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[personal profile] jacey

Full cast audio recording featuring Brendan Fraser, Luke Kirby, and Vanessa Sears

A bunch of astronauts have been uploaded into a quantum computer and their bodies cryogenically frozen for a centuries long trip to colonise a far distant star system. When the captain, Letitia Garvey, and the crew’s doctor are downloaded back into their bodies after half a millennium they discover that they are still on Earth but Earth-as-was is no longer viable following some unspecified disaster. The astronauts are the dole survivors of humanity – until, that is, a larger group of timer-served prison inmates are also downloaded. How is their new polarised society going to survive – or is it going to survive? The whole thing is told in a series of audio-interviews by three major characters, the captain, the doctor and the leader of the ex-criminals, Roscoe Koudoulian, plus a few side characters. But for the longest time we don’t know who is asking the questions. Gradually the whole picture builds, and a potential solution is offered. The voices work well. There are a few background sound-effects but not too many as to disrupt the narrative (which is often the case with full cast recordings).


Photos: Flowerbeds

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 05:00 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith posting in [community profile] common_nature
Yesterday I shared photos from the House Yard and South Lot plus Savanna and Prairie Garden. Today I did a bit of yardwork that revealed fun new things. :D

Walk with me ... )

February catch-up.

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 10:15 pm
[syndicated profile] thebloggess_feed

Posted by thebloggess

Sorry I’ve been MIA. I sort of fell off the world but I’m back today with actual energy and slightly less depression. YAY FOR LESS DEPRESSION! Just dropping a few notes here to catch up on life, the universe and everything. Some of you have asked if I’m making the audiobook for HOW TO BEContinue reading "February catch-up."

The water's depths can't kill me yet

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 04:44 pm
sovay: (Otachi: Pacific Rim)
[personal profile] sovay
I did not end up accompanying [personal profile] rushthatspeaks and his child to the zoo this morning because I crashed so hard last night that I slept ten to eleven hours and am having difficulty remembering the day of the week, but he just dropped by with a [personal profile] nineweaving in the car and brought me my Christmas present of a sweater in the pattern of the Minoan octopus flask from Palaikastro and the cup with the scale motif from Archanes: it's spectacular. I was able to give him the collected cartoons and comics and poems of Le Guin's Book of Cats (2025). I got to see photographs of Artic and fennec foxes, flamingos and peccaries, sloth and snow leopard, porcupine and poison dart frog. Having spent the prior portion of my afternoon in the excitement of calling doctors and paying bills, my evening's plans involve couch and books.

I am skipping church and going to the cottage!

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 04:19 pm
the_shoshanna: Ilya and Shane kiss in the stairwell (stairwell kiss)
[personal profile] the_shoshanna
On the BIIIIIIIIIIIIIG screen!

My local fabulous theatre is hosting this event: a showing of episode 6 followed by a panel discussion they describe as
– how the series is changing the game for independent Canadian producers with Heated Rivalry producer Lori Fischburg
– how the music featured in the series has launched emerging artists into the spotlight with CBC host Elamin Abdelmahmoud
– how modern fandom helped propel its rapid international ascent from beloved underground novels into the TV stratosphere with University of Toronto pop culture professor Angie Fazekas
– its influence on LGBTQ+ athletes and the game itself with sports professor Kyle Rich of Brock University.
and they're doing it on one of the few Sunday mornings this month when I haven't promised to do something at church and I'm going with my local friend who marathoned the whole thing with me on Boxing Day and I am excited!
melagan: John and Rodney blue background (Default)
[personal profile] melagan posting in [community profile] sga_saturday
Dinner Date (1006 words) by melagan
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Evan Lorne/Parrish the Botanist, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard
Characters: Evan Lorne, Parrish the Botanist (Stargate), John Sheppard, Rodney McKay
Additional Tags: Fluff and Humor
Summary:

Lorne and Parrish have dinner plans.

The Starving Saints, by Caitlin Starling

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 10:53 am
rachelmanija: (Books: old)
[personal profile] rachelmanija


Excellent dark fantasy about three women trapped in a medieval castle under siege. It reminded me a bit of Tanith Lee - it's very lush and decadent in parts - and a bit of The Everlasting. Fantastic female characters with really interesting relationships. The language is not strictly medieval-accurate but a lot of the characters' mindsets are, which is fun.

All I knew going in was that it was medieval, female-centric, and involved cannibalism. This gave me a completely wrong impression, which was that it was a sort of female-centric medieval Lord of the Flies in which everyone turns on each other under pressure and starts killing and eating each other. This is very nearly the opposite of what it's actually about, though there is some survival-oriented eating of the already-dead.

The three main characters are Phosyne, an ex-nun and mad alchemist with some very unusual pets that even she has no idea what they are; Ser Voyne, a female knight whose rigid loyalty gets tested to hell and back; and Treila, a noblewoman fallen on hard times and desperate to escape. The three of them have deliciously complicated relationships with each other, fully of shifting boundaries, loyalties, trust, sexuality, and love.

At the start, everyone is absolutely desperate. They've been trapped in the castle under siege for six months, the last food will run out in two weeks, and help does not seem to be on the way. Treila is catching rats and plotting her escape via a secret tunnel, but some mysterious connection to Ser Voyne is keeping her from making a break for it. Phosyne has previously enacted a "miracle" to purify the water, and the king is pressuring her to miraculously produce food; unfortunately, she has no idea how she did the first miracle, let alone how to conjure food out of nothing. Ser Voyne, who wants to charge out and fight, has been assigned to stand over Phosyne and make her do a miracle.

And then everything changes.

The setting is a somewhat alternate medieval Europe; it's hard to tell exactly how alternate because we're very tightly in the POV of the three main characters, and we only know what they're directly observing or thinking about. The religion we see focuses on the Constant Lady and her saints. She might be some version of the Virgin Mary, but though the language around her is Christian-derived, there doesn't seem to be a Jesus analogue. The nuns (no priests are ever mentioned) keep bees and give a kind of Communion with honey. Some of them are alchemists and engineers. There is a female knight who is treated differently than the male knights by the king and there's only one of her, but it's not clear whether this is specific to their relationship or whether women are usually not allowed to be knights or whether they are allowed but it's unusual.

This level of uncertainty about the background doesn't feel like the author didn't bother to think it out, but rather adds to the overall themes of the book, which heavily focus on how different people experience/perceive things differently. It also adds to the claustrophobic feeling: everyone is trapped in a very small space and additionally limited by what they can perceive. The magic in the book does have some level of rules, but is generally not well understood or beyond human comprehension. There's a pervasive sense of living in a world that isn't or cannot be understood, but which can only be survived by achieving some level of comprehension.

And that's all you should know before you start. The actual premise doesn't happen until about a fourth of the way into the book, and while it's spoiled in all descriptions I didn't know it and really enjoyed finding out.

Spoilers for the premise. Read more... )

Spoilers for later in the book: Read more... )

Probably the last third could have been trimmed a bit, but overall this book is fantastic. I was impressed enough that I bought all of Starling's other books for my shop. I previously only had The Luminous Dead, which I'm reading now.

Content notes: Cannibalism. Physical injury/mutilation. Mind control. A dubcon kiss. Extremely vivid descriptions of the physical sensations of hunger and starvation. Phosyne's pets do NOT die!

Feel free to put spoilers for the whole book in comments.

JQ Editions Kickstarter Has Launched

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 06:18 pm
[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by SB Sarah

JQ Editions logo a deep pink curly J and Q next to the word editions in grey serif, against a light pink backgroundEarlier (I have to look up when because time is a mystery to me) in December 2025 I covered the announcement of JQ Editions and the upcoming Kickstarter. 

Well, the Kickstarter has launched and if you were envisioning rocket fuel powering the pledge total, you were right. Currently the pledge total stands at $251,216, which more than covers a pledge goal of $10,000.

That will change by the time I hit publish on this post, I bet.

As reported earlier, the 2026 subscription box will include The Last Lady B by Eloisa James, An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole, and Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase in July, September, and November respectively.

A pink box open with the writing Prepare to Fall in Love in white in front are three books. The last Lady B has a green cover with a gold screen motif surrounding a cameo of an illustrated blonde character, a house and some roses. An extraordinary union has a side profile illustration of a woman with blue forget-me-not flowers cascading down the front Lord of Scoundrels has a black cover with red roses and grey swirls and small icons that are clues to the story

In my podcast interview with Julia Quinn, she shared that two of the 2027 titles included The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Anne Long and Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas.

Later JQ Editions announced three additional titles:

A Tessa Dare novel is also part of the 2027 collection, and I figured the title would be announced with the Kickstarter. Oh, ho, ho – nope!

The tiers are currently discounted for 48 hours, so the prices will go up on the 19th of February:

  • The Countess: $110
  • The Countess and Her Keepsakes: $190
  • The Duchess Tier: $320, discounted to $310
  • The Duchess and Her Keepsakes Tier: $445, discounted to $430
  • The Diamond Club: $735, discounted to $695. This tier includes early access, a welcome pin, and the opportunity to vote on which Tessa Dare title will be part of the 2027 collection:

There is also a Crown Jewels tier ($1450) limited to 30 that includes everything in the Diamond Club along with a Zoom party with Julia Quinn.

The tiers have different sorts of swag attached, with journals, stickers, magnets, and a hand fan, and those backing the three highest tiers will also receive a Kickstarter-exclusive special edition of What Happens in London by Julia Quinn, along with behind the scenes updates.

Elyse pledged at the Diamond level and is extremely excited:

I first entered the romance genre in the mid nineties through historical romance, and what I love about this subscription is that these books already feel like old friends. These books have are sentimental to me so of course I want a beautiful copy I can treasure. I can remember exactly where I was when I read some of these titles, which makes it meaningful to me as a reader.

The price point for 10 special editions plus 2 signed by Quinn made sense to me. It was like a present to Future Elyse.

She also mentioned that she’ll “be the one with the comprehensive power point about why we need a Mary Balogh.”

Unintended consequences

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 10:36 am
susandennis: (Default)
[personal profile] susandennis
When my doctor asked about any other issues, I said 'well, the normal back and leg issues from being old and fat and out of shape.' That's when she started talking GLP-1. She said not so much for the numbers but for the burden relief. And that's how it got started.

I'm about finishing 4 weeks and I've lost some of me steadily - not too much. I think she'll be pretty pleased when I check in with her in a couple of months. I haven't yet lost enough to notice anywhere but on the scales.

Except...

My wrists!

I wear a watchband on my left wrist and 3 DNR bangle bracelets on my right. My watchband kept sliding around so I couldn't tell the time without fiddling with it so yesterday I took out a link Much better.

Today, after maybe 5 months of wear at this size, my bangle bracelets fell off twice during volleyball. Just now I took them off and squeezed them smaller.

So, Susan, where would you like to lose weight? Ass? Hips? Boobs? Chins? Nah, let's go wrists.

I'd like a partial refund, please.

I really hate my feet

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 08:35 am
susandennis: (Default)
[personal profile] susandennis
Yesterday morning, I put on shoes and socks and took a step and pain shot right through me. My right foot's pinched nerve spent the day being horribly painfully pinchy. I managed to walk down to the buffet to pick up dinner and when I got back and got off my foot, it still hurt for another hour. It woke me up a couple of times last night and kinda felt sore this morning but I walked to the pool and played an hour and a half of volleyball and walked back and so far, so good.

My appointment is Friday and I almost called yesterday to see if I could scooche it up. But, I didn't and maybe it will be fine. I do know that I have exactly 0 tolerance for chronic pain. And I hate my feet. Particularly the right one.

My credit card is at UPS getting loaded onto the truck but, honestly, now that Amazon has the right number and I can use my phone's wallet, I am not longer in a panic to even get it. I got an email from Chase saying I don't even need to authenticate it. Slick.

We only had 5 for volleyball this morning but it was the best 5 so it worked out. I turned to Gemini about the sun's glare while swimming. I've been using dark polarized goggles and Gemini said what I need is good reflective goggles and gave me a list starting at $90. ! I found some $50 ones for $30 on Amazon and ordered. They arrived yesterday but they were dumped at the front desk instead of put into the lockers. When packages get dumped, you have to wait for them to be delivered. They deliver M-F in the afternoon except for the days they do not. Saturday, a security guy brought up my order from Chewy's which was really nice. Yesterday, I got nothing. Hopefully, I'll get the goggles today.

Today is housecleaning day. I did laundry yesterday. I have kind of a Jones for a Goodwill trip but not with this foot so that will need to be another day.


20260216_182731-COLLAGE

Historical Fiction and Historical Romance

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 04:30 pm
[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

Island Queen

Island Queen by Vanessa Riley is $3.99! This is Riley’s first work of historical fiction as opposed to historical romance. It’s about Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, a free Black woman who achieved great wealth. Have you read it?

A remarkable, sweeping historical novel based on the incredible true life story of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, a free woman of color who rose from slavery to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful landowners in the colonial West Indies.

Born into slavery on the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat, Doll bought her freedom—and that of her sister and her mother—from her Irish planter father and built a legacy of wealth and power as an entrepreneur, merchant, hotelier, and planter that extended from the marketplaces and sugar plantations of Dominica and Barbados to a glittering luxury hotel in Demerara on the South American continent.

Vanessa Riley’s novel brings Doll to vivid life as she rises above the harsh realities of slavery and colonialism by working the system and leveraging the competing attentions of the men in her life: a restless shipping merchant, Joseph Thomas; a wealthy planter hiding a secret, John Coseveldt Cells; and a roguish naval captain who will later become King William IV of England.

From the bustling port cities of the West Indies to the forbidding drawing rooms of London’s elite, Island Queen is a sweeping epic of an adventurer and a survivor who answered to no one but herself as she rose to power and autonomy against all odds, defying rigid eighteenth-century morality and the oppression of women as well as people of color. It is an unforgettable portrait of a true larger-than-life woman who made her mark on history.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

How to Survive a Scandal

How to Survive a Scandal by Samara Parish is $2.99! This is book one in the Rebels with a Cause historical romance series. It sounds like the hero saves the heroine and the two wind up in a compromising position. Of course, the only way to fix these things is through a marriage of convenience.

In this whirlwind Regency romance, a near-death experience leads to a marriage of convenience for two unsuspecting strangers, but will their unusual meeting lead them to true love?

Lady Amelia was raised to be the perfect duchess, accomplished in embroidery, floral arrangement, and managing a massive household. But when an innocent mistake forces her and the uncouth, untitled Benedict Asterly into a marriage of convenience, all her training appears to be for naught. Even worse, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to this man no finishing school could have prepared her for.

Benedict Asterly never dreamed saving Amelia’s life would lead to him being shackled to the hoity Society miss. Benedict was taught to distrust the aristocracy at a young age, so when news of his marriage endangers a business deal, Benedict is wary of Amelia’s offer to help. But his quick-witted, elegant bride defies all his expectations… and if he’s not careful, she’ll break down the walls around his guarded heart.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Guilty Pleasures

Guilty Pleasures by Laura Lee Guhrke is $1.99! This is book one in the Guilty series. I have a bit of a soft spot for this book. Not sure how well it holds up!

One of Daphne Wade’s guilty pleasures is to watch the Duke of Tremore as he works, shirtless, on the excavation site of his ducal estate. Anthony Courtland is by far the most exciting and handsome man she has ever known, and she dreams of one day being able to speak with him without getting tongue tied.

Anthony, meanwhile, only sees Daphne as a hard worker on his excavation team. He considers her a plain young lady and says so in a careless remark to a friend, unaware that Daphne is outside the library door, her heart shattering to pieces. So Daphne decides she will not be so silly any longer. She begins to be tutored in the social graces, forcing Anthony to see the beauty who has been right in front of his eyes.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

My Darling Duke

My Darling Duke by Stacy Reid is 99c! This is book one in the Sinful Wallflowers series. Shana wrote a Lightning Review for this one and gave it C-. If you’ve read this one, how did you like it (or not)?

Miss Katherine Danvers has always been a wallflower. But now, with her family on the brink of financial ruin, she finds herself a desperate wallflower. To save her family, she’ll do anything. Luckily, she has the perfect plan…

She’ll impress the ton by simply announcing she is engaged to the reclusive and mysterious Duke of Thornton, Alexander Masters, and secure strong matches for her sisters. No one has heard from the duke in years. Surely he’ll never find out before her sisters’ weddings, and she can go back to her own quiet life.

Soon, though, everything is out of control. At first, it’s just a few new ball gowns on the duke’s accounts. Then, it’s interviews with reporters eager for gossip. Before she knows it, Katherine has transformed herself into Kitty Danvers, charming and clever belle of the ton—with everyone eager to meet her thankfully absent fiancé.

But when the enigmatic Alexander Masters suddenly arrives in the city, dashing and oh so angry, he demands retribution. Except not in the way Katherine expected…

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Just one thing: 17 February 2026

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 10:21 am
[personal profile] jazzyjj posting in [community profile] awesomeers
It's challenge time!

Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.

Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished!

Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!

Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.

Go!

Windows down in the left hand lane.

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 07:47 am
romantical: (TAI - Hips)
[personal profile] romantical
Took my car in for service yesterday (it's a long saga that involves me wanting to sue people) and it's going to take 3-5 days to get the repairs done and $3000 more than I thought it would. I have my mom's car since she drove it down to my house so I could take her to the airport, but otherwise I'm stuck at home for the week - the reason I did it on mid-winter break). I mean, I could walk places, but it's cold and windy and potentially raining and/or snowy.

I'm thinking about looking into online classes of some sort. Obviously I can't have unstructured free time because it's bad for my brain. I did clean out our pantry and fridge yesterday as well as make taco chicken and rice. My mom brought me 2 dozen eggs when she left which was really too many as I already had 36, so I made egg salad too. I think I might have to do some baking. I'm trying to make six recipes that are new to me, but no one at home eats desserts and the husband is eating tofu (ugh) and the kidlet is eating either Hamburger Helper, orange chicken, or spaghettios (at least he's moved on from JUST spaghettios.) So making stuff while I'm not going to school to share seems pointless.

I have 11k words of my Heated Rivalry fic, but now I'm at a point where I hate it. It's kind of a retelling of the show from Ilya's POV and it feels derivative and boring. I don't think it IS, mind you. It's probably just my brain, but eh. We'll see what happens.

I'm not sure what today's plan is - possibly writing, possibly reading, possibly cleaning, possibly being a lump. So many choices.

In good news - TAI releases a new song tomorrow. Another month + for the whole album, but I've enjoyed 2005. I mentioned to Bill that the sound of it reminds me a lot of his solo stuff. We'll have to see if that keeps up. Also, 2005. Summer of like. Sigh.

HaBO: Fated Mates at a Halloween Party

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 03:00 pm
[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

This HaBO was sent in by Gayle, who wants to find this romance:

I’m looking for a slightly spicy, contemporary fae series that I read 10 or 15 years ago probably on Kindle Unlimited. It was not the best written, but I really enjoyed it.

The heroine is human and maybe a little dorky and the hero is fae and works with her in a business in maybe Savannah. The business is having a Halloween Party and she is amazed at how good his fae costume is. He knows she is his mate even though she knows nothing about his world. Something happens and he basically kidnaps her to keep her safe and takes her to his family home, which is a farm in Nebraska or Kansas. They might be Irish fae and there is a character named Jack who has his own book later in the series.

I know the bitchery can solve this!

Definitely curious about this one!

The Man Who Came Early by Poul Anderson

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 09:09 am
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


What hope has 10th century Icelandic culture against an armed and moderately educated 20th century American?

The Man Who Came Early by Poul Anderson

Hide Your Wallet: February 17th Release Week

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 08:00 am
[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

Happy Tuesday!

There’s only one more release week in February. Can you believe it? This week has some big titles like a new Kate Quinn and a new Heather Fawcett.

Which books are you excited for this week? Let us know in the comments!

A Little Buzzed

A Little Buzzed by Alys Murray

Author: Alys Murray
Released: February 17, 2026 by Berkley
Genre: ,

A sex toy engineer with one big secret finally meets her match, and together they’ll put their own products to the test in this steamy romantic comedy.

Scout Porter is screwed. Not literally, of course. Literally, she’s a twenty-six-year-old virgin, thanks to a relationship so disastrous she swore off love and sex for good. Metaphorically, she’s screwed because the entire office of BuzzCorp, the sex toy start-up where she’s head engineer, just found out. Scout needs her team to stay focused on their upcoming launch, not her lack of a sex life, so she finds the simplest solution: lose her V-card—and fast—then get back to business as usual.

Enter Hudson Bailey, the nerdy and charming software developer hired to build the app for Scout’s latest creation. The only problem is, he’s as inexperienced with sex toys as she is with sex. Fortunately, he’s all too eager to learn, and they agree that one very educational, totally professional hook-up will solve both of their problems. All for research, obviously.

But their little experiment yields unexpected results—chemistry so off the charts Scout starts to think she might actually want more than just a one-time fling. When their budding relationship is threatened by the return of Scout’s notorious ex, both Scout and Hudson will have to decide if they’ve reached their climax as a couple, or if they’re willing to risk everything for a chance at true love.

Amanda: We love a woman in STEM.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett

Author: Heather Fawcett
Released: February 17, 2026 by Del Rey
Genre: , , ,

Agnes Aubert leads a meticulously organized life, and she likes it that way. As the proudly type-A manager of a cat rescue charity, she has devoted her life to finding forever homes for stray cats.

Now it’s the shelter that needs a new home. And the only landlord who will rent a space to a cat rescue is a mysterious man called Havelock—who also happens to be the world’s most infamous magician, running an illegal magic shop out of his basement. Havelock is cantankerous and eccentric, but not not handsome, and no, Agnes absolutely does not feel anything but disdain for him. After all, rumors swirl about his shadowy past—including whispers that his dark magic once almost brought about the apocalypse.

Then one day a glamorous magician comes looking for Havelock, putting the magic shop—and the cat shelter—in jeopardy. To save the shelter, Agnes will have to team up with the magician who nearly ended the world . . . and may now be trying to steal her heart.

Havelock is everything Agnes thinks she doesn’t need in her life: chaos, mischief, and a little too much adventure. But as she gets to know him, she discovers that he’s more than the dark magician of legend, and that she may be ready for a little intrigue—and romance—in her life. After all, second chances aren’t just for rescue cats. . . .

Amanda: Does Fawcett ever sleep? She’s long overdue for a vacation!

Sarah: The cover, the description, the fact that it’s Heather Fawcett. Could have been made in a lab for me.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

The Astral Library

The Astral Library by Kate Quinn

Author: Kate Quinn
Released: February 17, 2026 by William Morrow
Genre: ,

From New York Times bestselling author Kate Quinn comes a gorgeously written fantastical adventure which poses the question: Have you ever wished you could live inside a book? Welcome to the Astral Library, where books are not just objects, but doors to new worlds, new lives, and new futures.

Alexandria “Alix” Watson has learned one lesson from her barren childhood in the foster-care system: unlike people, books will never let you down. Working three dead-end jobs to make ends meet and knowing college is a pipe dream, Alix takes nightly refuge in the high-vaulted reading room at the Boston Public Library, escaping into her favorite fantasy novels and dreaming of far-off lands. Until the day she stumbles through a hidden door and meets the Librarian: the ageless, acerbic guardian of a hidden library where the desperate and the lost escape to new lives…inside their favorite books.

The Librarian takes a dazzled Alix under her wing, but before she can escape into the pages of her new life, a shadowy enemy emerges to threaten everyone the Astral Library has ever helped protect. Aided by a dashing costume-shop owner, Alix and the Librarian flee through the Regency drawing rooms of Jane Austen to the back alleys of Sherlock Holmes and the champagne-soaked parties of The Great Gatsby as danger draws inexorably closer. But who does their enemy really wish to destroy—Alix, the Librarian, or the Library itself?

Amanda: I’ve been a fan of Quinn’s historical fiction for awhile, so I’m eager to see what she does with a dash of magical realism thrown in.

Sarah: Spoiler: I’ve already read this to prep for the interview I did with Kate Quinn, and it’s delightful

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Half City

Half City by Kate Golden

Author: Kate Golden
Released: February 17, 2026 by Ace
Genre: , , ,
Series: Harker Academy #1

Welcome to Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. Keep your daggers sharp, and your wits even sharper.

Viv Abbot is an average twenty-one-year-old girl. She lives in an expensive city where the rent is too high, works long hours at a thankless job, and is dating a guy she doesn’t even like in the hopes of winning her prickly mother’s approval.

She also happens to be a demon hunter.

Ever since her father’s murder, she’s been forced to hunt deviants alone, meaning everyone, including her family, sees her as an outsider . . . until the day she crosses paths with a dangerously alluring demon, Reid Graveheart. The reformed deviant tells her of a school for people just like Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. If she enrolls, she’ll learn to hone her craft, work with other hunters, and never be alone again.

But Viv has a deadly secret. One that not even her new friends at Harker can know about, not if the school might hold the answers to untangling the mystery surrounding Viv’s father’s death. When strange occurrences begin to plague the students, Viv will have to figure out who she can trust, fast, all while trying to ace her classes, avoid falling for a demon, and make it through her first year at Harker in one piece. How hard could that be?

Amanda: This reminds me of early 2000s urban fantasy and I mean that in the best way.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

I’m Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home

I’m Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home by Fergus Craig

Author: Fergus Craig
Released: February 17, 2026 by Berkley
Genre:

After a decades-long stint in prison, former serial killer Carol is looking to kick back and relax in her new retirement home…until a fellow resident drops dead and Carol has to prove she actually didn’t do it this time….

Carol is delighted to be leaving her tiny prison cell behind to take her place in a luxury retirement home. She’s hoping her past as a serial killer won’t come to light so she can make a few friends and find some murder-free hobbies. But it’s not long before a fellow resident—who happens to be a former police commissioner—drops dead, and Carol’s true identity is leaked—making catching up over daily activities of bingo and baking rather awkward.

Just her luck, Carol soon realizes that the victim wasn’t the only former law enforcement officer at Sheldon Oaks—it’s filled to the brim with former cops, barristers, and government representatives, her newfound friends included. And everyone thinks Carol’s guilt is a no-brainer, but she is ready to prove them dead wrong…without killing anyone, for once.

A new cozy mystery with a older woman main character. 

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Tuesday 17/02/2026

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 11:43 am
lhune: (3L)
[personal profile] lhune posting in [community profile] 3_good_things_a_day
1) Long hot shower this morning

2) Clean windows

3) Shopping for my godchild’s Bday present

i could use another day off

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 01:28 am
tsuki_no_bara: (Default)
[personal profile] tsuki_no_bara
i hope the americans in the audience who had the day off had a relaxing and/or fun one, and that for everyone who didn't have the day off (or who doesn't live in the us...) it wasn't too monday a monday. i have watched almost no olympics but i did take myself out for lunch (steak tips! side salad! a pile of very good rice pilaf!) and, uh, bring a bunch of clothes to goodwill. and i read! an actual book! for once! which was very relaxing.

(i also got a rice pudding to go because i wanted it but i was too full after lunch. i got it with whipped cream which might have been a mistake because said whipped cream has totally lost its structural integrity in the fridge. rice pudding still looks good at least and will probably be breakfast tomorrow.)

canada finally won a couple gold medals - both kazakhstan (men's figure skating) and brazil (men's alpine skiing) beat them to gold - brazil got a gold altho the guy used to ski for norway (his mom is brazilian) so, y'know, he grew up in a winter-sports country - also his gold was the first winter olympics medal for any south american country ever which is pretty cool - anyway. canada set off a curling scandal! boopgate. which is evidently only partly about the fact that some of the men were touching the stone after throwing it, which is technically illegal but unevenly enforced (i think the whole thing started when sweden wanted some clarification on the rules over booping), and more about their very unsportsmanlike conduct. like, there was swearing. and lying. (a hint: if you're going to insist you didn't boop the stone and fuck you, sweden, for suggesting it, maybe first make sure there isn't video evidence of you doing that very thing.) (because one of the canadians was caught on tape very obviously booping the stone.) it's apparently a thing that happens - the booping, not the swearing, i mean curling is generally a pretty polite sport - and there's always the possibility someone booped the stone unconsciously, but did i mention the highly unsportsmanlike swearing? it seems to have snowballed a bit and caught the canadian women as well and now that everyone's so focused on the booping a bunch of other teams have been seen doing it.

curling, man.

the baby has a broom. SOCUTE.

i've seen mostly bits and pieces of other sports - a few ends of the women's curling (us vs china), some pairs skating, some women's monobob (not monoboob, self), some women's biathlon (i wanted to see the greenlandic biathlete but no luck), some men's figure skating. poor quad god. he fell twice and came in eighth and i felt so bad for him altho he sounded very mature and thoughtful and philosophical after his program when he got off the ice and some reporter stuck a mic in his face and basically asked "so how does it feel to have fucked up your chance at a gold medal?" so many of the guys fell tho. and he and the kazakh skater hugged and it looked like ilia congratulated him and it was very sweet.

i have yet to see any skiing. just moguls, no downhill.

local curling last night went better than last week - by which i mean no one fell and hurt themselves - and i made a couple good shots altho we lost anyway. and saturday for valentine's day i went to the dentist and got my comics (well, comic) and met my sister for dinner and a 40th anniversary showing of pretty in pink. pretty in pink is forty, good lord. it was never my favorite john hughes movie but jon cryer and annie potts remain extremely adorable. but the love story is kind of half-assed - like, why are these two kids interested in each other in the first place? - and for all the judging of blane being rich it's andie's hangup, not his. he seems legitimately earnest and sincere in his attraction to her and she second-guesses him because he has money and she doesn't. also i didn't like her remade prom dress the first time i saw the movie and i don't like it now. it's ugly and boring. but the soundtrack is still *chef's kiss*. whatever else you want to say about john hughes movies, they always had absolutely banging soundtracks.

for the heated rivalry fen in the audience, if you haven't seen it, have an interview with rachel reid. i keep wondering how many people are watching olympics hockey because of the show and/or books.

Photos: Savanna and Prairie Garden

Monday, February 16th, 2026 11:31 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith posting in [community profile] common_nature
These are the rest of the pictures I took today, from the savanna and prairie garden. (See the House Yard and South Lot.)

Walk with me ... )

SGA: on purpose by dedkake

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 04:21 pm
mific: (John eyeroll Rodney frazzled)
[personal profile] mific posting in [community profile] fancake
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters/Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Rating: Teen
Length: 2492
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply
Creator Links: dedkake on AO3
Themes: Inept in love, Pining, Five things, Friends to lovers

Summary: The thing is, he hadn’t really meant to say it. Not then. Not there. He hadn’t really ever even thought about it before, not in such specific terms. So, it’s as much of a shock to him as it is to anyone else.

or, Rodney's trying so hard and John just doesn't get it.

Reccer's Notes: This is a fun read that makes you want to hit them both upside the head just a little. Rodney keeps telling John how he feels (or trying to), and John keeps missing the point each time, so they're both inept in different ways. Until they aren't!

Fanwork Links: on purpose

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