2026/058: Hidden in Snow — Viveca Sten (translated by Marlaine Delargy)
Apr. 21st, 2026 09:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tamaranth2026/058: Hidden in Snow — Viveca Sten (translated by Marlaine Delargy)
All these fucking men, exploiting vulnerable women. [p. 386]
First in a new series of crime novels set in the Swedish town of Åre, a quiet ski resort surrounded by mountains and forest. Hanna Ahlander's life has imploded, both professionally and personally: her boss has 'sent her home to think things over' and clearly wants her gone, and her boyfriend has broken up with her -- leaving her homeless.
( Read more... )
Epstein-Related
Apr. 21st, 2026 07:17 ampoliphilo The British Prime Minister struggles to hold onto his job. He pretends he didn't know things he must have known and which it was his business to know. I'd be inclined to dismiss this as a headline-hogging distraction were it not for the Epstein dimension. Everything that's happening these days at the top level in politics and industry (including the entertainment industry) has an Epstein dimension- and it's this generation's business to get to the bottom of it.
My new hero
Apr. 20th, 2026 10:21 pmoffcntr Driving in to the studio this morning, found traffic stopped just short of the Coburg Road intersection. Big commercial truck in the the left lane with its flashers going while its driver, a burly, grizzled guy in a hi-vis green shirt, shepherded a mallard hen and her ducklings across the road. Waited until all the little ones made it up over the curb, giving the last straggler a boost when it couldn't quite make it.
Then got back in his Delta Sand & Gravel truck and drove away.
Then got back in his Delta Sand & Gravel truck and drove away.
(no subject)
Apr. 21st, 2026 05:26 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
apod_feed
The best way to see comet R3 PanSTARRS’s long tail is with a camera.
Magpie Monday
Apr. 21st, 2026 12:07 amysabetwordsmithdialecticdreamer is hosting Magpie Monday with a theme of "Recovering from Setbacks." Leave prompts, get ficlets!
Daily Happiness
Apr. 20th, 2026 09:11 pmtorachan1. Back to work today, but since I knew the majority of my day would just be catching up on messages, I decided to work from home. Jasper was extra clingy so I'm glad I was able to snuggle with him so much. And I did get all caught up on email and teams!
2. The other day I saw a post on instagram about some viral loaded fries (the original was orange chicken but they've added a char siu version as well) and it just happens it's at a Chinese restaurant not that far from us. They have delivery, but the fries aren't on the online menu and by the time they got to us they'd be soggy anyway, so we decided to go there for lunch. Since it's gone viral, we decided an early lunch would be best, so we got there around 10:30 (they open at 10) and there was no one else there except someone picking up for delivery, which was good because they only have three tables. We got the char siu fries and they were even better than expected.
The fries are tossed in orange chicken sauce and then there's a bit of melted cheese and sriracha mayo under all that char siu pork. This is like a regular square takeout container but filled so full it would barely be able to close. We shared it and still only ate half. Would definitely get it again, and we want to try the orange chicken version as well.
3. The restaurant is in the same shopping center as a big Mexican market, so we did some shopping there since we usually don't get over there (now we have another reason to go) and got some stuff for carnitas tacos for dinner and those were also delicious.
4. We figured out who the mystery pee-er was, which I'm glad for, because now we know who to keep an eye on. It turns out it's Jasper, which was one of my top suspects. The reason we found out for sure is that I had to throw away all three of the warming beds when we got back because they'd all been peed in and while we'd washed one before, there had been too many recent pee incidents, I didn't want to leave any possibility of a smell. I ordered another one and that came today and not long after we put it down, he peed in it. D:
He is not having trouble using the box, so I don't think this is anything health related, just stress due to us being gone too long, and then I think he now has an association with those warming beds, so thankfully it's not cold weather right now, and when I do get some more for the winter, I'll try a different type and hope that it's been long enough and they're different enough that it doesn't trigger him.
He's such a needy baby, but he's always been a bit weird about Alex, so while he was okay around her in general, he didn't go to her for snuggles while we were gone like Ollie did (Ollie went all in on the snuggles with her; she was not prepared lol), so I think that's what caused him to act out. Hopefully now that we're home and all problem spots have been eliminated, we won't have any more issues.
5. Chloe was checking out the new cat tree.
2. The other day I saw a post on instagram about some viral loaded fries (the original was orange chicken but they've added a char siu version as well) and it just happens it's at a Chinese restaurant not that far from us. They have delivery, but the fries aren't on the online menu and by the time they got to us they'd be soggy anyway, so we decided to go there for lunch. Since it's gone viral, we decided an early lunch would be best, so we got there around 10:30 (they open at 10) and there was no one else there except someone picking up for delivery, which was good because they only have three tables. We got the char siu fries and they were even better than expected.
The fries are tossed in orange chicken sauce and then there's a bit of melted cheese and sriracha mayo under all that char siu pork. This is like a regular square takeout container but filled so full it would barely be able to close. We shared it and still only ate half. Would definitely get it again, and we want to try the orange chicken version as well.
3. The restaurant is in the same shopping center as a big Mexican market, so we did some shopping there since we usually don't get over there (now we have another reason to go) and got some stuff for carnitas tacos for dinner and those were also delicious.
4. We figured out who the mystery pee-er was, which I'm glad for, because now we know who to keep an eye on. It turns out it's Jasper, which was one of my top suspects. The reason we found out for sure is that I had to throw away all three of the warming beds when we got back because they'd all been peed in and while we'd washed one before, there had been too many recent pee incidents, I didn't want to leave any possibility of a smell. I ordered another one and that came today and not long after we put it down, he peed in it. D:
He is not having trouble using the box, so I don't think this is anything health related, just stress due to us being gone too long, and then I think he now has an association with those warming beds, so thankfully it's not cold weather right now, and when I do get some more for the winter, I'll try a different type and hope that it's been long enough and they're different enough that it doesn't trigger him.
He's such a needy baby, but he's always been a bit weird about Alex, so while he was okay around her in general, he didn't go to her for snuggles while we were gone like Ollie did (Ollie went all in on the snuggles with her; she was not prepared lol), so I think that's what caused him to act out. Hopefully now that we're home and all problem spots have been eliminated, we won't have any more issues.
5. Chloe was checking out the new cat tree.
I haven't done a smiley post in ages, so!
Apr. 20th, 2026 10:48 pmchanter1944Also I'm low on eloquence and the tireds are setting in, so forgive the rare brevity.
a Covid vaccine booster in the arm=:)
a fantastic musical performance (Hairspray, which my family loves pretty much to a person)=:)
walking the Horicon Marsh main trail=:)
*not* losing a glove on the very same trail thanks to a reasonably brief search, whew!=:)
not getting to pet the black labby who whimpered at me out a slow-moving car's open window=:( - I had to settle for saying "Awwww, baby," as the friendly fuzz and their possibly-a-golden sibling went by. They were clearly well-loved, but still. I would have so pet both puppydogs, had I been given the chance and the okay.
Storm damage=:( - not us, but other parts of Wisconsin, yikes
Merlin IDs=:)
Cardamom in black coffee=:)
Neighbors being excellent to each other=:)
Oldtime radio streams=:)
Synaesthesia=:)
The chance to, potentially, audit a summer course on the literature of the U.S. women's suffrage movement=:) the professor is making sure to include PoC voices in her selections, too
A family and friends political zoom getting zoombombed by that same professor's 50-pound short-haired pointer deciding to be a lap dog=:) there were pets by proxy
Daylilies overwintering successfully and returning from a dormant state=:) Yay! Little green shoots are go! I thought she was a goner for a second there.
Aaaaand not conking out in my chair is probably a good idea. I'm going the heck to bed!
a Covid vaccine booster in the arm=:)
a fantastic musical performance (Hairspray, which my family loves pretty much to a person)=:)
walking the Horicon Marsh main trail=:)
*not* losing a glove on the very same trail thanks to a reasonably brief search, whew!=:)
not getting to pet the black labby who whimpered at me out a slow-moving car's open window=:( - I had to settle for saying "Awwww, baby," as the friendly fuzz and their possibly-a-golden sibling went by. They were clearly well-loved, but still. I would have so pet both puppydogs, had I been given the chance and the okay.
Storm damage=:( - not us, but other parts of Wisconsin, yikes
Merlin IDs=:)
Cardamom in black coffee=:)
Neighbors being excellent to each other=:)
Oldtime radio streams=:)
Synaesthesia=:)
The chance to, potentially, audit a summer course on the literature of the U.S. women's suffrage movement=:) the professor is making sure to include PoC voices in her selections, too
A family and friends political zoom getting zoombombed by that same professor's 50-pound short-haired pointer deciding to be a lap dog=:) there were pets by proxy
Daylilies overwintering successfully and returning from a dormant state=:) Yay! Little green shoots are go! I thought she was a goner for a second there.
Aaaaand not conking out in my chair is probably a good idea. I'm going the heck to bed!
A Farewell to Draggon
Apr. 20th, 2026 07:30 pmazurelunaticSo we have Lawn Dragons. A while ago, an inflatable dragon so new that I didn't even have a lawn picture of it got caught in a wind storm and partially broken. It still lit up, but the blower didn't go, and I thought it was probably some broken wires. And maybe we could fix it.
So Belovedest draped it over the lounge chair on the porch, to dry out.
And there it sat.
I admit that I am short-tempered sometimes.
It's lounging season, I think a little early this year. So the dragon and I have been sharing the chair. And much to my annoyance, we have been sharing it with tiny black ants. Which have been using the deflated dragon as a pathway to climb up onto the chair's side tables (it's a retired infusion chair, so it reclines, has tables, and a place to attach an IV pole) and even on to my very person. I discovered this yesterday.
What losing my temper looked like this time was an enticing Craigslist ad for the salvage-condition dragon (free to the first to arrive), along with reviving my ad to get rid of the aftermarket KitchenAid beater that just barely didn't fit my mixer bowl. Which had been hanging around for months and was starting to develop lichen.
They were both gone by the time I got outside this afternoon.
So Belovedest draped it over the lounge chair on the porch, to dry out.
And there it sat.
I admit that I am short-tempered sometimes.
It's lounging season, I think a little early this year. So the dragon and I have been sharing the chair. And much to my annoyance, we have been sharing it with tiny black ants. Which have been using the deflated dragon as a pathway to climb up onto the chair's side tables (it's a retired infusion chair, so it reclines, has tables, and a place to attach an IV pole) and even on to my very person. I discovered this yesterday.
What losing my temper looked like this time was an enticing Craigslist ad for the salvage-condition dragon (free to the first to arrive), along with reviving my ad to get rid of the aftermarket KitchenAid beater that just barely didn't fit my mixer bowl. Which had been hanging around for months and was starting to develop lichen.
They were both gone by the time I got outside this afternoon.
This All Come Back Now, ed. Mykaela Saunders (2022) [part 1]
Apr. 20th, 2026 10:14 pmpauraqueThis is the first part of my book club notes on This All Come Back Now, an anthology of speculative fiction by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors. I was glad to see that the introduction included the editor's thoughts about each piece (something that has been lacking in some of the anthologies we've read). The editor says that Aboriginal authors of SF have have historically had more success publishing their work as literary fiction than in SF outlets, suggesting a disconnect between white and Indigenous understandings of what "speculative" looks like. They point out, for example, that a time travel story may look very different through a cultural lens that doesn't see time as entirely linear in the first place.
The editor also says that they solicited several stories for the collection from writers who had never written SF before. Perhaps it is unfair that my reaction was to brace myself; I'll strive to be open minded. (It was also pointed out in the discussion that the Indigenous population of Australia is pretty small, so the pool of potential authors may not have been as deep as the editor might have wished.)
Some group members were not thrilled to learn that the book includes some excerpts from novels. We've run into this before and it tends to frustrate our purpose as a discussion group because we end up having the same conversation over and over, which is just "this didn't feel complete... because it isn't complete." The first three pieces we read are actual short stories, though!
"Muyum, a Transgression" by Evelyn Araluen (2017)
( A ghost travels the ruins of the world, finding that what seemed dead can come back. )
"Clatter Tongue" by K.A. Ren Wyld (2020)
[Note: The book lists this story under the author's former name Karen Wyld.]
( A grieving girl literally vomits the detritus of colonization when she is threatened. )
"Closing Time" by Samuel Wagan Watson (2020)
( In the early days of covid, a man wanders aimlessly. )
The editor also says that they solicited several stories for the collection from writers who had never written SF before. Perhaps it is unfair that my reaction was to brace myself; I'll strive to be open minded. (It was also pointed out in the discussion that the Indigenous population of Australia is pretty small, so the pool of potential authors may not have been as deep as the editor might have wished.)
Some group members were not thrilled to learn that the book includes some excerpts from novels. We've run into this before and it tends to frustrate our purpose as a discussion group because we end up having the same conversation over and over, which is just "this didn't feel complete... because it isn't complete." The first three pieces we read are actual short stories, though!
"Muyum, a Transgression" by Evelyn Araluen (2017)
( A ghost travels the ruins of the world, finding that what seemed dead can come back. )
"Clatter Tongue" by K.A. Ren Wyld (2020)
[Note: The book lists this story under the author's former name Karen Wyld.]
( A grieving girl literally vomits the detritus of colonization when she is threatened. )
"Closing Time" by Samuel Wagan Watson (2020)
( In the early days of covid, a man wanders aimlessly. )
Tags:
- book club,
- books,
- books: author: evelyn araluen,
- books: author: k.a. ren wyld,
- books: author: samuel wagan watson,
- books: editor: mykaela saunders,
- books: genre: speculative fiction,
- books: theme: death,
- books: theme: ghosts,
- books: theme: pandemic,
- books: type: short stories,
- books: year: 2017,
- books: year: 2020,
- books: year: 2022
Write Every Day: Day 20
Apr. 20th, 2026 06:15 pmsanguinityIntro/FAQ
Days 1-15
My check-in: Received the first round of beta notes on a story (not the longfic), and accepted a number of minor edits. Beta and I will get together and talk about possible bigger revisions later tonight.
Day 20:china_shop, sanguinity, ysilme
Day 19:badly_knitted, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, dswdiane, goddess47, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilme
Day 18:badly_knitted, carenejeans, china_shop, dswdiane, goddess47, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilme
( More days )
When you check in, please use the most recent post and say what day(s) you’re checking in for. Remember you can drop in or out at any time, and let me know if I missed anyone!
Days 1-15
My check-in: Received the first round of beta notes on a story (not the longfic), and accepted a number of minor edits. Beta and I will get together and talk about possible bigger revisions later tonight.
Day 20:
china_shop, sanguinity, ysilmeDay 19:
badly_knitted, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, dswdiane, goddess47, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilmeDay 18:
badly_knitted, carenejeans, china_shop, dswdiane, goddess47, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilme( More days )
When you check in, please use the most recent post and say what day(s) you’re checking in for. Remember you can drop in or out at any time, and let me know if I missed anyone!
Lake Lewisia #1385
Apr. 20th, 2026 05:39 pmscrubjayspeaksThere are still open spots on our Earth Day seed bombing teams, with sign-up sheets posted at the Buried Gardens. Volunteers with the Gardens have already created a hoard of soil bombs using seeds collected here in Lewisia, like false teapot root, pendulum tree, and nanny nasturtium, which will be distributed to the teams for surreptitious deployment in areas beyond our town. In many areas where natural sources of weirdness have dried up, these plants have dwindled, but we hope to help reestablish strong populations that can support other weird species in the future.
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LL#1385
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LL#1385
Critical Role
Apr. 20th, 2026 08:18 pmsettiaiMy plan to play catch-up on Critical Role is going well so far. I've managed at least one episode a day since I started CR4 from the beginning last week, which seems to be a good rate for me. It's enough to keep me steadily moving forward but not enough that I'm suddenly feeling the urge to just give up because it's taking away my time for other things.
At the rate I'm going, I think that I'll be caught up on my rewatch by the end of the week at the latest, and I'll be able to start making my posts about new-to-me episodes again by this weekend. I'm hoping by the first Thursday of May, I'll be able to start watching live again, but it may potentially be the week after that as the earlier one will require at least a couple of days where I'm fitting in two episodes. Which may or may not happen.
Here's hoping that I can stick to it. 🤞🏻
At the rate I'm going, I think that I'll be caught up on my rewatch by the end of the week at the latest, and I'll be able to start making my posts about new-to-me episodes again by this weekend. I'm hoping by the first Thursday of May, I'll be able to start watching live again, but it may potentially be the week after that as the earlier one will require at least a couple of days where I'm fitting in two episodes. Which may or may not happen.
Here's hoping that I can stick to it. 🤞🏻
Book Review
Apr. 20th, 2026 07:25 pmkenjariA Scandalous Deal
by Joanna Shupe
This historical romance takes place in New York during the Gilded Age. Lady Eva Hyde is the daughter of a brilliant and famous British architect, and has become a very talented architect in her own right. With her father descending into dementia, Eva has been executing his commissions under his name and overseeing the projects in his stead in order to preserve his legacy and keep them solvent. She has just arrived in New York for a hotel project for the wealthy and driven Philip Mansfield. Still wondering whether she'll ever see the handsome stranger she dallied with on the voyage, Eva arrives at Mansfield's offices to find that he is that stranger. He is reluctant to let a woman oversee the construction, but nonetheless agrees to it. As they work together, their attraction simmers and they start an affair that grows into something much more.
This romance had some nice touches. I liked Eva's determination to establish an independent career. She's also quite clever at problem solving. I liked the way Philip came to realize the contradictions in his views of women and his treatment of them. He really grows into a true believer in equality due to his relationship with Eva. And not because she does the emotional labor of educating him, but because his experiences with her caused him to have some real introspection about it. I did think that their relationship came together a little too quickly. I would have liked a little more banter, flirting, and tension.
by Joanna Shupe
This historical romance takes place in New York during the Gilded Age. Lady Eva Hyde is the daughter of a brilliant and famous British architect, and has become a very talented architect in her own right. With her father descending into dementia, Eva has been executing his commissions under his name and overseeing the projects in his stead in order to preserve his legacy and keep them solvent. She has just arrived in New York for a hotel project for the wealthy and driven Philip Mansfield. Still wondering whether she'll ever see the handsome stranger she dallied with on the voyage, Eva arrives at Mansfield's offices to find that he is that stranger. He is reluctant to let a woman oversee the construction, but nonetheless agrees to it. As they work together, their attraction simmers and they start an affair that grows into something much more.
This romance had some nice touches. I liked Eva's determination to establish an independent career. She's also quite clever at problem solving. I liked the way Philip came to realize the contradictions in his views of women and his treatment of them. He really grows into a true believer in equality due to his relationship with Eva. And not because she does the emotional labor of educating him, but because his experiences with her caused him to have some real introspection about it. I did think that their relationship came together a little too quickly. I would have liked a little more banter, flirting, and tension.
Space Exploration
Apr. 20th, 2026 06:22 pmysabetwordsmithTopographic map reveals vast ocean on Mars three billion years ago
Across the northern lowlands, the terrain holds an unusually broad belt of flat ground far below Mars’ reference level.
Tracing that belt across the planet, Abdallah S. Zaki at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), linked it to the kind of coastal margin oceans leave behind on Earth.
Rather than preserving one sharp edge, that ancient coast seems to have survived as a wide zone built and reshaped over long stretches of time.
Across the northern lowlands, the terrain holds an unusually broad belt of flat ground far below Mars’ reference level.
Tracing that belt across the planet, Abdallah S. Zaki at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), linked it to the kind of coastal margin oceans leave behind on Earth.
Rather than preserving one sharp edge, that ancient coast seems to have survived as a wide zone built and reshaped over long stretches of time.