forestofglory

I thought I would have gotten father with my pile of graphic novels form the library by now since I think of them as such quick reads, but I guess I've been reading other things.

Women of the Conquest Dynasties: Gender and Identity in Liao and Jin China by Linda Cooke Johnson —Read for my FTH bibliography. This didn’t have a huge amount about textiles but it did have a lot about interesting and badass women.

Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite —A murder mystery novella set on a space ship. Very much in the style of classic murder mysteries, complete with an older woman detective. There's a bunch of interesting memory based tech in here including something like a replicator that works off memories which is a cool idea but replicating the thing you remember exactly how you remember it doesn’t seem like it would work out for most people. Fabric is mentioned as something that’s easy to replicate, but I don’t remember even fabric I’ve sewn with that precisely. Most of my memories are just not very precise – I would just end up with a lot of blobs if I tried this.

This kind of mystery really depends on the quirky cast, and I liked the characters but felt like we didn’t really get to know them, I think it would have benefited from being longer so the characters could be a bit more developed.

This makes it seem like I didn’t like the book, but actually it's very charming. I especially liked the the main character is a knitter and there are lots of yarn details.

Hovergirls by Geneva Bowers —One of those graphic novels I mentioned checking out from the library. Cousins Jalissa and Kim have recently moved to a new city and have to deal with challenges like working at a coffee shop and fighting mysterious glowing fish. This was fun! I really liked the art style, which was very bright and colorful.

The Moth Keeper by Kay O'Neill —Another graphic novel by the author of The Tea Dragon Society books. This one is actually written before A Song for You & I and it’s not quite as good as that one, there’s few places where it's hard to follow the action. I did really like all the night time desert landscapes, and the moths though!

( Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors, My Uncanny Destiny )

It's that time again! More thoughts on media:

The Truth Season 3 case 8 (I think, the numbering is confusing now)— this case featured Chinese style horror, and it was very creepy but in a fun way. I also enjoyed the earthly 20th inspired costumes

I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming— I’m writing about this even though I didn’t finish it because I think some of you might enjoy this. The first bit was really fun! The main character is a wildlife biology PhD student, who when she finds herself on an alien planet is upset that it's full of dinosaurs all from different time periods from each other! (Very relatable really) The book has a very fun voice. Unfortunately it ends up becoming too much sex for me.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh— A Korean inspired fantasy YA novel about a girl who chooses to sacrifice herself in place of the designated Sea God’s Bride and enters a spirit world full of mythical beings and complex politics. (I read this even though the mom is dead, and really there’s no narrative reason for it) This was lovely and very atmospheric, though the ending left me a little dissatisfied. (Content Note: Infant death)

Painted Devils by Margaret Owen— Second book in the Little Thieves trilogy. Very fun and twisty in a similar way to the 1st book.

Kpop Demon Hunters — It's an animated movie about a kpop girl band that are magical girl-sque demon hunters, there's lot of musical numbers.A Koren friend of mine described it as “an American movie set in Korea” and I think that’s spot on. She specifically complained about how the worldbuiling/theology feels too christian. It doesn't fully work through the consequences of all the violence but the flight scenes are very swooshy and fun, and I liked the themes a lot. I also really liked the female friendship aspect.

Here's some thoughts on media I read and watched recently

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen— This YA fantasy novel was really fun! There are lots of heists and disguises. All the moms are terrible but they aren't dead (being Death doesn't count). I really hated all italicized German words (it is not a problem that they were German I just hate it when “foreign” words are italicized, it's both othering and distracting to me as a reader) However this really sucked me in! It’s fast paced and twisty and the worldbuilding feels grounded.

Coffee Prince ep 5-20— I finished this classic of crossdressing girl media. It was cute and fun! I got a great comment on my post about crossdressing girl media about how crossdressing allows women to form friendships with men on more equal footing. This drama really leans into that and the pleasure of being ‘one of the boys” without having to justify oneself.

This did the best job of “The MC thinks he’s gay because he likes the crossdressing FL” that I’ve seen (Though I haven’t seen many) it could be even better but I was pleased with it nonetheless.

(Content note: Blink and you'll miss it miscarriage and fertility issues)

The Sapling Cage by Margaret Killjoy— Somehow no one told me that it is a crossdressing story but trans. That is, the main character is a trans girl who starts the book thinking she’s a boy in disguise. Interestingly she "disguises" herself as a girl so that she can go out into the world and become a witch (mostly crossdressing men in media are trying to access "inner" spaces). The author even thanks Tamora Pierce in her acknowledgments, so it's very clearly part of that tradition.

What people did tell me about this book is that there are a bunch of meetings, in fact I was expecting more meetings based on how much people talked about them.There are some meetings, but they don’t drag out and are often summarized. But I was not expecting it to be quite as brutal as it was, there was a lot of fighting and some killing, and also quite a bit of phillosy about power and making choices. Definitely a book that gave me a lot to think about.

I don’t often go seek out reviews after I read a book, but this one I really wanted to see what other people said about it. I really liked Roseanna’s review.

The Truth Season 3 cases 4-5— I continue to really enjoy this show! I especially liked the set of costumes that looked part of a production of Midsummer Night’s Dream. Also they have been playing with the format in fun ways with these two cases.

I can't think of an even vaugley clever subtitle for this post so I've just put the date. I read some books with varying levels of joy. Getting slightly better sleep for a bit helped, as did putting less pressure on myself to love everything I read.

Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis—I was very charmed by this book! It’s not a book where I want to think too hard about the worldbuilding, nor is it a book that thinks too hard about its political systems. (There is an empire – it's bad because it wants to control magic and take over all the little kingdoms around it. But we aren’t going to think too hard about how all those monarchies work or about due process) But if you are in a mood to let those things slide and I was, it's a fun read. I liked and wanted to root for the main characters right away, especially the male lead who is a bit princess coded and becomes a librarian by accident. The plot is mostly a kind of tropey romance and I found that very soothing.

Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer—This age of sail crossdressing girl book was recced in response to my crossdressing girl media post. Our main character Jack (née Mary) disguises herself as a boy to become a ship's boy on the HMS Dolphin, and has many adventures. This was a little too gritty for me, especially the early part of the book where her family all die, and then she lives on the street. That section featured a lot of the kids dying! Then ship life is rough and they are in battles and things so more people die. There’s also an attempted rape. Anyways this is a solid example of the crossdressing girl trope! (I actually checked the second book out form the library but it involved school bullying and I was finding that way too upsetting)

A Sky Full of Dragons by Tiffany McDaniel—I read this MG fantasy out loud to my kid over many bedtimes. I think it's a bit too whimsical, which is not a thing I thought I would ever complain about. I like whimsy! But so many unexpected things kept happening it was hard to follow the plot at first. Plus it’s just hard to hold narrative tension when absurd things just keep happening.

The Truth Season 3 cases 1-3— I’m so obsessed with this show! It’s a reality show where pretty people wear pretty clothing and play an elaborate game that’s like a cross between and escape room and a murder mystery dinner party. It’s got my fav Liu Yuning and several other people who I'm very fond of. I think the big thing that keeps me coming back is the group chemistry, which is very fun. I can’t really follow the mysteries – I can get the broad strokes, but to really follow you need to get the details. But it's fine because it's not really what I’m here for, and I enjoy the surprise reveals. This season's costumes are great so far!

Paprika—We did watch another Satoshi Kon film for our next movie night! This one is both very trippy and very creepy. I’m not sure I like it. It was good, just really intense. Anyways I’m glad I watched it. I continue to be impressed by Satoshi Kon’s cityscapes (content note: sexual assault, fatphobia)

I’m once again sharing my thoughts on my recent media consumption. But first some thoughts about my joyful reading project.

I spent several days making a deliberate effort to not read if I didn’t feel like reading or wasn’t excited by anything I had to read. I don’t think it really helped? I was kind of miserable but in a different way than when I read things because I don’t have anything better to do. (I need no screen low hand impact things to do right before bed) But I guess after I did that I did end up reading some things. So maybe it worked? But I would rather not do it again.

I went back to reading not because I was suddenly super excited but because I had a day where I was too sick to do much at all and ended up reading a long fic all day.Which was nice, maybe not joyful, but nice.

( All Systems Red, Commodity and Exchange in the Mongol Empire, The Crescent Moon Tearoom, and The Flash Band )

I was lucky that I watched several drama I liked and could finish recently but now I'm having trouble settling on something to watch. I did finish a book though!

Tao Yuanming and Manuscript Culture: The Record of a Dusty Table by Xiaofei Tian —I enjoyed this book about how variant version of Tao Yuanming’s poems might change how we view the poet. The first chapter which focused on how these variants were seen historically was especially good and the rest of the book didn't quite live up to it. I still liked how it added a lot of context that's helpful for understanding the poems. I didn't like some of the arguments about what the poet felt, which just seems overly strong for the evidence. Overall worth reading.

Other than that I have watched and given up after a few episodes several things ( Read more... )

Here's a few thoughts on recent media I've read and watched. But first an update on my Reading Joyfully project:

I've realized that I was trying too hard to read the exact right thing at the exact right time. I kept thinking that I must find the exact right thing to read in the exact right mood because then I’d enjoy the book the most possible, but it was stressing me out and making reading less fun. So I’m thinking about how to find a good balance between only reading what I feel like reading with that level of perfectionism

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong—This is a recent cozy fantasy novel that’s getting a lot of buzz. Though I don’t think I would have called in cozy if it wasn’t being marketed that way. I guess I really don’t understand what’s happening in cozy SFF these days

I had mixed feelings about the book. The worldbuilding felt very vibes based, and the pacing was bit uneven but I liked that it focused on friendship and didn’t have any romance, and the concept of small fortunes is fun! My friend Jenny has much more thoughtful review that you should check out.

Finder by Suzanne Palmer—I have several friends who really love this book so I decided to check it out even though it didn’t sound like the kind of thing I generally like. This is a really good example of the thing that it is but unfortunately I was right and it's not my kind of thing. Which makes it a bit hard to write about it. I’m just not into loner dude causes trouble while trying not to care about other people type stories. I liked it enough to read all of it, it's fun, the worldbuilding is good, the main character actually does care about other people despite his best efforts. But I don’t plan to read the rest of the series.

Sungkyunkwan Scandal ep 13-20— I raced through this, it was exactly the thing I needed to be watching at the time. This is a fun show, and I’m glad I watched it. I did think that the way the show handled queerness left a lot to be desired, and the show is at best ambivalent about monarchy as an institution. However I really liked the characters and enjoyed their friendships and shenanigans (also there is surprising amount of good fic for this show which I’m still working my way through)

Thanks for all your kind and thoughtful responses to my post about reading joyfully. I’m going to try to post occasional updates on that as part of these media round-ups. I’ve been experimenting with doing things other than reading in my non-screen winding down before bed time, it's a bit hard to find non-reading things that are ok for my hands though. Anyways given I’ve been reading a bit less this post is mostly dramas.

Keep Running Special Season ep 1 —libitina saw this on a list of currently airing shows and thought it was the kind of thing I would enjoy. She was correct! Keep Running is a Chinese travel variety show with a lot of seasons that I’ve been thinking about checking out but wasn’t sure where to start. This special season is about a group of people retracing the Tea Horse Road, so it’s got bits of fun history and tea. (content note: weight loss/diet culture)

The Mischievous Letters of the Marquise de Q by Felicia Davin—Sequel to The Scandalous Letters of V and J. It’s been a bit since I read a book then read a couple of other things before reading the sequel, but I used to do that a lot and it's nice. Reading everything at once can be too much but if there's too long a gap between books I forget too much.

This book was as charming as the first one. In the tradition of romance series this focuses on a different set of people than the first book, most of whom were characters in the first book. I liked all of them and was happy to get to know them! And it was nice to see the characters from previous books here as well.

Woodwitch by Skye McKenna— Sequel to Hedgewitch, read out loud to the kid. A solid MG british fantasy book

Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung ep 1-15—I’m really enjoying this! It’s got my beloved young woman trying to succeed at a historically masculine job trope! The ML is princess coded and that's delightful! He’s my favorite character which I wouldn’t have expected.

This is the first time I’ve watched a Korean drama. I usually try to save my limited TV watching for Mandarin language stuff. Also the episodes tend to be really long. However it’s kinda neat to see what’s similar and different to the Chinese dramas I’ve watched. Like the way the court works. (I’m still sneaking a little language practice in because they write in classical Chinese)

Content note: smallpox plague, child death, suicide

Soul Sisters ep 1-7—Cute baihe-ish mini drama, the subtitles are machine translated and bad, but I was worried that this would get taken down. But now there’s a project to make better subtitles so I might wait to watch the rest.

I have stared off 2025 with a terrible cold which meant doing lot of nothing! But today I'm feeling a better and my brain is clearer. I hope the start of the year has been kinder to all of you!

Anyways here are some thoughts on media from the end of 2024. Some of these overlap with my DecRec posts

Gender, Power, and Talent: The Journey of Daoist Priestesses in Tang China by Jinhua Jia—More or less what it says on the tin. Lots of profiles of interesting Tang dynasty women here! I do think the author not sceptical enough of official histories, and I ended up skimming most of the literary analysis.

What The Hell Is Love ep 1-10—This Taiwanese drama, is modern but with ghosts -- but the ghosts are represented by people covered in green makeup, also sometimes the ML has visions of Diyu which is shown as industrial ruins with trippy lighting. This is not a complaint. I enjoyed the silly special effects.

It was pretty fun for a while, though definitely a bit 'Am I confused because the subtitles are bad, because I lack cultural context, or because this is some nonsense?" But then the show moved away from ghosts and cases to have some heterosexual nonsense, and I wasn't finding any of the romance stuff compelling at all, but when it finally got to another case it was storyline that I was just extremely Nope about

Content notes: death and grieving, cancer, medical fiances, infertility, rape

Sing for the Coming of the Longest Night by Katherine Fabian and Iona Datt Sharma — A friend suggested a group read along of this book for the solstice, which I thought was an excellent idea. I had read this and loved it when it first came out, but I was a little worried that it wouldn’t be as good as I remembered it. But it was! It’s a contemporary fantasy story about two metamores who dislike each other but have to work together to save their mutual boyfriend. It’s extremely good, the writing is beautiful, the characters are great, the magic makes sense while at the same time feeling numinous, and everything is just so keenly observed.

It was lovely to reread this with friends reading it for the first time. One thing I love about this book is how it makes me and many people I know feel seen in ways we don’t often feel seen by the media.

Snowspelled by Stephanie Burgis—Once I reread one of my favorite solstice themed novellas I thought it would be fun to reread the other one. This is such a delight I forgot that Cassandra Harwood is such a super smart disabled chaos muppet, but I love her so much! Her family is great too!

Laid-Back Camp, Vol. 1-14 by Afro—I read the first ten of these a while back then a few years ago I watched the anime. I thought it would be nice to return and read the volumes that have come out since then. It’s a very charming slice of life story about high school girls going camping, with lots of food and friendship. Having watched the anime where the characters have different colored hair I found it easier to tell them apart than the last time I read this. I got these in paper form the library but it turns out that paper maga and my hands don’t play well together– so I should probably return the other manga I checked out at the same time without reading it. (content note: fatbopia and diet culture, excessive drunkenness )

21) It's the winter solstice here in the Northern hemisphere, so for #DecRecs I'm reccing: Sing for the Coming of the Longest Night by Katherine Fabian and Iona Datt Sharma

I reread this yesterday so I can say with confidence that its extremely good!

It’s a contemporary fantasy novella about two metamores who dislike each other but have to work together to save their mutual boyfriend. The writing is beautiful, the characters are great, and there's so many keenly observed details!


22)Today #DecRecs is also a solstice themed novella: Snowspelled by Stephanie Burgis!

I reread this yesterday and it is such a delight! Recency-ish fantasy, with house parties, elves and romance.

Cassandra Harwood is such a super smart disabled chaos muppet, but I love her so much! Her family is great too!


23) Recing a song for #DecRecs today

This is from the first season of Our Song and watching in never fails to cheer me up at least a bit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qoZTtE0sRQ&list=PLtRyFdw91Awx0WofApkwlzAfF7fbbcMBC&index=4

24) I think there's fair number of people here who enjoy both DWJ and MDZS/The Untamed but I'm not sure how many of you know about this Lives of Christopher Chat fusion: The Lives of Lan Wangji By azurewaxwing

It's so much fun, it's got a good DWJ-ish voice, but the characters feel very much themselves. Also an excellent terrible cat

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27525991