Abby Follmer
@abbyrf.bsky.social
Indoor cat enthusiast. Bird watcher. Used Book gremlin for a living. Histamine problems. Still masking. (She/her)
Reposted by Abby Follmer
like nah man I read really fast and I know I’ll be right the first time, this tool does not have utility value for me for the purposes of “extracting useful bits from PDFs”
control F is faster and more trustworthy
control F is faster and more trustworthy
December 8, 2025 at 11:15 PM
like nah man I read really fast and I know I’ll be right the first time, this tool does not have utility value for me for the purposes of “extracting useful bits from PDFs”
control F is faster and more trustworthy
control F is faster and more trustworthy
When I am deciding where books go in the used book department, I like to err on the side of caution and anything that feels like it could be adult (and is not explicitly labeled YA by the publisher) goes in adult books.
(I put Watership Down in adult classics)
(I put Watership Down in adult classics)
And THIS is why not all books need to be shelved in YA, people!
When I worked at The Wherehouse, I kept having to take "Legend of the Overfiend" out of the kids section because "It's an animated movie, it must be okay."
December 7, 2025 at 7:52 PM
When I am deciding where books go in the used book department, I like to err on the side of caution and anything that feels like it could be adult (and is not explicitly labeled YA by the publisher) goes in adult books.
(I put Watership Down in adult classics)
(I put Watership Down in adult classics)
Reposted by Abby Follmer
My dad abhors any negative comments about immigrants. Asked him recently why he’s so strong on it: ‘Because we’re always happy to take the rich and clever ones. Which means it’s not about disliking immigrants. It’s about disliking the poor and vulnerable. And that’s a bad human instinct.’
December 7, 2025 at 8:31 AM
My dad abhors any negative comments about immigrants. Asked him recently why he’s so strong on it: ‘Because we’re always happy to take the rich and clever ones. Which means it’s not about disliking immigrants. It’s about disliking the poor and vulnerable. And that’s a bad human instinct.’
Reposted by Abby Follmer
did… did the dog write this recipe
December 6, 2025 at 6:22 PM
did… did the dog write this recipe
Reposted by Abby Follmer
the thing all the discourse around Eurovision and Israel seems to miss is that: Russia got kicked out!! there is not only precedent, there is immediate and *still active* precedent. it’s the hypocrisy as much as anything
December 5, 2025 at 1:27 PM
the thing all the discourse around Eurovision and Israel seems to miss is that: Russia got kicked out!! there is not only precedent, there is immediate and *still active* precedent. it’s the hypocrisy as much as anything
Reposted by Abby Follmer
This is annoying me so much. I cannot believe the BBC is making me defend James Daunt, but this article title is some absolute clickbait bullshit.
"As a bookseller, we sell what publishers publish, but I can say that instinctively that is something that we would recoil [from]," he said.
"As a bookseller, we sell what publishers publish, but I can say that instinctively that is something that we would recoil [from]," he said.
![In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC's Big Boss Interview podcast, Daunt said while Waterstones uses Al for logistics they currently try to keep Al generated content out of the shops.
"As a bookseller, we sell what publishers publish, but I can say that instinctively that is something that we would recoil [from]," he said.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:wcm4hh2h6iy34sjus7x4dgys/bafkreif7mtk2trwjqi4rszwv5fuqiflcr556hgocqt5tjto4u5edroqxua@jpeg)
!["Who's to know? [Technology firms] are spending trillions and trillions on Al and maybe it's going to produce the next War and Peace.
"And if people want to read that book, Al-generated or not, we will be selling it - as long as it doesn't pretend to [be] something that it isn't.
"We as booksellers would certainly naturally and instinctively disdain it," Daunt said.
Readers value a connection with the author
"that does require a real person" he added.
Any Al-generated book would always be clearly labelled as such.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:wcm4hh2h6iy34sjus7x4dgys/bafkreifxctl5rq4mlkqpy6s5b6gfpbmcknwnjugfs6xzllgyg3feewjulu@jpeg)
December 5, 2025 at 9:30 AM
This is annoying me so much. I cannot believe the BBC is making me defend James Daunt, but this article title is some absolute clickbait bullshit.
"As a bookseller, we sell what publishers publish, but I can say that instinctively that is something that we would recoil [from]," he said.
"As a bookseller, we sell what publishers publish, but I can say that instinctively that is something that we would recoil [from]," he said.
But what if I like only spending $30 a month on gas?
Sean Duffy on slashing fuel economy standards: "This rule will actually allow you to bring back the 1970s station wagon. Maybe a little wood paneling on the side. We can bring back choice to consumers."
December 4, 2025 at 4:26 PM
But what if I like only spending $30 a month on gas?
Well, looks like Pantone has declared "austerity" as the vibe next year
Pantone’s 2026 color of the year is technically not a color at all — meet Cloud Dancer, the first-ever white shade to receive the designation from the world’s color authority.
Pantone makes a surprising choice for its 2026 color of the year
We did not see that coming.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 4, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Well, looks like Pantone has declared "austerity" as the vibe next year
Reposted by Abby Follmer
This piece hit hard for me, as it tracks with why my daughter stopped playing soccer at recess. The boys wouldn't let the girls play with them--only against them and with fewer players. But when girls scored anyway, some boys would cheat and play to hurt the girls, to the point where it wasn't fun.
"the issue isn’t that we need more 'boy-friendly' reforms. It’s that boys are socialized to compete only with boys and to read girls’ success as illegitimate or emasculating. The result is dissonance, resentment, and disengagement for boys—and hostile climates for girls."
time.com/7335723/auto...
time.com/7335723/auto...
The Real Way Schools are Failing Boys
“If we really want boys to succeed, we need to ensure that they know how to both beat—and lose— to girls."
time.com
December 2, 2025 at 11:30 AM
This piece hit hard for me, as it tracks with why my daughter stopped playing soccer at recess. The boys wouldn't let the girls play with them--only against them and with fewer players. But when girls scored anyway, some boys would cheat and play to hurt the girls, to the point where it wasn't fun.
Reposted by Abby Follmer
When a news outlet puts a reckless, undocumented claim by the Trump regime in the main headline and puts medical experts’ pushback in the smaller type, it’s making a choice. And not a good one.
November 29, 2025 at 10:40 PM
When a news outlet puts a reckless, undocumented claim by the Trump regime in the main headline and puts medical experts’ pushback in the smaller type, it’s making a choice. And not a good one.
Morning kitty snuggles
November 29, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Morning kitty snuggles
Reposted by Abby Follmer
Reading letters from the Princess Liselotte of Palantine, the German sister-in-law of Louis XIV, and it's wild because she had this super informal writing style that almost sounds like modern texts
Like at one point she goes "wish to god my son didn't love holding chunks of bread like a peasant"
Like at one point she goes "wish to god my son didn't love holding chunks of bread like a peasant"
November 28, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Reading letters from the Princess Liselotte of Palantine, the German sister-in-law of Louis XIV, and it's wild because she had this super informal writing style that almost sounds like modern texts
Like at one point she goes "wish to god my son didn't love holding chunks of bread like a peasant"
Like at one point she goes "wish to god my son didn't love holding chunks of bread like a peasant"
Reposted by Abby Follmer
I cannot even begin to express my rage at this lie
reading this through me back into my pandemic EMT life, attempting to resuscitate a child experiencing a cardiac arrest secondary to COVID while a father says “we heard that the vaccine was riskier than COVID for kids” and a mother wails in agony
reading this through me back into my pandemic EMT life, attempting to resuscitate a child experiencing a cardiac arrest secondary to COVID while a father says “we heard that the vaccine was riskier than COVID for kids” and a mother wails in agony
NEW: The F.D.A. announced in an internal memo that 10 children died "because of" the Covid shot. Other experts want to see proof.
“This is a profound revelation,” Dr. Prasad's memo said. “For the first time, the U.S. F.D.A. will acknowledge that Covid-19 vaccines have killed American children.”
“This is a profound revelation,” Dr. Prasad's memo said. “For the first time, the U.S. F.D.A. will acknowledge that Covid-19 vaccines have killed American children.”
F.D.A. Attributes 10 Children’s Deaths to Covid Vaccines
www.nytimes.com
November 29, 2025 at 12:27 PM
I cannot even begin to express my rage at this lie
reading this through me back into my pandemic EMT life, attempting to resuscitate a child experiencing a cardiac arrest secondary to COVID while a father says “we heard that the vaccine was riskier than COVID for kids” and a mother wails in agony
reading this through me back into my pandemic EMT life, attempting to resuscitate a child experiencing a cardiac arrest secondary to COVID while a father says “we heard that the vaccine was riskier than COVID for kids” and a mother wails in agony
Reposted by Abby Follmer
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
I see some book piracy discourse, and, to make a positive argument in favor of buying books, your marginal ability to influence what books get published and support the careers of writers you like is massive compared to most other forms of media.
November 25, 2025 at 11:07 PM
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
Reposted by Abby Follmer
What are abstract ideas like “being happy” and “having fulfillment” compared to real world achievements like “working full time for a company and still needing food stamps”
While work-life balance may give you a sense of happiness and fulfillment, it isn’t always realistic, says Walmart executive vice president and chief people officer Donna Morris.
Walmart exec: ‘I’ve never believed in the term work-life balance’—this is the mantra that made her highly successful instead
Many professionals see work-life balance as a non-negotiable. Walmart CPO Donna Morris says people should practice work-life integration instead. Here's why.
cnb.cx
November 27, 2025 at 7:39 PM
What are abstract ideas like “being happy” and “having fulfillment” compared to real world achievements like “working full time for a company and still needing food stamps”
Reposted by Abby Follmer
Literally EVERY parent should ban Roblox
Every parent whose career has to do with online safety also bans Roblox.
Every game designer parent I know bans Roblox for their kids
November 22, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Literally EVERY parent should ban Roblox
Reposted by Abby Follmer
What I’ve been trying to point out for years now is that there is a money maker behind this sentiment, invested in it staying set this way. You can’t have billion dollar industry forcing autistic children to mask without scaring everyone about autism first
I think my biggest problem with the "vaccines cause autism" bullshit is that, even assuming they did (they don't, actually), neurodiversity is...good?
"Oh no, instead of polio and measles, people are cool and have new and different ways of thinking about things" is, uh, a really weird flex
"Oh no, instead of polio and measles, people are cool and have new and different ways of thinking about things" is, uh, a really weird flex
November 23, 2025 at 3:31 PM
What I’ve been trying to point out for years now is that there is a money maker behind this sentiment, invested in it staying set this way. You can’t have billion dollar industry forcing autistic children to mask without scaring everyone about autism first
Reposted by Abby Follmer
yeah tbh I’d really rather be on ADHD meds and NOT have to develop a two pack a day cigarette habit as someone who’s never smoked before just to function
I guess I can drink twelve coffees a day while chain smoking if you want me to do this in a socially acceptable manner, I just don't see how that's better for my physical or mental health than Vyvanse, y'know?
November 21, 2025 at 1:28 AM
yeah tbh I’d really rather be on ADHD meds and NOT have to develop a two pack a day cigarette habit as someone who’s never smoked before just to function
Reposted by Abby Follmer
hey guys i made a seasonal meme
November 22, 2025 at 5:41 AM
hey guys i made a seasonal meme
Another day at the bookstore, having a man rant to me about how modern books are just full of opinions and you have to look at old books for facts.
I cannot fight the customers. I cannot fight the customers. I cannot fight the customers.
I cannot fight the customers. I cannot fight the customers. I cannot fight the customers.
November 20, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Another day at the bookstore, having a man rant to me about how modern books are just full of opinions and you have to look at old books for facts.
I cannot fight the customers. I cannot fight the customers. I cannot fight the customers.
I cannot fight the customers. I cannot fight the customers. I cannot fight the customers.
Reposted by Abby Follmer
in the last 5 days these laid-off VIBE staffers have only made it to 31% of their GoFundMe goal after being laid off. please show them the same support you showed Teen Vogue!!
November 17, 2025 at 9:42 PM
in the last 5 days these laid-off VIBE staffers have only made it to 31% of their GoFundMe goal after being laid off. please show them the same support you showed Teen Vogue!!
Reposted by Abby Follmer
Cop30 live: ‘literally insane’ that we are letting global heating happen, says Al Gore
Cop30 live: ‘literally insane’ that we are letting global heating happen, says Al Gore
Former US vice-president also critical of Donald Trump and Bill Gates as negotiations begin in earnest
Hello comrades, this is Nina Lakhani in chilly New York City taking over the blog for the next few hours. Thanks very much to my colleague Matt Taylor in London Town who will be back in the hot seat on Friday morning.
Leading climate activists and influencers have signed a letter criticising PR firm Edelman over its role at the Cop30 summit in Brazil. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Cop30 live: ‘literally insane’ that we are letting global heating happen, says Al Gore
Reposted by Abby Follmer
AHAHAHAHA *incoherent sobbing*
EPA To Monarch Butterflies: ‘Count Your Fucking Days’ https://theonion.com/epa-to-monarch-butterflies-count-your-fucking-days/
November 10, 2025 at 7:21 PM
AHAHAHAHA *incoherent sobbing*
Not the brightest bulb
November 11, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Not the brightest bulb
Reposted by Abby Follmer
OSCAR ISAAC, on whether he'd return to "Star Wars":
".. Yeah. I mean, I’d be open to it, although right now I’m not so open to working with Disney. But if they can kinda figure it out and, you know, not succumb to fascism, that would be great."
@variety.com $DIS
variety.com/2025/film/ne...
".. Yeah. I mean, I’d be open to it, although right now I’m not so open to working with Disney. But if they can kinda figure it out and, you know, not succumb to fascism, that would be great."
@variety.com $DIS
variety.com/2025/film/ne...
Oscar Isaac Was ‘Not So Open to Working With Disney’ After Jimmy Kimmel Suspension, Said He’d Return to ‘Star Wars’ if Disney Does ‘Not Succumb to Fascism’
Oscar Isaac was not open to working with Disney after Jimmy Kimmel's suspension and will only return to 'Star Wars' if the studio avoids fascism.
variety.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:28 PM
OSCAR ISAAC, on whether he'd return to "Star Wars":
".. Yeah. I mean, I’d be open to it, although right now I’m not so open to working with Disney. But if they can kinda figure it out and, you know, not succumb to fascism, that would be great."
@variety.com $DIS
variety.com/2025/film/ne...
".. Yeah. I mean, I’d be open to it, although right now I’m not so open to working with Disney. But if they can kinda figure it out and, you know, not succumb to fascism, that would be great."
@variety.com $DIS
variety.com/2025/film/ne...