic since I've loved all of her work.

How Are You Supposed To Get The COVID Vaccine Now? An Explainer | Defector As the muggy malaise of summer winds down, you might find yourself interested in taking advantage of one of several safe and proven vaccines to help protect you from the inevitable brumal surge of res...

We took the paywall down on this one. defector.com/how-the-fuck...

Morning, Womble! I'm currently reading three books, all of which I'm enjoying very much: 1) Furious Heaven and 2) The Witch Roads, both by Kate Elliott, and 3) a fan translation of Lord Seventh (Qiye) by Priest, which I'm hoping will eventually get published in English.

Also not a bad idea to ask your doctor to check your MMR titers even if you are fully vaccinated, because immunity can wane on any of the three. I got mine checked earlier this year and discovered I was no longer immune to mumps. Sibling was no longer immune to measles. Find out the easy way!

I just finished reading Caitlin Starling's queer medieval horror The Starving Saints, which I loved, and now I'm reading the first book in the new translation of Fuyumi Ono's The Twelve Kingdoms series, which I loved in anime form.

Morning, Womble! I'm currently reading Vol. 1 of The Defectives by Priest, a Chinese sci-fi gay romance, which in terms of vibes is a bit like if T. Kingfisher wrote Blade Runner, i.e., there's a pleasant undercurrent of humor amidst the dystopia and an extremely slow burn romance. It's great.

The covers of Thirsty Sword Lesbians, Moonlight on Roseville Beach, Star Crossed, Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast, and Advanced Lovers & Lesbians against a rainbow watercolor background. Caption: Bundle of PRIDE, www.bundleofholding.com

Explore and celebrate the queer experience with this special Pride deal from @bundleofholding.com !
For $9.95 pick up Star Crossed, Moonlight on Roseville Beach, and Thirsty Sword Lesbians. Level up to add Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast and more. Just three days left!
bundleofholding.com/presents/Pri...

Morning, Womble! I'm currently reading C. S. E. Cooney's Saint Death's Herald and Ray Nayler's Where the Axe Is Buried.

Afternoon, Womble! I just finished reading a fan translation of Cang Wu Bin Bai's wuxia danmei novel Chun Feng Du Jian, which I would very much like to see published in English so I can buy a copy for my shelves. I am also currently rereading Robin Hobb's Dragon Keeper.

Good news: it's being reprinted with a new translation! bsky.app/profile/seve...

Just about a day and a half left in this StoryBundle! Check it out before it's gone!

FDA will limit Covid vaccines to people over 65 or at high risk of serious illness, leaders say The FDA announced it will limit access to Covid-19 vaccines going forward to people 65 and older and others at high risk of serious illness

GUYS. The comment period for this ends in THREE DAYS. PLEASE if you have even a little bit of time, submit a comment here: www.regulations.gov/commenton/FD...

Let them know EVERYONE should be able to get COVID vaccines. They BACK DOWN when WE PUSH BACK. www.statnews.com/2025/05/20/f...

Morning, Womble! I am also reading The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar!

President Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden Hayden, who became the first woman and the first African American to serve as the Librarian of Congress when she was appointed in 2016, was abruptly fired via email late Thursday.

Just because I am not surprised does not mean I'm not angry. Carla Hayden, like every other *actually qualified federal worker* that has been shamefully treated in this unconscionable manner deserves better. www.npr.org/2025/05/09/g...

Morning, Womble! I'm currently reading Daniel M. Ford's excellent new book Advocate. Next on my list is Speak Easy by Catherynne Valente. I also read Legend of Exorcism vol. 1 by Fei Tian Ye Xiang a few days ago, which was delightful.

Morning, Womble! I'm currently reading Daniel M. Ford's new book Advocate, which is of course a lot of fun. Some other good books I read this past week are Arkady Martine's Rose/House and Marjorie M. Liu and Sana Takeda's The Night Eaters vol. 3.

I'm currently reading Six-Gun Snow White by Catherynne Valente.

A TTRPG indie game bundle with Yazeba's Bed and Breakfast (which has been on my list to check out), and it supports a group that helps folks in my community? YES PLEASE

Say Goodbye to Small-Town Libraries and Museums, Thanks to Trump’s Latest Cuts The NEH budget is tiny. The loss is huge.

My Slate piece on the widespread NEH grant cancellations is live. So much gratitude to everyone who took the time to talk with me these past few days while fighting fires on every side.

#humanities #highered #neh

slate.com/news-and-pol...

"There’s no local, American substitute for Heart, or Eat the Reich, or Honey Heist; you can’t just swap out one piece of art for another."