Robynettely

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In Progress: December 2025

Wind/Water/Salt Chapters 39-51: Actually wrote that funeral scene. Persephone (probably not its real name): Vinterlys: Worked on Chapter 2 some more, but mostly planned and wrote backstory. Critted 4 Got back 1 Submissions 0 Out there 0 Rejects 0 Knitting Hamilton (Self). Started the month with just a tiny bit of knitting a hem and then the endless finishing. It's done. I'm so sick of this sweater. Georgia (Norah Gaughan). Started the month with one sleeve, one flounce, and the back done, and a front started. Finished that front, attached the sleeve, started the other front. The balls of yarn are like basketballs, so this is not a portable project. Ankylosaur socks (knitty). Started the month with half of the first one done. Finished. Aberlady (AS Celtic Collection). Started. I took it away for a week to relatives' for Christmas as my only project, and ...

In Progress: November 2025

Wind/Water/Salt Chapters 39-51: Nothing Persephone (probably not its real name): Nothing Vinterlys: Worked on Chapter 2 some more. Critted 4 Got back 0 as I posted nothing. Submissions 0 Out there 0 Rejects 0 Knitting Hamilton (Self). Started the month by picking up the stitches around the neck. I blew myself away by picking up the same number on the left and the right without actually counting. Finished the fair isle portion of this, just a tiny bit of knitting a hem and then it's the endless finishing. Georgia (Norah Gaughan). Started the month with one sleeve and one flounce done, and the back started. Finished the back and started a front. It's so fast compared to everything else! Undertoe socks (knitty). Started the month on the second sock. Finished! Ankylosaur socks (knitty). I found this surprisingly unpleasant to work on! Did half of the first sock....

What I read: November 2025

"Katabasis" by R.F. Kuang. Hard copy, gift from the boy. Dark academia, and when I read the first chapter I was like "A walk into hell, how is she going to sustain that for 500+ pages?" but it was fine. Loved it. It seemed like a couple of times a metaphor was reused or a phrase repeated on the same page, not sure if that was intentional? It lost its way for a while, I thought, about 80% in, but it ended really well. "Finding Me" by Viola Davis. eBook. For office book club. She sure doesn't like Portuguese people. Reminded me of my dad that way. I didn't expect all the urine. I might not have been the right audience for this as I've never seen anything she's in, but the part where she was complaining about how hard telemarketing is, I was wondering if anyone was the right audience. LHC #300: "A Thousand Recipes for Revenge" by Beth Cato. Hard copy. I sort of wished the story could have worked without having to go all "fa...

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...

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: ...