I'm ridiculously fond of ASUNDER. It made @kerstinhall.bsky.social an instant pre-order for me for whatever she writes next. Thanks @solarisbooks.bsky.social for bringing out a UK paperback edition, hope many more people pick up this book which was so deserving of its Nebula and Locus nominations.

My two favourite novels of 2025: WORKS OF VERMIN by @hironennes.bsky.social and STARVING SAINTS by @caitlinstarling.com These were the kind of books I wanted to slow down reading so I could enjoy them longer.

@hironennes.bsky.social's Works of Vermin is easily one of the best books I've read in 2025. Weird, dark, artful, and rich with drippingly gorgeous prose. Felt like the first time I read Perdido Street Station - simply transported and enveloped.

My copy of @thomasha.bsky.social’s Uncertain Sons arrived in the UK and it’s every bit as good as Premee said.

Made sourdough bagels. Left the levain starter overnight. Mixed a little seeded flour into the dough for extra flavour. Boiled 30 seconds per side, then seeded (poppy and sesame) and baked 12 minutes. Pretty good chew, excellent flavour. #baking #breadsky

This turned out great. Kibbled malted wheat and malted barley flours diluted in plain strong white flour. Sprayed with water and applied poppy seeds. Baked with water in tray for extra steam and firmer crust. #baking #breadsky

Saw the Royal Shakespeare Company production of My Neighbour Totoro last night and it was so good. People just straight up gasped at how good some of the set design and puppetry was.

Not enough apples for crumble, so made apple cinnamon rolls. Matchsticked pink lady apple into the cinnamon. Glazed with apricot jam after baking. Made cream cheese icing with half the usual sugar to keep it runny. Cut a comically large hole in a plastic bag to pipe the icing. #baking #breadsky

My signed edition of @caitlinstarling.com's Starving Saints has arrived in the UK, along with the book launch enamel pin by @missdaisydee.bsky.social and I'm in the best mood. Can't stop smiling. I really loved this book. Also, every book should come with a pin.

Happy 1st book anniversary to @kerstinhall.bsky.social’s ASUNDER. This book sunk its teeth in me one year ago and hasn’t entirely let go. Of all the dangling narrative threads, I think I love Rasko most. Untied threads can be better than a finished edge. A mystery can be better than an answer.

Baked muffins and bread and it’s not even 10:30 💪 Sunflour, poppy and chia seed in malted wheat and barley flours, about 80% strong white flour. Poppy seeds on top. I actually like the slight jelly bean shape. #baking #breadsky

Made a quiche. Shortbread dough rolled and blind baked. Quiche recipe is from Chef John but I subbed a light aged cheddar for Gruyère because it’s what I had on hand. #baking

Pre-ordered a copy of @ldlewiswrites.com’s Year of the Mer as a gift to my future self

Really happy with this one. Three malt grain flours cut with plain strong white to lighten it. Toasted sunflower seeds on top with an egg wash. The nuttiness of the sunflower with the slight sweetness of the malt is a great balance. Dough rose well and was easy to shape. #breadsky #baking

Kind of embarrassed with this one, lame wasn’t sharp and the top is not so much scored as butchered. Poppy seed on crust, Wessex Mill six seed flour. Tastes better than it looks. #breadsky #baking

Made bagels. Boiled 30 seconds per side. Ran out of sesame seeds so ended up with three quarters poppy seed, no bad thing. This batch turned out really well. #breadsky #baking

Hey @kerstinhall.bsky.social‬, I look forward to your newsletters. They're interesting, informative, open, and enjoyable (even when sometimes the subject is not uplifting). Enjoying that at least with its current audience you feel free to be less guarded, long may it continue. The best one I receive

On the hottest day of this heatwave I baked bear-shaped bread. Why? Because it’s bear-shaped bread! #breadsky #baking

How is it that The Witch Roads is the first book I've read by @kateelliottsff.bsky.social‬? Better late than never I guess. Absolutely tore through this, and happily the follow-up is coming quick on its heels. Just a pleasure from cover to cover.

Nigella Lawson’s Guinness chocolate cake recipe is the closest to perfect I’ve ever tasted. Rich, moist, light, deep chocolate with a perfect mouth feel - if consumed on the day of baking. #baking

Made another oval loaf today, took the time to shape it better. Shipton Mill three malt flour, topped it with sunflower seeds which toasted up nicely, and a light egg wash over the crust in part to help keep the seeds in place. #baking #BreadSky

Baked a large loaf - Wessex Mill Cobber flour, dusted with poppy seed, light egg wash on the crust. Hot day so I couldn’t be bothered spending any time on better shaping only for it to start sagging by the time it went in the oven. #baking #BreadSky

This was my favourite fantasy novel of 2024, and definitely in want of a sequel. The best things about it are subtle, like the cultural and political dynamics created by "gods" that are merely manifest representatives of their source power, and inconsistently involved. Couldn't love this book more.

Made an apple pie and a quiche. Not the most attractive cosmetically (I slightly underestimated the quantity of dough to reserve for the lattice and had to roll it too thin, and butchered the crimping in the process) but delicious. #baking

Love my Sabriel print by @tommyarnoldart.com, the print on cotton paper is gorgeous in a way I just can't capture with a photo - something in the texture. Seeing the process for creating this image described at www.muddycolors.com/2022/03/illu... only makes it more special ❤️

Hi @aimeeogdenwrites.com, not sure if this is a question for you or Psychopomp but if I pre-order Starstruck in the UK will the paperback be print-on-demand? I hate that this is rarely made clear, but understand that's on publishers not authors. If it's going to be POD I would just get the ebook.

@garethlpowell.bsky.social's excellent Future's Edge is currently £1.99 on Kindle (UK), I have the hardcover but couldn't resist getting a second copy on ebook

Defo a fave of 2025 so far. Enjoyed @emilytesh.net's Incandescent on so many levels. A window to something obviously personal, yet relatable. Fun to read, story is cracking. Exploration of class, cliques, culture and callings. Also wonderfully written. Goldsboro signed limited edition is sweet.

An unexpectedly long wait but worth it. The limited hard cover edition of @garethlpowell.bsky.social’s Future’s Edge from Broken Binding.

Great to hear from @emilytesh.net on a panel in London with @sylviecathrall.bsky.social and Antonia Hodgson discussing Academia in Fantasy, each approaching it from a distinct direction and background. Always a treat. I feel grounded for reading The Incandescent, which I've been looking forward to.

I can’t even eat them while I’m training, but I baked bread just because I missed the aroma in my kitchen. A friend is coming for dinner this evening and will take them away, my loss is her gain. Dough skin was very tight which deformed a bit baking. Good crust from added steam. #baking #breadsky

My personal faves @kerstinhall.bsky.social’s ASUNDER and @vajra.me’s RAKESFALL once again, recognised amongst worthy company. Get in!

@robertjbennett.bsky.social's Drop of Corruption is a fantastic follow-up to (now Hugo nominated) Tainted Cup. It's witty, intelligent, wonderfully written, and... highly satisfying (which I mean in the most complementary way, as a sequel that needs to expand/conclude narrative threads). Bravo!

Hey @emilytesh.net, you’re the answer to one of today’s NYT Crossword clues! Can’t wait for my copy of The Incandescent to arrive in a couple weeks.

Made an Easter rabbit bread boule. This was actually the second attempt, the first the boule was too large and looked freakish. #breadsky #baking

Can I confess half the reason I bought @premeemohamed.com‬'s RICH MAN'S WIFE was the cover? Because it's true, and I say that with respect as a devoted Premee fan. @carlydraws.bsky.social that's some outrageously beautiful work. What book were you fortunate to take a chance on because of the cover?

Slowly getting back to form

Last pie for a while sadly, I have to start cutting to race weight. So of course I made two, a large apple pie and small blueberry pie, both with lattice shortbread crusts. #baking

Somehow highly appropriate that the East India Company in London Mayfair is closed for unpaid taxes

Made a loaf with Shipton Mills 3 malt and sunflower flour. Left the dough in the fridge for two days to rise for lack of time to bake it and suspected it would be over risen. Turned out the best I’ve made with this flour in ages, springy and soft with a crisp crust and delicious. #breadsky #baking

Had a couple DMs about my custom made "special edition" of @kerstinhall.bsky.social's Asunder. Here's a short thread about the process and some things I learned. Maybe you'll find it interesting even if you're not planning to attempt something similar yourself. I knew nothing before attempting. 🧵

Hey, I seem to have come down with a bad case of the @premeemohamed.com reading bugge. Is it contagious? Can anyone tell me what other symptoms to expect?

Finished my love letter to @kerstinhall.bsky.social's Asunder, my custom made "special edition". This was my first attempt at book re-binding (and probably last, I don't need more hobbies) but I'm happy with the result. I felt this book was quite special, and wanted to do something special with it.

Made a lattice crust apple pie. Bramley and braeburn apples. Used the pie crust technique where you freeze the butter so it stays granular when working the dough, and apple cider vinegar to break down the glutton. Works great for a super tender crust. #baking

Malted loaf with poppy seeds. Structure is good, nice crumb and crust. Wessex Mill six seed bread flour is excellent every time. #baking #breadsky

My two favourite novels of 2024 (@kerstinhall.bsky.social’s Asunder and @vajra.me’s Rakesfall) both on the finalist list for the Nebula Award? FUCKING YES! nebulas.sfwa.org/award-year/2...

What I love about @kerstinhall.bsky.social's Asunder is what I love about Gene Wolfe. A rich world that provides context not just backdrop, with slow reader-earned exposition and space for the reader to fill in the gaps and make the story theirs. The more you put in as a reader the more you get out.

Munch's "The Scream" done in Apple Pie (it's a mixture of bramley and braeburn apples, and it's delicious) #baking

My supporter copy of “Of Shadows, Stars, and Sabers” arrived. It is beautiful and full of astounding talent. Thank you @jendiagammon.bsky.social for signing it and @garethlpowell.bsky.social for relaying it. Congratulations on the first of many books from your new imprint.

Re-reading @joeldane.bsky.social’s The Ragpicker is like a hug from a trippin’ Cormac McCarthy. Confirmed, still one of the best books I read in 2024.