Kate reads queer + sff
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secondreckoning.bsky.social
Kate reads queer + sff
@secondreckoning.bsky.social
110 followers 210 following 260 posts
Reader / Reviewer / Writer
100% Organically-produced brain slop, 0% A.I.

Can't shut up about books, won't shut up about books. (Also, Gundams.)
Editing services forthcoming!
32, she/hers, 🏳️‍🌈
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secondreckoning.bsky.social
Happy Ginger Cat Appreciation Day from Whiskey and Tango!
Description of the cat named Tango: An orange mackerel tabby stands on a grey cat tower. The camera is focused on his face, with his head in the background. He is looking up to the top right corner with pleased curiousity, whiskers curled forward. He has yellow-green eyes and a few small black freckles on his nose. Description of the cat named Whiskey: An orange and white mackerel tabby cat looks up from the grey kitchen floor. He has a white chest and white paw tips. He is licking his lips. His eyes are bright yellow-green and his tongue is very pink. He looks up with empty-headed eagerness. He has one big nose freckle and one little one.
September 2, 2025 at 1:49 AM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
→ cr📖 — Moonflow by Bitter Karella (eARC)

Tbh I'm already like 30% in, I was too curious!
The cover for the novel "Moonflow" by Bitter Karella. It is stylistically similar to old horror movie posters in that the graphics use flat, contrasting colours against black. The main colours are red, indigo, and magenta, along with black and white. The images depicted are: a woman's body lying supine, her hair flowing into a river of blood. Mushrooms shaped like arrows or devil tails grow out of the woman. Above her squats a skeleton, its shape twisted like vines. The title is in white, outlined in dripping red. The summary for the novel "Moonflow" by Bitter Karella. It reads: Moonflow is three-time Hugo Award nominee Bitter Karella’s debut horror novel—a gloriously queer and irreverent psychedelic trip into the heart of an eldritch wood and the horrors of sisterhood. Answer the call of the forest, if you dare. I see something out there, in the woods. It does not have a face. They call it the King’s Breakfast. One bite and you can understand the full scope of the universe; one bite and you can commune with forgotten gods beyond human comprehension. And it only grows deep in the Pamogo forest, where the trees crowd so tight that the forest floor is pitch black day and night, where rumors of disappearing hikers and strange cults that worship the divine feminine abound. Sarah makes her living growing mushrooms. When a bad harvest leaves her in a desperate fix, the lure of the King’s Breakfast has her journeying into those vast uncharted woods. Her only guide is the most annoying man in the world, and he’s convinced there’s no danger. But as they descend deeper, they realize they’re not alone. Something is luring them into the heart of the forest, and they must answer its call.
August 27, 2025 at 2:09 AM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
Whiskey is sooooo baby
An orange mackerel tabby cat stares into your soul. He has a white chest, a big nose freckle, and very sweet, very soft greenish gold eyes with wide pupils.
August 16, 2025 at 5:02 PM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
A bit of progress:
1. Some popsicle sticks, painted/stained black, which will make up the borders of the bad.

2. I cut out the path leading to town, the spot where the Flutter will rest, and the, uh, skidmark. I filled in and textured the skidmark with hot glue. Yeehaw for hot glue skidmarks.
Four large popsicle sticks with the rounded ends cut off sit upon a wooden tabletop. The popsicle sticks have been painted a matte black. The woodgrain of the popsicle sticks is still visible. A somewhat blurry photo of a sketch in pencil on cardboard paper. It is divided into squares, the whole piece is 12 by 16 centimeters. It is a top-down view of the "Flutter Crash" scene from the video game "Mega Man Legends" for PlayStation One. Some sections have been cut out, either revealing the cardboard layer beneath or having been filled in with textured hot glue.
August 16, 2025 at 1:24 PM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
→ cr📖 — Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders (eARC)

A queer book about mothers and grief isn't poised to destroy me emotionally at all 🫠
The cover for the book "Lessons in Magic and Disaster" by Charlie Jane Anders. The cover is a dark blue and covered in magical moths. The moths are shades of purple, indigo, and blue, with crescent moon and plant markers. The title and the author's name are coloured in a soft pastel gradient that resembles iridescence. The summary for the book "Lessons in Magic and Disaster" by Charlie Jane Anders. It reads: A young witch teaches her mother how to do magic–with very unexpected results–in this relatable, resonant novel about family, identity, and the power of love. Jamie is basically your average New England academic in-training–she has a strong queer relationship, an esoteric dissertation proposal, and inherited generational trauma. But she has one extraordinary secret: she's also a powerful witch. Serena, Jamie's mother, has been hiding from the world in an old one-room schoolhouse for several years, grieving the death of her wife and the simultaneous explosion in her professional life. All she has left are memories. Jamie’s busy digging into a three-hundred-year-old magical book, but she still finds time to teach Serena to cast spells and help her come out of her shell. But Jamie doesn't know the whole story of what happened to her mom years ago, and those secrets are leading Serena down a destructive path. Now it's up to this grad student and literature nerd to understand the secrets behind this mysterious novel from 1749, unearth a long-buried scandal hinted therein, and learn the true nature of magic, before her mother ruins both of their lives.
August 14, 2025 at 10:18 PM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
very excited to try my hand at a diorama!

I've chosen the scene where the Flutter crashes from the beginning of Mega Man Legends. Chosen because 1. one of my favourite games–yes I'm still bitter about the MML3 cancellation and 2. I won't need a ton of supplies/new tools.
A sketch in pencil on graph paper. It is 12 by 16 squares. It is a top-down view of the "Flutter Crash" scene from the video game "Mega Man Legends" for PlayStation One. Sections marked off on the paper include "Trees," "Skid," "Grass Long," and "Land." A sketch in pencil on cardboard paper. It is divided into squares, the whole piece is 12 by 16 centimeters. It is a top-down view of the "Flutter Crash" scene from the video game "Mega Man Legends" for PlayStation One. Sections marked off on the cardboard include "Trees," "Skid," "Grass Long," "Flutter," and "Land." A screenshot from the game Mega Man Legends (PlayStation 1), sometimes known as Mega Man 64 (Nintendo 64.) The graphics are from the early 3D era of games and very blocky. The scene is in a flat grassy area surrounded by trees. Mega Man, a figure in blue mechanical-style armour, stands before a large, crashed airship–named the Flutter–leaking smoke. It is yellow and red, and more than five times his height. A screenshot from the game Mega Man Legends (PlayStation 1), sometimes known as Mega Man 64 (Nintendo 64.) The graphics are from the early 3D era of games and very blocky. The scene is in a flat grassy area surrounded by trees. Mega Man, a figure in blue mechanical-style armour, runs toward the crashed airship, Flutter, in the distance.
August 14, 2025 at 8:55 AM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
I posted this on the boys' IG but forgot to post it here yesterday 😭

Happy (slightly belated) International Cat Day!
A collage of nine photos of orange cats. There is a filter applied to bring out the oranges and blues. There are two specific cats featured: Tango, who is all orange with a bit of white on his chest and mischief in his eyes, and Whiskey, who has a full white chest and paws, and wide, sweet eyes devoid of a single thought. The nine pictures are as follows: 1. Tango, looking mildly annoyed, standing on top of something. There is a plug-in light and a white door frame behind him. He has been caught looking in the last place he knows treats were hidden. 2. Both boys, Whiskey on the left and Tango on the right, on the classic rental grey faux-wood floor, staring up in wide eyed extreme interest and excitement. (Out of shot, I am wiggling new catnip-stuffed kicker toys.) 3. Tango looks at something off to the side with a soft and affectionate expression. There is a big window with green trees and blue sky behind him. 4. Whiskey curled up so his face is ambushed against the side of the couch. His expression is soft and betrays mild regret. 5. The boys curled together like a yin yang symbol, or two commas ass-to-face. Whiskey is casually grooming Tango. 6. An extreme and slightly blurry close-up of Whiskey smelling the camera. You can see his nose and lip freckles. 7. A close up of the two looking in fascination at a window sill. Tango is closer to the camera. The natural light is catching their golden eyes very nicely. 8. Tango lying on his side, belly slightly exposed, looking slightly eager and mischievous. 9. Whiskey staring with wide eyes and a slightly parted mouth at the viewer.
August 9, 2025 at 11:34 PM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
I've been working on the Astray Blue Frame Second L for 2+ months and maybe one day I'll even finish it.
Close up of a Gundam model kit. It is primarily white, blue, and orange. There is a pink circle around its head drawn in markup. Close up of the back side of a Gundam model kit. It is primarily white, blue, and orange, and has a black backpack. There is a pink circle around its head and vents on the back of its shoulders drawn in markup.
August 5, 2025 at 6:46 PM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
→ cr📖 — The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez (eARC)
The cover for the book "The Maiden and Her Monster" by Maddie Martinez. The cover is dark and full of flowers, vines, and branches coiling into patterns. In the center of the cover is a tree growing into the top of the cover with pillars in front of it. On the left and right sides of the cover are two figures with long dark hair, one in a brown dress and the other in pants and vest. The summary for the book "The Maiden and Her Monster" by Maddie Martinez. It reads: The Maiden and Her Monster is a gorgeous, atmospheric debut fantasy rooted in history, folklore, and sapphic romance―perfect for fans of Katherine Arden, Ava Reid, Hannah Whitten, and Naomi Novik. The forest eats the girls who wander out after dark. As the healer’s daughter, Malka has seen how the wood’s curse has plagued her village, but the Ozmini Church only comes to collect its tithe, not to protect heretics with false stories of monsters in the trees. So when a clergy girl wanders too close to the forest and Malka’s mother is accused of her murder, Malka strikes an impossible bargain with a zealot Ozmini priest. If she brings the monster out, he will spare her mother from execution. When she ventures into the shadowed woods, Malka finds a monster, though not the one she expects: an inscrutable, disgraced golem who agrees to implicate herself, but only if Malka helps her fulfill a promise first and free the imprisoned rabbi who created her. But a deal easily made is not easily kept. And as their bargain begins to unravel a much more sinister threat, protecting her people may force Malka to endanger the one person she left home to save―and face her growing feelings for the very creature she was taught to fear.
August 5, 2025 at 3:30 PM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
→ cr📖 — The Ex Effect by Dana Hawkins (eARC)
Cover of book "The Ex Effect" by Dana Hawkins. The background and dominant colour is lavender. Beneath a wooden frame draped in a gauzy white cloth and flowers stand two women. The woman on the left is dressed in pink and has a blond bob. The woman on the right has short dark hair and a sport's cost. The tagline below the title reads "A completely addictive lesbian romance" Summary for "The Ex Effect": Morgan Rose has always been the girl with the plan. Color-coded calendars, backup plans for her backup plans, and a wedding business that’s her entire world. Only one woman ever managed to derail Morgan’s organized life and shatter her heart in the process. But Morgan doesn’t think about Frankie Lee anymore. Until Morgan meets the photographer hand-picked by her latest clients and discovers that Frankie is not miles away in New York like she thought. She's back in Spring Harbors, looking infuriatingly good, and Morgan's carefully ordered world descends into chaos. Morgan has just 87 days to pull off the wedding of her career, and she’s not going to let Frankie derail this opportunity. She will not be distracted by Frankie’s new haircut or the shadowy dips between her shoulders and biceps. And she won’t care about Frankie’s unfairly salty attitude when she left Morgan.
July 29, 2025 at 4:06 AM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
→ cr📖 — Cry, Voidbringer by Elaine How (eARC)
Cover of the book "Cry, Voidbringer" by Elaine Ho set on a textured black background. The cover is an off-white with black text taking up most of the space. The "o" in Voidbringer is a pure white hole with black "rays" spreading from the outside. Summary for the book Cry, Voidbringer by Elaine Ho. The summary reads: In a broken system, do you save yourself or fight for the people you love? With the godspower waning, the queen of Ashvi has had to find another way to bolster her fight against her imperialist oppressors. The solution: wrenching children of other cultures from their homes and conscripting them into service. Hammer was one of those children. Now, she’s a jaded soldier waging Ashvi’s perpetual war, thinking only of her own survival. But when she accidentally rescues Viridian, a child with rare and potentially devastating powers, her priorities shift. The girl appears to be the answer to the queen’s prayers—the perfect weapon to restore her kingdom’s ancient borders, even if the colonized cities they reconquer don’t want her version of liberation. Can Hammer protect Viridian from the system that broke her . . . before the girl’s power is unleashed on the world? Cry, Voidbringer is a gripping saga of how far one will go for freedom and control—and how easily it can all be taken away.
July 25, 2025 at 7:51 PM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
Callie turned twelve today! 🎂🎉🩷
A black and white border collie smiles up at the camera. Her face is mostly black except for a dusting of white around her mouth and chin. She has a yellow and pink striped bandana on. There is a faded wooden deck behind her and a blue, red, yellow, and white rug beneath her front paws. A black and white border collie runs around the yard with a long yellow chicken toy in her mouth. She has a yellow and pink striped bandana on. The grass is green and short, and there is a faded wooden fence in the background. A black and white border collie stares at the camera person with her mouth slightly open. Her face is mostly black except for a dusting of white around her mouth and chin. She has a yellow and pink striped bandana on. There is a faded wooden deck behind her and a blue, red, yellow, and white rug beneath her. A black and white border collie yells at the camera person. Her face is mostly black except for a dusting of white around her mouth and chin. She has a yellow and pink striped bandana on. Her yellow chicken stuffy is beside her. She is outside and there is a blue, red, yellow, and white rug beneath her.
July 1, 2025 at 10:40 PM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
Canada Day? ❌
Callie Day? ✅
A black and white border collie smiles up at the camera. Her face is mostly black except for a dusting of white around her mouth and chin. She has a yellow and pink striped bandana on. There is a faded wooden deck behind her and a blue, red, yellow, and white rug beneath her front paws. A yellow-orange border surrounds the Image. Happy Birthday is written in bold, friendly font in the bottom right corner.
July 1, 2025 at 10:32 PM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
Walked in on a private conversation, apparently
There are two orange cats in a cat bed. The close one has his back to us, and is glancing over his shoulder. The farther one has a white chest and is sitting up and looking sideways at us. They both have an expression of faint annoyance as though they have been mildly inconvenienced by this intrusion.
June 5, 2025 at 1:17 AM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
— Least Favourite

→ Hot Money
Yeah, yeah, the mystery and actual writing was good. But the way the women are largely the “bad” ones but the protagonist’s father, a cheater and otherwise unpleasant man, is largely seen as forgivable.
A graphic reading May, Least Favourite. It features the book Hot Money by Dick Francis.
June 1, 2025 at 10:19 PM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
— Favourites

→ Harrow the Ninth
Yes, it's a reread. I'm still slapping it here in favourites because it ✨is✨ a favourite.

→ The Wonder Engine
Although this is an earlier work and a bit rough in parts, the actual Clocktaur stuff was REALLY good and I loved what the gang discovered about them.
A graphic that says May Favourites, featuring the Harrow the Ninth cover.
June 1, 2025 at 10:19 PM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
May's Reading Wrap-up!

I read a grand total of ✨eight✨ books in May because I got the Big Sads and needed to lie down for a few weeks.

I was still on my T. Kingfisher kick at the beginning, but lost interest in really reading anything, and in the end I reread Harrow the Ninth for comfort.
A grid of six books, 3x2, under the heading May, Monthly Reading Wrap-up. The books are: Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher, Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher, The Wonder Engine by T. Kingfisher, Swordheart by T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith by T. Kingfisher, and Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey. A grid of two books, 1x2, under the heading May, Monthly Reading Wrap-up. The books are: Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir and Hot Money by Dick Francis. Reading stats from the website Storygraph. The stats featured are: Books: 8 Pages: 2765 Average Rating: 3.66 Highest Rated Reads: Harrow the Ninth, Paladin's Faith, Swordheart. Reading stats from the website Storygraph. The stats featured are: Fiction vs nonfiction: 100% Fiction Breakdown by page length Breakdown by format Breakdown by genre.
June 1, 2025 at 10:19 PM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
Happy Pride to all! 🏳️‍🌈
A graphic reading "Happy Pride Month" in bold font.
June 1, 2025 at 8:56 PM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
Ash is not my cat, but by golly, I love her 💖
A slightly squart grey tuxedo cat looks directly at the camera. She has a black nose and green eyes. She is sitting on a low side table and there is the side of a cabinet in the background. A slightly squart grey tuxedo cat looks off to the left side of the image (her right side). She has a black nose and green eyes. She is sitting on a low side table.
May 30, 2025 at 4:16 PM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
I wiggled a bowl to catch his attention.

It was a mystifying experience.
A mackerel striped orange tabby with a white chest stares at the viewer with big, wide curious eyes. His nose is slightly orange in colour and has a big freckle near the bottom. His eyes are a light yellow bordering on green and his pupils are dilated. He is laying in a white fluffy bed with his paws tucked in.
May 28, 2025 at 8:40 PM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
Yesterday was beautiful
A picture of a maple tree from someone sitting below it. The leaves are green and the sky behind is cloudless and very blue.
May 12, 2025 at 10:20 PM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
Sweet boy let it bonk him in the face ten times before he got the gist.
An orange and white tabby stares, befuddled, into the distance. Beside him is an automated butterfly toy.
May 6, 2025 at 7:08 PM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
The summary for "The Last Hour Between Worlds" says "sapphic romance" but can anyone tell me if it's f/f, n/f, m/f?
The cover for "The Last Hour Between Worlds" by Melissa Caruso.
May 6, 2025 at 5:27 PM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
— Least Favourite

Favourite and least favourite by the same author? Wild. Although super easy to get into and a fairly compelling read, after finishing it I felt it really didn't hit like any of her other works, and I was actually really unhappy with the overall message. The Sorceress is certainly
A screenshot featuring the book A Sorceress Comes to Call by T Kingfisher
May 3, 2025 at 4:21 PM
secondreckoning.bsky.social
— Favourite Read

Yes, I'm on a T. Kingfisher kick. The Saint of Steel series is delightful.
A graphic centering the book Paladin's Strength by T Kingfisher
May 3, 2025 at 4:21 PM