Five Reasons to Leave the House and Go Explore a Used Bookstore
Nov. 17th, 2025 12:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
james_davis_nicoll
The sights, the smells... the savings!!!
Five Reasons to Leave the House and Go Explore a Used Bookstore
Clarke Award Finalists 2022
Nov. 17th, 2025 10:19 amjames_davis_nicoll2022: The British are heartened by Partygate revelations that the Tories celebrated in trust the gatherings barred to the rabble during Covid, the UK teaches the world a thing or two about political stability by going through three Prime Ministers in less than two months, and Queen Elizabeth II escapes the prospect of discovering how exactly the UK would continue its downward political arc.
Bold for have read, italic for intend to read, underline for never heard of it.
Which 2022 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
Deep Wheel Orcadia by Harry Josephine Giles
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine
A River Called Time by Courttia Newland
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley
Wergen: The Alien Love War by Mercurio D. Rivera
If I say I did not hear of something, it means that it is new to me. Did I not at least glance at the Clarkes in 2022?
Poll #33843 Clarke Award Finalists 2022
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 35
Which 2022 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
View Answers
Deep Wheel Orcadia by Harry Josephine Giles
0 (0.0%)
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine
33 (94.3%)
A River Called Time by Courttia Newland
0 (0.0%)
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
3 (8.6%)
Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley
2 (5.7%)
Wergen: The Alien Love War by Mercurio D. Rivera
1 (2.9%)
Bold for have read, italic for intend to read, underline for never heard of it.
Which 2022 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
Deep Wheel Orcadia by Harry Josephine Giles
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine
A River Called Time by Courttia Newland
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley
Wergen: The Alien Love War by Mercurio D. Rivera
If I say I did not hear of something, it means that it is new to me. Did I not at least glance at the Clarkes in 2022?
I think I may have seen something in /r/whatsthatbook more baffling than
Nov. 16th, 2025 08:54 amconuly"It's set in a time when things were hard for black people in America" - a line which so flabbergasted me that I don't think I ever figured out what to say.
But this one may have topped it!
"The story is about a black girl, somewhere between 8 and 16 years old, from a black family."
...I'm dying to ask why they think they need to specify that this girl is the same race as everybody else in her family, when that's usually how this works. There's no indication in the rest of the post that we might have reason to think she's not.
But this one may have topped it!
"The story is about a black girl, somewhere between 8 and 16 years old, from a black family."
...I'm dying to ask why they think they need to specify that this girl is the same race as everybody else in her family, when that's usually how this works. There's no indication in the rest of the post that we might have reason to think she's not.
Wierd products
Nov. 16th, 2025 01:38 pmkengrSo today's Oglaf had a "header" graphic about vagina polish. Silly yes?
Anywayfayanora and I were joking around and I remembered a fake ad video from years back, It was essentially a Bedazzler for your crotch. I thought the names "Clitter" and on a whim, I googled it.
Much to my surprise an actual product came up.
https://www.fizzinbathbombs.com/products/adults-clittercapsules
warning, while not explictly adult, probably NSFW in many places.
Basically capsules of shimmery "glitter" lube to be inserted before sex. Definitely a WTF moment.
Frankly the best use I could think of was as a special effect for an R-rated horror movie involving some sort of alien VD...
"Yup son, you got the Rigellian crotch rot. Looks like we'll have to amputate"
Anyway
fayanora and I were joking around and I remembered a fake ad video from years back, It was essentially a Bedazzler for your crotch. I thought the names "Clitter" and on a whim, I googled it.Much to my surprise an actual product came up.
https://www.fizzinbathbombs.com/products/adults-clittercapsules
warning, while not explictly adult, probably NSFW in many places.
Basically capsules of shimmery "glitter" lube to be inserted before sex. Definitely a WTF moment.
Frankly the best use I could think of was as a special effect for an R-rated horror movie involving some sort of alien VD...
"Yup son, you got the Rigellian crotch rot. Looks like we'll have to amputate"
Libraries are so cool
Nov. 16th, 2025 12:50 pmfayanoraLibraries are so cool. I had a writer's question that I sent to both the two local library systems, LINCC and Multnomah county, which was: Can a homeless kid get a library card? I provided some details like he and his mom live in their van, and they have a PO box. This is because one of the characters of book 7 is a homeless witch named Raven.1 I was fully expecting the answer to be No or similar, but I was pleasantly surprised by the answer. For the Multnomah county system, which he would be most likely to be using, they've got a student connect thing where if he has a student ID for the area, he can get a library card that way. But they did also say a PO box is enough to get a card.
The librarian for LINCC -- the Clackamas county library system -- said "Yes, we would work with the patron to make sure they could use the library. Typically, we would provide a temporary card if they did not have proof of address and photo ID. So that would allow them to check out 5 books and use the other library services. In most cases, if someone is houseless and is in shelter or has a PO box, we would work with them to give them a full access card which would allow up to 80 checkouts. We have a lot of options for patrons that are houseless to access services in the library."
I don't know if the numbers are the same in Multnomah county; I asked in a reply and am still awaiting a response. But still... neat.
And like sure, Fae Springs is a school of magic. But it canonically has a website on the mundane Internet AND is on the website for the US Department of Education. Mainly because of mundane parents of magical kids.
1 = His mom is a 'middle spectrum' witch, IE not powerful enough of a witch to be able to use magic for much of anything. Chooli is also in the middle spectrum, but zee can see spirits and talk with ghosts. Raven's mom cannot. Her magic is very weak and she never got much past first or second year level spell-work. Basically she's barely a witch at all, and works two mundane jobs: one at Walmart and another at Safeway.
The librarian for LINCC -- the Clackamas county library system -- said "Yes, we would work with the patron to make sure they could use the library. Typically, we would provide a temporary card if they did not have proof of address and photo ID. So that would allow them to check out 5 books and use the other library services. In most cases, if someone is houseless and is in shelter or has a PO box, we would work with them to give them a full access card which would allow up to 80 checkouts. We have a lot of options for patrons that are houseless to access services in the library."
I don't know if the numbers are the same in Multnomah county; I asked in a reply and am still awaiting a response. But still... neat.
And like sure, Fae Springs is a school of magic. But it canonically has a website on the mundane Internet AND is on the website for the US Department of Education. Mainly because of mundane parents of magical kids.
1 = His mom is a 'middle spectrum' witch, IE not powerful enough of a witch to be able to use magic for much of anything. Chooli is also in the middle spectrum, but zee can see spirits and talk with ghosts. Raven's mom cannot. Her magic is very weak and she never got much past first or second year level spell-work. Basically she's barely a witch at all, and works two mundane jobs: one at Walmart and another at Safeway.
Grey Cup Day 2025
Nov. 16th, 2025 02:57 pmdewlineFair warning: I may be somewhat Distracted tonight, given that we have a Grey Cup game day with Saskatchewan vs. Montréal.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to the Grey Cup Game tonight.
May the players all remain concussion-free, and may Rider Nation prevail. In that order of priority.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to the Grey Cup Game tonight.
May the players all remain concussion-free, and may Rider Nation prevail. In that order of priority.
Cloned meat has been a thing since 2008
Nov. 16th, 2025 11:39 amfayanoraIn the US, since 2008, meat from cloned cows does not have to be disclosed. If you live in the US, you might've eaten meat from a cloned cow and not even known it.
This is not the kind of cloned meat the old scifi novels promised me. I was promised sheets of cloned meat grown in a laboratory like something out of a mad scientist's lair, meat that was real but which did not have a nervous system and therefore could not suffer. This though? This is just "cow with extra steps."
This is not the kind of cloned meat the old scifi novels promised me. I was promised sheets of cloned meat grown in a laboratory like something out of a mad scientist's lair, meat that was real but which did not have a nervous system and therefore could not suffer. This though? This is just "cow with extra steps."
Done Since 2025-11-09
Nov. 16th, 2025 05:10 pmmdlbearSo I did, in fact, need a live appointment about the pain in my right ankle. Edema, which I could have checked for a couple of weeks ago if I'd thought of it. (I did think of it late last week, and immediately made the appointment.) I am now on two more blood pressure meds, and I'm supposed to keep my feet up and avoid salt. So much for brine pickles and pizza with anchovies.
The only places where I can put my feet above the level of my heart are in bed (with my feet on the wall, so I can only do it for a little while in the morning), and the living room couch. And about the only thing I can do in that postition is breathing exercises. Growf. I have a follow-up appointment this coming Wednesday.
I re-stacked the plastic bins under my desk, so I can at least keep my legs level if not up. Don't know whether that will help much, but it can't hurt. (Much; it's a little hard on my unsupported knees, and starts hurting after a little while..) Still no idea why I always feel cold in the late afternoon and evening, but I've gotten Colleen's fake-fleece-lined scooter cape out of the closet and it helps. The cold feeling might be partly -- or even mostly -- anxiety, but, well, Colleen's cape.
N is back from London, after getting m and Cricket settled there. Not clear what that will do to our recording schedule -- not much given that it was already a shambles. Lizzy, the folding mobility scooter, is also back. She appears to need some work, and definitely needs a new battery.
I don't think I've mentioned N's book, The World As It Ought to Be, since it came out in hardcopy and Kindle. Go get yourself a copy. I finally got her author's website more-or-less done; she's having it professionally desighed, but the one I hacked together will do until that's done. I got the Website Portfolio, which I mentioned last week, more-or-less done as well.
Some links: The rebellion will be federated – 2025 edition - Elena Rossini. She saved a baby goat. Now they travel the country, share a bed.
vignettes
Nov. 16th, 2025 11:08 ammarycatelliThis week's prompt is:
power 🔌
Anyone can join, with a 50-word creative fiction vignette in the comments. Your vignette does not have to include the prompt term. Any (G or PG) definition of the word can be used.
power 🔌
Anyone can join, with a 50-word creative fiction vignette in the comments. Your vignette does not have to include the prompt term. Any (G or PG) definition of the word can be used.
A Sweet Sweet Summer by Jane Gaskell
Nov. 16th, 2025 09:08 amjames_davis_nicoll
Alien invasion and the local Nazis complicate Pelham "Rat" Garfield's simple dream of being a successful pimp.
A Sweet Sweet Summer by Jane Gaskell
colors cross time
Nov. 14th, 2025 11:01 pmmarycatelliTiger-lily time. Great stands of them in garden and along roadsides, growing feral at the brink of forest.
The townhouse feels Gothic. Outside the storm front is tossing trees and throwing about leaves and opening the windows to cool off the townhouse lets in fresh air and coolness, but moving through the rooms to where the wind does not move freely is stifling with stillness and heat.
( Read more... )
The townhouse feels Gothic. Outside the storm front is tossing trees and throwing about leaves and opening the windows to cool off the townhouse lets in fresh air and coolness, but moving through the rooms to where the wind does not move freely is stifling with stillness and heat.
( Read more... )
This is such a weird framing
Nov. 14th, 2025 04:25 pmconuly"Along the journey she discovers that her and her family were never actually slaves at all but the original royal family and the original slaves usurped the throne and took over due to constantly being oppressed and treated unfairly."
I really want to ask this person if they understand how the concepts of "slavery" and "royalty" work. This girl was definitely a slave because she was enslaved, you can be a slave and also be from a royal family since both these concepts are societal concepts, the word "usurp" suggests that this revolution was invalid and bad, and by the way, if she was born as part of the royal family she's probably lucky she wasn't killed, except that then the book would've been very short and grim, with no happy ending. Well, no happy ending for her, all the happy endings for the people who killed her family and secured their freedom.
(Somebody suggested this may be The Claidi Journals, which is what I was thinking.)
********************
( Read more... )
I really want to ask this person if they understand how the concepts of "slavery" and "royalty" work. This girl was definitely a slave because she was enslaved, you can be a slave and also be from a royal family since both these concepts are societal concepts, the word "usurp" suggests that this revolution was invalid and bad, and by the way, if she was born as part of the royal family she's probably lucky she wasn't killed, except that then the book would've been very short and grim, with no happy ending. Well, no happy ending for her, all the happy endings for the people who killed her family and secured their freedom.
(Somebody suggested this may be The Claidi Journals, which is what I was thinking.)
( Read more... )
Outgunned Math Question
Nov. 14th, 2025 08:30 pmjames_davis_nicollOutgunned's task resolution system involves rolling six-sided dice and looking for sets.
Some explanation behind a cut.
( Read more... )
Some explanation behind a cut.
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The House of Illusionists: and Other Stories by Vanessa Fogg
Nov. 14th, 2025 08:59 amjames_davis_nicoll
A speculative fiction collection from Vanessa Fogg.
The House of Illusionists: and Other Stories by Vanessa Fogg
So I was reading a particular sort of original fic at Ao3
Nov. 13th, 2025 11:48 pmconulyAnd our protagonist is taking a sojourn with his hot, wealthy boss to Kinky Fantasy Island, and wow, it really *is* a nice place - the hotel room has privacy glass!
The protagonist and the commenters are not as turned on by this as I am, but let me be clear: I'd absolutely fuck a dude if I had a chance to flip the switch on his privacy glass. Hell, I'd listen to him mansplain about privacy glass at me first.
(I'm strongly tempted to say so in a comment, but would that be a weird sort of comment to leave?)
**************************
( Read more... )
The protagonist and the commenters are not as turned on by this as I am, but let me be clear: I'd absolutely fuck a dude if I had a chance to flip the switch on his privacy glass. Hell, I'd listen to him mansplain about privacy glass at me first.
(I'm strongly tempted to say so in a comment, but would that be a weird sort of comment to leave?)
( Read more... )