Fugazi - Albini Sessions
The best thing about break is a lack of colleagues or students in dept. Blasting this new release today and revisiting the back catalog as well.
Bandcamp
fugazi.bandcamp.com
Albini Sessions (Benefit for Letters Charity) - Fugazi - Bandcamp
The Bride movie poster
Crappy day, dreich weather so escaping and heading to the cinema tocatch opening showing of The Bride.
Ice by Jacek Dukaj and Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
Did really enjoy the Becky Chambers + hoping we see something new from them at some point. I'm still working on Ice, 1200 page Polish sci-fi brick, ~200 pages in, it's a dense slow read. My 'pocket book' for reading when on bus etc is 2nd book in Realm of the Elderling, Royal Assassin, by Robin Hobb
Malazan Book of the Fallen volume 5 (Midnight Tides) and 6 (the Bonehunters) by Steven Erikson. Deluxe editions from Subterannean Press
It's nice to be able to upgrade and pick up Deluxe versions of some favorite series. Yesterday's bookmail was the latest 2 Malazan from @subpress.bsky.social now joining volumes 1 - 4 on a rapidly running out of room bookcase
Batshit and not bathing... Great movie, lots of fun with wonderful performances and a superb cast.
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die movie poster
Getting back into groove and avoiding the news with my regular Saturday cinema trip. This week, a wee bit of gonzo time-travel stuff with Sam Rockwell who plays bathing crazy so well.
Fifth Heart by Dan Simmons
Drood by Dan Simmons
So Dan Simmons died. To be honest, after hearing about his descent into more than a wee bit extremist views, it's good nothing came out in the last decade or so as separating the artist from their work would be tough. Obviously Hyperion and the Terror are great but he also wrote two other standouts
I hadn't read a lot of Polish SciFi or fantasy (inevitably a few of the Witcher books and a chunk of Stanislaw Lem in grad school) so kind of jumping in the deep end with thus one but it got good reviews and the Locus review tipped me over the edge..
locusmag.com/review/ice-b...
Only one on this list i have not read yet...
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/d...
Coincidentally my local library book sale had a used copy of Against the Day for $1 last week. Picked it up and planning to take it as a reread on trip back to UK as a book to donate/leave behind when done but like chunky tomes for that transatlantic flight
Ice by Jacek Dukaj
While we are not getting hammered like the rest of the US and the title is not exactly popular up here in Minnesota, im starting this 1200 page translated from Polish brick of a book. Read about it in best new SF in Guardian last year but only came out in US in January so giving it a try
All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone by Explosions in the Sky
Grading music for the night. All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone by Explosions in the Sky. While the original album is great, the bonus disc of remixes especially Fourtet's Catastrophe and yhe Cure raises the standard even higher..
Crime101 movie poster
First 8 of 23 group research papers graded so taking a break and hitting the cinema. Whatever the flick that the line skipping entitles rude ass-hats are going to, it's not Crime101 since im the only one in here...
Broken Binding versions of Murderbot Diaries and Network Effect by Martha Wells
Also in the mail - @thebrokenbinding.bsky.social Murderbot set which are lovely looking books and begging a reread!
Lividian reissue of Robert McCammon's Speaks the Nightbird
Latest bookmail but it's nothing new. For almost completeness (please redo #2), I picked up the @lividian.bsky.social version of Speaks the Nightbird - i have a signed original HB so this is a reading copy and copies of 3 -10 from both Sub press and Lividian on the shelf.
Wonderful off-kilter soundtrack which I often crank up when doing paperwork/grading
Catherine Wheel - Ferment CD cover
Catherine Wheel - Chrome CD cover
Catherine Wheel - Happy Days CD cover
Catherine Wheel - Adam and Eve CD cover
Wading through the grading of research papers and the soundtrack is cranking up the first 4 Catherine Wheel albums which are an absolute stellar run of releases. Well crafted songs and amazing production and sound quality plus the Talk Talk references on Happy Days are just the cherry on the top!
Boy with Accidental Dinosaur by Ian McDonald
Hearthspace by Stephen Baxter
In between a grading stack of 23 1st year chemistry research papers on bioplastics. I'm finishing off Stephen Baxters latest Hearthspace (started last week) and have on the stack a wee novella Boy with Accidental Dinosaur by Ian McDonald
Zombi - Surface to Air CD
Today's soundtrack for sorting conference registrations + schedules is 2nd album by Zombi - Surface to Air aka what Rush would sound like if just bass, drums and keyboard or possibly progressive space rock. Great album for just cranking through Googley forms with the odd break for air drumming..
Mogwai Young Team album cover
Todays CD is a long time favorite. Weirdly I had never come across them in Glasgow but at Phoenix Festival in 1997, I remember a wee bloke with guitar in a big anorak and an awesome sound. Young Team dropped soon after and been a fan ever since catching them on both sides of the pond.. @mogwai.scot
Fantastic book and had me googlin' to see what he's done since Monument Maker. A new book of music writing comes out stateside in June so just pre-ordered it.
Oops, that was hit up since I slithered my way there last week. Got to love a day where it warmed up above freezing enough to melt snow then froze all the puddles to essentially skating rinks the next day
Dresden Files Book 18: Twelve Months by Jim Butcher, Halycon Years by Alastair Reynold and Hearth Space by Stephen Baxter
Hitting up my local small bookstore for some orders. Been reading the Dresden files since the beginning which is now up to book 18 and two stand-alones from British hard sci-fi writers I've also been following for a long time - Halycon Years by Alastair Reynolds and Hearth Space by Stephen Baxter
Yes - Tales from the Topographic Ocean 12 CD box
While I should be watching the sportsball, I'm instead unwrapping and indulging in the excess of 70s progressive rock. This was one of my gateway albums received on double gatefold vinyl with one song on each side as a birthday present in 80s.. This is the reissued 2026 excessive 12 CD box
The Cracked Mirror by Chris Brookmyre and Monumental by Adam Nevill
Got back from Atlanta to bookmail so this week is new one (monumental) by Adam Nevill #it'ssofluffy.. And i completely missed picking up last @brookmyre.bsky.social so picked that up and excited for the new one later this year
Heartstone (Shardlake #5) by C.J. Sansom and John Dies at the End by David Wong aka Jason Pargin
My traditional book when travelling for a conference is the next Shardlake since sitting in airports /on planes, i need distraction so up to #5 Heartstone. Also rereading John Dies at the End since next volume comes out later this year and have The Jennifer Morgue by Charles Stross in my work bag
Ravensburger. 2,000 pieces, The Allegory of Sight by Brueghel the Elder
Ravensburger. 2,000 pieces, The Allegory of Sight by Brueghel the Elder
Avoiding -48 degree C windchill and staying in the house meant plenty of time to finish off the latest puzzle on the table
2,000 piece Jigsaw of Brueghel's The Allegory of Sight
It is a balmy -27 degrees Celsius out there with feels like -42 from wind so heading home after 2 hrs of science outreach and subsequent tidying up. My 2,000 piece puzzle is calling as tonight, there will be no frolicking in the outsides...
Midnight Oil Full Tank and Overflow tank compilations - multiple CDs and DVDs inside replica water tanks
Seen a good few hundred bands over the years and of them one of the greats who I think i got to see 10 or so times was Midnight Oil who were an intense and tight live act powered by an amazing drummer Rob Hirst who just passed away. Cracked open the Tanks tonight and loaded up the CD player....
28 Years Later - The Bone Temple poster
Taught my 5 x 3 hr labs for the week, all handouts and assignments posted, urgent emails cleared and don't feel bad especially as pulled 3 x 12 hr days this week to cut out early and visit the Bone Temple
