Bone of my Bone by Johanna van Veen
I absolutely loved it! A sapphic folk-horror set during the Thirty Years' War, centered around a Protestant peasant girl and a Catholic nun trying to reuinite what they believe is a saint's skull with her body.
It did not hold back on describing the horrors that the common folk faced during a very violent time in history but the comfort and hope that Elsebeth and Ursula find in each other throughout offers light in an otherwise very bleak setting. The ending was great, give you more of that little ray of hope, even if it's very far from the usually happily ever after.
Very much recommend this book for anybody looking for sapphic horror!
~ Ivill
Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues in New York by Ross Perlin
This book was really interesting, definitely recommend.
~ remreader (bluesky)
Unfit to Print by KJ Charles
Fun, fast-paced, very short novel (probably a novella actually) with two Victorian guys solving a missing-person case that hinges on a trove of inherited pornography. And falling in love, of course (it's a lovely second-chance romance with two characters who have Been Through It).
~ @alimasin.bsky.social
Call it Courage (1940) by Armstrong Sperry
This is just the sort of children’s book I might have read as a kid, an adventure about a kid needing to survive on his own for a while. I read the 50th anniversary edition filled with illustrations by the author (they look like woodcuts). I also watched a Disney film version. Its Polynesian island setting was a bit of a connection to some OFMD actors.
Keeping OFMD in mind as I read…
Moana is the sea god.
Matafu believes the sea god took his mother’s life and wants to take his, as well.
{Auntie in OFMD 2-02:
<<AUNTIE: Sea witch. I have looked for you far and wide. But then you probably know that.
BUTTONS: Best not assume we know anythin' at all, ma’am. >>}
“That is woman’s work.”
Matafu does more practical work than his peers, but being handy and resourceful becomes an important part of his story.
{Pete in OFMD 1-01:
<<PETE: I'm not fսckin' sewing. That's women's work.
STEDE: Oh, Black Pete, come on now. You know that's not true. How many of you sew? Be honest.
ROACH: Sewed my shoulder up once... after I'd been stabbed. (all gasp) >>}
~ cindyb5.bsky.social
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
a CLASSIC murder mystery starring my beloved Hercule Poirot. Twisty and fun with some genuinely interesting characters and a satisfying wrap-up. NB: this book was written by an English author in 1937 and takes place in Egypt, so there is some pretty jarring period-typical racism
~ alimasin.bsky.social
The October Man - Ben Aaronovitch
Back with the wizards but this time it’s German wizards and German river goddesses. This book is definitely signalling changes in the world of magic and international magic relations.
Unlike the previous book in the series set internationally this one was closer to the rest of series with the protagonist being the equivalent of main character in the London books. It was interesting to get a few snippets of events during the war from the other side and river goddesses no matter what country they live in having to deal with life amongst mortals.
~ Robotpinemarten
The Dogs of Venice (2025) by Steven Rowley
I saw this novella and grabbed it on my way home from the library yesterday. I loved Steven Rowley’s “The Guncle” and I think I’ll always enjoy what he writes.
Here, Paul’s husband ended their marriage before a trip abroad and Paul is learning to not only travel, but be, on his own.
The cover is of a man with light brown hair in a teal blue jacket with a red scarf fluttering in the wind. Very Stede-like, although the character holds the sadness of both Ed and Stede when they end up apart after forming such a close connection.
Short and sweet.
Keeping OFMD in mind as I read…
Paul’s ex said Paul was too needy.
{Fang asks Ed in OFMD 2-05:
<<Do you think you talk so much because you don't wanna know how to sit with yourself? >>}
‘Paul lingered in the candlelight, savoring each forkful with an appreciation for both ingredient and technique, unearthing the china pattern on the restaurant's dishes with the slow precision of an archaeologist.’
{Stede is teaching Ed about the rule with cutlery in OFMD 1-05:
<<STEDE: In we go with salad fork...
ED: I learn all of this just to fսcking eat?
STEDE: Yes, oh, but it's not just eating. We're dining. And remember, dining is...
ED: Pageantry.
STEDE: Pageantry. >>}
Nicola says:
‘"Do you know your way at night? Streets in Venice are full of dark. Dark that can be too dark."
{Stede calls to Ed in 2-04:
<<Ed. Hey, um, can you come with? It's getting a bit dark, and I-I can't, actually... I can't find my way back to the ship. >>}
~ cindyb5.bsky.social
We Burned So Bright, TJ Klune
Oh boy mind the tags on this one, folks. I didn't and assumed it would be another Klune Feelings book that's ultimately hopeful and it is *not*. It gave me a night of nightmares when I fell asleep reading and I sobbed silently at the end cuddling my kid to sleep. It's good but it is Rough and you really need to be in a good headspace for it, which I very much wasn't as the apocalyptic wildfire smoke engulfed my house. Beautifully written except for a really clunky chapter that read like an LGBT history lesson weirdly and it just didn't work for me. Read it (if you can handle a study on grief and love at the end of the world) but don't expect the Cerulean Sea or even Under the Whispering Door. There are moments of joy but that's not what it is about.
~ michellethestan
1776 by David McCullough
Pretty straightforward history book, but well-written.
~ remreader (bluesky)
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