The Hunter, by Tana French
Nov. 19th, 2025 08:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
runpunkrunThis follows The Seeker, and I enjoyed it even more than the first book. That one was all Cal, who is still solving a lot of his problems with his fists, but here Lena and Trey provide an interesting balance to Cal's blunt force approach. French builds on the events of the first book, drawing out the tension between the characters, where even the most innocuous of conversations between the villagers are filled with hidden meaning and layered with unspoken threats as they seek out peace, safety, and revenge.
The third book in this series is expected next March, and I look forward to reading it.
Contains: Child harm; dog harm; violence (both interpersonal and mob); fire.
The third book in this series is expected next March, and I look forward to reading it.
Contains: Child harm; dog harm; violence (both interpersonal and mob); fire.
Wednesday Reading Meme
Nov. 19th, 2025 09:50 amspikedluvHoly moly, I finally finished a book! A combination of reading/writing fic, watching tv shows/movies, and my fun bout of sciatica meant I didn’t pick up a book for weeks! October 1st was the last time I posted a reading meme! That’s six weeks! Yikes. I had even requested three books from the library, two of which I had to return because I ran out of renewals.
What I Just Finished Reading: Since my last Wednesday Reading Meme post I have read/finished reading: Winging It with You by Chip Pons.
What I am Currently Reading: Guardian of the Horizon (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) by Elizabeth Peters.
What I Plan to Read Next: Despite my track record, I have requested three more books from the library. o_O One has been shipped, so I will hopefully have that one soon.
Book 105 of 2025: Winging It with You (Chip Pons)
I enjoyed this book, though you wouldn't know it by how long it took me to read it. ( spoilers )
I was feeling so good about this book by the end that I looked up the author to see what else he'd written. I'm giving this book four hearts and may yet read another of his books.
♥♥♥♥
(If anyone is interested in reading this book, please let me know, I’m happy to send it to you. USA only, sorry.)
What I Just Finished Reading: Since my last Wednesday Reading Meme post I have read/finished reading: Winging It with You by Chip Pons.
What I am Currently Reading: Guardian of the Horizon (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) by Elizabeth Peters.
What I Plan to Read Next: Despite my track record, I have requested three more books from the library. o_O One has been shipped, so I will hopefully have that one soon.
Book 105 of 2025: Winging It with You (Chip Pons)
I enjoyed this book, though you wouldn't know it by how long it took me to read it. ( spoilers )
I was feeling so good about this book by the end that I looked up the author to see what else he'd written. I'm giving this book four hearts and may yet read another of his books.
♥♥♥♥
(If anyone is interested in reading this book, please let me know, I’m happy to send it to you. USA only, sorry.)
Fanartist rec: Kaitlin Wadley
Nov. 19th, 2025 01:28 pmmekare posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
drawesomeFanartist's name: dorkbait, Kaitlin Wadley
Content Notes: some works are explicit, or feature injuries (think of the Winter Soldier here)
Medium: traditional, mixed media
Artist's main websites: Official website,![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
dorkbait
About this artist: Kaitlin is a professionally trained artist from the US. I first came across her work on Tumblr while I was deeply in Marvel fandom after the Captain America films. I love her style of painting portraits and the focus on portraying vulnerability and identity issues from a female gazey perspective.
The stuff from the 2010s was mostly ink, gouache and acrylics, but it seem she recently started embroidery art too (see example below).
Source: This article at the Daily Dot by Gavia Baker-Whitelaw
I can relate to this quote so much, especially regarding all my feelings about Bucky several years ago.
Examples:
silk embroidered bird (G rating)
Bucky Inktober piece from 2015 (I‘d rate this one T because of "viscuous nightmare fluid"), it‘s best to look at the whole Inktober series in sequence because each art piece also features a bit of writing which shows Bucky‘s journey dealing with recovering his sense of self.
Young Man with stigmata from 2023 which clearly shows her Renaissance painting influences (look at that hand!). This is Interview with the Vampire fanart of Armand, I think.
Content Notes: some works are explicit, or feature injuries (think of the Winter Soldier here)
Medium: traditional, mixed media
Artist's main websites: Official website,
About this artist: Kaitlin is a professionally trained artist from the US. I first came across her work on Tumblr while I was deeply in Marvel fandom after the Captain America films. I love her style of painting portraits and the focus on portraying vulnerability and identity issues from a female gazey perspective.
The stuff from the 2010s was mostly ink, gouache and acrylics, but it seem she recently started embroidery art too (see example below).
I think partly my work with Bucky does stem from a kind of longstanding frustration with the MCU’s continued refusal to give me what I want. It’s kind of a vicious cycle, because I go into the movies hopeful but knowing that I’m probably not going to get a coherent emotional arc or an examination of Bucky’s psyche, and then of course neither of those things ever happen. So I end up thinking, well, I guess I better make that for myself!
Source: This article at the Daily Dot by Gavia Baker-Whitelaw
I can relate to this quote so much, especially regarding all my feelings about Bucky several years ago.
Examples:
silk embroidered bird (G rating)
Bucky Inktober piece from 2015 (I‘d rate this one T because of "viscuous nightmare fluid"), it‘s best to look at the whole Inktober series in sequence because each art piece also features a bit of writing which shows Bucky‘s journey dealing with recovering his sense of self.
Young Man with stigmata from 2023 which clearly shows her Renaissance painting influences (look at that hand!). This is Interview with the Vampire fanart of Armand, I think.
The Day in Spikedluv (Tuesday, Nov 18)
Nov. 19th, 2025 07:09 amspikedluvI hit Price Chopper and the Pharmacy while I was downtown and Stewart’s on the way home from mom’s. I heard ‘(My Angel is a) Centerfold’ while I was at BK. It was certainly a blast from the past and I immediately wondered just exactly what kind of playlist they’ve chosen?!! o_O It’s certainly a choice.
I drove mom to her treatment, did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, emptied the dishwasher and ran another load, went for a couple walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter. I made the meatloaf for supper before I picked mom up and stuck it in the fridge. I serve it with mashed potatoes and green beans. Always. Don’t ask me to change this! Also, it was really good.
I baked some cookies from frozen cookie dough that I bought for a school fundraiser. I also filled some wishes at Holiday Wishes, which made me feel good. I read fanfic and started an actual book.
Temps started out at 34.2(F) and reached 37.0.
Mom Update:
Mom was doing okay today. She’s admitted that she’s getting more tired and weak, which the person doing her treatment said was to be expected. She didn’t have any issues eating.
I got her mail, wrote out checks (her hands still shake pretty badly) and put them back in the mailbox; filled pill organizers, and did dishes for her.
I drove mom to her treatment, did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, emptied the dishwasher and ran another load, went for a couple walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter. I made the meatloaf for supper before I picked mom up and stuck it in the fridge. I serve it with mashed potatoes and green beans. Always. Don’t ask me to change this! Also, it was really good.
I baked some cookies from frozen cookie dough that I bought for a school fundraiser. I also filled some wishes at Holiday Wishes, which made me feel good. I read fanfic and started an actual book.
Temps started out at 34.2(F) and reached 37.0.
Mom Update:
Mom was doing okay today. She’s admitted that she’s getting more tired and weak, which the person doing her treatment said was to be expected. She didn’t have any issues eating.
I got her mail, wrote out checks (her hands still shake pretty badly) and put them back in the mailbox; filled pill organizers, and did dishes for her.
Surely you invoke the negative energy that's effecting the vibes???
Nov. 19th, 2025 11:19 amoursin posting in agonyauntThe yoga studio where I teach hasn’t been paying me on time (AAM: 4th one down):
I’ve been teaching yoga for about four years now and was hired for my first job at this small group training facility. I teach once a week and often sub for one of the two other instructors. I previously got paid monthly. I have a full-time job and this is my side gig. So, it’s money I use for things like gifts, or save up for vacations.
Over the last two years, my monthly payment stretched to being paid every two months. This past year, it’s stretched out to being paid every four or five months. I’ve asked the owners several times to leave a check for me for next week. I’ve also asked if there is an easier way for them to pay me, such as Venmo or direct deposit.
I’m at the point now where I’m owed for over 21 classes ($40 per class). Enrollment in the small training groups seems to have dropped as I’m seeing new members less. People do join for the yoga-only package to come to the yoga classes. What’s the best way to ask to be paid and let them know I can’t/shouldn’t have to wait longer than two months for payment? I’m at the point now where I want to say that I won’t teach until I get paid, but that isn’t really my vibe.
Alison responds: ( saying that you won’t teach until you get paid should be your vibe )
ride_4ever posting in ds_noticeboardTitle: Things Counter, Original, Spare, Strange
Fandoms: due South x Wristcutters crossover
Rating: Mature
Category: Gen, M/M
Pairing: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Characters: Robert "Bob" Fraser, Benton Fraser, Ray Kowalski, mention of Uncle Tiberius Fraser, mention of Diefenbaker, mention of Nanuk (from Wristcutters), mention of Raife Kneller (from Wristcutters)
Word count: 400 (quadruple drabble)
Summary: Dead!Bob knows first-hand that All Hallow’s Eve is when The Veil between the living and the dead is at its most thin...but he doesn't know anything about Halloween-themed sex toys until Ray Kowalski has something to say about it.
Fic on AO3.
Fandoms: due South x Wristcutters crossover
Rating: Mature
Category: Gen, M/M
Pairing: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Characters: Robert "Bob" Fraser, Benton Fraser, Ray Kowalski, mention of Uncle Tiberius Fraser, mention of Diefenbaker, mention of Nanuk (from Wristcutters), mention of Raife Kneller (from Wristcutters)
Word count: 400 (quadruple drabble)
Summary: Dead!Bob knows first-hand that All Hallow’s Eve is when The Veil between the living and the dead is at its most thin...but he doesn't know anything about Halloween-themed sex toys until Ray Kowalski has something to say about it.
Fic on AO3.
Fannish 50 Challenge 2025: Post # 39: My Firewhisky Fic First Place Winner - Shocktober Edition
Nov. 18th, 2025 07:04 pmride_4ever
My FWF First Place Winner - Category: "Best Use of Prompt" - Shocktober Edition
Title: Things Counter, Original, Spare, Strange
Fandoms: due South, Wristcutters
Rating: Mature
Category: Gen, M/M
Pairing: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Characters: Robert "Bob" Fraser, Benton Fraser, Ray Kowalski, mention of Uncle Tiberius Fraser, mention of Diefenbaker (the half-wolf, not the former Canadian Prime Minister), mention of Nanuk (from Wristcutters), mention of Raife Kneller (from Wristcutters)
Word count: 400 (quadruple drabble)
Summary: Sergeant Robert Fraser -- dead Robert Fraser -- knows first-hand that All Hallow’s Eve is when The Veil between the living and the dead is at its most thin...but he doesn't know anything about Halloween-themed sex toys until Ray Kowalski has something to say about it.
Author's Notes: Written for the recurring Firewhiskey Fic Challenge, a 48-hour period during which fanworks creators drink "adult beverages" or "do the 420" and create their fanworks "under the influence" with no editing allowed. Participants then view all the fanworks and vote on them in the categories of Most Coherent Entry, Least Coherent Entry, Funniest Entry, Favorite Entry, Best Use of Prompt, and Best Smut.
Fic on AO3.
Creatively Describe your Employment History
Nov. 18th, 2025 07:08 pmflamingswordMy friend genderjumper said, “There's a meme I cannot easily share here about neurodivergent folks having eclectic career tracks and a friend inspired me to do my own list of occupations.” And now I am sheeping my own way along this meme!
Childcare Lackey
Unpaid Tutor
Freelance Prankster
Librarian’s Assistant (volunteer)
File Clerk
Fried Chicken Distributor
Magic the Gathering Referee / Comic Salesperson
Cancer Care Volunteer
Coffee Slinger
Sword Shop Assistant
Call Center Wage Monkey
Copying Machine Slavey
Professional Person-Rubber
Volunteer Phone-Banker
Bath Product Artisan
Professional Nose
Short-Lived Booth Babe
Scientific Interviewee
Server Maintenance Codemonkey
QUILTBAG Community Moderator (unpaid)
Autism Research Autodidact (unpaid)
Business Criticizer
This is roughly chronological? But y’all know how my memory do.
genderjumper said, “There's a meme I cannot easily share here about neurodivergent folks having eclectic career tracks and a friend inspired me to do my own list of occupations.” And now I am sheeping my own way along this meme! Childcare Lackey
Unpaid Tutor
Freelance Prankster
Librarian’s Assistant (volunteer)
File Clerk
Fried Chicken Distributor
Magic the Gathering Referee / Comic Salesperson
Cancer Care Volunteer
Coffee Slinger
Sword Shop Assistant
Call Center Wage Monkey
Copying Machine Slavey
Professional Person-Rubber
Volunteer Phone-Banker
Bath Product Artisan
Professional Nose
Short-Lived Booth Babe
Scientific Interviewee
Server Maintenance Codemonkey
QUILTBAG Community Moderator (unpaid)
Autism Research Autodidact (unpaid)
Business Criticizer
This is roughly chronological? But y’all know how my memory do.
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, ed. Ellen Oh & Elsie Chapman (2018) [part 3]
Nov. 18th, 2025 04:53 pmpauraqueThis is part three of my book club notes on A Thousand Beginnings and Endings. [Part one, part two.]
Something I learned in this meeting that I did not previously realize is that a number of the authors in the collection are best known for YA. This does explain why it was shelved under YA in the library, which I have to admit I did not see as significant given that I also had to visit the YA section to find Dracula (because their copy is part of a series of "classic canon" repubs marketed to teens). I had noticed that some of the entries certainly are YA, which I don't consider a bad thing in itself, but in this batch of stories we did experience a disconnect between the marketed-to audience and ourselves.
"Nothing Into All" by Renée Ahdieh
( An embittered brother and a doormat sister run across goblins that can turn anything into gold. )
"Spear Carrier" by Naomi Kanakia
[Note: This book was published before Kanakia came out as trans, so it lists this story under her former name Rahul Kanakia.]
( A look at the Mahabharata from the POV of one of the five million soldiers in the climactic battle. )
"Code of Honor" by Melissa de la Cruz
( A Filipina vampire seeks belonging in New York City. )
"Bullet, Butterfly" by Elsie Chapman
( In a war-torn country, a boy disguises himself as a girl to infiltrate a munitions factory. )
Something I learned in this meeting that I did not previously realize is that a number of the authors in the collection are best known for YA. This does explain why it was shelved under YA in the library, which I have to admit I did not see as significant given that I also had to visit the YA section to find Dracula (because their copy is part of a series of "classic canon" repubs marketed to teens). I had noticed that some of the entries certainly are YA, which I don't consider a bad thing in itself, but in this batch of stories we did experience a disconnect between the marketed-to audience and ourselves.
"Nothing Into All" by Renée Ahdieh
( An embittered brother and a doormat sister run across goblins that can turn anything into gold. )
"Spear Carrier" by Naomi Kanakia
[Note: This book was published before Kanakia came out as trans, so it lists this story under her former name Rahul Kanakia.]
( A look at the Mahabharata from the POV of one of the five million soldiers in the climactic battle. )
"Code of Honor" by Melissa de la Cruz
( A Filipina vampire seeks belonging in New York City. )
"Bullet, Butterfly" by Elsie Chapman
( In a war-torn country, a boy disguises himself as a girl to infiltrate a munitions factory. )
grump
Nov. 18th, 2025 04:44 pmthe_shoshanna1) I got water in one ear in my shower yesterday that has still not cleared. So I feel a lot of pressure in my head and it's given me a headache all day. (I have been trying all the recommended ways to clear it; no luck.)
2) Our ground-floor bathroom is being painted -- which, yay for being aaaaaaalmost done with the renovations, my god I cannot wait. But one of the painters has been coughing a lot, which may be nothing (I mean, I have a persistent cough myself, plus I just saw out of my office window him going out for a smoke, which sure could explain it), but nonetheless Geoff and I have been staying upstairs in our offices, which means I haven't done a bunch of things I might have done downstairs.
Ah, I see from my window that the painters are leaving, so we'll let the air filter downstairs run a while longer and then I can go start on food prep and other downstairs things. Also I can go look at which the bathroom looks like! We had to change our choice of flooring at the last minute and I spent five seconds going, yeah, I think the paint we chose to go with the old floor choice will go with the new one, sure, why not! because I could not face starting the color choice process over from scratch, and anyway it's not like we use that bathroom a lot, and if we hate it we can repaint it. Later. Much later.
And in the meantime I will take some ibuprofen and pull at my earlobe some more.
2) Our ground-floor bathroom is being painted -- which, yay for being aaaaaaalmost done with the renovations, my god I cannot wait. But one of the painters has been coughing a lot, which may be nothing (I mean, I have a persistent cough myself, plus I just saw out of my office window him going out for a smoke, which sure could explain it), but nonetheless Geoff and I have been staying upstairs in our offices, which means I haven't done a bunch of things I might have done downstairs.
Ah, I see from my window that the painters are leaving, so we'll let the air filter downstairs run a while longer and then I can go start on food prep and other downstairs things. Also I can go look at which the bathroom looks like! We had to change our choice of flooring at the last minute and I spent five seconds going, yeah, I think the paint we chose to go with the old floor choice will go with the new one, sure, why not! because I could not face starting the color choice process over from scratch, and anyway it's not like we use that bathroom a lot, and if we hate it we can repaint it. Later. Much later.
And in the meantime I will take some ibuprofen and pull at my earlobe some more.
