Moby Dick. did you know that sperm makes the best moisturizer? spermaceti, that is. Such a clearer! such a sweetener! such a softener; such a delicious mollifier.

congratulations!! my spouse gave me sheine lende for my birthday this year. it was so beautiful and the family dynamics were so strong.

34) The Goblin Emperor by @pennyvixen.bsky.social . Introducing the only acceptable monarch: He knows the whole system is fundamentally unjust & tries his absolute best to be kind despite everything. Excellent worldbuilding, character arcs, political intrigue, realistic bureaucracy, compelling cast.

33) Biting the Sun by Tanith Lee. A post-Singularity deconstruction written before singularity was a term. A woman(ish) in a post-scarcity artificial paradise (ish) searches desperately for meaning or a SF tale of Eve leaving the garden. Warning: the pet dies for narratively necessary reasons.

32) The Lions of Al-Rassan by @guygavrielkay.bsky.social. Reconquista-era novel w/a Jewish-Christian-Muslim love triangle. Love at first sight except it's also nemeses "one day I will die at your hand" at first sight. Also: trying to hold onto life and beauty in a violent world, blood libel, poetry.

31) The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner. An absolutely delightful romp featuring a disaster bi fire witch from the slums caught up in upper-class murderous intrigue. Includes a well-depicted bad mom, an undead mouse named Buttons, & a competent half-troll all-rich love interest.

30) Graceling by Kristin Cashore. A supernaturally badass woman raised to believe she's a monster learns to trust her own instinct for kindness with the help of a pretty prince and a traumatized child. The whole series depicts different types of terrible parents and their kind children.

29) Asunder by @kerstinhall.bsky.social . Gorgeous writing & compelling worldbuilding in which neither new nor old world order is All Good or All Bad and survival has a high cost for our MC. Plus: mutant dog taxis, body-stealing cult, golden elephants, terrible dad(s), and luxury spider-yachts.

28) The Breath of the Sun by @isaac-fellman.bsky.social. It's about mountain climbing. It's about charismatic cult leader manipulation. It's a tender love story told entirely through one woman's footnoted comments on her lover's memoir. It's about minority religion. I quoted it in my wedding vows.

27) A Snake Falls to Earth by @littlebadger.bsky.social. In a near-future with increased climate disasters and extinctions, hope is found in people caring about each other and the world. Also, it is a Lipan Apache Snake-Person who falls to Earth from the Reflecting World and I love him so much.

kosher stone bowl bibimbap my spouse made for my birthday this year. extremely delicious.

I don’t actually give a shit about polling if the polling says “your friends should die”

"Man and wife, they say, there [in bed] open the very bottom of their souls to each other; and some old couples often lie and chat over old times till nearly morning. Thus, then, in our hearts’ honeymoon, lay I and Queequeg—a cosy, loving pair."

26) A Memory Called Empire by @byzantienne.bsky.social . A diplomat travels to the capital of the empire threatening to annex her space station and immediately becomes involved with assassinations, a succession crisis, competing coups, poetry contests, brain surgery, and her competent lesbian aide.

25) The Unspoken Name by AK Larkwood. What if Tombs of Atuan but the wizard has ulterior motives? What if orc-Tenar then became a badass swordwoman with a big gay haircut? Add a powerful sorceress love interest, a MILF librarian with an alarming death count, and the best frenemy a girl could want.

24) Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones. A hilarious satire/deconstruction of classic fantasy tropes in a world that is being used as a magic theme park by a businessman from Earth. It blends humor and whimsy with thoughtful explorations of trauma, grief, solidarity, family, and exploitation.