The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorite books. I love the sprawling disparate characters and plotlines, and how as the book goes on, each seemingly random plotline or character links up until everything comes together in the end. Back when electronic devices couldn't be on during flights, it was the book I brought for plane reading because I knew I wouldn't finish it before I got to my destination. I still remember reading it as the plane pulled away from the gate at O'Hare, being utterly engrossed, and not realizing until the flight attendant's announcement that we had been parked on the tarmac for 45 minutes waiting for our turn to take off.

So when the Masterpiece adaptation showed up on PBS, I watched it with anticipation and hesitation. Would this do justice to one of my favorite books, or would I be shouting at my screen?

Turns out, yes to both.
( episode-by-episode notes )

On balance, I think this adaptation does a decent job of conveying the theme of revenge and when it goes too far. The casting is great; Mikkel Boe Følsgard in particular is very right for Villefort, and Nicholas Maupas does a good job of portraying Albert's transition from carefree boy to chastened young man. And the costumes and sets are excellent; I have a much better mental image of the Carnval scenes now. I don't agree with all the choices the showrunners made to compress a sprawling novel with a bazillion characters and over-the-top plotlines into eight hours and a reasonably sized cast, especially when adding plotlines that aren't in the book. But the visuals are excellent, and overall I found it worth watching.

(Still, WTF, EPISODE 3???)

Tags:

recent watching

Posted by Passant Rabie

https://gizmodo.com/astronomers-pinpoint-the-best-45-places-in-the-galaxy-to-look-for-alien-life-2000735521

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735521

Out of the 6,000 known exoplanets, it's these rocky worlds that are most worthy of attention in the search for life beyond our planet.

https://gizmodo.com/astronomers-pinpoint-the-best-45-places-in-the-galaxy-to-look-for-alien-life-2000735521

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735521

Posted by Kyle Barr

https://gizmodo.com/think-the-ram-crisis-is-bad-now-it-just-keeps-getting-worse-2000735579

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735579

With relief now not expected until 2030, PCs and smartphones will just keep getting more expensive.

https://gizmodo.com/think-the-ram-crisis-is-bad-now-it-just-keeps-getting-worse-2000735579

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735579

This morning I went to check out the big insect hotel near the canal and I was just in time to catch a whole bunch of male European orchard bees who I am fairly sure had just hatched (the females will hatch a little later in the year).

( Read more... )

Tags:

Posted by Bruce Gil

https://gizmodo.com/uber-and-rivian-team-up-to-deploy-50000-robotaxis-2000735594

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735594

Uber has agreed to invest $1.25 billion in Rivian through 2031.

https://gizmodo.com/uber-and-rivian-team-up-to-deploy-50000-robotaxis-2000735594

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735594

Posted by James Pero

https://gizmodo.com/this-portable-party-speaker-gets-as-loud-as-an-actual-chainsaw-2000735535

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735535

Soundboks is back with another ridiculously loud speaker.

https://gizmodo.com/this-portable-party-speaker-gets-as-loud-as-an-actual-chainsaw-2000735535

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735535

Posted by Ellyn Lapointe

https://gizmodo.com/spacex-fires-up-its-biggest-baddest-rocket-yet-starship-v3-2000735580

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735580

It now appears Starship Version 3 is on track for an inaugural launch in April.

https://gizmodo.com/spacex-fires-up-its-biggest-baddest-rocket-yet-starship-v3-2000735580

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735580

Posted by Germain Lussier

https://gizmodo.com/how-project-hail-mary-made-andy-weirs-story-even-more-cinematic-2000735223

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735223

io9 spoke to directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller about some additions to the movie, out March 20.

https://gizmodo.com/how-project-hail-mary-made-andy-weirs-story-even-more-cinematic-2000735223

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735223

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2026/03/gothic-fantasy-new-adult-romance-more/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=167800

Heir

RECOMMEDED: Heir by Sabaa Tahir is $1.99! We ran a guest review by Crystal Anne and she gave it an A:

This book is excellent, which is not a surprise, given that Tahir is an excellent writer. It would have been more surprising if it wasn’t.

But the more important thing to me is that this book was the right book at the right time, and it was there when I needed it to be. I dearly hope it could be that for others, because I know that right now, a lot of us need that, and we’re going to need it for a long time to come.

Prepare for a ruthless and romantic new fantasy from #1 New York Times bestselling and National Book Award winning author Sabaa Tahir that introduces a new generation of characters set in the same world as the unforgettable An Ember in the Ashes series.

An orphan.
An outcast.
A prince.
And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees.

Growing up in the Kegari slums, AIZ has seen her share of suffering. An old tragedy fuels her need for vengeance, but it is love of her people that propels her. Until one hotheaded mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite.

Banished from her people for an unforgivable crime, SIRSHA is a down-on-her-luck tracker who uses magic to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Martial Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But when a chance encounter leads to an unexpected attraction, Sirsha learns her mission might cost her far more than she’s willing to give up.

QUIL is the crown prince of the Empire and nephew of a venerated empress, but he’s loath to take the throne when his aunt steps down. As the son of a reviled emperor, he, better than anyone, understands that power corrupts. When a vicious new enemy threatens the survival of the Empire, Quil must ask himself if he can rise above his tragic lineage and be the heir his people need.

Beloved storyteller Sabaa Tahir interweaves the lives of three young people as they grapple with power, treachery, love, and the devastating consequences of unchecked greed, on a journey that may cost them their lives—and their hearts. Literally.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

House of the Beast

House of the Beast by Michelle Wong is $1.99! I mentioned this on Hide Your Wallet and even purchased a physical copy. It’s currently resting atop TBR mountain.

Step into the House of the Beast in this dark fantasy debut from The Legend of Korra graphic novel illustrator Michelle Wong, about a young woman who strikes a deal with a mysterious and alluring god to seek revenge on her aristocratic family—featuring illustrations throughout by the author.

Born out of wedlock and shunned by society, Alma learned to make her peace with solitude, so long as she had her mother by her side. When her mother becomes gravely ill, Alma discovers a clue about her estranged father and writes a message begging for help. Little does she know that she is a bastard of House Avera, one of the four noble families that serve the gods and are imbued with their powers—and her father is a vessel of the Dread Beast, the most frightening god of all, a harbinger of death.

In a desperate exchange for her mother’s medicine, Alma agrees to sacrifice her left arm to the Beast in a ceremony that will bind her forever to the House and its deity. Regardless, her mother soon passes, leaving Alma trapped inside the Avera’s grand estate, despised by her relatives and nothing but a pawn in her father’s schemes.

Now vengeance is the only thing that keeps Alma going. That, and the strange connection she has with her god—a monster who is constantly by her side, an eldritch being taking the form of a beautiful prince with starlit hair that only she can see. He tells Alma that she has been chosen to bring change upon their world, and with his help, Alma plots a perilous journey to destroy the House that stole everything from her.

A gripping fantasy novel marked by divine rituals, intense combat, and twisted romance, House of the Beast is a tale of revenge, resilience, and the power of love to see us through the darkness.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Good Girl Complex

Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy is $2.99! I mentioned in a previous Hide Your Wallet, as I was a fan of Kennedy’s early new adult romances. Did any one you read this one?

She does everything right. So what could go wrong?

Mackenzie “Mac” Cabot is a people pleaser. Her demanding parents. Her prep school friends. Her long-time boyfriend. It’s exhausting, really, always following the rules. Unlike most twenty-year-olds, all she really wants to do is focus on growing her internet business, but first she must get a college degree at her parents’ insistence. That means moving to the beachside town of Avalon Bay, a community made up of locals and the wealthy students of Garnet College.

Mac’s had plenty of practice suppressing her wilder impulses, but when she meets local bad boy Cooper Hartley, that ability is suddenly tested. Cooper is rough around the edges. Raw. Candid. A threat to her ordered existence. Their friendship soon becomes the realest thing in her life.

Despite his disdain for the trust-fund kids he sees coming and going from his town, Cooper soon realizes Mac isn’t just another rich clone and falls for her. Hard. But as Mac finally starts feeling accepted by Cooper and his friends, the secret he’s been keeping from her threatens the only place she’s ever felt at home.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozarkis is $1.99! Rozarkis’s debut Dreadful comes highly recommended. This sophomore novel released last spring.

From the NYT-bestselling author of Dreadful, Big Little Lies goes to magic school, cozy fantasy perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher, Olivia Atwater and Heather Fawcett. Featuring orange sprayed and stencilled edges, with magic symbols, unicorns and baked goods from the book.

Two parents and their recently-bitten-werewolf daughter try to fit into a privileged New England society of magic aristocracy. But deadly terrors await them – ancient prophecies, remorseless magical trials, hidden conspiracies and the PTA bake sale.

When Vivian’s kindergartner, Aria, gets bitten by a werewolf, she is rapidly inducted into the hidden community of magical schools. Reeling from their sudden move, Vivian finds herself having to pick the right sacrificial dagger for Aria, keep stocked up on chew toys, and play PTA politics with sirens and chthonic nymphs and people who literally can set her hair on fire.

As Vivian careens from hellhounds in the school corridors to demons at the talent show, she races to keep up with all the arcane secrets of her new society—shops only accessible by magic portal, the brutal Trials to enter high school, and the eternal inferno that is the parents’ WhatsApp group.

And looming over everything is a prophecy of doom that sounds suspiciously like it’s about Aria. Vivian might be facing the end of days, just as soon as she can get her daughter dressed and out of the door…

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2026/03/gothic-fantasy-new-adult-romance-more/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=167800

Posted by Lara

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/how-to-lose-a-lord-in-ten-days-by-sophie-irwin/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?post_type=reviews&p=167300

C-

How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days

by Sophie Irwin
July 31, 2025 · HarperCollins
Historical: European

I got my hopes up too high for this novel. Strategic fail. You see, I had been trying to find a copy for review purposes for months, but it was never available in South Africa. When the book finally was available, I grabbed it with both hands. It’s a rare book that can live up to months and months of anticipation and sadly this one did not.

Lydia is rich thanks to the wool processing factories her family owns. Her social climbing aunt and uncle force her into an engagement with Ashford, who will become a duke when his father dies. They’re keeping the engagement a secret until the ball that will be held at his cousin’s house party. Then the duke will make the big announcement. Lydia decides that the only way out of this engagement is for him to jilt her so she decides to be terrible for the duration of the house party.

Disclaimer: I last watched How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days when it was first released in 2003. I remember precisely none of the plot. This story is inspired by the movie’s plot, but for the purposes of this review, I’m pretending I’ve never even heard of the movie (because I remember none of it)

The first 30% of the book was torture for me. One of the primary reasons I don’t watch reality TV is because I am extraordinarily sensitive to secondhand embarrassment. Lydia makes a scene, makes a fool of herself, insults people around her with her rude behaviour. It’s awful. The only thing that made it bearable was that she had a moment or two of feeling bad about how her behaviour made others feel. Not enough to curb her actions mind you.

Í will say that a lot of her actions are centred around playing up the ‘new money’ caricatures that people assume she’ll fulfill. So she’s not, like, telling people they’re assholes. But you do see the strain that it puts on the hostess to always be smoothing over waters that have been troubled by Lydia’s behaviour.

Eventually, Ashford cottons on to Lydia’s scheme and the two then engage in bickering and childish schemes to make the other look bad. Some of this is enjoyable, but mostly it’s just tiresome. This might be a me problem. I have no appetite for pranks.

Finally, they start to really talk to each other like human beings and those parts are delightful! I wish they took up more real estate in the book.

The lack of historical detail bothered me. As with many historicals there is blithe disregard for any of the less salubrious parts of that time period. These people are rich because they exploit poor people across the globe. Sometimes in books I can stomach that erasure, but I couldn’t in this one, maybe because they already included unpleasant things (see CW).

Mention is made of the Dutch East India Company and of one of the characters becoming a colonial governor of Mauritius and one of the characters ‘getting’ jewels from India. The mention without context or awareness decreased my enjoyment because each example is steeped in hideous context, but all of that context is ignored. The easy excuse would be that ‘the characters wouldn’t be thinking about all that,’ and because one cannot prove or disprove awareness, I disregard that argument. By mentioning specificities like the above, the book is forcing me to confront the source of this wealth, one that I know is appalling. The characters may be blithe about it, but I am not. Context, and the lack thereof, matters. And so the cruel machinery of commerce and the colonialist state are mentioned but not explored in any meaningful way, and I am left thinking about it while the characters dance and sparkle. Anyway, I digress.

My chief complaint is around the ending. I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to say that it’s a HFN, but for more detail on why that bothered me, click below.

Show Spoiler

At the end of the ten days, just before the engagement is to be announced, Ashford jilts Lydia. I got the impression that Lydia had been hoping for the engagement to be announced. It wasn’t explicitly stated that Lydia had changed her mind and did, in fact, want to be engaged to Ashford for real, but based on her heartbreak when he jilts her, it was what she wanted after all.

Ten days later, Ashford finds Lydia and asks if he can court her. Lydia is furious. She had just been starting to feel better and he reentered the picture.

I don’t know about you but if it takes me only 10 days to get over a relationship that I had potentially wanted to continue for my entire life, I can’t have been that interested in the first place. Lydia then pipes up during this conversation saying that she doesn’t know if she wants to be a duchess. First time that’s been mentioned and it’s on the second last page of the book. So they agree to court for today and perhaps tomorrow and then they’ll just play it by ear.

HUH? I can’t with these shifting goalposts.

I can’t give this book too poor a grade because I did, in fact, want to finish it. It left me disappointed and it irritated me but I wanted to see how it ended. I can’t say I recommend this book to the Bitchery. Maybe if I hadn’t anticipated this book so hotly, I would appreciate it more. But no, it’s not for me.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/how-to-lose-a-lord-in-ten-days-by-sophie-irwin/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?post_type=reviews&p=167300

Posted by Gayoung Lee

https://gizmodo.com/what-will-the-scream-look-like-in-300-years-this-tool-simulates-its-future-2000735346

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735346

The tool remains an interesting proof of concept, but it could expand into something genuinely useful for researchers and conservators.

https://gizmodo.com/what-will-the-scream-look-like-in-300-years-this-tool-simulates-its-future-2000735346

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735346

Posted by James Whitbrook

https://gizmodo.com/sonic-4-title-cast-release-date-matt-berry-2000735533

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735533

Start your rampant speculation now as to who Berry could be uniquely enunciating as in the next 'Sonic' movie.

https://gizmodo.com/sonic-4-title-cast-release-date-matt-berry-2000735533

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735533

Posted by Passant Rabie

https://gizmodo.com/hubble-was-watching-this-comet-when-the-coolest-thing-happened-2000735265

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735265

C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) was on its way out of the solar system when it did the fateful thing that many comets do.

https://gizmodo.com/hubble-was-watching-this-comet-when-the-coolest-thing-happened-2000735265

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735265

Posted by James Whitbrook and Gordon Jackson

https://gizmodo.com/marina-sirtis-star-trek-legacy-picard-paramount-2000735315

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735315

Plus, Netflix finds the rest of its Mystery Inc. team for the 'Scooby-Doo' live-action series.

https://gizmodo.com/marina-sirtis-star-trek-legacy-picard-paramount-2000735315

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735315

Every Thursday, we have a community post, just like this one, where you can drop a rec or five in the comments.

This works great if you only have one rec and don't want to make a whole post for it, or if you don't have a DW account, or if you're shy. ;)

(But don't forget: you can deffo make posts of your own seven days a week. ;D!)

So what cool other kinds of fanworks/fancrafts/fanart/fics/fanvids/podfics have we discovered this week? Drop it in the comments below. Anon comment is enabled.

BTW, AI fanworks are not eligible for reccing at recthething. If you aware that a fanwork is AI-generated, please do not rec it here.

Tags:

!thursday recs,
bts

( You're about to view content that a community administrator has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Tags:

https://polyrecsdaily.tumblr.com/post/811510678808641536

After the boys of summer have gone (Shelter):

After the boys of summer have gone, by pene. Nestra: Cody spends the whole time within a few feet of Zach. Shaun doesn’t go much farther afield. Someday, Shaun thinks while tossing a helplessly giggling Cody over his shoulder, they’ll look back at this as the beginning of something.

https://polyrecsdaily.tumblr.com/post/811510678808641536

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Tags:

minoanmiss

Thanks everyone who voted! We picked some real classics for this one...

( 3rd place )

( 2nd place )

( 1st place )

Tags:

bts,
poll

Posted by Cheryl Eddy

https://gizmodo.com/pluribus-might-ignore-that-giant-bomb-of-a-season-one-cliffhanger-2000735343

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735343

Creator Vince Gilligan and star Rhea Seehorn joked that the Apple TV series could maybe just 'leave the box sitting in the driveway.'

https://gizmodo.com/pluribus-might-ignore-that-giant-bomb-of-a-season-one-cliffhanger-2000735343

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735343

Posted by an

https://www.transformativeworks.org/transformative-works-and-cultures-releases-issue-no-47/

https://www.transformativeworks.org/?p=280595

Transformative Works and Cultures has released Issue No. 47, a special issue on Gaming Fandom guest edited by Hayley McCullough and Ashley P. Jones.

Essays in this issue explore fan creativity in gaming fandoms and discuss a number of fan-made works and productions, including fanfiction, fanart, cosplay, mods, and fan-made games.

Each issue includes articles representing theory, fannish meta, and book reviews, such as:

We accept submissions for our general issues on a rolling basis. We particularly invite fans to submit Symposium articles.

TWC’s issues in progress include:

We accept submissions for our general issues on a rolling basis. The general issue is always released on September 15.

https://www.transformativeworks.org/transformative-works-and-cultures-releases-issue-no-47/

https://www.transformativeworks.org/?p=280595

Posted by Germain Lussier

https://gizmodo.com/the-spy-film-if-looks-could-kill-was-an-oddly-formative-moment-in-my-film-fandom-2000733484

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000733484

The 1991 Richard Grieco film, co-starring Linda Hunt, celebrates its 35th anniversary this week.

https://gizmodo.com/the-spy-film-if-looks-could-kill-was-an-oddly-formative-moment-in-my-film-fandom-2000733484

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000733484

Posted by Ellyn Lapointe

https://gizmodo.com/will-china-beat-the-us-back-to-the-moon-2000733544

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000733544

NASA is under enormous pressure to return astronauts to the Moon before China achieves its first crewed landing, but experts question whether the Artemis program can overcome delays, technical hurdles, and budget constraints.

https://gizmodo.com/will-china-beat-the-us-back-to-the-moon-2000733544

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000733544

Well that was an eventful day. After I signed off yesterday, my sister and Yoda got up. He had apparently thrown up repeatedly, and was just not feeling well. We watched him closely and decided after I got off that he needed to be checked out. The thing that clinched it was his difficulty getting on and off the couch. That freaked me out. Unfortunately, I had my doctor's appt, so we had to wait til I got back to do that. Fortunately, the BIL came through and took Yoda and Jess up to the urgent care. We got there about 5:30 and I was the last to leave, since I was staying for his discharge paperwork. I got to my car at about 9:45.

After being sedated for labs and xrays, because he was being a little shit about it, it was determined that he had an upset tummy. Bloodwork was good, xrays were clear except some gas, and some mild changes to his spine that show he's getting older. So, a nausea shot, some subQ fluids, and we were taking our small stoned puppy home. Well, Shelly and Jess were. I was there another 35 minutes for the privilege of paying $1400 for gas. *shrug*. Oh well. We took him home and he was seriously stoned.

It was a good day otherwise. I had my meeting to go over my new position. I'm going to be doing what I'm doing, plus backing up the other leads. That could be anything from working the PET queue, emails and faxes. Or it could mean jumping into the team chat to answer questions from my coworkers. At least once I'm announced as a Lead. I've already been told that one of the other leads is out for 4/7-4/8, so I'll be helping then. My schedule will stay the same, though if they need me early or late, I let them know that I'm willing to do that. On especially heavy call days, I may take some calls, just to try to bring it down, but it'll be considerably less. Basically, it sounds like the job is still evolving, and will be what I make of it. Which is both terrifying and cool. They're going to go in and adjust my parameters for my review, so we'll see what that ends up being.

After work, it was off to my long-awaited doctors appointment (The fucker's cancelled my last two as the provider wasn't available, moving me at least 3 months out each time.). The doctor was like "Oh, it's been a while!" And I had to gently point out that little fact. We talked about all the shit I wanted to cover plus a bit. So, I'm going to be changing my primary diabetes med to Mounjaro, as the Rybelsus just isn't doing it. My HgbA1C was utter shite at 9. Two years ago it was a 5. Time to get a new drug. The Mounjaro is a once a week injectable, so that's not bad. One less pill I need to take daily. I don't have a needle phobia, so it should be just fine. In addition, we added a statin med, because it's suggested that everyone over 40 with diabetes should be on a statin. Sure, whatever. Then, I also got 90day scripts for my inhalers, and the seasickness patch just in case. My doctor applauded my preparedness for the cruise, which was nice. She's apprarently had patients run out of meds while on cruises, and it's a pain for all involved.

I finally sat down to dinner at 10pm, but I was more tired than hungry by then. I ate a few bites of chicken curry and then put it in the fridge. It was very good, but their mild is on the border of my spice limit. I mean "give me white people spice." And they hear "Mild for me."

We're officially under 50 days for the cruise, And I'm having some stress, especially after the dog had to be sedated to get an xray. I'm hoping that he does better when he's feeling a bit better, but ugh, one more anxiety that I can't relieve for like a month. I'm hoping he feels a little better this morning. Less stoned at least.

Today will be a day of quiet, and double checking myself. I'm a wee bit tired from the early morning combined with the late night, so I will be double checking that I'm replying to the correect email, and scheduling appointments appropriately. It's definitely going to be an early night.

Tomorrow, we have game,, Saturday we have two games, and Sunday, I have one game.

I think on Saturday, between games, I may make the pasta shells and bake them. I think I'll have time. It should only be about 30 minutes to boil the pasta, 20 to make the filling and stuff the shells, and then bake for 30-40. So that's only about 2 hours. We have four between games, so that should work well.

Sunday, I think it'll be beef stew of some sort. I've got the mirepoix ready to go, and we have some beer, so I'm thinking a nice stout stew. I'll chunk up some potatoes, throw in a bay leave and some thyme, and it'll be great. I might need to get some bread, since we'll probably eat the loaf we have with the shells.

Today, we shall have hash brown casserole with chorizo. It's the easiest dump meal. Hashbrowns, two tubes of chorizo sausage, cheddar cheese soup and cheese for the top. It's perfect for when you want an easy night. Some of my packages came yesterday. I have another bathing suit which is okay, but the bra doesn't do a thing for the tatas. I also got more food. This time it's Lilikoi vinagrette salad dressing (very tasty), granola for jess (they said it's delicious, but a little sticky and fresh) and last was Pineapple macadamia nut pancakes with coconut (can't wait to try these this weekend.)

Puppy is up! He's still a little subdued, but seems to be perking up a bit. He came out from the bedroom, which is more than I expected. Now he's toddling after my sister who is getting coffee. Apparently he had the runs more last night, but he seems maybe a bit better.

We'll see how he does. All we can really do is watch him.

Okay, time for me to go forth and drink some coffee and try to wake up. Oh, Yoda just jumped up on the couch with no problem. Now I feel a bit better. Everyone have aperfect Thursday!

Posted by Zac Estrada

https://gizmodo.com/federal-ev-surcharge-idea-not-dead-yet-and-now-includes-hybrids-2000735360

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735360

Republicans have removed the carrot for EV consumers by gutting EV tax incentives. They're also contemplating whacking them—along with hybrid drivers—with a stick.

https://gizmodo.com/federal-ev-surcharge-idea-not-dead-yet-and-now-includes-hybrids-2000735360

https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000735360

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2026/03/the-rec-league-academic-romances-for-grown-ups/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=167846

The Rec League - heart shaped chocolate resting on the edge of a very old book This Rec League is from PamG, who is looking for some competence porn in academic settings:

I don’t know if this is appropriate for a Rec League, but I have a rather persnickety request. I really like books set in academia, but I have problems with student/professor match-ups. The issue isn’t necessarily the relationship if it’s consensual and the author addresses the power (or age) imbalance between student and teacher in a serious way. However, I really have an issue with the following things:

1) Grown assed adults who cannot keep their pants on for a lousy semester when the wellbeing of their career and/or lover is at stake,

2) Draconian HR or fraternization policies used to threaten “true love” and imply that protecting students is somehow unfair or unnecessary,

3) Protagonists who lie primarily to protect their own interests,

4) Academic environments that seem unrelated to reality.

To sum up, I like protagonists with some self-control, common sense, and a modicum of integrity. I like fictional higher education that feels authentic and has reasonable and realistic policies and procedures regarding student/teacher relationships.

Maybe there are no books with this trope that will ever satisfy me, but also, maybe there are readers who have found some decent books with this trope. I would really love to find something where the professor in this situation is a woman.

Sarah: Celia Lake, 10000% I can hear Catherine hollering from the great library in the sky. She LOVED Celia Lake’s books and they’re full of grown ass adults who are thoughtful and mature, and Eclipse is set at Schola, one of the institutions of magic in that world. There are several series, too.

The Academy of the Dead by Vermilion H. Baine ( A ) might also fit – they’re necromancers trying to decipher a page from a dangerous book.

Amanda: Regardless of the request, The Academy of the Dead sounds fun, so I bought it. Whoops!

What books would you recommend? Drop them in the comments!

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2026/03/the-rec-league-academic-romances-for-grown-ups/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=167846

What if I don't want to run the electricity in my household like a standard Australian household?

( thinky thoughts )

Tags:

house

soc_puppet has posted "Finding Friends and Things to Do on Dreamwidth" and "Uploading Images to Dreamwidth" on

newcomers.

Current Mood: busy

Tags:

guides

1. I've been making the rounds to all the SoCal stores to discuss our upcoming system transition and get a better feel for some of the stores' current processes, particularly for their accounting department, and today I went down to San Diego. Long day of driving, which sucks, but it was nice to see the store again after a long while, and I did make a lot of progress on my current audiobook!

2. Tomorrow I have a lot of meetings, but the first one isn't until 11, so I'm going to take my time in the morning to make up for how long today felt (I didn't even get home until after seven, and I left around 8:30 this morning).

3. Carla and I are not fans of the warm weather, but the cats sure love having the front windows open.

Tags:

Made a little flip-through video to celebrate me surviving two months of Hobonichi Cousin a.k.a. my first daily journal:

How is everyone doing with theirs?

Tags:

Heir

You can find ordering info for this book here.

House of the Beast

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Good Girl Complex

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association

You can find ordering info for this book here.

C-

How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days

Links

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags