Mary

Karmic reward/punishment for trying to pick that kitten from the tree.

I’d somehow thought it was a novella, going in, and then was surprised and delighted when it just kept going. 😂

If she likes pizza, maybe introduce her to the classic grilled cheese sandwiches & tomato soup?

I liked this one a lot! It’s part 1 of a duology (part 2 came out in October) that she says rekindled her love of writing, and you can see that enjoyment in the work.

17. ANNIE BOT, Sierra Greer (2024).

A robot girlfriend slowly learns to recognize her owner’s selfishness and her own humanity. Not a pleasant reading experience, but a compelling one.

16. THE WITCH ROADS, Kate Elliott (2025).

A lowly courier must conceal her own secrets as she guides an arrogant prince & his wardens through dangerous backcountry—but while those secrets threaten her bond w/ her beloved trans nephew, they also attract the powerful haunt who possesses the prince.

the use of religious mysteries as magic is so cool!

Canelé - Wikipedia

so many! The miso peanut butter cookie is a new favourite; so is the cheesy pull-apart bread (which, toasted, makes the perfect vehicle for the white truffle spread we got in Italy). And TWO of the bakeries make canelés! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canel%C...

Also we’re staying in a different part of the city while doing renovations on our condo right now, and it is a lot of fun exploring a new area, finding new favorite bakeries, etc. Hoping the weather improves so we can explore some more before moving back next month.

I can’t remember if you’ve talked about this in your cross dressing-girls-with-swords media reviews, but I’m reading Heather Rose Jones’s Daughter of Mystery right now and enjoying it in a quiet low-key way, along with its very slow-burn sapphic romance and the 1830s Ruritanian worldbuilding!

I cut myself badly once during a sisters’ weekend shortly after I’d started blood thinners, and my older sister VAULTED over two four-foot fences to get first-aid kit from the car. There was indeed a lot of blood…

This fic is delicious & made me tell Aubrey that you are the best writer I know at capturing voice—both characters’ voices & authorial voice—& we both agree that you ought to be a gentleman of leisure ~200 years ago with many hobbies & time to indulge them. (But then: no fic! We’ll keep you here.)

Love a good colcannon! Especially how variable it is: kale works just as well as cabbage, and a little green onion is delicious.

Thank you for sharing Wimsey with us. He was such a good cat.

I have kept my old diaries solely to keep me humble

Gosh I miss listening to spring peepers in the evening dusk. Nothing like them!!!

they really are sucking out every bit of joy they can find

The amazing thing is that this work does have a brutal, high-tension interrogation scene (albeit 4 chapters prior) but the rest of the comment is just misdirected nonsense that miiiight have passed as a marketing attempt if they’d gotten pronouns right. It’s BAD AI spam.

Oyakodon (Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl) (Video) 親子丼 Make Oyakodon at home—a cozy chicken and egg rice bowl recipe that’s quick, easy, and ready in 30 minutes for a comforting Japanese meal everyone will love.

This one is great! www.justonecookbook.com/oyakodon/

I missed the option to report, but will bear it in mind for next time. So sorry you’ve been dealing with those.

A bowl of oyakodon (Japanese chicken & egg rice bowl) with bok choy

Oyakodon for dinner on this snowy day. (There’s white rice underneath and bok choy in the background)

Screenshot of a comment email sent by Archive of Our Own. The comment is from a registered user and reads: Amelia_evelyne827 (Registered User) left the following comment on Chapter 10: The End of Every Road of ANBU Legacy - Sand and Snakes: A brutal, high tension interrogation scene that excels in sensory detail and psychological dread, though it occasionally risks overwhelming the reader with density. Your self expression whether on paper or screen is captivating. Drawing scenes, characters, and entire pages is just part of your daily routine; you have an innate ability to create images. This versatile skill set is appropriate for both digital animations and static drawings. You are proficient in a variety of fields, including comics, covers, and long-form illustrations. I am very proud of my abilities and the creativity that drives my work. If you want to connect, please use my DC handle ameliajohn55 and Ig handle ameliajohn3111.

AI garbage hitting even very small fics on AO3 (this installment has less than 3,000 hits).

Blocked and deleted, but that new-comment-email excitement is now going to be forever stained with apprehensive rage…

15. THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS, Ursula K Le Guin (1969).

So much more than “an envoy from the stars visits a planet of ambisexuals.” Struck most on this (re)read by Genly Ai’s misogyny; the rising fascism; the beauty of language; & my own reflections on reactivity & evolution in books & culture.

a reward in itself! congratulations to past you on your foresight

what’s the plan for dinner tonight?

Too much and not enough 😭

I am so, so sorry.

14. A HOUSE BETWEEN SEA AND SKY, Beth Cato (2025)

Cozy, compassionate. A grieving silent film scriptwriter (still caring for her dead family’s magical sourdough starter) saves a despairing stranger from a cliff edge in 1920s Carmel-by-the-Sea, & they both take refuge in Baba Yaga’s empty house.

13. THE WEATHER AT TREGULLA, Stella Gibbons (1962).

Cornwall-set NOT-a-romance by the author of Cold Comfort Farm. Some of the satire is here—taking aim at “artists” & hangers-on—but it’s less successful. Characters who have a lot of growing up to do don’t really do it.

(As expected, I forgot)

12. THE MAN ON THE BLUE, Luke Short (1936).

A gunman on the dodge gets entangled w/ a crooked sheriff & a stolen ranch. Man, I love Luke Short Westerns. They’re formulaic but not as much as Louis L’Amour; they’re brisker & less stereotype-stuffed than Zane Grey. Good fun.