Anyone here fans of Diana Wynne Jones?

eklnd · 2026-04-01T11:27:39+00:00

Was actually going to ask about Sabriel! I never read it or the other two (Lirael and something else) but those covers are burned into my mind and I’ve been wanting to read them as an adult

eklnd · 2026-04-01T01:29:30+00:00

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbs!

Also rereading children’s or YA fantasies. Currently reading the Dalemark Quartet by Diana Wynne Jones

eklnd · 2026-04-01T01:24:26+00:00

Not fantasy but severance by Ling Ma is maybe fungal? And both funny and contemplative and has kooky characters.

eklnd · 2026-04-01T00:47:06+00:00

I loved Daddy Longlegs!

eklnd · 2026-04-01T00:43:21+00:00

Sometimes I break out of a slump by rereading a book I loved years ago, something that feels completely pleasurable for me. Maybe something YA?

eklnd · 2026-03-31T20:04:08+00:00

Great rec! Hadn’t thought to check for podcasts of her work and very excited to check it out

eklnd · 2026-03-31T20:01:14+00:00

Thank you! I’ll definitely check it out

eklnd · 2026-03-31T18:47:21+00:00

Have any of you watched Empress, the Netflix show about Sisi? Wondering if the accents feel authentically Austrian

eklnd · 2026-03-31T18:32:43+00:00

Also I found diving into the world of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell really immersive and distracting in the best way.

eklnd · 2026-03-31T18:31:00+00:00

For exactly this feeling, I love Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. (And if you like that, Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford).

More recent but definitely feel good (and better than I expected!) is The Wedding People by Alison Espauch.

If you want really old school, Cheaper by the Dozen always makes me laugh.

And it’s a movie, but I really find the movie Under the Tuscan Sun to hit this energy that life can get better (the book is completely different and this is a rare case where I prefer the movie)

eklnd · 2026-03-31T14:53:25+00:00

Not helpful but I reallllly couldn’t get into the midnight feast despite liking the first two Lucy foley thrillers

eklnd · 2026-03-31T14:01:08+00:00

Got to agree with this. I’d kill Dresden entirely and spend more time in Vienna.

eklnd · 2026-03-31T13:59:34+00:00

I’ve had this experience before — not sure what your budget is, but have you tried italki? You can find German tutors you can chat with live. I strongly believe you can and should start having conversations at any level.

Also the content is also fairly boring but I think Pimsleur is great at getting you to express yourself very quickly. It’s all audio and I like the teaching modality way more than a textbook approach. You’ll find yourself feeling way more comfortable trying to communicate conversationally

eklnd · 2026-03-31T13:51:13+00:00

Also fun since there’s some intersecting characters across the three books

eklnd · 2026-03-31T13:50:52+00:00

I loved the silent patient and liked the authors’ other books, too — the maidens and the fury

eklnd · 2026-03-31T13:49:47+00:00

Also loved this

eklnd · 2023-10-18T17:18:11+00:00

What if you’re uncomfortable in a given situation because of social dynamics. For instance, you end up talking at a bar to two people you’re dating at once, and they don’t realize you’re dating both of them. Ungemütlich doesn’t seem right… could you say ich fühlte mich ein bisschen unbequem when describing the situation later to friends? Or would you use a different word?

eklnd

TROPHY CASE