#DecRecs 1-8
Dec. 8th, 2022 09:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
forestofgloryMy last minute project for the month, #DecRecs, is going well so far! Not only have I had a lot fun reccing a different thing everyday so far this month, but other people have joined me in reccing things! #DecRecs has been pretty active on mastodon, and people on Twitter and Cohost have also joined in. It's been very fun seeing all the different things people are reccing!
I've rounded up my recs to post here as well. I've added numbers but not otherwise cleaned these up Here are the 1st 8:
1. My very first rec for #DecRecs is The Harwood Spellbook bystephanieburgis
I just adore this regency inspired novellas about a woman who chooses to defy gender roles and study magic instead of politics. They are so cosy and charming! I love both the romance and the sibling relationships!
2) For day two of #DecRecs I'm going to rec you some gorgeous fic
"On a Long Journey" by Twigofwillow (The Untamed, Gen, 52k words)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/29819775/chapters/73366473
This is a post canon Sizhui story with a focus on family and identity. I love how it mixes in memories, letters and stories. All of the characterization is wonderful!
Fun fact: Maureen was inspired to try adding letters to this by of my epistolary fics, and I was inspired to try mixing formats by this fic!
3)For the third day of #DecRecs I bring you one of my very favorite SFF shorts "The Witches of Athens" by Lara Elena Donnelly
http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/the-witches-of-athens/
One of my ultimate comfort rereads this story features sisterhood, coffee shops, and a queer romance
4)It's about time for my weekly Tea and Classical Chinese date with myself so today's #DecRecs is
Classical Chinese for Everyone: A Guide for Absolute Beginners by Bryan W. Van Norden
This is such a clearly written an approachable book! As someone who had last tried to learn a language 20 years ago I found this a great way to get started!
5) My 5th #DecRecs I'm going to rec Link Click (时光代理人) a wonderful donghua about people who can travel back in time using photographs.
I love how this made me care so much about the characters in each of the cases even though each one is only a few episodes at most. The little details of everyday life here are great! I especially I also really like the art style, its so pretty!
(content notes: gore, child endangerment, ends on a cliffhanger)
6) For #DecRecs today I'm going to rec Flamecraft a board game designed by Manny Vega with art by Sandara Tang.
The concept of this game is that you help adorable dragons find jobs that suit there vocations. The game play is simple to learn but because the board is different each time their is a lot of variation!
he art is part of what really makes this game shine though! The dragons are so cute! They craft and make fancy coffee drinks and hold cakes half the size of themselves! And the shops have charming and punny names like Pizza Coven and Critical Rolls!
You can see some of the art on the webpage: https://cardboardalchemy.com/flamecraft/
7) For #DecRecs number 7 I'm going to rec Forgotten Disease: Illnesses Transformed in Chinese Medicine by Hilary A. Smith which blew my mind when I read it earlier this year!
This book traces the history of foot qi, a disease that has meant different things at different times in history. Smith uses foot qi as a case study to show how understanding of disease are contingent on time and place, and make a strong argument for understanding historical disease in context.
It not only taught me a lot about the history of medicine in china but made me reconsider my own understanding of disease.
From this book I learned the phrase "Tyranny of diagnosis" which I now think about every time someone I know has a medical problem.
The social construction of disease is fascinating! I very much enjoy the "how people in the past understood the world" sub genre of history books and this was stealer example of that
I also want to say that I found this very clearly written and approachable, and I think it would make sense to anyone regardless of academic background!
8) For today's #DecRecs I'm bringing you more short SFF!
"The House of Aunts" by Zen Cho is a story I love! It's funny and heartfelt, with a focus on intergenrational relationships!
giganotosaurus.org/2011/12/01/the-house-of-aunts/
This was the first story by Zen Cho that I read and I had to immediately rush to track down as many of her other stories as possible, and I have eagerly awaited her new publications since then
I've rounded up my recs to post here as well. I've added numbers but not otherwise cleaned these up Here are the 1st 8:
1. My very first rec for #DecRecs is The Harwood Spellbook by
stephanieburgisI just adore this regency inspired novellas about a woman who chooses to defy gender roles and study magic instead of politics. They are so cosy and charming! I love both the romance and the sibling relationships!
2) For day two of #DecRecs I'm going to rec you some gorgeous fic
"On a Long Journey" by Twigofwillow (The Untamed, Gen, 52k words)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/29819775/chapters/73366473
This is a post canon Sizhui story with a focus on family and identity. I love how it mixes in memories, letters and stories. All of the characterization is wonderful!
Fun fact: Maureen was inspired to try adding letters to this by of my epistolary fics, and I was inspired to try mixing formats by this fic!
3)For the third day of #DecRecs I bring you one of my very favorite SFF shorts "The Witches of Athens" by Lara Elena Donnelly
http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/the-witches-of-athens/
One of my ultimate comfort rereads this story features sisterhood, coffee shops, and a queer romance
4)It's about time for my weekly Tea and Classical Chinese date with myself so today's #DecRecs is
Classical Chinese for Everyone: A Guide for Absolute Beginners by Bryan W. Van Norden
This is such a clearly written an approachable book! As someone who had last tried to learn a language 20 years ago I found this a great way to get started!
5) My 5th #DecRecs I'm going to rec Link Click (时光代理人) a wonderful donghua about people who can travel back in time using photographs.
I love how this made me care so much about the characters in each of the cases even though each one is only a few episodes at most. The little details of everyday life here are great! I especially I also really like the art style, its so pretty!
(content notes: gore, child endangerment, ends on a cliffhanger)
6) For #DecRecs today I'm going to rec Flamecraft a board game designed by Manny Vega with art by Sandara Tang.
The concept of this game is that you help adorable dragons find jobs that suit there vocations. The game play is simple to learn but because the board is different each time their is a lot of variation!
he art is part of what really makes this game shine though! The dragons are so cute! They craft and make fancy coffee drinks and hold cakes half the size of themselves! And the shops have charming and punny names like Pizza Coven and Critical Rolls!
You can see some of the art on the webpage: https://cardboardalchemy.com/flamecraft/
7) For #DecRecs number 7 I'm going to rec Forgotten Disease: Illnesses Transformed in Chinese Medicine by Hilary A. Smith which blew my mind when I read it earlier this year!
This book traces the history of foot qi, a disease that has meant different things at different times in history. Smith uses foot qi as a case study to show how understanding of disease are contingent on time and place, and make a strong argument for understanding historical disease in context.
It not only taught me a lot about the history of medicine in china but made me reconsider my own understanding of disease.
From this book I learned the phrase "Tyranny of diagnosis" which I now think about every time someone I know has a medical problem.
The social construction of disease is fascinating! I very much enjoy the "how people in the past understood the world" sub genre of history books and this was stealer example of that
I also want to say that I found this very clearly written and approachable, and I think it would make sense to anyone regardless of academic background!
8) For today's #DecRecs I'm bringing you more short SFF!
"The House of Aunts" by Zen Cho is a story I love! It's funny and heartfelt, with a focus on intergenrational relationships!
giganotosaurus.org/2011/12/01/the-house-of-aunts/
This was the first story by Zen Cho that I read and I had to immediately rush to track down as many of her other stories as possible, and I have eagerly awaited her new publications since then
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Date: 2022-12-09 02:47 pm (UTC)The Chinese medicine bool also sounds interesting!