Someone who thinks they've really got me on this one: "Imagine if you spent as much on mutual aid and charity as you do on books."
Imagine if you minded your own business and didn't make yourself look like a fucking idiot.
Remote
Nicky
@shanaqui@wandering.shop
mastodon 4.7.3Aged 36, living in Yorkshire with a wife whose pronouns are they/them and two bunnies who don't care. Welsh, non-binary, asexual.
Reads a lot (all kinds of genres), writes a little (mostly fanfic), plays video games a lot (mostly FFXIV right now).
I'm a perpetual student; no current course, but previously graduated from Cardiff University (twice), the Open University, and UoL/LSHTM in English Lit, Biology and Infectious Diseases respectively. 💙
301 Followers
72 Following
50 Posts
Joined November 07, 2022
Pronouns:
they/them
Twitter:
FFXIV:
Cerberus/Eirian Evanna
Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post:
The beginning of my birthday book spree, featuring gifts from my parents and my wife, and the beginnings of a heckin' book spree (with travelogue about bookshops including indies).
https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/29/stacking-the-shelves-the-sunday-post-142/
Review - Lost Voices of the Nile, by Charlotte Booth: a little dry at times due to being quite thorough, but I thought it was really good and well evidenced, and gives a good picture of daily life in ancient Egypt! Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it").
https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/31/review-lost-voices-of-the-nile/
I really don't understand how people write such long reviews. Three paragraphs and I feel like I'm tapped out!
Judge me all you like for not liking second-hand books, but then don't blame me for grossing you out and making you scared of buying second-hand books when I respond to your shaming message by explaining that second-hand books once introduced an infestation of booklice into my collection.
Review - Eleanor Among the Saints, by Rachel Mann: I loved the idea of this and the reimagining of John/Eleanor Rykener, but personally was not a fan of the execution. Rating: 2/5 ("it was okay").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/27/review-eleanor-among-the-saints/
Review - How Queer Bookshops Changed the World, by A.J. West: an emotional and informative journey following the development of the queer bookshop, and some of the trials queer bookshops have faced. Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/27/review-how-queer-bookshops-changed-the-world/
The nice thing is, when I suddenly break off mid-conversation and frantically turn to my PC and start typing, my wife is unoffended, somehow knows it's about a book that (should have been) released today, and has a pretty good idea of what book.
My wrist feels SO close to healed today, I am SO tempted to get out on my bike in this beautiful weather.
But since we think I injured my wrist on my bike, I know I should wait.
At the moment I am reading a chapter of one book, then a chapter of another, then a chapter of a third, then a chapter of a fourth, then going back to the top again, and I recognise that this may seem unhinged to others but it is how I read as a kid.
Doesn't get books finished fast, but tickles my brain somehow, and I'm glad it's getting me spending hours per day reading again.
20 Books of Summer: Getting Started!
Here I pick out a wishlist of books to read (and provide myself with some alternatives).
https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/14/20-books-of-summer-getting-started/
Fantasy with Friends: Magical Libraries.
This week I have a couple of thoughts, but mostly I just talk about what I love to see in a library in a fantasy novel...
https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/22/fantasy-with-friends-magical-libraries/
Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post:
This week reporting on a smallish book spree (by my standards), rounding up my week's posts as usual, and chatting about my weekend reading!
https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/20/stacking-the-shelves-the-sunday-post-132/
Review - In the Hollow of the Wave, by Nina Mingya Powles: a bit of a multimedia poetry collection, mixing images with the words. Not 100% my thing, but I enjoyed it well enough. Rating: 3/5 ("liked it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/18/review-in-the-hollow-of-the-wave/
Review - Queer Georgians, by Anthony Delaney: an interesting survey of Georgian queer people, some of which is surprising/not the usual narrative. Enjoyable, if sometimes sad and sometimes sordid. Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/18/review-queer-georgians/
Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post:
An update featuring mostly library books, and of course the roundup of my posts and reads from this week.
https://breathesbooks.com/2026/04/25/stacking-the-shelves-the-sunday-post-124/
I meant to be productive this lunchtime, but instead I accidentally read 30 minutes of my danmei. Oh well.
Review - Solo Leveling (light novel), vol 7, by Chugong: a bit of an uneven volume but definitely has some hard-hitting stuff. Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/16/review-solo-leveling-light-novel-vol-7/
Fantasy with Friends: Merch.
This week's prompt is about what merch you'd like if you could have some from any book, and my answer is possibly boring... spoiler: the answer is bookmarks!
https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/15/fantasy-with-friends-merch/
Replying to
@Sobtanian@mstdn.games @lady_alys@hachyderm.io Alys, you know what you did in putting this into my feed!
OP, it looks lovely; did you use DK weight? I have acquired the pattern and am contemplating number of repeats and such, and trying to get a sense of scale from other people's work. 😅 Sorry if I missed the info in thread.
Replying to
@LazyMoogle@procial.tchncs.de Agree. My wife and I were yelling "give her the cute packed lunch now!!!" a bunch at the screen when the scene ended and we hadn't handed it over yet. (We were relieved that that was taken care of next.)
Review - The Village Library Demon Hunting Society, by C.M. Waggoner: takes the joke about how many murders seem to happen in sleepy little villages and twists it. Fun, but didn't totally work for me. Rating: 3/5 ("liked it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/04/26/review-the-village-library-demon-hunting-society/
Review - Solo Leveling (light novel), vol 2, by Chugong: very much like the experience of reading the manhwa adaptation, but maybe a little more detail here and there. I had a lot of fun, and there are some cute moments with Jinho. Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/04/24/review-solo-leveling-light-novel-vol-2/
There is always something ominous about an email from Evri saying "We've got your parcel."
It feels like the same tone as "we have your child; don't call the cops or something bad will happen".
Review - The Library of Ancient Wisdom, by Selena Wisnom: a really good look at ancient Mesopoteamia using the library of Ashurbanipal as the jumping-off point. Necessarily fairly limited to the elite POV, but still, interesting. Rating: 5/5 ("loved it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/04/22/review-the-library-of-ancient-wisdom/
Review - Fence, vol 7, by C.S. Pacat: cursedly short, but we get to see the team grow a bit more and the aftermath of Nicholas and Seiji's date. Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/30/review-fence-vol-7/
Review - Lady-Bird, by Fabrice Sapolsky and Dawn J. Starr: the start of a story based apparently on an older one? Which I'd never heard of. Overall doesn't feel like it gets anywhere much. Rating: 1/5 ("didn't like it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/21/review-lady-bird/
Fantasy with Friends: Historical Fantasy.
This week's prompt is about things like adding magic to real events/people, historical accuracy in historical fantasy, etc. I am predictably loosey-goosey about that!
https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/31/fantasy-with-friends-historical-fantasy/
Let's Talk Bookish: Climate Fiction.
In which I muse about "cli-fi" and if it's had an impact on me, from the point of view of someone who's been reading about a destroyed and ruined earth in sci-fi for my whole life.
https://breathesbooks.com/2026/04/19/lets-talk-bookish-climate-fiction/
Review - Puzzles of the Parish, ed. Martin Edwards: a fun collection of church/clergy based mysteries, though it gets a bit more modern than I'd like. Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/17/review-puzzles-of-the-parish/
Review - Blue Horses, by Mary Oliver: a lovely collection, and Oliver's poetry is definitely proof you don't have to be abstruse to write what is definitely poetry. Rating: 5/5 ("loved it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/04/22/review-blue-horses/
Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Wishes.
This week's theme asks for the books you're hankering after - and a wishlist link so people can grant those wishes. I obliged, with my usual weird mix!
https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/16/top-ten-tuesday-bookish-wishes/
WWW Wednesday:
The usual weekly update, this week talking about some manga, a fantasy romance, and some heavier non-fiction.
I'm late to listening to Thea Gilmore's newest song on the Echo Line because of my holiday, but oh boy yeah, I think this is my favourite so far.
And you can check it out too!
He Walks Like War: https://www.theagilmore.net/echo
Review - The Party at No. 5, by Shelley Smith: well written, but not something I enjoyed reading -- just nasty. Rating: 1/5 ("didn't like it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/30/review-the-party-at-no-5/
Replying to
For the avoidance of doubt, in case this breaks containment: I am completely, totally aphantasic, and I love to read. All kinds of genres, fiction and non-fiction. My home contains close on a thousand books and they are almost all mine.
Review - Solo Leveling (light novel), vol 8, by Chugong: a bit disappointing, overall. The end of the main story is good, but all the extras feel disorganised and unnecessary. Rating: 3/5 ("liked it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/21/review-solo-leveling-light-novel-vol-8/
Review - The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter (manga), vol 6, by Kazuki Irodori: I enjoyed volume 6 and Seiichirou's growing realisation of his own feelings a lot. And Aresh's romantic streak! Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/28/review-the-other-worlds-books-depend-on-the-bean-counter-manga-vol-6/
Review - Home Sick Pilots, vol 2, by Dan Watters et al: a bit middle-bookish, but there are some neat things, and the character designs are great. Rating: 3/5 ("liked it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/04/23/review-home-sick-pilots-vol-2/
WWW Wednesday:
The usual weekly update on my recent reading, featuring a mix of queer books, mostly!
Replying to
I love raiding in principle. I took over organising the group because I knew no one else would or could, though, and I do an amount of emotional labour for the group that I don't begrudge but which wears on me; I'm getting tired, especially as we had no break between last tier and this one.
Here's hoping M12S treats us well, I find us some fills we can be friends with, and I get a long break before the next tier.
#FFXIV
Review - Clean Sweep, by Ilona Andrews: a reread to allow me to continue with the series! I remembered little about it, so had fun rediscovering, though I'm eh on the potential love interests so far. Rating: 3/5 ("liked it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/22/review-clean-sweep-2/
Top Ten Tuesday: Welsh Books.
I veered slightly off-prompt to bring you a selection of Welsh and Welsh-related books I love!
https://breathesbooks.com/2026/09/01/top-ten-tuesday-welsh-books/
Book Blogger Hop: The Hook.
This week's prompt is about what gets you hooked on a book, and I have a few different thoughts!
https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/28/book-blogger-hop-the-hook/
Review - Mistakenly Saving the Villain, vol 3, by Feng Yu Nie: anyone who thinks this is a healthy romance needs therapy, but I love them anyway. I have no idea how this is going to wrap up. Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/09/01/review-mistakenly-saving-the-villain-vol-3/
Review - The Album of Dr. Moreau, by Daryl Gregory: a fun sci-fi murder mystery with obvious references to a classic of the genre. Despite a weird concept, I liked it more than I'd expected! Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/08/27/review-the-album-of-dr-moreau/
Review - Dinosaur Sanctuary, vol 5, by Itaru Kinoshita: this volume had me a bit more emotionally involved, and I was on tenterhooks for the next volume. Love this series. Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it").
Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/06/19/review-dinosaur-sanctuary-vol-5/