Helen McCarthy

Definitely AI. They put slightly more effort into keeping the palette of the illustrations consistent than most I guess. The biggest question to me is how many of their reviews are even real? No way a real person wrote this gushing load of drivel review about this readily apparent AI garbage story.

Grabbing my #AnimeFrontier badge at one of the many fabulous offsite locales!

See you there, friends.

All those people about to tell me they can easily produce 60+ full colour illustrations in any style required from scratch in less than 4-6 months, or write, illustrate, design and self-publish 10+ books in a couple of years, please specify how you've done that either without #AI or without ripoffs.

It is really terrifying that powerful men and their female stooges are willing to risk women's lives in the name of "nature". Nature is red in tooth and claw. Medical care is how we even the odds.

I've nothing against anyone making art in their own way, but I'm very doubtful that any one person could produce so many full-colour illustrated books in so many different styles in such a short time. Most pro artists I know would take at least 4-6 months working flat out for one book. #AIisSpeed

An advertisement for a new self-published book on Japanese monsters. heavily illustrated and rapidly produced.

Oh dear. Found by chance on Amazon: a dozen heavily illustrated books on very varied topics self-published by one guy in about a year. Sounds suspiciously like #AI - of course I could be wrong. Still, anyone who's published on yokai, horror, science of history for 8-12 year olds, check this out.

Yes, he was. Amazing guy.

And anyone who wants to do a review or article, or set up an interview with me, please contact publicity@octopusbooks.co.uk

Thank you so much for sharing! It's so helpful for any author to have as many eyes as possible on the book before the launch. Shares, pre-orders, requesting the book from your library, all massively appreciated!

He's forever Coach in Gunbuster for me. His father, Chikao Otsuka, was also a voice actor of huge talent. He voiced Tora in Ushio & Tora magnificently: terrifying on an almost baroque level, a mad yet compelling god.

That New Book Feeling - In Triplicate! - Helen McCarthy Advance copies of The Manga Bible fell into my eager hands this morning, and after I’d finished inhaling that unique, intoxicating new book smell – equal parts fresh ink, newly cut paper and author ex...

Absolutely thrilled to share advance copies of The Manga Bible English/French/German editions. If you want to read a grown author drooling, check out my website post: I'm six years old and Christmas has somehow come two weeks early.
helenmccarthy.net/that-new-boo...

Martin Parr, absolute mensch.

From Colin Wilkinson, founder of Bluecoat Press, on FB

This is why hating and mocking AI relentlessly and publicly is vital work.

The Drops of God (Print Omnibus) Volume 1 Now an Apple TV+ original series, this iconic wine manga gets a new omnibus print release!

The Drops of God (Print Omnibus) Volume 1

Now an Apple TV+ original series, this iconic wine manga gets a new omnibus print release!

Looking into the Children's Room of the Edinburgh Bookshop during Under Fives Storytime

We feel the need, the need to read!!!

It's Thursday, and Jack is enjoying himself reading for our regular Under Fives Storytime (every Thursday & Friday from 9.30).

#Bruntsfield #Edinburgh #Edimbourg #books #livres

Love Akio Otsuka's work. What an amazing voice.

Trump and his MAGA followers have been calling for journalists to be killed for an entire decade. It is unfathomable to me why every journalistic organization in the country doesn't treat them as the enemies that they are, let alone ignores that it's their rhetoric that incites people to violence.

A winged figure stands in front of a futuristic Egyptian city.

Just finished reading an arc of the fabulous, rich and politically dense Republic of Memory by @mahmudelsayed.bsky.social. You're going to want to add this to your 2026 TBR now.

If Immigrants Don’t Have Due Process, No One Has Due Process How do you prove you’re a citizen?

just going to reiterate this.

if immigrants don't have due process, no one does. you can't tell citizens from immigrants without due process. www.everythingishorrible.net/p/if-immigra...

Northodox Press 25% off until 5th Jan

📣Announcement!📣
My debut novel, Dwell, will still be published in 2026 by @northodoxpress.bsky.social, despite changes there, but is now going to come out in June not Feb.
If you preordered, thanks. Those preorders remain valid. If you haven’t, why not do that now with 25% off code NORTHODOXMAS?

The Broker (the photograph is actually of Captain Charles Bruce Bairnsfather (9 July 1887 – 29 September 1959))

The Times crossword of Wednesday 10th December 1930.

The Tenth Window: An Ode to Libraries. That morning, the Broker was feeling rapidly out of sorts, his nerves were bothering him, his heart racing and fluttering. He knew why. It was the anniversary of his first gassing. The 10th of December.

Women have died giving birth for millennia - horrible, agonising, bloody deaths often also killing the child before or during delivery. Poor women still do. Give me one good reason why anyone would choose that.

Brân - Y Gwylwyr [Wales, prog folk] (1975)

Brân - Y Gwylwyr [Wales, prog folk] (1975)
https://redd.it/1p91n87
https://youtu.be/GDnRGyoblHE

Has everyone met Elsie? She is incredible with her talking buttons. Here is an example:

youtube.com/shorts/kGx6t...

"Video unavailable" at least in the U.K.

‘#Shabake’ #Anime Debuts Climax Promo A new Aniplex project is in the works for a 2025 debut with the adaptation...

‘#Shabake’ #Anime Debuts Climax Promo

Have an absolute ton of incredible, historically important manga at my finger tips… I just don’t know where to begin hahahah! Expect some mini reviews of all of this over the coming days! @dandq.bsky.social

Revolver is the one that does that for me. With The Beatles was the first LP I bought with my own money, but Revolver was definitive.

Peter McLagan senior (1774-1860): enslaver, plantation owner and landed proprietor - The History of Parliament Dr Martin Spychal explores the life of Peter McLagan senior (1774-1860). A farmer’s son from Perthshire, McLagan senior acquired considerable wealth as an enslaver and plantation owner in Demerara…

Following on from his article on Peter McLagan, Scotland's first Black MP, Dr Martin Spychal has explored the life of his father, Peter McLagan senior, and his ownership of enslaved people in Demerara (modern-day Guyana):

historyofparliament.com/2025/12/11/p...