You know, typically you need some kind of hereditary monarchy and at least a dash of inbreeding to produce this caliber of leadership.

We had a Christmas miracle, which was that our very beloved, but deeply stupid, cat, Peary, ate a fucking cashew, which lodged in his digestive system, and after $1,000 of imaging at the animal emergency clinic, my (retired) vet father was able to call in a favor, get into a clinic, and cut it out.

Stories of Raksura Vol. 1 by @marthawells.com I have such love for the Raksura series and Moon, Stone, and Jade as characters. This volume collects a pair of novellas and short stories in the universe and was a delight. This is a series I'm desperate for everyone to read please check it out!

Here's a good one from @gianmarcosoresi.bsky.social

This is the day that I buy hats, snow pants, snow gloves, mittens, and sweaters for my kids. I am serious. The prices are insanely lower than they were just two weeks ago, and if I buy a size up from where they are, then I'm set for next winter.

How To Crochet an AT-AT Walker From Star Wars! Pattern Designed By Krawka: 👉 tidd.ly/948996b5 #crochet #etsy #affiliate #StarWars #amigurumi

Wedding Vows A Damning Chronicle Of How Much Bride Changed Herself For Groom https://theonion.com/wedding-vows-a-damning-chronicle-of-how-much-bride-changed-herself-for-groom/

If you haven't read the Eric Carter series yet, then I can assure you with great confidence that this is EXACTLY what you need to start 2026 off right. As opposed to the time that I started 2020 off by reading CRISIS IN THE RED ZONE by Richard Preston. True story, double handful of irony.

GOD'S JUNK DRAWER by @peterclines.com www.blackstonepublishing.com/products/boo...

MOST LIKELY TO MURDER by @lishmcbride.bsky.social www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/771719...

slow day in the office so figured we'd start some beef with museums

Didn't RFKJr say that he was going to have autism fixed by now? Did he do that, or was he too busy giving aid and comfort to measles?

LOOK UPON MY WORKS, YE MIGHTY, AND DESPAIR! So, in other news, I have prepared all my handouts, quizzes, and reading packets for my three Spring 2026 classes, and they are in my office and ready to go. See if you can identify that one day on March 10 where I hand out a doozy of a reading pack.

Florida Woman says eat the goddamn rich before they swallow your family whole. Thank you @delilahsdawson.bsky.social for this one!

Please read this whole thread about empathy and work and AI. It's friggin' fantastic.

This is the phenomenon that inspired my story "Mail-Order Magic"! www.sundaymorningtransport.com/p/mail-order...

When I was little, my favorite movie was THE PRINCESS BRIDE. I rented it so many times that I actually had all of the previews memorized, and I got it on VHS for Christmas one year. This summer, I watched it with my oldest son, and seeing him see it for the first time was really incredible.

When Rob Reiner was on his all-time epic run at the start of his career, he had an opportunity to read a script that was looking for a production partner, and he lost his mind for it. He decided Castle Rock had to have it, no matter what.

One of my students is trying SO hard to weasel his way into an incomplete by giving both me and his advisor that the other person has already approved this, and has been thwarted about three times by the whole thing where we, you know, TALK to each other.

The man is amazing because just LOOKING at this photo is going to give me nightmares.

Will Arnett was on Conan and told a story about how Conan dealt with the death of his parents by accusing Jason Bateman of killing them. It’s so funny.

A giveaway! Head over to Goodreads for a chance to win a paperback edition of KILLS WELL WITH OTHERS. (Open through Jan 5 to US addresses only.) Good luck! 🍀 bit.ly/48qMJtN

Health orgs wrote letters asking Sec. Noem to exempt health care workers from the new $100K H-1B visa fee. There's been no response. Learn about a rural hospital that may have to pay the fee after it received job apps from international but no American lab techs. My latest:

Ah, the last day of class. When all of my writing students suddenly become math students and aggressively start crunching their grades to determine if they can still, somehow, pass, and I just sit there and think, "This energy would've been more helpful four weeks ago."

The Dictator is dead; long live the Republic. But whose Republic will it be? A trio of sisters and an ambitious senator use wit, charm, and magic to realize their dreams for Aven, an alternate-universe version of late Republic Rome poised on the brink of greatness or destruction.

If some guy stole my shit and made millions off it while wiping out my job prospects, and you, as my friend, bought that guy's cheap mass market replica of my shit, you and i would for obvious reasons have a problem. It being a massive company, not a guy, actually makes it even more of a problem.

Student email: I'm sick and can't come to class today, but I'll be back in class on Wednesday. Me: This is the last class of the semester. So.

Fantastic book, highly recommended for fans of giant robots punching things.

BEWITCHING BENEDICT - an absolute comedy of errors, ensemble cast #RegencyRomance. I would really love it if this would somehow go viral & sell a ton of copies so I could justify writing more because it was SO FUN! www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...

Asian-American Actresses Describe Struggle Of Constantly Being Typecast As Sherlock Holmes

And then I just meandered straight into a thirst trap.

OH MY GOD MY KIDS ARE GOING TO BE SO EXCITED THAT THIS IS HAPPENING AGAIN.

Been getting a lot of emails/DMs lately asking when the next Eric Carter book is coming out so I'm pinning this. I'm glad so many have enjoyed the books. Thank you. But sadly there won't be one. The publisher dropped the series due to lack of sales. Totally understandable business decision.

I named my fists "Dunning" and "Kruger" because I haven't trained in any sort of martial art but am confident I would do pretty well.

I realize that I am but an unreasonable, cruel swamp hag, but I really think my students would get better grades if they did the assigned reading and attended class.

SO HEY IT'S SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY Could I perhaps take a moment of your time to tell you about a couple of great little bookstores? I got to visit all of theme recently while doing my up-and-down the coast signing tour and they're all pretty fantastic.

It's #SmallBusinessSaturday, and at #Ebooks Direct, our #sale continues! Here's one of the most ridiculously reduced offers in the store: the "All The #Wizardry" bundle—18 ebooks, today available for $14.99! (Seriously, we must need our heads felt.) So grab one now! ebooks.direct/products/you...

Listen, all I really want is for all the main people who made the decisions to scrape regardless of copyright to end up so personally impoverished that they walk around wearing barrels like old-timey depression-era comics, ridiculed and reviled by all. I don't feel like this is asking for much.

if you’re doing some holiday shopping this weekend, just a reminder that you can order signed copies of any of my books through my local bookstore and have them shipped to you. 🥰 sidetrackbooks.com

1. Sketchbook doodles 2. The mural in progress 3. Charles Foussard who did the actual hard work of painting it

Great example of how good the graphic form can be.

I've been remiss in promoting this, but there are NINE Zoe Chant books free through today! www.zoechant.com/thankfulfors... for all of 'em www.amazon.com/dp/B09MGD2DR... for mine, A CHRISTMAS LIKE NO OTTER :)

omg, what a lovely piece on Masquerade on NPR this morning! I need to do that again.

Once again: read @mariahblake.bsky.social's "They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals" bookshop.org/p/books/they...

Can confirm -- makes a fantastic holiday gift for the fascist-puncher in your life.