Welcome to Litsy!

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!

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.

These are the books I collected while on the Oregon coast this week … I‘m already reading Shroud and The 6:20 Man good so far … my bank account is hurting but it‘s worth it 🤣📚📚

I hit 26% with REAPER‘S GALE while I assembled a tiny train that‘ll fit into a book nook. I found the last book kind of tedious, so I‘m glad this one returns to the characters and settings from my favourite volume. (The place sounds like Letheri, but I probably spelled it wrong. The enduring issue with audio.) Still, I won‘t emerge from this series a Malazan superfan. I like it enough to continue but not enough to rave about it all. #audiocrafting

Today‘s #audiobaking on my mother‘s behalf involved banana cupcakes and the ganache to fill ‘em with. I did them gluten free this time because my aunt‘s coming to visit and she was recently diagnosed with celiac disease. Hopefully they turned out well. I‘ll find out when they cool off.

My new book art from Jason Dement “Coltaine” from Deadhouse Gates 🥰

My mum wants soft ginger sandwich cookies for Mother‘s Day, so I did some #audiobaking this morning. It took me through a pretty big chunk of MIDNIGHT TIDES, which is probably my favourite volume yet of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. It‘s half extremely fun, half extremely dark.

Did a puzzle so I could finish MEMORIES OF ICE a bit quicker. As with the first two, I enjoyed it overall but I think time has softened the edges that made the series groundbreaking back in the day. I do wish everyone would curb their impulse towards bombastic internal monologues, too. There‘s a LOT of that.

I probably won‘t have much listening time in France, so I‘ll get the next one in late April or so. #MFMarch #audiopuzzling

Somebody give me a pep talk because this book is a monster. I‘ve heard that it‘s totally worth it though. I‘ve only been able to read a page or two a day so at this rate I‘ll be finished this time next year. 😂

I got an iron on my jacket this morning, and now it‘s done! Next up: the trousers. I‘ve mostly finished them, but I want to redo the lining because the stuff I chose is way too loud.

I‘m making good progress through MEMORIES OF ICE, too. It amazes me how very D&D the worldbuilding is, but I guess that‘s all in line with Erikson‘s stated goal to offer a more nuanced take on a particular kind of fantasy. #MFMarch #audiosewing