I made an apple cranberry crisp as an experiment. (Yes, cranberries WERE $1/bag after Thanksgiving, and the bag in my fridge WAS beginning to look a bit shriveled.) Hopefully everyone likes it!

Me, I was glad to get some listening time during my baking spree. I dunno what it is, but I‘m EXCITED about this GoF reread in a way I just wasn‘t with the first three books. #audiobaking

I listened to a big chunk of HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE while I baked one of the great mysteries of my culinary life: Nigella Lawson‘s cranberry cake. It‘s delicious, and it never looks anything like the picture because the cranberries always float up into the batter.

I think Canadian cranberries must be much lighter than the UK kind. The recipe says 6oz = 3/4 cup, but I‘ve found it‘s more like 2+ cups. #audiobaking

I watched the ceremony from Ottawa this morning, then settled in to make this a reading day. Twenty miles on my bike got me most of the way through the finale of THE WAY OF KINGS, while lunch finished it off. I‘m really glad I reread it before diving into WORDS OF RADIANCE. I remembered most of the plot and the basic setup, but I‘d forgotten some pretty important details, including a huge amount of the ending. Huh.

I headed back into THE WAY OF KINGS while I ate some delicious enchilada casserole. I‘m at 83% now, so I MIGHT push on through to the end. I‘ll see how I feel when I hit 90%.

I love THE RAVEN BOYS so much that if I start talking about it, I won‘t be able to stop. I‘ll spend a minimum of 8,000 words gushing about the characters and the imagery and the emotional resonance and the foreshadowing and a million other things you won‘t even care about unless you already love the book, too.

What it boils down to is, this MATTERS. It‘s a little piece of my soul between two covers.

5 stars.

#weeklyforecast time! Next week I hope to:

• finish rereading THE WAY OF KINGS
• clear at least one short book from La TBR. Probably NO SUCH THING by A.M. Arthur
• read the latest volume of SKIP BEAT!
• get two comics off my library stack
• reread THE DREAM THIEVES
• reread HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE on audio
• read one poetry collection
• start one novel from my library stack. Probably UNTOUCHABLE by Talia Hibbert

Breakfast with THE RAVEN BOYS and some blueberry scones I made yesterday. Next, I plan to hop on my bike and exercise until the book‘s done.

I‘m feeling a tad smug about my #bookreport, since I hit every reading goal I set last Sunday! I:

• got 20% further into my reread of THE WAY OF KINGS
• finished (and loved) GRAVEYARD SHIFT and A GIRL LIKE HER
• triumphed over my stack of library comics
• finished two short audiobooks (HOW TO BE A BAWSE and SOLO)
• started rereading THE RAVEN BOYS
• squeezed in DAMAGED GOODS, Talia Hibbert‘s Ravenswood novella

Y‘all, I‘m struggling with winter today. It‘s not even excessively cold right now (-3°C), but it‘s enough to push me into a loop about how much colder it‘s gonna get, and how little mobility I have when the weather‘s like this, and the utter lack of greenery. Plus, I saw a bunch of not-local-to-me cold-love on Instagram yesterday, and... yeah. Bad place.

I‘m trying to self-medicate with THE RAVEN BOYS, which I love more than ever, and tasty rice.

I finally started my Raven Cycle reread this morning, and lemme tell you: it felt like coming home. I can hardly believe it‘s been three and a half years since I last read these books.

Tonight, I‘m gonna carry on with a glass of Sam Adams‘s holiday porter for company. Charlie‘s parents kindly brought me a variety pack from America.

Comics + buffalo eggs for breakfast. I‘m really enjoying Age of X-Man so far. I generally do like the AUs, and this one‘s a nice counterpoint to my beloved Age of Apocalypse.

Listen, I‘m grateful my library lets me borrow so much expensive stuff for free, but their processing bias REALLY irks me. The tagged book came out on October 29th and was ready for me to pick up on the 31st. Most of the others in this week‘s haul have been out for months, but they‘ve only just made it through processing because the library ALWAYS shunts genres and comics to the back of the queue even though LOTS of us borrow them. Grrr.

I haven‘t bought a brand new hardcover since A CONSPIRACY OF KINGS by Megan Whalen Turner in 2010. I haven‘t paid full price for one since CORAMBIS by Sarah Monette in 2009.

But the moment Maggie Stiefvater said she was maybe considering a trilogy focused on Ronan Lynch, I vowed to buy the first book IN HARDCOVER AT A STORE ON RELEASE DAY.

There was a traffic jam on Tuesday and I was busy yesterday, but I did it today.

I sure hope it‘s good.

Nagata Kabi is frank about her struggles with depression, self-acceptance, familial strife, career anxieties, and alcohol abuse in these autobiographical comics. She‘s often really, really hard on herself as she chronicles her life as it happens, sans filter. To be honest, I couldn‘t read either volume straight through because they depressed the hell out of me, but I‘m glad we‘ve got her voice—and that she‘s doing better by the epilogues.

I got a real kick out of this, even though I‘m not in Singh‘s target audience (ie, the 15-25 crowd, with some wiggle room). She‘s up front about how she intends to challenge and call out her readers, but she does so in a supportive, uplifting way that‘s a joy to listen to and consider.

Expect lots of humour, heart, and creative business advice. Don‘t approach this as a mental health primer, despite Singh‘s occasional interludes about depression.

I couldn‘t resist diving straight into Talia Hibbert‘s second Ravenswood book this morning. It‘s a novella, so I‘m pretty sure I‘ll be able to finish it before the library run I‘ve got planned for tomorrow. Gotta get these books back on the shelves so more people can discover them.

TALIA HIBBERT IS SO GOOD, Y‘ALL. Her first Ravenswood novel stars a prickly comics creator with autism and the world‘s nicest blacksmith, in loooooove—but first, in seriously sweet, adorable, supportive friendship. There are some darker elements in the mix, including parental cancer and a past abusive relationship, but I‘m gonna remember this book for its wonderful leads and their great, loving, boundary-respecting friendship.

It‘s book & beer time! I hoped this vanilla porter would be on the same level as a particular vanilla stout I love and rarely see outside of BC. Unfortunately, it‘s not quite there, but it IS really good.

A GIRL LIKE HER is still wonderful, too. I‘m gonna binge the last 40 pages soon as I‘ve caught up with Litsy. November is already heaps better than October, book-wise.

I shouldn‘t have started A GIRL LIKE HER right before bed. Sixty pages later, I had to forcibly remind myself sleep is important. I devoured another twenty-five pages over breakfast, and I‘ll be counting down until I get to pick the book up again.

Talia Hibbert is super readable, is what I‘m saying.

Casey and I have a roomie! Charlie‘s staying with us for the next couple nights. It‘s the first time she‘s been away from her parents since they adopted her a year and a half ago.

It‘s also her BIRTHDAY! She‘s now two. We‘re gonna celebrate by reading together.

1. I‘M SO EXCITED ABOUT QUEER EYE‘S JAPANESE EPISODES!!!! Two of my favourite things, combined! Whee!

2. I‘ve always felt like Tan is the cast member I‘d be least likely to click with, and his book confirmed that—BUT, I think said book has made me like him more on screen. Huh.

3. I‘m still grumpy he dissed my hair in one of his sidebars, though. NOT COOL, TAN.

Jenn Burke gave me exactly what I needed, y‘all. She pushes her characters in all the right ways as she doubles down on what they mean to each other, expands their view of Toronto‘s paranormal scene, and throws them into a mystery with deeply personal consequences.

It didn‘t take me long to realize I wasn‘t gonna get ANYTHING done until I‘d binged the whole thing.

I dearly hope there‘ll be a 4th book. I love these characters so damned much.

I found a Tim Hortons reference for @Lindy ! Also, I‘m glad no murderous vampires hang out at my local Tims.

First my ereader needed to recharge, then I got busy with a bunch of hands-on stuff, but now it‘s finally time to read! I‘ve been waiting for this allllll day. The book‘s great as of 37% (which is how much I binged last night before I reminded myself sleep is important).

I forgot to share my November Must-Reads! WORDS OF RADIANCE was always a given, seeing as how it‘s the last book on the chunkster bingo card I made myself in January, so I picked three short ‘uns to fill out the list:

• Butler‘s third Patternist book, which I couldn‘t squeeze in last month
• young lesbians on safari in search of unicorns (I think)
• young gay dudes at a bakery (I think)

I took an #audiowalk to the grocery store specifically to get bleu cheese dressing, but they were totally sold out. No buffalo eggs for me tomorrow. 😭

At least the trek gave me some more listening time. I‘m now 46% into HOW TO BE A BAWSE, and Libby thinks I‘ll finish in just over an hour. It feels mighty good to listen to something short after a couple weeks of looooooong audiobooks and minimal listening time.

I made two cranberry macaroon loaves while I started my next audiobook. (The one in front is a mini; it was done before the top could change colour.) A friend three years younger than me told me HOW TO BE A BAWSE made her feel really old, but I‘m enjoying it so far. Singh‘s entertaining and supportive, even if she does clearly target her advice at teenagers and younger 20-somethings. #audiobaking

This gave me everything I‘ve come to expect from Heinlein: an engaging, agenda-driven story I found interesting to interrogate and argue with. In many areas, I feel like he reaches for admirable concepts but falls short by contemporary standards. For example, the women often hold powerful positions and sexual assault is considered abhorrent, but patriarchal attitudes prevail. Also, racial diversity doesn‘t eliminate racist attitudes—or blackface.

I like @Cinfhen ‘s #weeklyforecast idea! I‘ve been reading way more slowly than I‘d prefer, but next week I hope to:

• finish GRAVEYARD SHIFT
• read A GIRL LIKE HER
• finally start my Raven Cycle reread in preparation for CALL DOWN THE HAWK
• get 20% further into THE WAY OF KINGS
• conquer my pile of library comics
• finish two audiobooks (the next ones in my queue are both under 6 hours)

It‘d be nice to squeeze a novella in there, too.

1. GRAVEYARD SHIFT by Jenn Burke as my primary; THE WAY OF KINGS by Brandon Sanderson as my in-between; MY SOLO EXCHANGE DIARY by Nagata Kabi for comics; 7&7 by various DSP authors for short fiction; and HOW TO BE A BAWSE by Lilly Singh on audio.

2. That‘s a tough one. These days, I even read comics an issue at a time instead of charging straight through the trade. Maybe PEACE AND GOOD ORDER by Harold Johnson?

3. Carving pumpkins

#weekendreads

I successfully resisted the urge to devour GRAVEYARD SHIFT by Jenn Burke waaaaay before its release day. (It comes out on Monday.) Go me! Now I‘m settled in to read it by Christmas light, with some hot apple cider. I‘m excited but also nervous, since I loved the first two books in the series a LOT, but Burke hasn‘t let me down yet so the excitement‘s definitely stronger than the nerves.

I read a couple more chapters of THE WAY OF KINGS while my Brussels sprouts roasted. I‘m past the 50% mark now! It‘s the homestretch, baby!

My bookish spending was clearly OUT OF CONTROL last month.

I‘m pleased I only bought stuff I didn‘t have to add to La TBR: a fun cookbook, my very own copy of YOTSUBA&! Vol 1, and the illustrated edition of ASSASSIN‘S APPRENTICE.

Lucy Parker is so good, y‘all! PRETTY FACE offers up two characters with the sort of deep connection that bursts off the page, tons of theatrical goodness, and plenty of consideration of how the tabloid press exploits various genres of celebrity. I had a wonderful time and cried RATHER A LOT during the last couple chapters.

#friyayintro time!

1. Miss Vickie‘s black pepper & lime chips

2. Audiobooks, always

3. I honestly don‘t know. October wasn‘t great so I‘m feeling pretty low about November, especially since it‘s gonna get even colder out. I AM excited for Maggie Stiefvater‘s new book, but with my current reading speed I dunno if I‘ll get to it before December. 😔

4. A lot. I took most of October off from candy and splashed out yesterday.

5. Red.

Well, October was a lacklustre month. I had a few 4-star reads (this being my I Loved It rating), but no 4.5s or 5s. Most of what I read earned 3.5 stars (my I Really Liked It rating) or less.

Sigh.

I also saw minimal TBR reduction since I managed my library holds poorly. I sure hope November‘s better.

Pain day reading stack featuring my daily short story, a painfully dense academic text, a painfully honest memoir, and Thomas King‘s first poetry collection (which is in no way painful). I really want to finish PRETTY FACE by Lucy Parker, too.

Happy Halloween from Casey the shark! He‘s got a little shark-face bonnet to wear, too, but I don‘t want to put it on him until the kids start showing up.

Did some #audiocarving. I wanted to do a couple more pumpkins this year, but Superstore sold out before I could get back there. Poop. Still I‘m glad I got to tackle two patterns I love. The hand reaching out of the grave was a Pizza Hotline ad before I gave it the stencil treatment, while Mona Lisa‘s my mum‘s perennial favourite.

I made it a bit further into THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS while I performed routine wig maintenance and selected this year‘s pumpkin stencils.

I‘m conflicted about this book. I‘m interested in how it tackles the mechanics of revolution, and I like that the characters can disagree on some political points without losing sight of their common goals. At the same time, though, Heinlein throws in blackface and “jokey” false rape allegations. Ugh.

Last night I got this CRAVING for Lucy Parker. Now I‘m going in.

The Readathon may be over, but my biiiiiiiig library stack demands attention.

I‘m about halfway through this one, and while I still like the show better I appreciate the comic‘s commitment to utter bloody weirdness. Weird stuff is my jam, y‘all.

I lasted until 2:30am before I totally crashed (only to wake up three hours later because of a car alarm. Poop). On the whole, I finished two in-progress things, two novellas, and a manga; I read thirteen short stories (most flash); I bailed on two unsatisfying romances; and I started the tagged erotica, which I may or may not stick with (the lead woman‘s cool but the lead dude‘s an asshole, and not in a fun way).

Oof. #deweyoct #readathon

Midnight sausages: a proud Readathon tradition since, I dunno, 2015?

I sank into A CHIP IN HIS SHOULDER by L.A. Witt while I cooked and ate ‘em, and it‘s every bit as good as I expected. I feel like it‘s gonna turn out to be more a prequel than a complete story, though. There‘re a lot of big concepts in here, considering the book‘s only 73 pages long. #deweyoct #readathon

It‘s 9:30 here and I still haven‘t read my daily short story. Gotta get on that.

I‘m having a wee snack, too: salami, the last of my (very spicy) first-ever batch of pickles, and a couple pieces of my first-ever batch of burfi. It‘s been a big year for culinary firsts. #readathon #deweyoct

I hit 6:42 for the Readathon while I read another great volume of SILVER SPOON. This time around, Hachiken et al create sausages, experiment with marketing food products, and learn that unexpected Russian sisters-in-law can be super nice, not scary. Awwww. #readathon #deweyoct

I totally forgot I bought this Halloweeny caramel apple! It expires today, so I‘d better eat it while I dig into SILVER SPOON. #deweyoct #readathon

I put my makeshift lamps on while I finished IVAN. It was pretty good; nice chemistry between the leads (albeit with semi-instalove and no concrete reasons why they were into each other) and a high stakes crime story with a solid emotional core. It felt like it flew by, too, even though Kobo says it took me a solid 1:42 to finish.

This brings my Readathon total to 5:30. #deweyoct #readathon

Time for tea & peanut butter wafers. It felt appropriate to drink this Siberian ginseng & ginger root tea while I read about a Russian guy.

IVAN is the third romance freebie I‘ve pulled off La TBR this afternoon, and the only one that left me hopeful after its first chapter. Fingers crossed it stays good. #deweyoct #readathon

I did some #audiocooking since I still don‘t feel great and I figured some substantive food might help. My mapo tofu-inspired scramble isn‘t as good with leftover ground pork as with sausage, but it‘ll still fill my belly.

I‘m now at 3:51 for the Readathon. I‘ve finished two things I‘d already started (SWEET DISORDER by Rose Lerner and APOCALYPSE SUITE by Way & Bá) and bailed on two romances for poor chemistry. Onward! #deweyoct #readathon