Authority, by Jeff Vandermeer

Apr. 18th, 2026 10:13 am
rachelmanija: (Books: old)
[personal profile] rachelmanija


This sequel to Annihilation takes an unusual approach. Rather than returning to Area X, almost the entire book takes place outside of it, focusing on the scientific/government agency, the Southern Reach, which has been sending expeditions into it.

Most of the book is bureaucratic shenanigans with creeping horror undertones. The main character, unsubtly nicknamed Control, is slowly losing his mind trying to figure out what the hell happened to his predecessor and why she kept a live plant feeding off a dead mouse in her desk drawer, what is up with the bizarre incantatory literal writings on the wall, and what's up with the biologist, who has seemingly returned from Area X but says she's not the biologist and asks to be called Ghost Bird. There's parts that are interesting but also a lot of office satire which is not really what I was looking for in this series.

About 80% in, the book took a turn that got me suddenly very interested.

Read more... )

I kind of want to know what happens next but I'm not sure Vandermeer is interested in giving readers what they want.
[syndicated profile] fail_feed

Posted by Etai Eshet

A month of ignored maintenance tickets for a basement that smells like a collapsed sewer line. Every time someone filed a complaint, a guy showed up with a plunger, poked around for twenty minutes, and left. The pipe was collapsed. That is not a plunger situation. Everyone knew this. Nobody did anything about it.

This story hits home because in the 5 years of living in my apartment, never, not even once, did it not take the group chat to organize to get management to do its job.

[syndicated profile] fail_feed

Posted by Remy Millisky

This person has lost their ability to sleep in on a Saturday morning, and it inspired them to write an email in hopes that'll change. 

Noise ordinances are in place for a reason. People rarely consider how much noise impacts their life until it's disrupting their day-to-day life. 

What's a guy to do when sleep is disrupted every single weekend? For a lot of people, weekends are their only chances to sleep in, and they have to wake up at 7 or 8 AM the rest of the week. Not waking up to any kind of alarm is so restorative. But waking up to the loud whir of a lawn mower at 6 in the morning is like, the worst alarm clock in the world.

Context Dependant

Apr. 18th, 2026 09:25 am
muccamukk: Keren looking extremely dubious. Text: There was more than one lobster present at the birth of Jesus? (Love Actually: Lobster Jesus)
[personal profile] muccamukk
I really enjoy Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman's Saturday morning "What the Heck Just Happened?" chats. It really does just feel like my aunties talking smack about history.

In today's episode (Video, 41 Minutes), they were discussing ways to think about corruption and how to deal with it—using Hamilton, Lincoln, the Nixon/Kennedy debates and Representative Maxwell Frost as examples. HCR mentioned that a lot of USian students don't learn the technicalities of how the government works, such as "this is the legal definition of [thing], and therefore the law says you can do [such and such] about it" (my paraphrase). And also how when exposed to this information, people of all ages are often amazed and eager to learn more. (Thus both women's teaching and social media strategies).

(I'm not especially ragging on the U.S. education system here; most Canadians don't learn civics either.)

Which reminded me of a class a few weeks ago, where (like most of my classes) most of the students are Gen Z, and either weren't born during the ramp up to the 2003 U.S. Invasion of Iraq, or were tiny smol and don't remember it (see me, and the Fall of the Berlin Wall, "you're welcome" to anyone who I just made feel very old). The professor was explaining how it had been sold to the public, the WMD lies, etc, and its echos (or not) in current events.

The class was agog! They were entranced! They were listening the most sensational soap opera unfold! "What? Really!?" they gasped. "Why didn't we know this!?" they demanded.

"It's not taught," the professor answered; "it's not your fault that you don't know."

I think when I was coming up, history ended with the Cold War. To be fair, that was somewhat due to when the textbooks were written (and a couple still had the U.S.S.R. on the maps). In part, it's difficult to write about something you're in the middle of. But how much of what we're doing now needs the context of 9/11, and the second Iraq War, and the Patriot Act, and and and... ? And how we all understood that day that the world would never be the same. (Which also needs the context of events before, of course.) We all need to know this history, but not everyone who is in elected office today is old enough to remember it.

I'm just sad there wasn't time to tell them about Freedom Fries :(
kat_lair: (GEN -monet)
[personal profile] kat_lair
***

Title: Starting Tomorrow
Author:[personal profile] kat_lair
Fandom: 阴阳师 | Yīn Yáng Shī | The Yin-yang Master (Movies - Guo Jingming)
Pairing: Bo Ya/Qing Ming
Tags: Drabble, Second Chances
Rating: G
Word count: 100

Summary: He can change.

Author notes: Spring defiance from under the crushing forces of capitalism = a drabble a day in April. This one for [personal profile] corvidology who requested this fandom and gave the following as the prompt from “Facing the Sea, With Spring Flowers Blossoming” (《面朝大海春暖花开》) by Haizi:
从明天起,做一个幸福的人。
I will be a happy person starting tomorrow.

Starting Tomorrow on AO3

Starting Tomorrow )

***
[syndicated profile] fail_feed

Posted by Celeste Mello

I used to think traffic cones meant a space was reserved for a good reason. Turns out, sometimes they just mean someone feels entitled to it. 

Traffic cones are usually respected by drivers without question. And why wouldn't they be respected? They're meant to serve a purpose, and they typically signal something official, like construction zones or some kind of legitimate need. So it's only fair that they're given some respect.

But what if I told you some people place them there, not out of necessity or safety, but for their own convenience?

[syndicated profile] fail_feed

Posted by Jesse Kessenheimer

He delivered a fresh order of comeuppance when this customer thought he knew better than a lowly delivery driver. 

Why do customers always prejudge and disrespect the working man

As if the blue-collar delivery employee operating a forklift to offload 2 tons of solid cedar decking doesn't understand the nuances of their trade, this customer thought that he could badmouth his correspondent and get away with it. Well, instead of fighting back with an aggressive customer, this delivery driver decided to move forward with his $6000 drop off per the client's request, without question. 

This resulted in the customer ultimately losing thousands of dollars and eating a slice of humble pie. 

james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll
Poll #34492 Books Received, April 11 — April 17
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 15


Which of these look interesting?

View Answers

The Thrice-Bound Fool by Christopher Buehlman (Ocober 2026)
5 (33.3%)

The Slantwise Histories and Other Stories by Alix E. Harrow (October 2026)
6 (40.0%)

Nightcurse by Emma Hinds (October 2026)
1 (6.7%)

The Killing Spell by Shay Kauwe (April 2026)
4 (26.7%)

Claimed by the Orc King by Roxy Taylor (November 2026)
0 (0.0%)

Some other option (see comments)
1 (6.7%)

Cats!
11 (73.3%)

james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


Five books new to me. At least four are fantasy (the collection might be a mix of genres). At least one is part of a series.

Books Received, April 11 — April 17

That was random

Apr. 18th, 2026 06:27 am
annavere: disoriented (Libby)
[personal profile] annavere
I have several times been recommended Farscape, by people whose taste I trust. I have also seen it routinely rank high on lists of Best Sci-Fi Shows. However, before any of that, I did attempt to watch the first episode on Netflix, and was so irritated I shut it off before it was even over, because the characters were massively annoying and the attempts at comedy were so offputtingly juvenile that I was pretty sure the show just wasn't my thing. I have always believed it must get better, so it's been on my eventual watch list, but always near the bottom, in the "okay, if you say so" section.

Today, I discovered that Plex has live TV, like cable. And I could channel surf! And one channel had Farscape, so I gave it the random episode treatment, to see if it might serve as a better intro than having to sit through the pilot a second time. And it did!

So, the episode I randomly watched was like an acid trip explained with bullshit technobabble (*affectionate*). The crew's living ship was pregnant. They went into starburst (the travel method, not the candy) and accidentally got wedged into some kind of dimensional rift, at which point rugged science-brained man of action Crichton (the freaked out guy from the pilot) went running around different-colored ship dimensions trying not to be sick, and organizing everyone caught on different planes to fire up the engines at the same time. Later, he spoke to the sentient acid trip extra-dimensional jellyfish trying to break through the walls of their dimensions - tipped off by the glowing claw marks left everywhere all being prime numbers. Peaceful communication and cooperation ended up saving the day, which was quite sweet.

Then they all sat around eating space food (some of which looked suspiciously like someone in catering supplied a bowl of cellophane noodles) and being one big happy family.

Amazing set design. Truly, I had a hard time paying attention to the action, too busy staring at the gorgeous ship design, putting all other shows and even some films to shame. Also, makeup and costumes were stunning. Also, also, the Henson Creature Shop Pilot was lovely. Visually, this was a feast.

Nobody did opening credits saga sells like the 90s-00s. I really think they were works of art, and it's a shame they lost popularity.

All three of the female characters were immediately distinctive, both in character and design. They were cool, and I wanted to know more about their stories. Why was the silvery one not a team player? What's the deal with the lapsed warrior priestess? Why was the human-looking one semi-fused with the Pilot brain?

Also, strong warrior alien guy (sounded like Dargo, but I'm not using names, because I'll probably butcher the spellings) being forced to use 1 Mississippi to keep time was pretty funny.

Still don't like Frog Guy, or see what he adds to the show or crew, but at least they toned down the bodily function gags.

I actually liked Crichton as the lead. He had kind of a "fed up with it all" vibe, yet still threw himself into whatever the hell was going on and did his level best to keep the crew alive.

Anyway, yeah. Farscape just gathered a distinct and positive personality, on the strength of whatever it was I watched. Random episodes can be a fun experience!
[syndicated profile] fail_feed

Posted by Ben Weiss

Replacing this employee has just gotten a lot more expensive for the company.

When employees have proven that they can put in the work and have presented the case for a higher salary that they clearly deserve, upper management had better have a good reason to deny their request outright. The only justifiable explanation in this instance would be if the employee was delusional and there was substantial evidence that he was not meeting his expectations.

Of course, it would be hard for management to make that argument here, given the fact that all the employee was asking for was a fair rate that reflected his role in the market. When that rate was dismissed without so much as a decent explanation, the employee promptly submitted his resignation letter.

Somehow, leadership was taken aback by this move, as if they genuinely thought they could keep manipulating this employee year after year. It turns out that they vastly underestimated him. In fact, they also underestimated the trick this now former employee had up his sleeve when he learned that the new person they hired to replace him was making the salary he had been requesting for years. 

Weekly Chat

Apr. 18th, 2026 01:55 pm
dancing_serpent: (Photos - Zen - Stones & Cherry Blossoms)
[personal profile] dancing_serpent posting in [community profile] c_ent
The weekly chat posts are intended for just that, chatting among each other. What are you currently watching? Reading? What actor/idol are you currently following? What are you looking forward to? Are you busy writing, creating art? Or did you have no time at all for anything, and are bemoaning that fact?

Whatever it is, talk to us about it here. Tell us what you liked or didn't like, and if you want to talk about spoilery things, please hide them under either of these codes:
or
[syndicated profile] fail_feed

Posted by Inés Soubrie

She handled the taxes, booked the trips, solved the problems, and still got treated like the easiest person to blame

After years of helping her fiancé's family with everything they needed, this woman was stunned when a mean newcomer disrespected her, twisted the story, and got the family on his side. It's a harsh reminder that being useful to people is not always the same as being valued by them.

Reality is both weird and boring

Apr. 18th, 2026 06:04 pm
rattfan: (Crowley)
[personal profile] rattfan
It's a week since I lost Ajax and we're managing. The other two rats, Fred and Griffin, have returned to normal behaviour, though I'm sure it has been hard for them. They had all been together since birth, being three of seven boys in that litter of 14. Now they are the only survivors; such is rat mortality. 

Not much has happened this week. M hasn't had any serious difficulties that I have noticed or of which I have been informed!  She did say she thought someone else had come in this morning, but since the front door was still locked and no one else was scheduled, I figured I could safely ignore that. They had supposedly opened her cupboard.

I did get down to the beach for a swim, though the days are beginning to cool down. There was a huge set up being constructed for a concert, with the sound stage on the sand, so they had fenced off almost the entire left side of the beach, from the Indiana Tea House to the groyne. Rude. So glad I'm 4 kilometres away from that when it goes off. Apart from that, just a trip out to Bassendean to visit the shop of the butcher who wins awards for his snaggers. You can't miss them, they're arranged along the counter! The awards, not the sausages.  I've got a bit of writing done, not much. Reality keeps on being weirder than anything I imagine.

For anyone into astronomy in comfort, here is the evening view from my armchair, now I have cleared away the summer shade barricades from my balcony. It's also an unintentional lesson in how easy it might be to mock up a false image. That's the reflection of my ceiling light, not an alien spacecraft.

photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNJMTB35YXYd0cKRpLOD0OtPN6WUzEd8Ov0uu1UkDIiZ0y1-L2kv8ciEMTNH4wNxg/photo/AF1QipPzeSoXka1EMKCATxDm8p2MnSWy1Iy7R5TA-BKj

Bitching again about people who can't fulfil their commitments! )
[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

Book Beat aims to highlight other books that we may hear about through friends, social media, or other sources. We could see a gorgeous ad! Or find a new-to-us author on a list of underrated romances! Think of Book Beat as Teen Beat or Tiger Beat, but for books. And no staples to open to get the fold-out poster.

Cash Delgado is Living the Dream

Cash Delgado is Living the Dream by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Author: Tehlor Kay Mejia
Released: July 2, 2024 by Dell
Genre: , ,

A small-town bartender juggles motherhood and a sexual awakening in this heartwarming queer friends-to-lovers romance from the author of Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review.

Cash Delgado has a good life in the quaint town of Ridley Falls. She has Joyce’s Bar, where she manages a familiar group of regulars and emcees the ever-popular Karaoke Thursday. She has her six-year-old daughter, Parker, whose spunky attitude always keeps life interesting. And she has her best friend, Inez O’Conner, who improves Cash’s sometimes overly responsible outlook with one full of joy and potential.

But change is on the horizon when Chase Stanton, the former bar manager at Joyce’s (not to mention Cash’s last hookup), returns to town with business prospects that could threaten the local institution and all of Cash’s plans to someday bring new life to the place. And if that isn’t enough, Cash starts having very intimate dreams of Inez. Dreams that could threaten the foundation of her well-ordered life.

As Cash embarks on a reluctant journey of self-discovery, she’s forced to confront all the ways she’s been hiding in her own life. But will she choose to remain the same, or will the desire for love (even a love that looks different than she ever imagined) prove worth the risk?

A small town romance that is queer and diverse!

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Duchess in Diamonds

Duchess in Diamonds by Jennifer Ashley

Author: Jennifer Ashley
Released: April 23, 2026 by JA / AG Publishing
Genre: ,
Series: Satin and Silk #1

Eamon Stone, Hayden McCormick, and Dominic Wolfe have survived everything together—from a brutal schoolboy existence to deadly missions against Napoleon. Stranded behind enemy lines at Waterloo, they make a pact: if they live through the day, each will try to settle down and marry, leaving the last bachelor standing the loser of their wager.

No one expects Eamon Stone, son of a disgraced swindler, to fall in love first, least of all Eamon himself.

London, 1816

When Eamon calls on the widowed Duchess of Aylesmore to assess her late husband’s art collection, he hardly imagines she’ll be young, lovely, and in desperate straits. Caro Aylesmore, raising her nine-year-old son alone and drowning in her husband’s debts, hopes the paintings will save them.

Dragged across Europe by his trickster father, Eamon learned all about art, including frauds and forgeries. He hates disappointing the late duke’s beautiful second wife—so much so that he impulsively offers to search the entire house for anything of value.

He’s not certain why he’s being so gallant. But Caro’s quiet resilience reaches him in ways he can’t explain, and young Leo, the new duke, is already finding a place in Eamon’s heart.

Caro faces more than stern debt-collectors. Her husband’s ambitious nephew aims to claim Leo for himself, and is all too eager to expose Eamon as the fraud he once was. If scandal touches Caro, she could lose her beloved son to a man who covets the title more than the boy.

As Caro falls for the disarming Eamon, she faces an impossible choice: her heart, or her son’s future.

Eamon may have to sacrifice his own happiness to keep her safe—even if it means losing the wager and his heart.

Jennifer Ashley has a new historical romance series kicking off next week. 

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Love Sick

Love Sick by Deidra Duncan

Author: Deidra Duncan
Released: May 13, 2025 by Canary Street Press
Genre: ,

“Heartfelt and smart, Love Sick is just what the doctor ordered.”—Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of The Breakup Tour

Their bedside manner needs a little work…
Love may be the best medicine, but first-year resident Grace Rose isn’t prescribing it anytime soon. Not since her ex broke her heart in med school, and especially not since hearing the rumor that she slept her way into the OB-GYN program. (Spoiler  So not true.) With her social anxiety already in full spiral, Grace is determined to set the record straight. But after a tense first encounter with fellow resident Julian Santini—with his annoying good looks and witty charm—she realizes that her reputation may never fully recover.

Julian didn’t mean to offend Grace. After all, he’s just as fed up with the toxic “BrOB-GYN” culture as she is. He’s got his own drama to triage anyway—like proving that he earned his spot in this residency, not simply lucked into it. Still, something about Grace gets under his skin…and not always in a bad way.

Forced to work together through grueling shifts and sleepless nights, Grace and Julian try to cut back on the bickering for the sake of their training. Before long, however, a different kind of tension exposes the cracks in their truce. With their hearts in critical condition, will they accept that love is the best remedy of all?

Grey’s Anatomy meets The Hating Game in this delicious, laugh out loud rom-com set in the world of a tight-knit group of OB-GYN residents—written by a practicing physician.

A medical romance written by a doctor, which seems pretty neat.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

The Unworthy

The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica

Author: Agustina Bazterrica
Released: March 4, 2025 by Scribner
Genre: ,

The long-awaited new novel from the author of global sensation Tender Is the Flesh: a thrilling work of literary horror about a woman cloistered in a secretive, violent religious order, while outside the world has fallen into chaos.

From her cell in a mysterious convent, a woman writes the story of her life in whatever she can find—discarded ink, dirt, and even her own blood. A lower member of the Sacred Sisterhood, deemed an unworthy, she dreams of ascending to the ranks of the Enlightened at the center of the convent and of pleasing the foreboding Superior Sister. Outside, the world is plagued by catastrophe—cities are submerged underwater, electricity and the internet are nonexistent, and bands of survivors fight and forage in a cruel, barren landscape. Inside, the narrator is controlled, punished, but safe.

But when a stranger makes her way past the convent walls, joining the ranks of the unworthy, she forces the narrator to consider her long-buried past—and what she may be overlooking about the Enlightened. As the two women grow closer, the narrator is increasingly haunted by questions about her own past, the environmental future, and her present life inside the convent. How did she get to the Sacred Sisterhood? Why can’t she remember her life before? And what really happens when a woman is chosen as one of the Enlightened?

A searing, dystopian tale about climate crisis, ideological extremism, and the tidal pull of our most violent, exploitative instincts, this is another unforgettable novel from a master of feminist horror.

If Tender is the Flesh is your ideal mindfuck of a book, this is Bazterrica’s latest.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Profile

wickedwords: (Default)
wickedwords

October 2023

S M T W T F S
1234567
891011121314
1516171819 2021
22232425262728
293031    

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Apr. 18th, 2026 05:58 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios