Fannish Fifty Challenge: Post # 46: due South Christmas Song
Dec. 24th, 2025 01:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ride_4ever'Tis the season for the due South Christmas song!
Short version from the TV episode:
Extended version:
Short version from the TV episode:
Extended version:
playing: pokemon odyssey
Dec. 24th, 2025 12:14 pmtozkaTaking advantage of the fact that I have a hacked 3DS to try out Pokemon fan games! There's a thriving Pokemon romhacking community where they take base Gameboy/Gameboy Advanced games and edit them, sometimes making entirely new storylines and regions.
This one is a blend of Pokémon, Etrian Odyssey and Made in Abyss. The base game is FireRed, which I've never played.
Here's the description:
The gameplay is heavy on Pokemon with the world setting and some mechanics (like Etrian's F.O.E. bosses) from the other games. So you collect and battle Pokemon as usual, but the storyline is focused on exploring the labyrinth (and the ocean, which has mysterious islands to find) and doing sidequests. There's no Team Rocket or evil organization to defeat, nor gym leaders or champions. Likewise, there's no map to fill out like in Etrian games.
I'm about 4 hours into it and just about ready to progress to the second Labyrinth level! I'm really enjoying it so far. They've done an amazing job making "Etrian variant" Pokemon (which you can see here) and the game design is really fun.
The only thing I'm a little iffy on is they give you a "team" of two other characters, and then they don't do anything. They don't help with battles, or even explore the labyrinth with you! I'm guessing they're re-skinned rival characters from the base game (I didn't look it up) which makes more sense for how they act in THIS game.
Anyway, a bonus for me: the thing I'm using to play GBA roms on my 3DS apparently sucks up WAY less battery than the regular 3DS software. It's not an emulator, it's using hte 3DS hardware/software to run the ROM directly. Sooooo I'm currently able to play like 6 hours straight without having to charge! Maybe longer-- I'll have to keep testing and see.
(I actually replaced my 3DS battery a couple months ago but it keeps blinking low-battery red after like 4 hours, and idk if it's actually low or if the gage is just borked because of the new battery-- apparently it's a common issue. Anyway...)
If you're interested, I've put some of the more interesting Pokemon romhacks I've found so far in my Link Library here. I'm really interested in ones that use the Pokemon games as a base and create totally new storylines or settings-- if you know of any good ones that I haven't added to my list yet, let me know!
This one is a blend of Pokémon, Etrian Odyssey and Made in Abyss. The base game is FireRed, which I've never played.
Here's the description: On an island in the middle of the sea stands a massive maze known as the "Yggdrasil Labyrinth", which has been attracting adventurers from all over the world for years.
No one knows how deep it goes, or if there's anything at its end.
Some say there's a treasure of immeasurable value hidden within, while others claim the remnants of a lost civilization lie there.
In the game you'll play as Nyx, a young adventurer who joins the guild of Talrega with the goal of unraveling the Labyrinth's mysteries.
But something goes terribly wrong…
The gameplay is heavy on Pokemon with the world setting and some mechanics (like Etrian's F.O.E. bosses) from the other games. So you collect and battle Pokemon as usual, but the storyline is focused on exploring the labyrinth (and the ocean, which has mysterious islands to find) and doing sidequests. There's no Team Rocket or evil organization to defeat, nor gym leaders or champions. Likewise, there's no map to fill out like in Etrian games.
I'm about 4 hours into it and just about ready to progress to the second Labyrinth level! I'm really enjoying it so far. They've done an amazing job making "Etrian variant" Pokemon (which you can see here) and the game design is really fun.
The only thing I'm a little iffy on is they give you a "team" of two other characters, and then they don't do anything. They don't help with battles, or even explore the labyrinth with you! I'm guessing they're re-skinned rival characters from the base game (I didn't look it up) which makes more sense for how they act in THIS game.
Anyway, a bonus for me: the thing I'm using to play GBA roms on my 3DS apparently sucks up WAY less battery than the regular 3DS software. It's not an emulator, it's using hte 3DS hardware/software to run the ROM directly. Sooooo I'm currently able to play like 6 hours straight without having to charge! Maybe longer-- I'll have to keep testing and see.
(I actually replaced my 3DS battery a couple months ago but it keeps blinking low-battery red after like 4 hours, and idk if it's actually low or if the gage is just borked because of the new battery-- apparently it's a common issue. Anyway...)
If you're interested, I've put some of the more interesting Pokemon romhacks I've found so far in my Link Library here. I'm really interested in ones that use the Pokemon games as a base and create totally new storylines or settings-- if you know of any good ones that I haven't added to my list yet, let me know!
Birdfeeding
Dec. 24th, 2025 01:38 pmysabetwordsmithToday is partly cloudy and mild.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/24/25 -- We hacked up most of the remaining brushpile in the parking lot, and some of the older one by the driveway, feeding those into the chipper.
EDIT 12/24/25 -- We moved the new mulch to the mulch pile.
EDIT 12/24/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio. As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/24/25 -- We hacked up most of the remaining brushpile in the parking lot, and some of the older one by the driveway, feeding those into the chipper.
EDIT 12/24/25 -- We moved the new mulch to the mulch pile.
EDIT 12/24/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio. As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
Happy holidays, Raine Wynd!
Dec. 24th, 2025 12:36 pmkillabeez posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
hlh_shortcutsReminder that we will take a break from posting tomorrow, to allow everyone a little time to catch up.
Follow The Gleam by Anonymous for Raine Wynd
Category: Gen
Characters: Ceirdwyn, Matthew McCormick, original characters
Relationships: Ceirdwyn & Matthew McCormick
Summary: The story of how Matthew and Ceirdwyn met.
Follow The Gleam by Anonymous for Raine Wynd
Category: Gen
Characters: Ceirdwyn, Matthew McCormick, original characters
Relationships: Ceirdwyn & Matthew McCormick
Summary: The story of how Matthew and Ceirdwyn met.
This Last-Minute Sale on the Switch 2 Bundle Is Available at Best Buy Today
Dec. 24th, 2025 05:45 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
twocents_feedWe may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
The Nintendo Switch 2 with Mario Kart World bundle is in stock at Best Buy after running out of stock very quickly on Amazon. The deal includes the new console with the new Mario Kart for the same price as the standalone console. You can get this one for $449 (down from $499)—the lowest price it has reached yet, according to price-tracking tools. (Note that you can only see the price once you've signed in and it's in your cart, as Nintendo restricts retailers from promoting anything below the "minimum advertised price" of $499.) To top it off, Best Buy is somehow promising to have it delivered to your home by 9 p.m. tonight, Dec. 24—a true Christmas miracle. Not all locations will be available, so make sure you see the "shipping get it by 9 p.m. today" note above "add to cart." You can also pick it up within an hour if time is of the essence.
This bundle deal is great, and likely the best one you'll see for quite some time, judging by Nintendo's previous deals. To put it into perspective, the OLED edition of the original Nintendo Switch is $400 right now, meaning you can get the new Switch 2 with Mario Kart for $50 more. The new console is also an upgrade in every way, according to Associate Tech Editor Michelle Ehrhardt's Nintendo Switch 2 review. The ergonomics and design have improved, making it much better to hold and look at. The battery life has also improved, now with about 180 minutes of handheld playtime before the juice runs out.
A big plus is that the Switch 2 is backwards compatible, meaning you can play your old Switch games on it. Some Switch games have the ability to upgrade to the Switch 2 Edition by buying that game's upgrade pack. This is especially worth it for games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which will look better on the Switch 2.
There aren't a lot of Switch 2 games out at the moment, but there are some classic Nintendo games to keep you busy until the library expands, like Donkey Kong Bananza, Kirby Air Riders, and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment.
In which there are our heroine's reading stats for 2025
Dec. 24th, 2025 07:00 pmspiralsheepCurrent reading quote: "F[redacted] the privatization of the toilet. F[redacted] the privatization of the sky."
To be read 1 Jan 2025: 90
To be read 24 Dec 2025: 67, lol (win, tho)
Books read: 123
DNFs: 8 (nearly 9, I'm looking at you William Heinesen)
Reading challenges completed: 49
These are minimums as some authors prefer their privacy, and some in-work representation was perfunctory or tokenising (imo as reader) so I didn't count it.
BIPOC representation: 41
Disabled representation: 21
LGBT+ representation: 26
Senior representation: 31
Woman author/s: 72
Also, authors as self-identified: 8 not men, at least one transman, and an unknown-to-me (because some authors prefer their privacy).
Authors neither British or USian (because these two anglophone publishing industries dominate my local book market).
Canada: 8 (but 4x1 author, 3x1 author, + 1 expat Canadian in UK).
Born in Palestine / Jerusalem: 6 (including 2x1 author).
Japan: 5
EU, current area: 8 (not all born or residing in actual EU member states).
Also: Afghanistan, Australia, Ghana, Jamaica, Korea, India, Indonesia/Australia/UK, Malaysia/UK, Singapore/UK/US, and schrodinger's New Zealander.
New to me, previously unread authors: 65
( &c. )
To be read 1 Jan 2025: 90
To be read 24 Dec 2025: 67, lol (win, tho)
Books read: 123
DNFs: 8 (nearly 9, I'm looking at you William Heinesen)
Reading challenges completed: 49
These are minimums as some authors prefer their privacy, and some in-work representation was perfunctory or tokenising (imo as reader) so I didn't count it.
BIPOC representation: 41
Disabled representation: 21
LGBT+ representation: 26
Senior representation: 31
Woman author/s: 72
Also, authors as self-identified: 8 not men, at least one transman, and an unknown-to-me (because some authors prefer their privacy).
Authors neither British or USian (because these two anglophone publishing industries dominate my local book market).
Canada: 8 (but 4x1 author, 3x1 author, + 1 expat Canadian in UK).
Born in Palestine / Jerusalem: 6 (including 2x1 author).
Japan: 5
EU, current area: 8 (not all born or residing in actual EU member states).
Also: Afghanistan, Australia, Ghana, Jamaica, Korea, India, Indonesia/Australia/UK, Malaysia/UK, Singapore/UK/US, and schrodinger's New Zealander.
New to me, previously unread authors: 65
( &c. )
Wednesday Reading Meme
Dec. 24th, 2025 02:00 pmsinealaWhat I Just Finished Reading
Nothing. Working on it.
What I'm Reading Now
Comics Wednesday!
( 1776 #2, Marvel Winter Break Special 2025 #1, Will of Doom #1, X-Vengers #3 )
What I'm Reading Next
I woke up this morning to find thatlysimache had gifted me an ebook entitled Here Comes the Pizzer: The Found Poetry of Baseball Broadcasts, by Eric Poulin, so I guess that's what we'll be doing dramatic readings of aloud for Christmas Eve. While eating pizza.
The title is a reference to this extremely classic Red Sox broadcast moment. Here comes the pizza.
(We usually read the Christmas story in Greek, Latin, or Old English for Christmas Eve but we can probably make some time for this.)
Nothing. Working on it.
What I'm Reading Now
Comics Wednesday!
( 1776 #2, Marvel Winter Break Special 2025 #1, Will of Doom #1, X-Vengers #3 )
What I'm Reading Next
I woke up this morning to find that
lysimache had gifted me an ebook entitled Here Comes the Pizzer: The Found Poetry of Baseball Broadcasts, by Eric Poulin, so I guess that's what we'll be doing dramatic readings of aloud for Christmas Eve. While eating pizza.The title is a reference to this extremely classic Red Sox broadcast moment. Here comes the pizza.
(We usually read the Christmas story in Greek, Latin, or Old English for Christmas Eve but we can probably make some time for this.)
Johnny Depp Developing Adaptation Of Mikhail Bulgakov’s ‘The Master And Margarita’
Dec. 24th, 2025 06:08 pmmoviessubreddit_feed  | submitted by /u/Remarkable-Pea4889 [link] [comments] |
Mohammad Bakri, renowned Palestinian director of Jenin, Jenin, dies at 72
Dec. 24th, 2025 06:03 pmOne Week Left on the Transmute Winter Magic itch.io Bundle!
Dec. 24th, 2025 01:38 pmduckprintspress
There’s only one week left to get this awesome bundle of 7 trans and nonbinary winter stories. Transmute: Winter Magic includes our novella To Drive the Hundred Miles by Alec J. Marsh, and works by 6 other creators – all starring trans and nonbinary characters, all by trans and nonbinary authors! These awesome titles can be yours for only $3 – a savings of 81% compared to buying them all individually. Indeed, the $3 price is less than we usually charge just for To Drive the Hundred Miles – so this is a pretty great deal!
Get your holiday celebration going with this awesome bundle before time runs out!
Wednesday Reading December 24, 2025
Dec. 24th, 2025 01:44 pmseleneheart1. What have you recently finished reading?
2. What are you currently reading?
3. What will you be reading next?
I don't know, as I just started something.
- The Covenant of Waterby Abraham Varghese. This has a vibe similar to 100 Years of Solitude, but without the magical realism (there was an attempt, but it ended up getting resolved by science). The story of one family that takes place over decades, as India moved from colonial rule to independence. There is a lot of death, but it was a page turner.
- The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson. A twisty narrative for the people who prefer a ghost story with their Christmas cheer. It was only 104 pages, so I finished it in a day (yesterday).
2. What are you currently reading?
- The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh. I literally just started this morning, and have no opinions yet.
- Empire of Grass by Tad Williams. Still reading
3. What will you be reading next?
I don't know, as I just started something.
Guillermo del Toro's Criterion Closet Picks
Dec. 24th, 2025 05:04 pmmoviessubreddit_feed  | submitted by /u/MarvelsGrantMan136 [link] [comments] |
This Hidden Spotify Feature Makes the Best Personalized Playlists
Dec. 24th, 2025 05:00 pmtwocents_feedSpotify playlists are a surprisingly big part of my life. I make a handful of new, curated, choreographed ones for the spin classes I teach every week and otherwise meticulously maintain quarterly playlists designed to represent the overall vibe of specific, three-month periods in my life. I only edit those during the 12 weeks of the quarter, then leave them alone so I can revisit them and relive the era. This means I am constantly fiddling with the present playlist to make it just right, searching for songs that feel precisely aligned with however I'm feeling. It's actually a time-consuming hobby—but I stumbled across a feature the other day that has made creating spin playlists and soundtracking Q1 of 2026 easier than ever.
The new Spotify feature
The best way I can describe the feature I stumbled upon is that it's like Tinder for songs. If you're listening to a song within the app, scroll down. Go past the buttons for Play and Next, past the About the artist section, past the lyrics, and stop when you see Explore [artist name]. Then, you'll have three options like Similar to [artist name] and Similar to [song name], but these can differ slightly.
Tapping one of those opens up the new feature. Say you choose Similar to [song name]. You'll be given 30 seconds of a song that Spotify's algorithm considers "similar" to the one you were just listening to, plus the artist's name, how many Spotify followers they have, and a three-dot menu that will let you add the song to your likes, add it to a playlist, go to the artist's page, and more. If you like the 30-second clip, you can add the song to your playlists. If not, you can keep swiping downward to hear a new one.
See how it's like Tinder? You make fairly snap decisions based on the quick preview and few details you get, then swipe away if you don't like it. I found a community forum post on Spotify's website about it, but otherwise, not much chatter. All I can tell is that it's been out since about May.
Why I like the feature
I prefer this to the other music-discovery options on Spotify because it gives you a quick preview of the song and makes the finding process simple. I am, of course, a big fan of the pre-generated Discover Weekly playlist or New Releases playlist Spotify makes for me every week, but it's time-consuming to listen to all the songs in them and it's not intuitive to find other new songs based on the finite playlists themselves. The 30-second quick hits and easy, swipeable dismissal of the new feature help me figure out if a song is worth my time, either for spin class or personal use, add it to the appropriate playlist if so, and keep moving.
What I especially like is the three hashtags under the artist's name. They are genre descriptions that match up with whatever song you're previewing and I've found them helpful because I have a hard time describing what kind of music I even like. Apparently, per the new feature, I like something called "speed garage." Tapping the #speedgarage hashtag that appears in the song previews brings me to another scrollable preview pane full of, exclusively, more speed garage—whatever that actually is. I still can't define it, but I learned I like it, and that alone is more beneficial than a year's worth of Discover Weekly playlists.
I used this feature during my Uber ride to the airport the other day and, by the time I was through TSA, I had 29 new songs in my Q1 playlist. I listened to them on the plane, weeded out ones that didn't match the quarterly vibe well enough, then sent it to my friends, who all gave the collection rave reviews like, and I quote, "this slaps."
Walt Disney Studios Officially First & Only Studio To Cross $6B WW In 2025
Dec. 24th, 2025 05:05 pmmoviessubreddit_feed  | submitted by /u/MarvelsGrantMan136 [link] [comments] |
BtVS: Embers [Challenge 481: Glow]
Dec. 24th, 2025 05:11 pmbadly_knitted posting in drabble_zoneTitle: Embers
Fandom: BtVS
Author:
badly_knittedCharacters: Angel, Buffy.
Rating: PG
Written For: Challenge 481: Glow.
Spoilers/Setting: Shortly after Helpless.
Summary: The fire is dying down, but Angel can’t bring himself to move.
Disclaimer: I don’t own BtVS, or the characters.
A/N: Double drabble.
Embers
Wednesday Reading Meme
Dec. 24th, 2025 12:07 pmosprey_archerWhat I’ve Just Finished Reading
Christmas books! So many Christmas books. Look, the problem is that so many Christmas books are short, all right? Like Janice Hallett’s The Christmas Appeal, a slim novella that I definitely should have read last year when The Appeal was still fresh in my mind, as I spent about half of The Christmas Appeal remembering who was who. But it was still a fun fast read and there was a cameo by my girl Issy, who remains just as Issy as ever, bless her little heart.
Continuing this murder kick, I read J. Jefferson Farjeon’s Mystery in White, a fascinating example of the genre in that the closest thing the book has to a detective is a guy from the society of psychic research who keeps murmuring about how it’s like the crime WANTS to be solved… well, that’s one way to explain why the heroes keep literally stumbling upon the evidence. Enjoyed the snowy atmosphere and the character portraits, especially the chorus girl Jessie, who should have gotten David in the end IMO. Not sure they were really that well-suited, but I was annoyed that a more class-appropriate girl appeared three-quarters of the way through the book.
And also Agatha Christie’s Murder for Christmas, known in the UK has Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, but presumably American publishers were afraid that without the word murder in the title American readers might assume that Poirot is having a holly jolly Christmas eating plum pudding without any murder at all. Quite enjoyed this one. Always nice to see a horrible family dynamic play out in a murder mystery.
Also Ruth Sawyer’s The Long Christmas, a collection of Christmas legends from around the world and a reminder that the Christmas Spirit, for all its current holly jolly picture-perfect Hallmark movie reputation, can in fact be pretty metal. The Christmas spirit is not about giving a bit of spare change to a photogenic waif before retreating to your mansion with the gingerbread on the eves perfectly outlined in Christmas lights. The Christmas Spirit says, “Oh, none of you are going to share your fireside and your last crust of bread with this weary footsore traveler on Christmas Eve? Well, then, I am going to raise the floods and drown your entire selfish town.”
Although Sawyer’s This Way to Christmas did not repeat this particular story, some of the other stories overlap with The Long Christmas. Published in 1915, the story centers on a little boy facing a lonely Christmas on a snowy mountain where none of the neighbors speak to each other, for they are of all different nationalities and races: German-American, American Black, Brazilian Portuguese, and small Ruritanian country that just got invaded by Germany.
However, our hero (inspired by a visit from a fairy wearing a squirrel suit) visits each cottage, hears a Christmas story from each person, and in the end inspires his foster parents to invite them all to Christmas, invitations in the form of signposts saying THIS WAY TO CHRISTMAS, hence the title.
And in the archives, I read Lee Kingman’s The Magic Christmas Tree, illustrated by Bettina. Little Joanna is lonely because she’s the youngest of ten and always in the way, until she finds her own special secret place: clearing in the woods with a pine tree just her size. Little Julie is lonely at home because she’s the only child in a vast mansion, but finds solace when she finds a little pine tree in the woods perfect for a hideaway. And then at Christmastime, Joanna hides a beloved doll by the tree… and Julie, thrilled by this magical appearance, brings the mystery doll a little doll bed and fur coverlet… and when Joanna returns with a baby doll so her doll won’t be lonely, she in turn is astonished…
OMG. So cute. I do wish it were longer so there was more time for the girls’ friendship to develop after they finally meet.
What I’m Reading Now
Unable to face another Christmas book, I broke down and started Aleksander Solzhenitsyn’s In the First Circle... which turns out to start on Christmas Eve! The German POWs are having a Christmas tree. One of the other zeks is making a Christmas present. I can’t even. I’ll never escape.
What I Plan to Read Next
Non-Christmas books! Anything but Christmas! In particular, I’ve got Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary and Mai Ishizawa’s The Place of Shells checked out, while Emile Zola’s Therese Raquin and Elizabeth Enright’s Then There Were Five are on hold.
Christmas books! So many Christmas books. Look, the problem is that so many Christmas books are short, all right? Like Janice Hallett’s The Christmas Appeal, a slim novella that I definitely should have read last year when The Appeal was still fresh in my mind, as I spent about half of The Christmas Appeal remembering who was who. But it was still a fun fast read and there was a cameo by my girl Issy, who remains just as Issy as ever, bless her little heart.
Continuing this murder kick, I read J. Jefferson Farjeon’s Mystery in White, a fascinating example of the genre in that the closest thing the book has to a detective is a guy from the society of psychic research who keeps murmuring about how it’s like the crime WANTS to be solved… well, that’s one way to explain why the heroes keep literally stumbling upon the evidence. Enjoyed the snowy atmosphere and the character portraits, especially the chorus girl Jessie, who should have gotten David in the end IMO. Not sure they were really that well-suited, but I was annoyed that a more class-appropriate girl appeared three-quarters of the way through the book.
And also Agatha Christie’s Murder for Christmas, known in the UK has Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, but presumably American publishers were afraid that without the word murder in the title American readers might assume that Poirot is having a holly jolly Christmas eating plum pudding without any murder at all. Quite enjoyed this one. Always nice to see a horrible family dynamic play out in a murder mystery.
Also Ruth Sawyer’s The Long Christmas, a collection of Christmas legends from around the world and a reminder that the Christmas Spirit, for all its current holly jolly picture-perfect Hallmark movie reputation, can in fact be pretty metal. The Christmas spirit is not about giving a bit of spare change to a photogenic waif before retreating to your mansion with the gingerbread on the eves perfectly outlined in Christmas lights. The Christmas Spirit says, “Oh, none of you are going to share your fireside and your last crust of bread with this weary footsore traveler on Christmas Eve? Well, then, I am going to raise the floods and drown your entire selfish town.”
Although Sawyer’s This Way to Christmas did not repeat this particular story, some of the other stories overlap with The Long Christmas. Published in 1915, the story centers on a little boy facing a lonely Christmas on a snowy mountain where none of the neighbors speak to each other, for they are of all different nationalities and races: German-American, American Black, Brazilian Portuguese, and small Ruritanian country that just got invaded by Germany.
However, our hero (inspired by a visit from a fairy wearing a squirrel suit) visits each cottage, hears a Christmas story from each person, and in the end inspires his foster parents to invite them all to Christmas, invitations in the form of signposts saying THIS WAY TO CHRISTMAS, hence the title.
And in the archives, I read Lee Kingman’s The Magic Christmas Tree, illustrated by Bettina. Little Joanna is lonely because she’s the youngest of ten and always in the way, until she finds her own special secret place: clearing in the woods with a pine tree just her size. Little Julie is lonely at home because she’s the only child in a vast mansion, but finds solace when she finds a little pine tree in the woods perfect for a hideaway. And then at Christmastime, Joanna hides a beloved doll by the tree… and Julie, thrilled by this magical appearance, brings the mystery doll a little doll bed and fur coverlet… and when Joanna returns with a baby doll so her doll won’t be lonely, she in turn is astonished…
OMG. So cute. I do wish it were longer so there was more time for the girls’ friendship to develop after they finally meet.
What I’m Reading Now
Unable to face another Christmas book, I broke down and started Aleksander Solzhenitsyn’s In the First Circle... which turns out to start on Christmas Eve! The German POWs are having a Christmas tree. One of the other zeks is making a Christmas present. I can’t even. I’ll never escape.
What I Plan to Read Next
Non-Christmas books! Anything but Christmas! In particular, I’ve got Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary and Mai Ishizawa’s The Place of Shells checked out, while Emile Zola’s Therese Raquin and Elizabeth Enright’s Then There Were Five are on hold.