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To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky ChambersAn astronaut chronicles her mission to far-flung worlds, and desperately hopes that someone...

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

An astronaut chronicles her mission to far-flung worlds, and desperately hopes that someone reads it.

I didn't enjoy this as much as I've relished previous chambers novels. Perhaps it was the novella format, or maybe the subject. It's still a very Chambers book, but somehow missing whatever gives me a frisson of delight every time I finish one.

Glad I read it, but unlike every other Chambers book I've read, I'll probably not reread it. 5 stars to the title however, love it and where it comes from, and that *did* elicit a shiver of pleasure! ★★★☆☆

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Scamps & Scoundrels by Eric UglandA thief turned reluctant hero gets isekaied after a house fire, and goes rogue.Another LitRPG novel,...

Scamps & Scoundrels by Eric Ugland

A thief turned reluctant hero gets isekaied after a house fire, and goes rogue.

Another LitRPG novel, and I'm not entirely sure that I appreciate the stats obsession of the genre. I think I like a little less RPG in my novels. Still a fun read. I didn't enjoy this one was much as “Dungeon Crawler Carl”, nevertheless I'll be reading a couple more because I've been told the kobolds are worth it. ★★★☆☆

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Though I haven’t improved as much as I’d like, I’m inordinately pleased with myself to make it to day 601 of everyday sketching....

Though I haven’t improved as much as I’d like, I’m inordinately pleased with myself to make it to day 601 of everyday sketching. Didn’t think I’d last a month when I started and yet, somehow, I just kept going 😀

#Procreate #sketchbook #DailyDrawing

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt DinnimanMarine tech Carl, along with the cat, gets isekai’ed into a “Running Man”esque nightmare of a...

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

Marine tech Carl, along with the cat, gets isekai’ed into a “Running Man”esque nightmare of a dungeon crawl.

I was dubious at the start, but it grew on me as I progressed through the book and was a light, enjoyable read. The characters are not interchangeable Emmas, the writing is fine, and often actually amusing when it tries to be funny. This is definitely a book for people who enjoy gaming, TTRPGs, or LitRPGs, I’d not recommend this series to anyone unfamiliar with any of those things. I’ll be reading more of these. ★★★☆☆

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The Marriage Vendetta by Caroline MaddenThough blurbed as “darkly funny”, “feminist”, promising a “vindictive marriage...

The Marriage Vendetta by Caroline Madden

Though blurbed as “darkly funny”, “feminist”, promising a “vindictive marriage therapist”, and using the tagline “revenge is in session”, it was a huge disappointment. It’s a tedious book about a dim helicopter parent wallowing in self-pity, her cardboard cut-out “friends”, including a “yummy mummy” caricature, unpleasant husbands, at least one of which is a sex pest, and a child who reads “Dilbert”, all capped with “they all cheered at the end”.

I found it silly, unsatisfying, obnoxiously free from fun, and without an iota of revenge. Also, Dilbert FFS?! ★★☆☆☆

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This is absolutely ridiculous in the best, most amazing way. Just wow. https://chaosfem.tw/@KatS/115021237720967022

This is absolutely ridiculous in the best, most amazing way. Just wow. https://chaosfem.tw/@KatS/115021237720967022

I actually managed to do some baking today! Didn’t follow the baking directions exactly, as I have a steam convection oven and haven’t...

I actually managed to do some baking today!

Didn’t follow the baking directions exactly, as I have a steam convection oven and haven’t read the book, so there was a bit of guessing/assuming going on, but they turned out well and taste good.

First time using a poolish, and though they taste very nice I’m such a sourdough fiend I may have to start mollycoddling a starter again.

I also need to work on my shaping and scoring skills 😬

Lean French bread recipe from Modernist Cuisine https://modernistcuisine.com/recipes/french-lean-bread/?mc_cid=c0d50df149

#baking #bread

Has anyone else experienced being wrongly accused of re-uploading someone else’s 3D models? Got a boilerplate warning/accusation saying I...

Has anyone else experienced being wrongly accused of re-uploading someone else’s 3D models?

Got a boilerplate warning/accusation saying I had to prove provenance, but when I reached out I never heard anything back.

Finally got another message today saying if I’d made the models everything was fine, don’t worry about it.

Is this… normal? It doesn’t seem a very good way of handling people stealing models or credit.

Would uploading my FCStd files along with step or stls avoid these kinds of situations?

Also, any reason NOT to upload FCStd files? Apart from my embarrassing workflow 😬

#3DPrinting #Prusa #Printables #FreeCAD

Beautiful Ugly by Alice FeeneyAn author, struggling after the disappearance of his wife, takes his agent up on her offer and retreats to an...

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

An author, struggling after the disappearance of his wife, takes his agent up on her offer and retreats to an island in order to write his next novel.

This was not for me. Rife with weak characters, and poor writing, the prose is fussy and simplistic with no differentiation between different “voices” or styles of writing. F.ex. “newspaper articles” read like the rest of the prose, lacking any journalistic verisimilitude. I also don’t consider stupid shit which is in no way foreshadowed or supported by the writing a “twist”. Not unfinishable, but a waste of my time.

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Demon Copperhead by Barbara KingsolverA loose retelling of David Copperfield set in 90s(?) Appalachia.Well-written, and with a strong...

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

A loose retelling of David Copperfield set in 90s(?) Appalachia.

Well-written, and with a strong narrator, the Dickensian characters are easily recognisable, whilst still working after being updated to the modern setting. The abuses young Demon and his fellow children were subject to felt a little too Victorian, but perhaps they are anchored in some horrible reality. The endless sadness of drug abuse began to wear on me, and had I not previously read David Copperfield, I doubt I’d have enjoyed the book as much. Worth the read. ★★★☆☆

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The Vegetarian by Han KangI did not like this at all. Everything I don't enjoy in literary fiction shows up in this book. Tedious...

The Vegetarian by Han Kang
I did not like this at all. Everything I don't enjoy in literary fiction shows up in this book. Tedious unpleasant people acting in bizarre, unfathomable ways while nothing much really happens, and the ending is supremely unsatisfactory.

I find these kinds of books utterly opaque, and I know it's not the book, it's my brain. Yet, I struggled through it, and actually finished, but I really shouldn't have, I despised every sentence. ★☆☆☆☆

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The Good Wife of Bath by Karen BrooksChaucer’s “Wife of Bath” tale reimagined as being told by the good wife herself.Had I previously...

The Good Wife of Bath by Karen Brooks

Chaucer’s “Wife of Bath” tale reimagined as being told by the good wife herself.

Had I previously read “The Canterbury Tales”, I’m sure I’d have enjoyed “The Good Wife of Bath” even more. My failing didn’t detract from how enjoyable the book was, however. It’s an interesting, nicely written novel grounded in historical detail, and was a sublime pairing to my concurrent play-through of “Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2”.

Some sections felt a little overlong for my tastes, making it harder for me to keep focus, but overall I found it an engaging read. ★★★☆☆

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Finished my first playthrough of #KCD2 today, and immediately started a second Hardcore one. I’d never have picked up #KCD1 if not for the...

Finished my first playthrough of #KCD2 today, and immediately started a second Hardcore one.

I’d never have picked up #KCD1 if not for the fanart. Warhorse Studios sold at least four copies due solely to fan artists.

Love the art, the story, the characters, the jokes, the world. Here’s hoping we may see more of Henry of Skalitz!

#gaming #KingdomComeDeliverance

😮 I’ve always wanted to see the Bayeux Tapestry *proceeds to begin pining* https://tech.lgbt/@Natasha_Jay/114823886046512903

😮 I’ve always wanted to see the Bayeux Tapestry *proceeds to begin pining* https://tech.lgbt/@Natasha_Jay/114823886046512903

Bad Blood by John CarreyrouThe rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes as told by the journalist who first broke the story about Theranos back in...

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou

The rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes as told by the journalist who first broke the story about Theranos back in 2015.

After listening to the “The Dropout” podcast, and then watching the TV series of the same name, both of which were based on “Bad Blood”, I thought it was time to read the source material. It's well-written and ultimately led to Holmes being stopped. Though I found myself enjoying the material more as a TV series, this is still a fascinating read. ★★★☆☆

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An Accidental History of Tudor England by Steven Gunn & Tomasz GromelskiA fascinating account of the myriad ways to die in an accident...

An Accidental History of Tudor England by Steven Gunn & Tomasz Gromelski

A fascinating account of the myriad ways to die in an accident in Tudor England. From falling off a cart, to drowning while doing laundry, the dangers of everyday life revealed.

The research done on inquests and coroner’s reports reveals a vast amount of information, and the authors make sense of it in engagingly and with compassion. If you have more than a passing interest in history or Tudor England, it’s well worth a read. ★★★☆☆

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Got my grubby little paws on Kingdom Come: Deliverance II thanks to lovely @ingy gifting me a copy and I’ve been playing it for hours....

Got my grubby little paws on Kingdom Come: Deliverance II thanks to lovely @ingy gifting me a copy and I’ve been playing it for hours. It’s so much fun! I’m absolutely loving it 😻 #KCD2 #KingdomComeDeliverance

Written on the Dark by Guy Gavriel KaySet in Ferrieres, Kay’s alt-version of medieval France, in the city of Orane, Thierry Villar, tavern...

Written on the Dark by Guy Gavriel Kay

Set in Ferrieres, Kay’s alt-version of medieval France, in the city of Orane, Thierry Villar, tavern poet, is about to become in embroiled in affairs much more complicated than a rivalry for Jo­lis de Charette’s affections.

As usual, I found Kay’s prose beautiful, filled with sentences I love reading. The way he ruminates upon fate, feelings, and fortunes, and the inevitable bittersweet of his characters lives is once again extremely rewarding. Written in the Dark is yet another tile in the Sarantine mosaic, and I really enjoyed it. ★★★★☆

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Room by Emma DonoghueFive-year-old Jack and Ma, live happily together in Room, or so Jack thinks.I hesitate to say I like this book, but I...

Room by Emma Donoghue

Five-year-old Jack and Ma, live happily together in Room, or so Jack thinks.

I hesitate to say I like this book, but I found it believable as a story told from the perspective of a child. I’m not sure that I could have stomached this written from Ma’s POV. The POV chosen allows the horrors visited upon Ma and Jack to unfurl obliquely throughout. Though Jack is the protagonist, it was Ma who occupied my thoughts. I can’t help but think about all the real Ma’s out there. This, for me, is true horror. The stuff that can and does happen, not the things that go bump in the night. ★★★★☆

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The Ladie Upstairs by Jessie EllandAnn the scullery maid becomes obsessed with the Lady upstairs.I didn't like this at all. A fire-hose...

The Ladie Upstairs by Jessie Elland

Ann the scullery maid becomes obsessed with the Lady upstairs.

I didn't like this at all. A fire-hose of verbiage is splattered on every page. Everything is overly described, often luridly. It wasn't scary, horrific, or uncomfortable to read, just very, very tedious. I quickly became bored as all characters are two-dimensional cardboard cutouts, and a story barely exists. Once done, it just felt like I'd wasted my time. No real story, no real characters, middling writing, no real horror, no sapphic romance, a stretch to call it historical fiction, not for me. ★★☆☆☆

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