Last morning reading alongside this lopsided cutie before I go to France! I‘d be a lot more excited if my Airbnb host, who insists on meeting guests instead of using a lockbox, would respond to me. As it is, I‘m stressed and angry and very much hoping I don‘t need to call on Airbnb‘s insurance policies to find another place on the quick. We‘ll see if I can concentrate well enough to tackle another chunk of this excellent novella.

Doing the whole “early to bed with book & mood lamp” thing. I read and loved the first 25% of STRONG WINE last night, but today was so busy that this is the first chance I‘ve had to get back to it. Gonna try for 50% before I pass out. #MFMarch

I‘ve officially reached the point in my SKIP BEAT! reread where it‘s all ebooks, all the time. No more hauling around bulky bags of physical copies! Whee!

I also have the volumes on my iPad, but I love how manga looks on e-ink so I‘ll read as many of them as possible on my actual ereaders. #MFMarch

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

Here I am, biding time with a cute dog and my daily short story while I wait for the snow (UGH) to stop. I keep reminding myself that next week I‘ll be in France, where it‘s supposed to be 20° and I won‘t even need my new tweed jacket.

In the meantime, I‘ll continue to be impressed with Drew Hayden Taylor‘s range. This guy excels at every genre he turns his hand to. His SF is as great as his nonfiction, his theatre, his YA, etc. etc. #MFMarch

Geo helped me read a goodly chunk of BECOMING A MATRIARCH this afternoon. It‘s another Canada Reads longlist title I‘d love to see jump to the shortlist in a year or two. Knott‘s a powerful writer. #MFMarch

I read the first 30% of SALT MAGIC, SKIN MAGIC last night, and I‘m hooked. Lee Welch writes the kind of prose that practically reads itself, with great characters and an intriguing version of 19th century England to boot. Penny‘s promised she‘ll help me devour the rest of it today. #MFMarch

I don‘t buy many knitting books because my library has a great collection, but they don‘t own this one, it‘s full of intriguing patterns (including leaves!), and it was $1.50 at the thrift store.

I also got cherry turnovers from the grocery store on the way home. Between the dogs‘ morning exercise and my trek to the thrift store, I‘ve done 9km so far today. Pastries are necessary.

I dug into SAFFRON ALLEY before bed last night, which was a mistake because I was too tired to read more than 20% and I wanted to devour the whole thing. A.J. Demas is so good at illuminating relationships and digging into the uncertainty that comes when you‘ve had a really intense, interrupted connection with someone and you need to figure out how to build on that within the framework of your everyday life. #MFMarch

I decided to do a Kobo Plus trial because a) they offered me bonus points, b) it‘ll give me a steady supply of digital, due-dateless reading material while I‘m in France, and c) I can finally knock a bunch of stuff off my wishlist. I began with A THIEF IN THE NIGHT, KJ Charles‘s thief/victim romance set in the same world as THE GENTLE ART OF FORTUNE HUNTING. It was great. Penny appreciated the snuggles she got as my reading buddy, too. #MFMarch

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

Saki‘s just chillin‘ by my fireside bookstack. The top book, BAD ENDINGS, is my current short story collection, and it‘s a strong one. Carleigh Baker excels at finding the slices of experience that illuminate a character‘s life. #MFMarch

Supper was tasty Korean fried chicken and kimbap that was SUPPOSED to have kimchi rice instead of plain rice. Booo. I would‘ve gone for shrimp over tuna mayo if the menu hadn‘t lied to me. At least my new Jenni Keer is enjoyable. I hope to log a couple more hours with it tonight.

Also, this was a LOT of chicken, so I‘ve got tomorrow‘s supper sorted too. #MFMarch

Here I am, making my sloooooow way through A MODERN UTOPIA. It‘s more interesting than I expected, and Wells has made a solid attempt to balance different perspectives as he crafts his ideal society. That said, this is still very much an early-1900s-style Utopia, and I expect the next chapter, on the role of women, may leave me somewhat scowly.

ALSO, I‘ve realized I have H.G. Wells & George Orwell tangled up in my head. THEY‘RE DIFFERENT PEOPLE.

The fifth SHAPERS OF WORLDS anthology reminded me a lot of F&SF under Gordon Van Gelder‘s editorial eye; which is to say, it offers up a wide variety of SFF subgenres, balanced well within the TOC. While there were a few humorous notes that didn‘t quite land for me and a few stories that skewed too conservative for my tastes—also reminiscent of Van Gelder‘s F&SF—only two stories out of twenty-four didn‘t work for me at all. Definitely recommended.

MARIGOLD MIND LAUNDRY was a random shelf grab that turned out to have a 0% Litsy rating. That‘ll probably change after I finish it because I‘m once again the unpopular opinion person and I liked the first 100 pages an awful lot. Jungeun Yun isn‘t flashy, but she has a good eye for the problems modern Koreans face. The Mind Laundry is more about emotional regulation as a coping mechanism, too, rather than fully erasing bad experiences. #MFMarch

Tomorrow I need to do the sleeve buttonholes, topstitch the lapels, and press the shit out of it. Then my tweed jacket is finally done!

To be honest, I didn‘t listen to a TON of DEADHOUSE GATES while I worked because the last week has all been fiddly handsewn stuff I wanted to focus on—and because, unpopular opinion coming up, I liked GARDENS OF THE MOON more than this one. Still, I‘m invested enough to tackle #3 in due course. #audiosewing

Lunchtime reading with my squinty friend. (It‘s borderline sunny today.) I read the first 18% of THE SECRETS OF HAWTHORN PLACE last night and I‘m looking forward to another big chunk this afternoon. Jenni Keer‘s pretty great. #MFMarch

I never wanted to put THE TOMB OF DRAGONS down, so caught up was I in the minutiae of Celehar‘s ordinary, extraordinary life. I worried for him following his major life change at the end of THE GRIEF OF STONES, drank in the telling details that marked his various friendships, and delighted in the worldbuilding Addison packs into every book she writes. It left me that perfect mix of exultant and devastated that I spend my reading life chasing.

Uber Eats was like, “You haven‘t had delivery in a while! Here‘s 60% off!” but they‘d only let me use it at the poke place 8km away instead of the location 1km away. So I just went and got takeaway poke for very slightly more money.

Then I ate it and read an enormous chunk of HOW WE MET, which is one of those memoirs so clear and absorbing it practically reads itself. Gonna settle in and finish it this morning before I start my day. #MFMarch

I spent part of today reading Mary Stewart with my favourite cat. (He‘s also the only cat I spend significant time with, but nobody tell him that.) I like THIS ROUGH MAGIC so far, but I‘ve had too many interruptions. Here‘s hoping I can dig into a bigger chunk before bed. #MFMarch

I popped into the library to return a bunch of stuff and pick up my hold (the tagged book, which I discovered by chance when I searched for something completely different by an author with the same family name), but of course I also found a couple things off the Featured displays. I‘m excited to read more poetry again after I got a bit stuck on a collection last month. #MFMarch

I finally started INNIE SHADOWS last night, a good two months after I borrowed it. Writing-wise, I find it pretty tell-not-show, with a whole lot of, “As you know, Bob…” whenever people meet, but I‘m interested in the community and the character dynamics so I‘ll stick with it. #MFMarch

With her 8th book, Rachel Reid turns to second chance romance for two early-40s hockey retirees. There‘s a ton of baggage here, packed tight with decades-old fears and mental health challenges, but the drama never feels excessive because the characters have the maturity and the perspective to really SEE each other, understand the realities they both lived with in their 20s, and consider where they might go from here. Definitely recommended.

I borrowed ZAO FAN because I got a ton of ground pork for cheap, but most of my favourite pork recipes need ginger and I keep forgetting to buy some. Oops. I wanted to make SOMETHING, though, so I finally tried liangfen, or starch jelly noodles. They came together fast (aside from the many hours of chill time) and tasted great with Nagi Maehashi‘s spicy peanut sauce.

Before I went shopping (and lemme tell you, Superstore‘s already jacked a bunch of their prices up, like JERKS. Safeway and Giant Tiger hadn‘t), Casey and I tackled the first few chapters of TAIWAN TRAVELOGUE. It‘s WORKING for me, friends. So many layers. I‘m sad I can‘t just read all day. #MFMarch

I got an amazing deal on ground pork this morning, so I went to the library to borrow my favourite cookbook and ended up grabbing a couple short story collections off their feature display plus a play by Tomson Highway. #MFMarch

The provisional sleeve-set went well on both sides, thanks to 8300 pins. Only seven more steps until my jacket‘s ready for its Parisian debut!

I‘ve made good progress through GARDENS OF THE MOON, too. I like it a lot more than I did the first time I tried it, but I don‘t think it‘ll hit Love status. Still, most people agree this is the series‘ weakest book, so I‘ll look forward to the next one. #MFMarch #audiosewing

Read some more Junji Ito this morning alongside a concerned Casey. (He thinks horror is scary. Yeah, dude; that‘s kinda the point.) #MFMarch

I‘ve kicked off Murica-Free March with another from the Canada Reads Longlist. GIRL RUNNER gives off that particular CanLit vibe that has the capacity to leave me deeply unsettled. Hopefully it‘ll be the good kind, not the kind that puts a bad taste in my mouth. At page 75, it‘s too early to say.

And I mean, hey, it might not unsettle me at all in the end. Sometimes early vibes mellow out. I‘ll report back. #MFMarch

I finished THE GOLDEN RAVEN tonight and I have MANY EMOTIONS about Jean‘s healing journey and also how great it is when there‘s a bit with a dog.

Now begins the wait for the next book.

Nine years, baby! I joined because all my book blogging friends were super excited about it, and at first I couldn‘t make it fit with my reading style. Now most of them have wandered away, but here I still am.

Casey‘s helping me dig into a full-series SKIP BEAT! reread ahead of Volume 50‘s English-language release. Everyone‘s grown so much since these early days. MY BABIES. 😭😭😭

Nora Sakavic‘s new book dropped the very day I stopped regularly checking for it! Good thing Kobo sends out reminders when they know you‘re waiting on series additions.

Now I know what I‘m doing with the rest of my reading month. I bought THE GOLDEN RAVEN as soon as I got the email this morning, formally bailed on the poorly-written Shakespearean fantasy I tried last night, and dove in at lunch.

1. Casey got an adorable haircut. He‘s no longer at risk of heat stroke in the middle of winter from the shear wealth of hair on his body!

2. I started SISTER SNAKE tonight and I immediately feel all OMG about it. Is this the book I‘ve been waiting for? I sure hope so.

This week‘s tiny library haul, plus Duffy‘s bandaged leg. (He has what‘s probably a follicular cyst.) I read and loved the first volume of UNHOLY BLOOD last year, so I‘m glad to see my library‘s purchased more volumes of this Korean comic! I already have vols 3-5 on hand, so now I can have a little binge.

I was also pleased to get a Taiwanese novel I heard about on Instagram and another Parisian guide, because I haven‘t read enough of those yet.

I thought I was really gonna have to stretch to finish WIND AND TRUTH before the end of the month, but I don‘t wanna turn it off. I keep looking for more excuses to listen. Earlier today I did the collar and facings on my jacket, then finished this puzzle. Tomorrow‘ll probably involve pressing the jacket so it‘s photogenic, then at least the start of another puzzle. At this rate, I should finish the book on Tuesday. #audiopuzzling

And now, some hockey romance! This one‘s a bit of a departure for Reid; a second chance romance with a LOT of baggage, complicated by very recent grief. Also, both characters are in their 40s and retired from hockey. Gonna devour the back half tonight.

I got so busy reading and loving THE TOMB OF DRAGONS that I never actually posted about it, so please consider this a prelude to the review I‘m still mulling over. In particular, I‘m thinking a lot about how Celehar is someone who always, always does the right thing in relation to his calling, even when it causes major problems for him, but who does the easy thing in his personal life, and how the series helps him learn to take more risks there.

Another tasty DELICIOUS TONIGHT recipe that isn‘t remotely the same colour as the example picture. Oh well. The lentils in this soup cooked down beautifully and the overall flavour is great—which is a relief, because the recipe made a TON of it. That‘s my supper sorted through the weekend.

I took a break midway through my worldbuilding-forward dark fantasy and switched to this character-driven historical fantasy set in a queernorm version of Regency England. It‘s an absolute delight as of 24%. I‘m happy with my life choices.

I pressed the hell out of my jacket today, then paused to finish this miniature tea shop. That took me to 29% with WIND AND TRUTH, which I‘m loving. It‘s common for epic fantasy to have a POV or two that the reader just doesn‘t care about, but I‘m interested and invested in all these people and have been all along. I‘m excited to keep listening tomorrow. #audiocrafting

Plugging along through BLACK SUN RISING with my favourite schnauzer. It‘s not bad, but I haven‘t become invested in the characters or the story, so it‘s slower going than I want right now. (It probably doesn‘t help that I still can‘t stop thinking about THE TOMB OF DRAGONS by Katherine Addison.) One of the LT reviews said things click into place about 200 pages in, though, and I‘m ALMOST there. Hopefully that does it for me.

I spent a goodly chunk of my Louis Riel Day listening to WIND AND TRUTH while I sewed the bulk of a new jacket to take to Paris. It‘s impossible to tell from the picture, but this tweed is shot through with green and goldenrod. I‘m really happy with it.

I‘m also so glad the book came in for me! At 63 hours, it‘ll be a stretch to get it finished before my month off from American writers, but it‘s doable. #audiosewing

I finished Katherine Addison‘s forthcoming novel last night and now I‘m BEREFT. Gonna try to drown my sorrows in Duffy snuggles and early-90s dark fantasy. C.S. Friedman is one of those authors I‘ve always been AWARE of but never quite managed to read, so it‘s about time I gave her work a try. It‘s off to a promising start.

This week‘s library haul. I‘m taking next month off from American writers and artists (something I usually do in February but couldn‘t swing this year due to some ARCs and imminent library holds), and while I‘ve got a couple more American-authored titles in the pipeline for next week, my holds list already reflects Murica-Free March‘s mandate. Today I picked up stuff from Canada, Japan, and Singapore. #MFMarch

Onward through my Kobo! I hit 95% read last night after I bounced off a fantasy sequel that reminded me of how and why I disliked the first book in the series. Now I‘m into a new adult romance I‘ve had for I dunno how many years. It started a bit rough, but I‘m really enjoying it as of 28%. It strikes a good balance between the joy and fear of exploring life in a new city.

Please also enjoy my kitty sheriff mood light.

Poor Duffy lost his beard to an unfortunate gnat infestation, but he‘s still a committed reading buddy. Tonight he‘ll help me reread another chunk of ORANGE, my favourite high school friendship manga. It‘s high stakes slice of life stuff.

My mum gave me a fun, non-Covid respiratory virus that involves an enormous amount of coughing. All I wanna do is snuggle dogs, eat crunchy foods, and read books.

I was in totally the wrong mood for the YA SF novel I tried earlier, but this romcom‘s really working for me. Gonna spend a goodly chunk of time with it this evening. Maybe gonna have more hashbrowns topped with cheese and spicy mayo, too, because who cares about nutritional value.

Casey helped me finish THE COMPANION earlier. It was my first E.E. Ottoman, after years of curiosity about his books, and I very much appreciated it as a celebration of trans love and self-acceptance, all wrapped up in woodsy writing vibes.

That said, I wanted more emotional grounding before the romances actually kicked off, and I feel like the book needed one more close line edit to fix issues like missing words and homonyms.