I took a break from manual labour to make apple cheddar scones. They‘re not so photogenic, but they sure do taste good. #audiobaking

I‘ve done so much manual labour this weekend that I‘m 36% into DUST OF DREAMS, a 44-hour audiobook, after only two days. Even at 3x, that‘s a LOT.

Also, all my muscles are sore. Like, really, ALL of them.

When I wasn‘t manually labouring, I also managed to finish this book nook I lucked into at the local Amazon returns store. It was only $10, instead of $50-70! Good times. #audiocrafting

I planned to start another ebook after I bailed on my library book yesterday, but I got the WORST Diana Wynne Jones craving and HEXWOOD was right there on my September/October reading list, so I dove on in. It‘s exactly what I feel like.

Even though #serenesaturdays is over, here‘s my penguin mug. There‘s a little penguin tail around the other side.

I‘m 100 pages into AT THE BOTTOM OF THE GARDEN, and I dunno if I‘ll finish it or drift away. Clara‘s an all-too ordinary sort of villain, and it bugs me that Bruce, a Norwegian writer, uses such generic names for characters and places alike. Maybe she wants to make a point about the universality of horror, but to me it reads more like she‘s catered to those American readers who can‘t “relate” to anything set outside their own country. Ugh.

Tried some more Lindsay Buroker alongside Sleepy!Casey, who‘s in the doldrums because his parents went to BC without him. Poor little soul.

The Fallen Empire prequel novella didn‘t really grab me, but I‘ll read at least a couple chapters of the first novel before I mark the omnibus as read. I think I tried it once before, with poor results, but maybe my tastes‘ll have shifted since then. I did mostly like the first three Dragon Blood books.

I started BLOOMING LOVE before bed last night. It‘s my first fantasy by Carla de Guzman, and it took me a little longer to sink into than any of her realistic romances did. Now I‘m at 40%, though, and I‘m totally here for this blend of friendship, family, and new love, all thoroughly steeped in Filipino culture.

I also love how she magically justifies coffee as an invasive plant, given one of her previous books was about a coffee genius.

That thing where you‘re sorting through your photos and you find a poem you saved in 2022 and you‘re just like, “Yes. I shall share this.”

All these years and I‘m still finding new-to-me Nigella recipes in my cookbook collection. Today I baked her coffee walnut cake for my uncle‘s birthday. It was delicious, though I think next time I‘d ice the sides instead of dividing it equally between the middle & top, as per the official instructions. These are some thick icing layers.

At last, I finished my tiny loft! This one took forever because I had a ton of interruptions, but it was still a lot of fun to work on. Of all the kits I‘ve done, it‘s the one I‘ve most customized. I am NOT about the teeny tiny wire work, and the original terrace design was all kinds of boring. Now it‘s vibrant and fun.

I also finished the tagged book. While I liked THE MILL HOUSE MURDERS more, it was still a good homage to classic mysteries.

This is Casey‘s paranoid face. WHY is that pedestrian walking past his house? Do they have a NEFARIOUS PURPOSE?

(They were probably going to the bus stop.)

So, I started BLOOD CHARGED this afternoon, and I dunno if I‘ll finish it or drift away from it. The previous book, DEATHMAKER, began well but lost me as it trundled along. Either way, this omnibus‘ll soon be in the Read column on my Kobo.

I made my first recipe from ANNAPURNA‘S BOUNTY: ash reshteh, or Persian beans & greens stew. It‘s very tasty, but I liked the flavour more before I added the mint, parsley, and fenugreek near the end. Oh well! I‘ve still got good dinners for the next couple days.

Next up from my library stack (digital edition). CRUSHED ICE is really good so far, despite Casey‘s hangdog expression. One of the leads is from Winnipeg, but the scenes set here didn‘t give me the sense either Kane or James knows the city. We‘ll see if some more local colour kicks in on Russ‘s next visit to his family.

Still plugging away at my tiny loft. I made some pretty significant changes to the rooftop terrace, since the official build was dull. It‘s now got a turquoise tile roof, more plants, a salvage table, a fabric rug, and a more dynamic furniture arrangement.

It‘s taken me most of the way through THE HOUSE WITCH. It‘s rather overlong, but still enjoyable. I should finish it today. #audiocrafting

I‘m so close to the end of my Kobo project that I‘ve taken all my library holds off suspension! My plan is to alternate between my ebooks and this lot for the next while.

Once I had my holds in hand, I also grabbed a collection of Indian food legends with recipes off the New Stuff display. I never can resist a tiny, beautiful book about food.

Casey got a haircut, just in time for the temperatures to plummet. We had a high of 11 yesterday and there‘s a wind warning today. 😭 Thank goodness it‘s gonna warm up again next week.

I‘m tucked up inside with a YA fantasy from the Manitoba Young Readers‘ Choice Awards list. 10-Year-Old Me would‘ve adored this. Adult Me wants a bit more oomph to the various relationships, but I still appreciate all the world mythology.

I‘ve been reluctant to try #audiocycling in case my earbuds pop out due to bumpy roads and/or extreme sweat, but I had a 70-minute ride home tonight and I really want to finish TOLL THE HOUNDS, so I gave it a go. My earbuds stayed in and I‘m now at 83% with the book. The end is in sight!

I read the first three chapters of DEATHMAKER while I drank this delicious Stone Cutter Sour from Namesake Brewing. (The promised ginger is pretty subtle, but the tart lemon shines.) The book‘s action-packed so far, with a good hook. I‘ve done a bit of scrambling to remember the wider conflicts introduced in the first book, which I read months ago, but Buroker makes it easy to catch up.

Doing the long weekend thing with Daisy and a vintage mystery. This is my first Mary Roberts Rinehart, plucked from Kobo‘s freebies selection many long years ago. I‘m about a third of the way in and I‘m interested in the story but I strongly dislike the narrator. We‘ll see if I stick with it or if my distaste for this guy drives me away from the book.

I basically suspended everything until I‘d finished THE FIFTH, a polyamorous love story that mostly happens in the intense, reactive moments between the action. Daisy agrees it‘s fabulous stuff.

I read sixty pages of MIGHTY GOOD ROAD before bed last night and I‘m very much here for Melissa Scott‘s vibes. She‘s mighty good at building intricate, fun-to-discover worlds inhabited by intriguing characters. I can‘t wait to read more.

ALSO, I found a Leonardo Hello Kitty and while I‘m sad for the kid who lost it, I‘m super happy for me. Leonardo was my childhood fave because he had TWO SWORDS like a BADASS.

I‘m on to the final Nancy Drew title I found last time I was in this area—and once again, I seem to be reading it right around when the Litsy group preps for their discussion. Huh.

So far, this one‘s proven educational about bells and coastal delicacies like puffed shrimp and fish pudding topped with salmon mousse (…okay?). Lots of unconsciousness, too, thanks to drugs and mysterious caves. We shall see how it unfolds.

I just finished rewatching TED LASSO and it left me in the mood for MORE SPORTS. I‘ve had ON THE ICE lingering on my Kobo for ages since I wasn‘t wild about another of Amy Aislin‘s books, and I figured I might as well give it a try while I‘m in this mood. It‘s much sparklier than the other one! I do find the excessive American college talk grating, as always (and especially from non-American authors), but the character dynamics are great. Yay!

Onward through X-FACTOR, with a reading buddy who finds Sabretooth pretty durned alarming. (Don‘t we all, Ivy.) The mid-late 90s isn‘t my favourite X-period, but it‘s still been good to fill some gaps. I‘ve finally read all of EXCALIBUR, and I‘ll soon achieve WOLVERINE completism! Alas, Marvel Unlimited‘s still missing a fair chunk of X-FACTOR, but I can wait.

I got a day with Casey! Hurray!

He‘s currently helping me tackle the last story in this Korean collection about a skyscraper city. Alas, it‘s the sort of ideas-over-people SF I struggle to click with, so I ain‘t as wowed as the folks who recced it to me. There‘s enough meat here that I‘ll finish it, at least, but it won‘t make my list of stellar short fiction recs.

Got through 14% of TOLL THE HOUNDS while I installed my tiny loft‘s tree, connected the lights, baked Ted Lasso‘s iconic shortbread biscuits, and threw a batch of apple cheddar scones in the oven to boot because hey, it was already warm.

I felt very much like diving into this book at the start of the month, but someone borrowed it just when I was ready, then kept it out a full 21 days. I‘m no longer in quite the right mood, but I persevere.

Did another puzzle while I listened to this great Japanese mystery. Hoopla‘s got two more books by Yukito Ayatsuji and I‘ve already added both to my list for the next time I have a gap in my listening schedule. #audiopuzzling

I only remembered three things about THE LAST LIGHT OF THE SUN:

1. There were vikings.
2. They blood eagled people.
3. I didn‘t enjoy it as much as Kay‘s other books.

Now I‘m rereading it for the first time, eighteen years on, and I‘m loving it. Kay hits me hardest when he‘s PERSONAL, above mythic or political, and this book is very much that. I can‘t wait to plunge onwards.

Also of note: it‘s Allie‘s 8th birthday! She loves it under her tree.

I went to the library to get Josephine Baker‘s memoir, but of course I also had to grab two things from the New Purchases stand. Then I passed by a couple of LFLs, where I was able to tuck my Eric Wilson mystery in for someone else to find and claim a couple of Christopher Pikes for the next time I want late 80s/early 90s YA horror. There were TONS in there, but I didn‘t want to be greedy.

We recently passed the tenth anniversary of my last visit to the US. If more American voters felt like Beast, I might go back someday. With this Genoshan soldier‘s attitude in play, I doubt I‘ll ever cross the border again.

The very nicest thing I have to say to anyone who voted for their own personal Hitler is that I hope they find their way past the hate that governs their hearts. I hope they manage it before they kill everyone like me.

Did a puzzle while I listened to another great Bangalore Detectives Club mystery. My favourite thing about these books is how Nagendra illuminates 1920s India; especially the class divisions Kaveri navigates, the growing push for independence from Britain, and the ways women support each other given the social limits placed on them. #audiopuzzling

Marvel Unlimited‘s got a four-months-for-$4/month deal on now, so it‘s time for me to catch up on a year of additions to their X-books catalogue.

This OGN seems like more of a Ghost Rider book so far, but Wolvie‘s there too so onto the list it went. Only 350 issues to go before I can once again say I‘ve read every single X-Men comic on there.

I check every LFL I come across for the years I‘m still missing for my personal All My Years challenge, and last week I finally found a 1985 publication! I know I read Eric Wilson when I was little, but I don‘t remember if I ever read this particular mystery. It‘s been interesting to approach it as an adult, since I‘ve spent time in the Uclelet area. I even visited the very library where Tom does his pre-internet case research!

Casey was reluctant to pose with this horrible cover, even after I assured him the book is actually great. The current edition is WAY prettier, but we take what we find at the used bookstore.

I‘d love to finish this today, but I‘ve got tons to do so it might not be possible. Still, I‘ll enjoy whatever time I‘m able to scrounge with it.

I finished THE TAINTED CUP with my surprisingly calm new buddy, Stormy, then popped on here and saw it just won the Hugo! Good times.

I had the wind at a frontways angle to me all the way to the park, then straight in my face all the way back, which basically means I cycled uphill both ways. This made me very grumpy. I had no choice but to stop at the library and borrow some diverse YA, even though I‘ve got a bunch of other stuff to read over the next couple weeks. It cheered me up.

At last, a new book! I started THE TAINTED CUP over breakfast and carried on while I ate lunch at this excellent park (following a ride there across the prairie and a hike through the woods). It‘s got a lot of promise so far, with murder and spores and kaiju galore.

We finally had a low-smoke, no-rain day, so I got to have my ride along the Harte Trail! I also stopped off for a couple of reading breaks: one on a bench a little ways past where this photo was taken and one at Ikea with a free coffee.

I‘m now about 160 pages from the end of THE GATHERING STORM and I‘d love to finish it tonight, but I‘ve got other stuff to do this evening so I don‘t think it‘ll be possible. Tomorrow, then.

My latest meal from DELICIOUS TONIGHT was Arabic chicken & potatoes. The potatoes didn‘t take on as much flavour as I‘d hoped, but they still had a great texture and some nicely crisped bits. The chicken was moist and tasty, with a nice tang from the sumac.

Also of note: I only needed a slight filter to make mine the same colour as the example photo.

I planned to do a TON of cycling on my vacation, but so far I‘ve only had one day where it wasn‘t pelting down rain and/or so smokey I couldn‘t safely spend 8+ hours outside. Sigh.

So today I went shopping with my mum instead. I came away with some much-needed new clothes and a couple of books: the tagged, plus an omnibus of three culinary mysteries from the 1980s.

I found myself in a vintage SF mood last night, so I plucked STAR BORN out of my Kobo library. (By the way, my Finish My Ereader project‘s at 98%! Victory is in sight!) It hasn‘t blown me away so far, but it reads up quick and I ain‘t in a place where I NEED to be blown away, so all is well. I shall read a bit more in this park so I‘ve got a picnic shelter to retreat to if those clouds turn into rain.

The rain has trapped us inside on this warm afternoon, but at least there‘s a great book to hand. Courtney Milan is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! I can‘t wait to see how everything unfolds for Naomi and Kai.

Brewery lunch + Malaysian vampire novel. It‘s still too early to say whether I‘ll click with the book, but my gourmet hog dog was great and I would‘ve had another glass of the PB & Jam Session Sour if I hadn‘t had to get home to Finian. Poor buddy was SO SAD when I went out without him, even though we had a great walk first thing this morning.

I finished LES FILLES DU ROI over breakfast. What an excellent, nuanced play! I‘d love to see it staged someday.

In the afternoon I bought Haitian peanut butter and in the evening I found it referenced in Haitian-Canadian poet Junie Désil‘s powerful poetry collection. Désil digs deep into Haiti‘s history and the impact colonial violence has had on her family, returning time and again to the image of the zombie especially in relation to her father. I‘ll definitely read more from her.

My other holiday Monday project involves this big, complicated puzzle and the tagged book, which I was beyond glad to find on Hoopla. Michelle West is my favourite epic fantasy author and I‘m excited she‘s brought us back to Breodanir with this one. Her Sacred Hunt duology is my favourite and it‘s great to revisit that setting after many, many long books set elsewhere. #audiopuzzling

My holiday Monday plans involve a loooooong walk with the fabulous Finian followed by lots and lots of reading. First up: the rest of this so-far-excellent McRae & Maltese offering about theatre actors in a May/December relationship.

I finally have a way to read the sixth book in Kate Elliott‘s Crown of Stars series (NO ONE gets rid of that book—I‘ve searched for years—and the ebook is $24, but the audio‘s on Hoopla), so here I am, tackling the fifth volume at long last. It pushes 1000 pages so I‘ve made it my in-between read. I‘m enjoying it so much I‘ll probably upgrade it to primary when I‘m a little closer to the end.

WHAT I KNOW ABOUT YOU is my penultimate book from this year‘s Canada Reads Longlist, and it‘s yet another I‘d like to see jump to the shortlist in a year or two. While I can‘t say there‘s anything truly unexpected in the story, Chacour draws the reader into his characters‘ world so completely that I forget I know pretty well what‘s coming. And hey, I‘ve still got 80 pages or so left, so he might surprise me!

It took me a smidge longer to sink into the series finale than I needed with the first two books, but ooooh boy. A COVENANT OF ICE builds beautifully as it delves into its wider themes of colonialism and displacement, and it remains deeply personal to Lilley‘s struggle throughout. I‘ve had a wonderful time considering everything Lowachee does here, and I can‘t wait to revisit all three books in one fell swoop.

Highly recommended.

I took a deeply excellent bike ride past the bilingual library today. While the letters of Madame de Sévigny were, alas, a bit too bulky to carry away, I still grabbed some poetry and a trilingual play.