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What I read -- October 2025

"The Moomins and the Great Flood" by Tove Jansson.  eBook. I read this because Marissa Lingen loves them. It was fine? This was the first one in the series and the only one available online; maybe the later ones are better. Maybe they're better if you read them as a child.  "The Relentless Moon" by Mary Robinette Kowal.  Hard copy. Read it because Ed had the whole series out of the library. It took a long time to get going, and sometimes I find MRK exhausting. Her white main characters all seem oddly aware of the Black experience.  "The Martian Contingency" by Mary Robinette Kowal.  Hard copy. Read it because Ed had the whole series out of the library. I don't often read subsequent books in a series in quick succession, and my reaction to this one is a lot of why: I found Alma's voice too similar to Nicole's -- sure, Nicole obsessed about food much more, but they both went on and on about "must support black guy in management" an...
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In Progress -- October 2025

Wind/Water/Salt  Chapters 39-51:   Nothing.  Persephone  (probably not its real name): Nothing.  Vinterlys:  Finished marking chapters, wrote outline, worked on the setting of the first three chapters, found a good doctor character, and wrote notes for some much-needed backstory.  Critted  4  Got back  1 Submissions  0  Out there   0   Rejects   0 Knitting Hamilton  (Self). Started the month with the second sleeve just attached to the body. If I want to finish it this year, I needed to finish the body in October. That meant 7 rows per weekend day. The month started with each row taking about a half hour. This got better, though, as every row has decreases and is shorter than the last. However, on Thanksgiving weekend I only managed to do 7 rows. Nevertheless, I did finish the body.  Athabasca socks  (knitty): Started the month half done the second sock. These are done now.  Georgia  (Nora...

What I read: September 2025

LHC #295: "The Last to Leave the Room" by Caitlin Starling. Audiobook. Workplace horror? Loved it.  "Careless People" by Sarah Wynn-Williams. Hard copy, for office Data Ethics book club. The stories about Sheryl Sandberg really made me like my boss better.  LHC #296: "The Fated Sky" by Mary Robinette Kowal. Hard copy. This got moved up the list because Ed had read book 1 in the series and got the rest out of the library. Loved it. He's got the next one in the series upstairs, I suppose I'll read it when he's done.  LHC #297: "Bluegrass: A History" by Neil V. Rosenberg. Hard copy. No idea why it was on my list, I don't care that much about bluegrass. Nevertheless, the second half was interesting. I guess the first half was necessary, as it described in great length the way people came and went in Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys band, and also how technology and social pressures affect how music is made and performed.   LHC #298: ...

In progress -- September 2025

Wind/Water/Salt  Chapters 39-51:   Nothing.  Persephone  (probably not its real name):  Nothing. Vinterlys:  Almost to the end with marking chapters so I can fix the outline.  Critted  4  Got back  1 Submissions  0  Out there   0   Rejects   0 Knitting Hamilton  (Self). Started the month with 27 rows to go on the second sleeve. I finished that sleeve and attached it to the body.  Color block sock . Started the month with all the finishing on both socks to do. That's done now.  Arundel sock  (Knitty). Started the month needing just the heels and finishing on both socks. That's done now.  Athabasca socks (knitty): Started the first, did the heel, decided I'd made a bad choice, ripped out the heel. Finished that sock, started the second. Most of the leg is done now, soon to do another heel.  Georgia (Norah Gaughan). I really needed something that wasn't a sock and that didn't need to b...

In progress -- August 2025

Wind/Water/Salt Chapters 39-51:   Nothing. Persephone  (probably not its real name): Nothing Vinterlys:  Continued marking the rest of the chapters so I can have an outline and then fix the outline.  Critted  4  Got back  1 Submissions  0  Out there   0   Rejects   0 Knitting Hamilton  (Self). Started the month with about 60 rows to go on the second sleeve. This is down to 27 now.  Color block sock . Started the month mostly done with the first (didn't tie in the danglers yet) and half the leg of the second. Finished all the knitting, just have to do the finishing.  Arundel sock  (Knitty). Started the month with the foot and ankle done on the first one, just the heel and cuff to go. Finished everything but the heels and danglers on both socks.  Sashiko project:  Nothing.  Ruffle skirt:   Nothing. Purple Romper:   Nothing. Nikka pants: Why yes, rather than finishing anything I've...

What I read -- August 2025

LHC #291: "Under the Pendulum Sun: A novel of the fae" by Jeannette Ng.  Hard copy. The Yellow Wallpaper with fairies and inappropriate lusts. Not sure I'd call it fun, but it was definitely engrossing.  LHC #292: "The Yiddish Policemen's Union" by Michael Chabon.  Audio book. Very fun. The reader was great. I wonder if I might have benefitted from a written glossary of yiddish terms though.  LHC #293: "Fabric: The hidden history of the material world" by Victoria Finlay. eBook. A lot of this book is about economics and the evolution of work. A s a professional writer at the advent of ChatGPT, it's somewhat distressing to read about spinners and weavers during the industrial revolution .  "The Travelling Cat Chronicles" by Hiro Arikawa. eBook. For office book club. When I started the voice was annoying and twee, but I was on an airplane so I just went with it, and it was a good book to read on a plane because it wasn't too taxin...

In progress -- July 2025

Wind/Water/Salt  Chapters 39-51 :    Nothing.   Persephone  (probably not its real name):    Nothing.  Vinterlys:  Combined chapters 2, 3, and 4, did not finish.   Critted  4  Got back  2 Submissions  0  Out there   0   Rejects   0 Knitting Hamilton  (Self). Started the month with one row of the main portion of the second sleeve done. I did about 60 rows, and have about 60 to go.  Color block sock . Started the month mostly done with the first (didn't tie in the danglers yet) and half the leg of the second.   Arundel sock  (Knitty). Foot and ankle done on the first one, just the heel and cuff to go.  Sashiko project: Nothing.  Ruffle skirt:     Nothing.  Purple Romper:     Nothing.