I started reading the first Dungeon Crawler Carl because I’ve heard so many good things about it, but the first few chapters seem to be almost entirely exposition. Does it get better?
Wesley: Illyria can be...difficult. Testing her might be hard without getting someone seriously hurt. Angel: We'll make Spike do it. Wesley: Good.
'Underneath'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
sj - May 21, 2026 1:13:44 pm PDT #28651 of 28703
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."
sj - May 23, 2026 9:59:44 am PDT #28652 of 28703
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."
ltc has started read The Hunger Games. She has become absolutely feral if we interrupt her while reading
Pix - May 23, 2026 9:57:50 pm PDT #28653 of 28703
The status is NOT quo.
In case anyone else was waiting for it, the sequel to the fabulous The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty came out a couple of weeks ago. It's called The Tapestry of Fate, and though I'm not loving it as much as I loved the first one (which would be hard to beat), I'm still enjoying it a lot. [link]
sj - May 24, 2026 11:04:00 am PDT #28654 of 28703
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."
Thanks, Pix! Not sure how I missed that.
sj - May 26, 2026 6:22:33 am PDT #28655 of 28703
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."
For those keeping track at home, ltc has finished the first Hunger Games book, and she is team Katniss doesn't need Peeta or Gale. Also she wants to know if Peeta name is meant to be like pita bread because his family are bakers, which never occurred to me.
Calli - May 26, 2026 5:26:16 pm PDT #28656 of 28703
I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul—Calvin and Hobbs
ltc is right and she should say it. (Re: Katniss doesn’t need a guy at this stage of her life, if ever. No opinion on names.)
sj - May 26, 2026 6:08:12 pm PDT #28657 of 28703
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."
Yeah, I’m kind of impressed with her opinion on this.
erikaj - May 27, 2026 5:32:38 pm PDT #28658 of 28703
"Somewhere in this building is our talent." Toby Ziegler, my spirit animal
Dan Savage fans, where I learned about that mostly, think she could have both, natch. (Some at the same time, some not, because, you know, Savage Love.) Don't have an empirical opinion, but I do share your Impressedness, sj.
Atropa - May 27, 2026 5:57:45 pm PDT #28659 of 28703
The artist formerly associated with cupcakes.
Maybe this has already been discussed, but I just read CINDERWICH by Cherie Priest and y’all should all read it if only for the character that is obviously based on Atropa.
Hee hee! All three of the "sisters" are based on Cherie's friends.
DebetEsse - Jun 01, 2026 3:51:00 pm PDT #28660 of 28703
Woe to the fucking wicked.
So, I have a problem with Tapestry of Fate.
Wool doesn't burn, especially not without an accelerant (so the burning of the construct is not impossible) or REALLY high heat.
And that's ignoring Lab using "knit" for "incorporated into the tapestry", which it emphatically is not.