I'm trying a different reading challenge this year (beyond aiming to read a book a week). The plan is to read through the alphabet via author surname. All books will be picked through what is on offer at the library. Hopefully this will push me to read things I wouldn't normally! Thread below:

Love AGDQ and all the work they do to raise money for the Prevent Cancer Foundation! Looking forward to having this as a companion to help make returning to work tomorrow easier.

Finished on Christmas Eve after snagging from the library impulsively when I saw it was in. Loved The Stardust Grail so had to read this! Thanks @yumewrites.bsky.social for a stunning book about sisterhood, environmental collapse, and sailing. It was exactly what I needed right now in my life! 🌱⛵️💚

I love roller derby and I love roller derby merch 💙🤍🩷 Excellent time had watching Arcadia's annual sevens tournament!

I've been going proper Greek Myth Mode recently. As I read I hear the dialogue of the Gods and Odysseus in The Iliad with the Hades 2 voice actors. It's very entertaining!

Finished The Rose Field by Philip Pullman today. Thus ends my back to back reading of His Dark Materials and The Book of Dust. I come away with a realisation that my interest in matter, storytelling, and agency (academic and beyond) was seeded in HDM and it continues through TBoD.

I got the first of two reports back on a proposal and it was very supportive! Positive and the suggestions are considered, help clarify the argument, and are do-able. A boost I sorely needed this week. Now we hope and pray reviewer 2 is uncharacteristically similar in their kindness! 🙏

Treated myself to some books yesterday as it was National Bookshop Day. Got some Korean translated vampires, the Emily Wilson translation of The Iliad, a collection of the two Monk and Robot books, and a Spanish coming of age novel. Now to find space to store them 😬

I'm feeling unwell, but I got pitbull tickets for next summer, so it all balances out.

Look, I enjoy horror/supernatural fiction all year, but it's vibes appropriate now to share what im reading. So: Just finished - Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab Just started - The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling Truly revelling in women's wrongs with this selection. 🩸💀

this is how October has felt so far

8 years ago, my partner and I "met" Pope Francis in Bologna. The pope-mobile was way faster than I anticipated, but I managed to snap this picture, which still makes me laugh.

I've been looking forward to reading this for a while!

Boat cat!

After watching episode 5 of Alien Earth I will be forever giving my water bottle an extra scrub when cleaning 😬 Oh, and keeping a lid on it too!

August was women in translation month and I managed to read 7 books. A huge amount mostly because I've not been at my best health wise and getting cost with a book helps. Titles, authors, and translators in the alt text.

In the most predictable move, I am now replaying through Hollow Knight ahead of Silksong's impending release. Im currently in the early game, enjoying forests, a ruined city, and the incredible Chris Larkin soundtrack. Can't wait to play as Hornet very, very soon!

Wish me luck! Just gotta drive a truck containing the only copy of the source code and all the assets for Silksong across this bridge

It's hard to overstate how much loss the game industry is experiencing right now in terms of talent, passion, and expertise.

Panic Shack's self-titled debut album is out today, and I am loving it!! I've been excitedly waiting for this to drop since first seeing them over two years ago. Standouts for me are: SMELLARAT Thelma & Louise Pockets But it's an album full of bangers.

I'm overheating finishing off the work week; but at least there's new Wet Leg music to soundtrack my broiling. This image is simultaneously the album cover & an image of my last two brain cells.

I have a (open access!!) paper out as part of my work on the GAMEHEARTS project and with my fantastic colleagues at the University of Salford! It uses Bourdieu's idea of cultural intermediaries to map out the route video games are taking towards increased cultural legitimacy.

It's a stunning weekend for me. The roller derby world cup rolls (pun intended) into the beginning of #SGDQ2025 Going fast on track 🤝 Going fast in video games

Very difficult to work when England Roller Derby is currently playing...

Just finished Rakesfall. Stunning! Just a completely wild ride. It's feels purposefully resistant to being an easy read, so not a recommendation for everyone all the time, but it's worth it. Does things with narrative and perspectives and genre I'm going to be mulling over a lot.

Well, this is turning out to be a bit of a banger.

I was very fortunate to receive lots of lovely books for my birthday (and vouchers to buy even more!) Starting the new influx with Hell Bent. Excited to submerge myself back into the dark academic, occult world which Leigh Bardugo set up in Ninth House.

Partner is playing Final Fantasy X while I rest after Roller Derby. Love this child, who after seeing their home village destroyed, proudly declares they are going to be a blitzball when they're older. Not a blitzball player. The ball. Shoot for the moon kid!

As part of my work on the GAMEHEARTS project, I am looking for people to fill out this survey on #music and #videogames. Tell us about the music you listen to and why you do so - it will massively help out our research! 💜 Plz share widely 💜 Link to the survey is: rb.gy/h5emy5

We're getting pizza and I'm obsessed with this slightly broken mural that used to be about eating with your hands but now it reads like Saruman's manifesto

I am cursed to never write symphony right the first time. This would be fine if I didn't need to spend a good chunk of the next year and a bit writing project deliverables and reports about a symphony orchestra.

So happy and so proud to be part of my local roller derby team ❤️ We are nothing without our trans brothers and sisters. We are nothing without our NB and GNC friends. Roller Derby leads the way in demonstrating that inclusive sport is not something to be feared but to celebrated.

What do you mean 19 years after her death, Shirley Jackson became a penguin??

when I say I’m omw this is what I mean

Took part in my first ever proper #RollerDerby scrim today! Had fantastic time and won an award for Best Wipeout.

It's been a *week*. Choosing to rest with wine and The Veilguard.

They say don't meet your heroes; however, Isabelle at the Animal Crossing x Sea Life was pretty cool.

Fantastic evening playing #mtg Commander and drinking a delicious raspberry, chocolate, and chilli sour. Won two games out of four with Grist, the hunger tide and Radagast the Brown. Great start to some time off!!

I'm actually in this one for a second. Catch me handing out magic friendship bracelets during the amazing LRR Chaos event! I still have my Nadu Summer one which is helping to ward off the FOMO I have for Chicago! Plz return to Europe Wizards! I hear Manchester is a great place to host a big event 😉

Exhausting.

Sometimes, the only answer is closing the lid on your laptop, walking out to the local woods, and watching the fattest Robins for a bit while listening to something loud. youtu.be/TybCMKD_vU4?...

New, coming out of an ECREA symposium, Digital Games at the Forefront of Change: On the Meaningfulness of Games and Game Studies (Media and Communication, Volume 13). Eda. Felix Reer, Teresa de la Hera and Salvador Gómez. Complete issue: www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/issue/view/460

Bram Stoker sounds like the coolest fucking surfer I’ve heard of

We announced this in our gameplay episode on Monday, and the giveaway starts NOW! If you want to win a set of the #mtgaetherdrift Commander decks in a SIDEKICK PRO, you need to do 3 things: 1) Comment whether you're TEAM SAHEELI or TEAM TEMMET 2) Follow us and @gamegenic.bsky.social 3) Repost this!

Last night I brought a new mono blue deck (Tekuthal Planeswalkers) to pub commander nights. Deck isn't fully finished, but I wanted to test out the main bones. Very fun but unwieldy with so many tokens and dice. Last image is my internal face trying to keep track of all the triggers.

OpenAI right now

Alright, good for you parcel, but you don't need to brag about it.

I have loved watching Putricia bloom over the last 24 hours ❤️ she stinky and she wondrous. WWTF