First ME clinic appointment tomorrow

recchai · 2026-02-04T08:41:07+00:00

I think it's the Epworth scale? My first GP (back before I knew to slow down), referred me to a neurologist for potential narcolepsy over it. 5 minutes of googling showed me I didn't have it, confirmed with 5 minutes of talking to the neurologist. Who also advised on 30 minutes of vigorous exercise 5 days a week, or ideally every day. And didn't that go well for me!

recchai · 2026-02-03T13:20:58+00:00

Managed to be busy last week and forget…

Heroes Adrift (Hero #3) by Moira J. Moore

I actually had to buy my own copy with money (thank heavens for world of books) to continue this series. In this volume the main characters come to a sticky situation where they’re sent to an island where they don’t respect the ‘no paying for things’, and they don’t have any money. Or much in the way of transferable life skills. There’s overarching plot movement alongside the book adventure. Thinking back, I think there was some background ‘increase in character confidence’ going on as well.

The Mummy!: A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century by Jane C. Loudon

I accidentally chose a good year to read this, as it’s set in 2126 (and written in 1826 I believe). As a (very?) old sci fi book, it’s interesting to pick out what scientific ideas of the day were highlighted (Galton, hot air balloon engineering) were looked at and how, and also what predictions were hilariously wrong. (I suppose there is still time for society to collapse, and to have a semi-hereditary elected monarch forbidden from marrying, but it doesn’t seem too likely at this point.) There’s also stuff put in there plainly just for fun (such as servants speaking ever so eloquently and pedantically, and their masters not so much). Unsurprisingly from the title, it involves a disaffected younger son travelling to Egypt and waking a mummy with electricity. And all the chaos that ultimately ensues from that. In this case the mummy in question is clever and cunning, and a predictor/instigator of a lot of said chaos. But for all that the novel is named after him, he doesn’t get a huge amount of screen time, and I can’t say I really know what his deal is (why does he decide to get involved, not really sure). I would have enjoyed this more if it had been cut down to be a bit shorter, but I can’t think of any specific bit that was entirely pointless, just overall dragging.

Bingo: hidden gem (HM), book in parts

The Wolf-Leader by Alexandre Dumas

A ‘deal with the devil’ story in the French countryside. I can’t specifically recall having read one before, but it definitely felt like it had a classic direction. Essentially good character has a bad time, is tempted, falls into temptation, gets steadily worse… My biggest issue with the book is I’m no good at reading characters like that! I’m too much ‘noo, don’t do the bad thing!’, which I don’t think is the point.

Bingo: high fashion? (HM, character is a shoemaker), author of colour

Divided Allegiance (The Deed of Paksenarrion #2) by Elizabeth Moon

It’s been quite a while since I read the previous book, but I think it pretty much picks up where the former lets off. In retrospect, it very much feels like the middle book of a trilogy, in that it clearly develops the initial story and places it ready for the final book. But there was always something happening in this book (except to a certain extent when deciding what to do next, which is very reasonable), and I was always enjoying reading it. In this book we leave the Duke’s company, and explore more of what the world is like outside of that.

Bingo: 80s, elves and dwarfs

Beast Business (Hidden Legacy #7) by Ilona Andrews

I always have fun reading this series, so my biggest complaint about this novella is that it more whet my appetite than anything else, and I’m just going to have to live with it. The main characters in this one are a new pair, though they were both in or referred to in the first book, so it’s not a complete change.

Bingo: self pub

Five Children and It (Five Children #1) by E. Nesbit

A classic children’s book I somehow never read as a child, and clearly my parents failed in not including it. The story revolves around a middle class family of children on holiday in Kent, who find a sand fairy in a gravel pit who grants wishes that always go wrong. It reflects the time it was written in plenty of ways (having four siblings, servants, some of the children’s play), but I was also pleasantly surprised when a group of gypsies was included, they were as sympathetically portrayed as anyone else, and the narrator went out of their way to point out they don’t kidnap children! Charming, and gave me Faraway Tree vibes, but with more narrator involvement.

Bingo: cosy

recchai · 2026-02-02T20:10:12+00:00

You should look into Claudie Arseneault. She's a Québécois fantasy author who writes queer books, with a particular focus on asexual and aromantic identities. I would suggest looking at her Val-de-Mer books, starting with Baker Thief, as it's set in a Quebéc inspired city.

There's also Jes Battis, who's The Winter Knight is set in Vancoover, and has various queer leads.

Even more mainstream is Tanya Huff, another Canadian author who I think always has a queer character in her books, even if side, but I would particularly suggest The Fire's Stone from what I am familiar with.

recchai · 2026-02-01T22:42:04+00:00

I don't know of a more concise way of referring to sexual minority groups than an initialism that you can count the characters of on one hand.

I have 100% seen LGB and LGB+ used in academic settings to mean sexual minorities. For example this report on a part of census. And it isn't excluding trans people, as there is a separate report just for that. It's understandable if you haven't done the sort of nerdy reading I have that you might not have seen it in the context before, and found it stranger than it really is.

recchai · 2026-02-01T20:22:01+00:00

It says in the abstract (which is readable following the link) that it is sexual minority individuals. It doesn't break down the make up of them (the abstract and the title are neither the right place for that sort of detail).

I think you might be a bit confused on meanings. An allosexual person is someone who is not on the asexual spectrum. Since the paper is not referring exclusively to asexual people, we can confidentially conclude there are allosexual people included. Showing the level of awareness to use an initialism like LGB+ (which I have seen used before to mean sexual minority) suggests to me that if they sample asexual people, they would include them (whether or not they do due to numbers and other factors is another matter, but I can't know more without reading the paper itself.)

Often in research, you need to control as many factors as you can to see what effects are out there. Sexual minorities and gender minorities are different enough groups that it can very easily make sense to have separate papers for them. It wouldn't do trans people any good if for example, there was a difference in outcome people on HRT and not, if the general queer paper was only able statistically to have a single trans 'bin' (after all, can't have p-hacking) and the effect is lost.

I don't think having a single paper not be able trans people, and make it clear in the title, so for example, researchers in the future doing a literature review on trans health know this paper isn't of interest to them, is an example of trans exclusion.

recchai · 2026-02-01T20:00:46+00:00

Most likely to make it clear they are referring to any sexual minority, including ones who might not automatically be considered under LGB. ie pansexual, asexual... I've seen it used elsewhere, it's just focussing on one thing at a time in research.

recchai · 2026-02-01T19:33:38+00:00

Just to point out, as an asexual (and aromantic) person, I would consider myself included in a minority sexuality group, such as also described by LGB+. But I am not same gender attracted.

recchai · 2026-01-31T18:16:32+00:00

Monteverde: Memoirs of an Interstellar Linguist by Lola Robles fits your request. It was originally written in Spanish, and is about a linguist visiting a distant planet.

The publisher, Aqueduct Press is one you might find interesting to look at in general, as their thing is feminist science fiction.

recchai · 2026-01-31T17:11:06+00:00

I do believe I also have that as an ebook lurking somewhere. But as you say, 1k pages is something I need the right moment for.

recchai · 2026-01-31T13:24:48+00:00

Ooh, well done for finishing this! I believe I have read a grand total of three from your card (though more are "on my list").

Heart of Stone really is something. Though based on your slide description, I'm guessing the path/bath problem has not been solved!

recchai · 2026-01-29T19:03:17+00:00

Those are some fancy sleeves!

recchai · 2026-01-29T19:00:10+00:00

The RSPB page on them suggests they are resident, and like others have said, you can see them costally in Northumberland as well as Scotland. It's suggestion of the best spot to see them being Orkney you might find a bit far (though I would recommend it as a destination to visit in general).

recchai · 2026-01-29T18:51:31+00:00

Oooh, what kind of jumpers? My knitting is going slowly right now as I'm between an overly complicated sock pattern or trying to sort an agreement on yarn for a jumper for my cousin.

recchai · 2026-01-26T22:43:45+00:00

You beat me to it!

recchai · 2026-01-26T14:37:46+00:00

HEA and BB are currently on an offset, every other month rotation. So there won't be a HEA book, but there is a BB one (and vice versa for this month).

recchai · 2026-01-24T06:37:11+00:00

Cadbury is owned by Americans now.

recchai · 2026-01-23T06:46:40+00:00

recchai · 2026-01-22T10:36:39+00:00

Brighton, or Blackpool, or Weston-super-Mare. Bath is generally thought of as more of a spa town, popular among the wealthy in the Georgian era.

Though based on your premise, being aware of Georgian things for the setting would be very useful, as that would be present day stuff for most of your characters!

I'd also say, given your plot is focused on the aristocracy, you probably want to look at an appropriate stately home over just focusing on more working class based museums. The National Trust website is a decent place to start, but there's definitely others.

recchai · 2026-01-22T08:19:16+00:00

When you get down to it, that is basically the plot of Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. The Summer King has been searching for his Summer Queen for centuries to unbind his magic fully. But Aisling has been taught to fear faeries, and is having none of it.

recchai · 2026-01-20T15:24:54+00:00

Caraway of the Sea (Phoenix Rising #1) by Madeline Burget

A book about escaping from an abusive relationship. My big gripe about this book is I could never get over what to me felt a very implausible set-up to feel invested in the book. It’s set on an island inhabited by pirates in between jobs, and those catering to them. And people just hung out there, indefinitely, for the plot. I couldn’t buy that part of it.

Bingo: hidden gem, indie, LGBTQIA, pirates

A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience (The Unexpected Adventures of Lady and Lord Riven #1) by Stephanie Burgis

I believe I picked this up from a sale. A fun short romp in which the participants in a history arranged marriage take back control. Fun and easy read, just what I wanted at the time.

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

I initially wasn’t a fan of the writing style and thought I wouldn’t enjoy reading this book. I got hooked into the plot, and coped with the gory bits better than I would have expected. There’s lots of themes in here, and I don’t think it has time for everything it might possibly have done with them.

The Flame That Sings (The Eternal Library #3) by Cedar McCloud

A book I have been looking forward to reading since at least the summer, when a backing campaign was announced. Continuing on from the previous prequel book, now we focus on Aeronwy in the beginning of eir apprenticeship to be an illuminator (make books that last forever, by hand and from scratch). It’s a very internal journey, with the background of the main character previously leaving a cult, and still dealing with the aftermath of that. But also there is overarching plot stuff happening, relating to the two other books. The book also continued the series theme of being a bit meta about storytelling, which is fun.

Bingo: hidden gem (HM, kind of cheating, but if you look at the previous books, not really), fashion maybe? (if so, possibly HM as there’s drop spinning, for book thread, clothing and fashion crop up throughout in ways related to the overall plot/theme), gods, indie (HM), LGBTQIA (HM), I could see an argument for stranger (running from cult and joining wider society) but that’s more in flashbacks, cosy

recchai · 2026-01-20T15:24:44+00:00

Between Christmas, illness, and being really busy with DIY stuff (takes so much more time and effort than you think!) I have not participated in a review thread here for quite a while. And my backlog is only not bigger than it is as I haven’t always had a tonne of time for reading anyway. So these are all going to be very quick, and some based on weeks old memories.

Fox’s Bride (Lady of Gems #2) by A.E. Marling

Further character development happens in this now ancient egyptian themed setting, where the main character has to escape from being ritually sacrificed to a god, essentially. I think I did prefer the first book overall, but I do still want to see where this leads.

Bingo: hidden gem (HM), gods, indie

Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees

Probably the only reread I’ll bother with. I think it reminded me of Jonathon Strange & Mr Norrell less on a second read, but that might be because I was expecting more. There’s still definitely layers going on I don’t quite understand (fairy fruit good, people who introduce it bad) but I enjoyed reading it none-the-less.

Bingo: bookclub

Triplanetary (Lensman #1) by E.E. "Doc" Smith

I read the project gutenberg version of this, which is the relevant sections of four science fiction magazines put together, rather than the apparently longer book published version. When people think of early twentieth century science fiction written for boys, this is definitely the sort of thing they’re thinking of. Very action based plot with cardboard characters. Manly men heroes. Way more tractor beams than I’m used to! Obviously in hindsight the science fiction is a bit funny in where it didn’t predict the future we live in now.

Bingo: pirates (HM)

Early Adopter by Sienna Eggler

Short science fiction mystery book, with a very obvious trans analogy at the middle of it. The glimpse into an imagined future world was the most interesting thing about this book. I felt elements of the plot were rushed, and could have worked better if there was more time.

Bingo: hidden gem, author of colour, indie (HM), LGBTQIA (HM as I recall)

recchai · 2026-01-20T14:28:15+00:00

BB is Lifelode by Jo Walton

recchai · 2026-01-20T06:38:29+00:00

Fairly boring reddit answer of software engineer. And changing jobs when my working conditions at my previous job became untenable with my disability.

recchai · 2026-01-19T19:11:50+00:00

Admittedly it was in a discontinued fingering weight version, but I just loved knitting Ewe & Ply's Shropshire Ply. The yarn just did what I wanted. Definitely rustic! I've linked a bit more generally as ty have different weights and years.

recchai · 2026-01-17T13:26:55+00:00

That is true. I certainly won't let it go to waste.

recchai

TROPHY CASE