Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, by VE Schwab (audio)

Posted on June 12, 2026 by Thistle

This is a three-part story of three women from three different time periods, drawn together by a combination of events over time. I know that’s very vague, but there’s not much more I can say about this without giving away huge parts of the plot. It’s about immortality, and toxic relationships, and the ways that unlimited time and unlimited hunger twist and warp a person from who they once were.

I’m not sure how to review this one. I suppose I can start by saying that it was an incredible book. It drew me in immediately and kept me captivated the whole time. The distribution between the three stories was a bit uneven, but I didn’t mind so much. I never caught on to the source of the immortality until it was revealed. My brain has been wrapped up so much with soul-hopping and reincarnation stories recently, so I don’t know if I just missed obvious cues or if the story was clever enough to hide the reveal quite well. In any case, I was clearly just along for the ride.

There were two quotes that really hit home for me, especially coming out of a longterm situation that was really not good, which becomes clearer the longer I’m away and seeing things from an outside perspective. When you’re stuck in a bad situation, you often don’t see all the little things keeping you there – you’re too focused on trying to hold things together, never questioning if you should be trying, or if it’s worth saving. So these two quotes hit me powerfully. The first:

It is easy, isn’t it, in retrospect? To spot the cracks. To see them spread. But in the moment, there is only the urge to mend each one. To smooth the lines. And keep the surface whole.

And the second:

Why does Charlotte stay? That is like asking—why stay inside a house on fire? Easy to say when you are standing on the street, a safe distance from the flames. Harder when you are still inside, convinced you can douse the blaze before it spreads, or rushing room to room, trying to save what you love before it burns. [emphasis added]

It was generally a very powerful book, a masterpiece of a tale. I’ve seen some reviews where people say the end is dissatisfying or anticlimatic, but I completely disagree. I think it’s a perfect ending, exactly what I’d hoped for. It made me love everything that came before even more.

Performance: This book was read by Marisa Calin, Katie Leung, and Julia Whelan. All three narrators were good, but I especially loved Katie Leung’s performance. Possibly because I just love the Scottish accent so much. (But also, she and the others all did great with a multitude of accents!)

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The Bones Beneath My Skin, by TJ Klune (audio)

Posted on June 5, 2026 by Thistle

Nate only wanted to go back to the family cabin to sort out his life. He didn’t expect to meet two squatters, a military man and a strange young girl, hiding out in his cabin. He didn’t expect the gun pressed to his head. He certainly didn’t expect to find himself on the run from government agencies intent on keeping their secrets.

This is my first experience with Klune. Years ago, when The House on the Cerulean Sea published, it quickly gained popularity. I tried it out and it felt too young for my liking. After a few pages, I returned it to the library. Since then, I’ve seen a bajillion books come out from the author. The first one that really caught my attention was The Secret Lives of Puppets, though I never got around to reading it. The second was more recent, called We Burned So Bright. But then a week ago, I desperately needed an audiobook to listen to and this one was available from Libby. I don’t know that it was the best Klune to start with, but this is how I began.

My reaction to the book is mixed. On the good side: The story was intriguing. The girl (Art) was obviously strange from the beginning, though I couldn’t tell if she was an artificial construct, some kind of cyborg, an alien, a transplanted soul, a clone, etc – she was just obviously Not Right. The truth is revealed slowly as Nate, Alex, and Art go on the run from secret agents. It was intriguing. The 90s setting was quite nostalgic, and I liked that part a lot.

Toward the 75% mark, though, the book started feeling a bit heavy-handed. A lot of moral lessons were taught outright. The romance that developed between Alex and Nate, which I enjoyed and thought was well done, veered sideways into erotica for one scene. Normally, I’m fine with that, but this one was, um, very spit-heavy, and no thank you. It also seemed a bit out of place in a book that gave no hint of adult content through all the rest before and after. The ending wrapped up very quickly and ambiguously in a way that left me unsettled. Not unsettled by the story, but unsettled like I’m not sure I really caught what the intention of the book was meant to be. That might simply be because I was literally moving house while I listened to it, but others I know have said they also found it to be a strange/unsettling ending.

I’m sure I’ll read more Klune. I’m still interested in those two books mentioned above. After that, I’ll be able to better decide if I should dive into others that have not really caught my attention in the past. It was a strange beginning, but not off-putting.

Performance: This audiobook was read by Kirt Graves. I was a little thrown by the accents he chose for the characters, which were very southeastern-US when the bulk of the story took place in the Oregon/Washington-to-North Dakota corridor. I was also not a fan of his voice for Art (but I rarely like when people make “children’s” voices in audiobooks). Also: “vague” does not rhyme with “bag.” It startled me every time he said it. Not my favorite performance, but not the worst either.

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Fanfic Minis – May 2026

Posted on June 3, 2026 by Thistle

I didn’t read much this month. My brain is starting to float away from fanfics and back into tradpub. It’s funny how these things float around. I thought I’d have much more drive to read FF after S3 but…yeah.

First: Until It Is by Sakascal. Post-canon angst-driven story of capture, torture, rescue, and (finally) talking. This was sooooo good. I might be a bit biased because 1) the author is a friend and 2) I helped beta the first five chapters. Still. I was feral asking for the next chapters to edit while this was ongoing, heh.

Second: Where We Land by badwolfgirlicouldkissyou. This is a story about a (literal) fall and the fallout (no pun intended) for both the person hurt and his caregiver. No punches are pulled. This is a heavy but also hopeful story.

Third: Still We Know Each Other So Well by PaperclipNinja. I have been following this story for two years now. It feels strange to add it to May’s tally, as only the last two chapters posted in 2026. But that’s how it is sometimes in fanfic, and I was never worried that Ninja wouldn’t finish this one. It’s a lovely story that shot me right in the chest from the beginning. It’s a memory-wipe fic where Az and Crow unknowingly learn what it is to experience humanity from within, rather than living beside it, and all the complications that entails. It’s tender and sweet and bittersweet and hard in places, and in the end, so worth everything. This has long been one of my favorites, and I can’t wait to go back and read the whole thing as a completed fic.

Fourth: All the Pieces You Are by Create_Serenity. This is the second of three (so far) novels in this series. I’ve read the first and the third, and finally got the last chapter of this one this month. It came out the day before the season finale, and I read it two days later. I didn’t realize it was going to leave on a major angst cliffhanger. Gah! I adore the author, she’s a lovely person, and I’m going to strangle her for doing this to me while also encouraging her to get back to the page so she can write the resolution for all of us!

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May 2026 in Review

Posted on June 1, 2026 by Thistle

I thought this month was going to be a good one. It was not.

  • Tarot of the month (full year, month by month, drawn Dec 2025): The Two of Cups. This card is the closest thing in the minor arcana as you can get to The Lovers. It represents a strong bond, be that romantic or platonic, and harmonic synchronization. Frankly, when I learned that Good Omens S3 would release in May, I immediately associated this card with Aziracrow. Because of course I did! Instead, this ended up being about holding tight to friendships for comfort when things go to shit. // This version of the Two of Cups comes from the Light Seer’s Tarot (no affiliate link).
  • Song(s) of the month: Desperate Now (Stabbing Westward), Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper), heavens in ashes (eli.)

General Life Stuff
Life hasn’t been kind. Ghost and Gherkin got rejected from the Humane Society in their intake appointment for being too nervous. Every other shelter is full. The poor kitties – including Jojo – have intake appointments with Animal Care Services in June, which is unfortunately a kill-shelter. I’m devastated, and I can’t write about it anymore without breaking down. I’m glad I got three of my babies to good new homes, but for these three, I just have to hope that one of the shelters around town (the ones that tell me they pull from the euthanasia list rather than from the public) will save them.

The rest of the month – ignoring the whole Good Omens debacle that left the fandom grieving and fractured – was filled with getting in as many doctor’s appointments as possible before I lose health insurance. Dentist, Ob/gyn, an MRI (first time I’ve done one of those in a closed MRI rather than one of the open ones!), therapy, blood work, etc. And with packing, taking stuff to a storage shed, figuring out what needs to stay with me over the next few months vs getting shipped to Europe later, etc. Lots of bureaucracy too, and that’s never fun. I moved in with a friend this past weekend and will be with her for the next few months. I’m really grateful that she’s letting me stay with her during this time as I transition to the next stage of life!!

Goals
Again, little has passed here. I got more done on my Bang fic. I have an idea of what I want to write for the TIC Zine, though honestly, this may be too ambitious of a goal in my current circumstances. I did schedule two photoshoots for June! I also have a good idea of two of my cosplay choices, and I’ve begun watching some ProCreate tutorials via TikTok unexpectedly when they started showing up in my feed. No active learning, just watching random things. Hopefully in June I’ll be able to put some new skills to the test because I haven’t drawn anything in ages.

Writing
Mostly just the stuff I mentioned under my goals, though I did begin writing a short fix-it S3 fic that addressed the stupid Book of Plot Holes issue to make a choose-your-own S3 situation. I hope to finish that one quickly.

Favorite Photos

Exciting stuff
I’m not sure there was anything exciting this month. No! I take that back. My middle child wrote the family Discord group on the 28th to let us all know that she was getting married – that day – to her longtime girlfriend. It was their two-year anniversary. (And yes, this is always how my child shares her news – in last minute snippets. It’s nbd. I’m happy for her and glad she and her wife are happy!) But really, the big exciting thing that was meant to be this month did not end up being very exciting, and the next exciting bit will be coming in the next week or so as my divorce becomes official! So yeah. Boo for May in general.

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Best Laid Plaids, by Ella Stainton (audio)

Posted on May 29, 2026 by Thistle

Joachim is a student on the verge of finishing his thesis on delusional minds. He goes to Scotland to study his friend’s brother, Ainsley, a once-prominent academic who lost his reputation by claiming to speak with ghosts. Ainsley is determined to make Joachim believe in ghosts. And to get him in his bed. Joachim is determined to stick with the rational and avoid accidentally falling in love.

You can imagine how all that goes. Essentially, this is spicy M/M historical romance with a bit of a paranormal twist. Quite a fun book. Can’t complain. Bonus in that it was read by Cornell Collins, whom I’ve grown very fond of as an audio narrator by now!

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Good Omens Finale

Posted on May 25, 2026 by Thistle

Two weeks ago, the last chapter of the Good Omens TV series came to an end. Due to the allegations against NG a few years back, the show was nearly canceled, and when enough folks advocated for it, eventually Amazon announced a 90-minute movie to end on instead of a six-episode series. The episode scripts, already at least half-written by NG, were sent off to a team of writers** to condense and modify into quarter of the run time, and the budget was severely cut. But we were getting a finale.

I’ve enjoyed the lead-up to the release. The drops, growing more frequent as the date approached. Discovering which characters would be returning. Speculating and even writing fanfic based on screen stills and clips. Watching S1 and 2, one episode at a time, over the first 12 days of May. The fandom was a great space to ponder and get excited and share everything we’d been waiting for these last almost-three years. Season 3 was set to release at 2am my time on the 13th, and I knew that if I didn’t set an alarm, I would be jolting awake all night wondering if it was out yet. So I set my alarm for 1:30, got my tired self out of bed, and sat down to watch with all my friends around the world. A few hours later, I was left with very mixed feelings which have since resolved into “heavy dissatisfaction” by this point.

Spoilers from here on out. Also this is long.

Continue reading →

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Platform Decay, by Martha Wells (audio)

Posted on May 23, 2026 by Thistle

Volume 8 in the Murderbot series. Murderbot is on a mission to rescue some of Mensah’s family. The mission takes a turn when Murderbot gains a second request to rescue a second family. Lots of bad things happen. Feelings are all over the place. Murderbot is dealing with a lot of emotions.

I really liked this volume. It was something I needed this week (not ready to talk yet about my Feelings about the GO finale…). There was a lot of laughter and the story was quite engaging. But honestly, this review from another person basically summed up the book in the best possible way, so I’m going to let their words talk:

Performance: The audio was read by Kevin Free, who did a fab job!

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All of Us Murderers, by KJ Charles (audio)

Posted on May 18, 2026 by Thistle

Trapped in a remote mansion with his insane relatives, Zeb tries to escape forced marriage to a cousin, a supposed family curse, and specters that may or may not be ghosts. Oh, and his ex-boyfriend is there, to complicate things further.

This is the first KJ Charles book I’ve read that I was just kinda meh about. The mystery was intriguing, the plot well done. But I didn’t like Zeb. He was too nice. Like, his only flaw was that he had ADHD, which isn’t exactly a flaw. Yeah, everyone treated him like it was, but other than the shortcomings produced by an unmedicated disorder, the man was literally perfect in every way. Set against the horror that was almost every other character, I found it difficult to believe or relate. It took nearly half the book before I got intrigued enough by the plot to want to keep reading. Sigh.

Performance: The audiobook was read by Sonny Archer. Nothing really to say about it. Not my favorite, but I didn’t dislike it either.

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The Escape Game, by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss

Posted on May 11, 2026 by Thistle

After the brutal murder at the end of Season 4 of reality TV series The Escape Game, no one expected the show to continue. But continue it has, with a whole new round of contestants, including the younger sister of the murdered girl. Most people believe she’s guilty of the crime, but she’s there to get answers. Regardless of the cost.

You know, this book really surprised me. I put it on my list because I liked the idea of reading about escape room reality TV, but I figured that I’d read a page or two and decide it wasn’t for me. Nope. This was a really gripping book. There were mysteries on top of mysteries, and I didn’t see any of the twists coming.

Including the fact that while this book has an end, it’s also the start of a series. Whoops. I forgot that so many YA novels are set up that way these days. This barely came out, so it’ll be a looooong time before the next one drops. Ah well. Like I said, this can be read as a standalone, so if I forget about it before the next one publishes, I’m not too worried. Still, it was one helluva book, first one in awhile that had me this invested, to the point of not wanting to put the book down. Hats off to both authors.

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Tattoo Tour: Spooky Pop (22)

Posted on May 8, 2026 by Thistle

One day in April, Stephanie and I went down to a local tattoo shop we really like, Black Sphinx Tattoos. They have tons of flash, which is what we were both after, and also there is often a sphinx cat in the studio. There are apparently several sphinx cats that perch in there on a regular basis, though I’ve only met the original, Mrs Tiddies. Normally, I’ve seen her sleeping, but on this particular day, she was very active and aggressively loving. It was so very sweet!

Anyway, I always have to exclaim joy over cat things!

Stephanie and I had tried to get flash tattoos in March, but at a different (new-to-us) location that ended up being FAR too busy. We waited for an hour and found out it would be another 3-4, so we bowed out. Clearly this is a thing we’ve been trying to do for awhile! So we made the trip out again and both found flash that worked for us. I chose another small piece to add to my spoopy leg – a lollipop (in my mind, it’s a Tootsie Pop) covered in a tissue and tied to look like a ghost, with a “scary” face.

Back in 2020, in the height of the pandemic, I actually created Tootsie Pop ghosts (without faces) for Halloween. I popped them into a styrofoam block so people could grab one individually without touching any of the others and so I could sit back from the display at a proper distance. This was almost exactly the same thing, adorable and perfect for the spoopy theme, so I talked to my artist about having some of the color of the wrapper come through, plus colored-in eyes where you see the wrapper through “holes” cut into the tissue. We worked together throughout, and it ended up coming out absolutely perfect.

It’s silly, and lovely, and it’s been healing well in the three weeks since. It’s the first one I’ve gotten on my calf that didn’t hurt (much), too, so that’s nice! Usually my calf is extremely painful. I really liked the artist, and I think I might see if she wants to do one of my cat tribute tattoos before I move to Europe!

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