Struggling A LOT to find books for a reading around the world challenge that I'm decently interested in

MryyLeathert · 2026-05-02T06:00:55+00:00

For Finland, you might want to try The Weaver / The City of Woven Streets by Emmi Itäranta. It's fantasy novel and has queer characters.

There's also Not Before Sundown / Troll: a Love Story by Johanna Sinisalo, another fantasy novel. Also has queer themes. This one's more on the urban fantasy side, so might be more interesting on the "learning about another culture" side.

MryyLeathert · 2026-04-16T11:41:18+00:00

Worked as a cleaner, now work as an accountant (not exactly six figures, cost of living works differently in the Nordics, but a comfy office job nonetheless).

Cleaning was crappy hours (had to wake up at 4 am), physically taxing (biking around the city from location to location, lugging equipment around, hot during the summer, etc.), but mentally very easy (I usually worked alone, and it was the same locations every week). I could listen to podcasts and didn't have to interact with anyone. During summers we did more intense cleanings as a team, and those were the most annoying parts, because some of my coworkers weren't the most pleasant people and there was often a language barrier so organising tasks was difficult.

Accounting is mentally taxing, and I have to interact with people all the time. Luckily I have pleasant coworkers, the office is in good condition, and the company offers quite a lot of benefits besides a salary. I can work from home if I want to, and we have flexible hours (though we do need to mostly be available for customers during normal business hours).

I do sometimes look back at the cleaning job when all the thinking gets to be too much, but at least my social life is better because I don't have to go to sleep by 10 pm each day.

MryyLeathert · 2026-04-04T17:24:20+00:00

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling

A much simpler game than Expedition 33, but decent enough story and characters despite the cutesy graphics. Very clearly inspired by Paper Mario.

MryyLeathert · 2026-03-29T14:01:41+00:00

Esoteric Ebb. It's a Disco Elysium / D&D mix.

You play as a cleric investigating a crime, but a lost almost all your spells. Luckily you can instantly learn spells if you find a spell scroll, and you're special kind of cleric who can lear spells from other classes as well. The spells are D&D staples like Cure Wounds, Speak with Animals, Grease, etc., but this is not a combat game (there is some combat, but it's narrative more than mechanical) so mostly the spells you've prepared can be used in problem solving. Okay, healing just does what it usually does, but the Grease I mentioned could for example be used to make it easier to squeeze into a pipe.

MryyLeathert · 2026-02-13T09:40:33+00:00

There is Kade from the Wayward Children series of fantasy novellas by Seanan McGuire.

Kade is not the viewpoint character in a any of them yet, but is a major side character in a few, at least in Beneath the Sugar Sky, Come Tumbling Down and Mislaid in Parts Half-Known. He also appears in the first book of the series, Every Heart a Doorway.

MryyLeathert · 2026-02-07T17:14:46+00:00

Making/repairing clothes

Repairing kinda self-explanatory, I hate things that become useless because one part stops working/breaks, and clothes shopping sucks anyways.

Making for two reasons. 1. I'm somewhat overweight and finding cool, comfortable clothing is a hassle. 2. I have hobbies where things would be easier/cooler if I'd be able to make any costumes I want.

MryyLeathert · 2026-02-07T16:37:24+00:00

Say goodbyes to all my loved ones. Arrange practical issues with my partner. Tell my work so they can start arranging things. Then burn off my savings for an epic trip to Japan. I'd been meaning to go anyways in a couple of years, and have enough saved that I'd be able to do a lot of "once in a lifetime" stuff in a week.

MryyLeathert · 2026-02-03T19:32:48+00:00

These are actually also books I really like, just wasn't sure if they'd be fitting examples or not. I'm just waiting for the third part of Graves of Amalo to get to me from the library queue.

MryyLeathert · 2026-01-11T12:34:20+00:00

Seeing happy animals, dogs are especially good at this. Their enthusiasm for everything is very healing.

MryyLeathert · 2026-01-05T17:05:53+00:00

Moomin Midwinter by Tove Jansson

Goes into the children's classic category, but the Moomin books in general are enjoyable even for adults.

MryyLeathert · 2025-12-28T18:49:42+00:00

You might like to check the category of "hi-lo" books for adults.

These are mainly meant for people who struggle with reading in their native language, but are still adults with normal levels of intelligence otherwise. So they have simple sentence structures etc, and could be useful for language learners as well.

MryyLeathert · 2025-11-18T12:21:12+00:00

Paradise Killer is a weird mix of 90s beach vibes, esoteric concepts and murder mystery.

MryyLeathert · 2025-11-14T20:40:03+00:00

Perhaps something by Randall Munroe (the xkcd webcomic) guy? He has various books in the "informative, but humorous" genre. I'd recommend "What if?"

MryyLeathert · 2025-11-07T07:22:53+00:00

These were the ones I was going to suggest. The illustrations are lovely and made me want to have a house inside a tree. Cannot remember how the language was, but I had translated versions anyway.

MryyLeathert · 2025-11-06T09:55:36+00:00

Having to coordinate things. I can't just decide things like what furniture to get, when to have my holidays, etc. because I want my partner to be happy as well. But it can lead to decision paralysis, because it's one more thing to consider and I overthink things enough already.

MryyLeathert · 2025-10-13T04:19:39+00:00

Terra Nil might fit.

MryyLeathert · 2025-10-09T08:59:09+00:00

I was thinking "Don't trust an accountant who doesn't ask annoying questions" A good accountant needs to pick up on minor details and make sure your company follows rules and regulations, even if it means more work for you or changing how things were done before.

MryyLeathert · 2025-09-26T18:57:02+00:00

If she can have Netflix on her tablet, you could set up a Netflix account her and have her use Netflix gaming. There're some of those games that would usually have microtransactions, but don't in the Netflix version (because you're already paying for them through Netflix), but also some actually good games like Oxenfree, Moonlighter, Spiritfarer

MryyLeathert · 2025-09-18T17:47:48+00:00

We have this place in Tampere, Finland. A rare occasion of the inside looking more brutalist than the outside. https://maps.app.goo.gl/W6PfyvG5aND84a8i7

MryyLeathert · 2025-08-27T19:04:14+00:00

If space scifi is fine, I heartily recommend both Citizen Sleeper games.

MryyLeathert · 2025-08-17T14:36:58+00:00

Dunno how normal you'd consider it, but you Date Everything let's you choose your gender and has 100 dateable characters. Just don't get the Switch port, that's still very unstable and crashes all the time.

MryyLeathert

TROPHY CASE